Thursday Weights Routine (Shoulders and Traps)

As a continuation from my previous blogs this blog is another routine as part of the week’s weights routine, which has been getting covered day by day. This blog will be focused on the routine of shoulders and traps, this will provide an insight into the sort of routine that indeed I follow and allows you to implement something into you’re own routine and for a beginner as a starting pion in which to grow from. 

Workout Routine

Shoulder Workout

To begin with I would start with shoulder pressing, however before getting too involved within the set. It is good practice to warm the shoulders up first, so pick a light weight and take it easy with some reps. This gets the blood flowing and the muscle in preparation for heaver sets and minimises the risk of injury also.

Shoulder Press (Dumbbell)

This shoulder dumbbell exercise is essentially a mass and strengthening exercise to help achieve the term “shoulders like boulders”. This will build you’re lockout strength and endurance of heavy sets during your routine.  

3x 6-8 reps, with each set increasing weight. You’re last set you might only get 4 reps out of your maximum weight however, with each week you’re becoming stronger and you’re muscles are becoming more competent to allow to lift heaver and able to lift heaver for more reps.

Upright Row (Ez-Bar)

Again this is a good exercise to add some mass to the shoulders, this movement can be seen from the pictures provided. This will built the strength and stability in the shoulder to allow them to grow and develop.

3x 8-10 reps

Dumbbell Front Raise

A good exercise to squeeze the muscle and built the strength within it also. A moderate resistance and rep range is good to work the selected area.

3x 6-8 reps

Whilst doing this you could create a mini circuit, grab a 10kg, 15kg or 20kg free weight (Plate) and do front raises with them and then toward the end of your rep range, hold the weight in front of you and turn it side to side, kind of like a steering wheel in a car. This gets all the blood flowing and burns the muscle. I will provide an image for visualization purposes.

3 sets of this also, similar rep range to the above.

 

Bent-Over Rear-Delt Raises

This movement is good for working the area of the shoulders missed by previous exercises. This works the shoulder and promotes muscle mass.

 

3x 6-8 reps, increasing weight with each set here to one you are comfortable with.

Machine Lateral Raise

To end the shoulder workout, this is a good machine to do a pyramid set with, this will finish this routine with a great pump. A pyramid set is for example start with 10kg do 10 reps, then 8 reps at 15kg and then 6 reps at the max weight and in this case 20kg. Then do it working back to your start weight. Hence why it’s called a pyramid set as you do three different weights but work up and down them to whichever one you started with e.g. heavy to light, or light to heavy.

 

3x each set to failure and working within the weight amounts you are comfortable with.

Traps Workout

Shrugs

Shrugs is a very well-known and old workout that is an effective exercise to build you’re trapezius muscles. You can do this either with a barbell or dumbbell. I generally stick to the dumbbell version as I feel it more effective more myself.

1x 10-12 reps

1x 8-10 reps

1x 6-8 reps

Each set moving up weight also.

Low Cable Face Pulls

This is also a useful exercise to build the tall traps to match the boulder shoulders. Use the rope for this, you can see from the image how you expect to be lifting this. You should keep the form and reps flowing, this will get difficult toward the end of your set but dig deep and finish. In terms of weights you should challenge yourself by picking a weight that’s heavy enough for you to be begging for the end of the set but not so heavy that it requires cheating to get there.

4x 8-12 reps with alternating weight as you feel fit and go along the exercise.

Thank you for reading my blog and if you have been following my journey of my blogs thank for keeping tuned it. If you want to ask me anything feel free to comment and I will get back to you, if you want me to cover a specific topic again just drop me a comment or check out my social media platforms and contact me via that.

Thanks,

JSN.