I need help with shoulders and abs...

[Memo]

I've been hitting the gym pretty hard for the last 6 months but I can't for the life of me get traps and deltoids to look good. I can't get the abs either but that's because my diet sucks and I go out too much.

Any suggestions? I want to get to 200 lbs. Right now I'm at 188. I just take whey protein, creatine, and sometimes l glutamine.

Help from the pros needed...

[8mpg]

only way to get abs is drop your bodyfat % most people that have a 6 pack seem to be in the 8-12% depending on how you hold your fat.

[Sean88gt]

What are you doing for shoulder workouts?

[Machx2]

I do dumbell raises to the front and sides. Also I do Standing Barbell row and that seems to hit my shoulders hard. Everyone else my have better workouts. My shoulders aren't all the way formed like I want, however they are getting there now with these workouts.

[Ruffdaddy]

I've been hitting the gym pretty hard for the last 6 months but I can't for the life of me get traps and deltoids to look good. I can't get the abs either but that's because my diet sucks and I go out too much.

Any suggestions? I want to get to 200 lbs. Right now I'm at 188. I just take whey protein, creatine, and sometimes l glutamine.

Help from the pros needed...

First, It's gonna be damn hard to put on the weight WHILE building abs unless you see a man about a needle. I don't want to say it's going to be impossible, but damn near close.

The beggest help you will have in gaining weight is that it appears you could gain some in your arms. Here is my advice:

Shoulders:

My shoulder day as of the past few months has been pretty focused. The exercises I typically do are as follows:

-Shoulder Press (Dumbell or hammer strength); 3X10-12 + 1 Lightweight Burnout
-Lateral Raises (slight lean inwards); 3X10 + 10 second pause at about 30-40 degrees extension
-forward deltiod raises; 2x10
-Reverse Flyes; 3X10-12
-Upright Rows; 3X8-10
-I do shoulder Rolls here and there.

Most of my trap work is also mixed in with back workouts. From you picture it appears you would benefit from deltoid work more so anyways. Trap work that may help you would be rolls, leaning rows on the smith, upright rows, and concentrated lateral raises.

Abs:

Like was mentioned, gotta get the BF down. BUT that is NOT the only contributing factor to nice abs. You should also work them as well. I admit I need a little more work here, but will give me 2 cents anyways. Biggest help for me is training for races; 5Ks and the adventure shit

Lower Ab days:

-Leg Raises (weighted)
-Windshield Wipers on slight incline
-Ab coaster
-Leg Raises
-arched crunches

Upper and oblique days

-Crunches
-Multiple machines
-oblique twists
-Cable abdominal pulls

[Flashstang04]

Working them with core exercises rather than "site" exercises is key and dropping body fat is just as important, but it's near impossible to gain and cut simultaneously.

[Machx2]

Working them with core exercises rather than "site" exercises is key and dropping body fat is just as important, but it's near impossible to gain and cut simultaneously.

Maybe its just me, but I gain tons of muscle all the time and drop body fat.

[Ruffdaddy]

Maybe its just me, but I gain tons of muscle all the time and drop body fat.

If you are serious...

A)either you've gotta either be on hormone therapy, or just straight up juicing (which is a possibility because you mention doing it all the time...aka cycles).

B) you have alot of room for improvement

C) You're a freak of nature...

[Machx2]

If you are serious...

A)either you've gotta either be on hormone therapy, or just straight up juicing (which is a possibility because you mention doing it all the time...aka cycles).

B) you have alot of room for improvement

C) You're a freak of nature...

I think I might have metioned cycles once ever. And that was in canada. I was curious about them. I tried pro hormones once and it wasn't for me. When I want to gain muscle and lose fat I just put my diet in check. It is physically possible. You just won't gain near as much as you would if you eat a ton.

[Jonny00GT]

I've been able to realize gains in muscle size by increasing the intensity and changing up my routine. I don't change just the movements I use, but also the program, going from a 12-10-8-6-12/12 "Body for Life" format to my current 5x20 100 rep super-set program. Once I stop getting sore on my current program, I'll go back to the BFL.

I think it's also important to note, growth comes, not just from the muscle-mind connection(focus) and the struggle once your muscles are trying to quit on you and you're mental toughness is challenged(the work), but also while you're letting your body heal. Laying off and getting enough sleep is the hardest part for me.

-Jonny

[Memo]

Right now i do standing barbell rows, shoulder press, and dumbbell shoulder raises or whatever they're called. I guess I need to add some lateral and deltoid raises.

Now the tummy.... I need to lay off the drinks and all the junk food. I can hit the gym hard but giving up the yummy food is the hardest part for me.

As far as supplements, when do y'all take them? I take N.O.Xplode before working out and it gets me all wired. Then I take a whey protein shake with 5g creatine after working out. Right before bed I take l glutamine. That's pretty much it. Should I change any of it up? Add or remove anything?

[Jonny00GT]

When shaping the delts, it important to make sure you're hitting all 3 heads, or you're gonna look lopsided, usually to the front thanks to bench press and incline press. Make sure you know all the movements available to you and which head they work. I'm a fan of slightly hunched lateral dumb bell raises starting thumbs up and then going thumbs down at the top. I think of pouring out pitchers of water on my feet from about head high. I feel this one more in the middle and rear heads as well as traps.

If you're not familiar with this movement, start lightish with lots of reps till you feel it in the middle and back heads, where you want it. You may have to play with your form a little till you're hitting the area you want to grow. It's important to do this movement without raising your body up, swing, throw and don't forget to fight it down on the neg. You can get your traps in on the lift more than usual if you flex them on the neg.

Another variation is the "full beer/empty beer". Same movement, but you stay thumbs up (full beer) on the odd reps and thumbs down (empty beer) on the evens.

A good finishing set for this routine is taking heavy dumb bells, like 60s or 80s depending on what you have left in the tank, and hold them away from your thighs as far as possible for 30sec+.

-Jonny

[Trick Pony]

I change it up between these excercises for shoulders and traps:
Straight Bar Military Press (In front)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press (palms facing in at bottom of the movement and rotated forward at the top)
Dumbbell Side Laterals
Barbell Shrugs
Upright Rows (close grip)

[03trubluGT]

I do heavy dumbell military press, upright rows, front lateral raises, side lateral raises, and finish off with heavy shrugs. When I do shrugs, I do a set of 10, then on the last rep hold it up for a count of 10 for each set. I do about 6 sets of shrugs.

[jdgregory84]

Abs is 90% diet. Stick with crunches and and some core excercises and as long as you're diet it good, they'll come.

Real quick, my shoulder workout is this.

Hang Cleans, I know it mostly works traps, but being explosive is will work out your shoulders and even calves.

Shrugs, I actually decrease weight with each set, and increase reps. I start out with four 25's on each side, drop a 25 on each side with each new set. My reps go like this...set 1-10reps, 2-15reps, 3-20reps, 4-25reps.

Shoulder Press on seated cable machine with back off of back rest. Makes you engage the core a bit, and makes it a little harder to stabilize the weight. It's hard, but it works great.

I do front and side lifts, but I prefer to do these with a resistance band. Just find one that's right for you. Remember, it's your shoulders. There's a lot of shit in there you can fuck up, so find something that provides good resistance, but not something that hurts to do. I raise fairly quick, but I lower slowly. I alternate between side and front each set.

Lastly I do the machine where you're sitting down, and there are pads on each side of you, it's almost a wing flapping motion. I do 65lbs, then 75lbs, then 85lbs. I try to go to failure on each, but I never exceed 15 reps.

Good luck. Remember with shoulders especially it's the quality of your lift, not how much you're lifting.