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Want to look skinnier? Get bigger shoulders

In all seriousness.  That’s not a joke.

It’ll create an optical illusion that you actually have a smaller waist than you do.

But another plus about broad-sculpted shoulders is that women find them attractive.  An Archive of Sexual Behavior study showed women are most attracted to guys with shoulders that are 1.6 times the size of their waist (Yes, you can measure you shoulders now to see where you stand.  Remember to measure your shoulder circumference at its widest point).

How does it look? Have to slap on a little more meat on to your shoulders?

Of course you know of the normal shoulder exercises that everyone does; military press, db shoulder press, lateral raises, upright rows.  I have a few exercises that you can add to your shoulder routine that will challenge your shoulders and stimulate new growth and strength.

I’m all about sculpting nicer muscles, but it’s also important to have muscles that are actually useful.  Women like a man who look like Tarzan AND can actually play like Tarzan.

Push Press

The Push Press is a great exercise because it involves recruiting a high amount of muscle fibers not just in your shoulders but as well the rest of your body.  The Push Press – if done correctly – can cause quick growth and strength.

You will be able to use more weight because of its explosiveness compared to a more strict exercise such as the Military Press.  In this case, the push press will allow for greater mass development of the whole deltoid muscle group.

Now when doing the Push Press, make sure you use a good amount of weight.  I would recommend doing anywhere from 3-5 reps for 3-6 sets.  If you are just doing the exercise with the same weight as your military press (like I said – play like Tarzan), you better count that set as a warm-up and then load on some weight.

Bradford Press

I came across this lift when I started training with a few powerlifters.  The first time I did this exercise, my shoulders were burning like crazy. This focuses strictly on your shoulders with constant tension and it takes the triceps out of the movement.

You can perform this exercise either seated or standing.  Un-rack the bar like you would performing a Military Press.  Press the barbell up so that it is a couple inches above your head, then lower it behind your head (don’t lower it down to your neck, just right behind your noggin). Press the bar back up to a couple inches above your head again lower it back to the starting position.  That is 1 rep.  This exercise is best used for high reps from 8-15 reps with a medium or wide grip for 3-4 sets.

Lumber Jack Press

This exercise just makes your feel cool. You think of a Lumber Jack and all you can see is a guy with big ass shoulders. When I came across this exercise I thought that it was a cool variation of a press and would add a good challenge.  This will also get your core firing really good too with the weight starting off-set.

Perform this exercise by holding a barbell length wise with both hands on your right shoulder and press it upwards until the arms are fully extended.  Next lower the barbell down to your left shoulder, press it back up and lower it back to your right shoulder.  That’s 1 rep.

Same as the Bradford Press, this is best done with higher reps of 8-15 for 3-4 sets.

Scrape the Rack Shoulder Press

I came across this exercise from John Meadows, aka Mountain Dog.  First off, if you don’t know who John Meadows is then check out his youtube channel and you will see why I would adopt a few exercises from him.

WARNING: Do this exercise with caution, not because of the danger but mainly because it deals with actually trying to scrap the paint of the rack. If you workout at one of those commercial gyms, they may not allow you back.  But doesn’t hurt to try.

Now perform this, you need to be in a power rack. Hold the bar at with a medium or wide grip at shoulder level.  Split your stance so one leg is in front of the other.  You will feel much sturdier.  Press the bar against the supports of the rack and upward as if you are try to strip the paint off the rack.   The goal is to keep pressing the bar into the supports as you perform the exercise.  For these presses, you can perform moderate to higher reps from 6-15 for several sets. You will definitely feel constant tension in your shoulders throughout the movement and blood filling them up after each set.  This has become one of my favorite shoulder exercises to perform.

Here’s a Sample Shoulder Workout

1) Push Press
Sets: 3
Reps: 3-5
Rest: 1-2 minutes

2a) DB Lateral Raises
Sets: 2-3
Reps: 12
Rest: 30 seconds before moving on to the next exercise

2b) Lumber Jack Press
Sets: 2-3
Reps: 12
Rest: 1 minute before returning back to exercise 1a.

3) Scrape The Rack Press
Sets: 3
Reps: 10
Rest: 60 seconds

Follow this workout, and you will be on your way towards brawny shoulders that women love and other guys will envy.  Plus you won’t only have solid shoulders but you will actually have some strength to show for.

Give this workout a try and let me know what you think about it in the comments below.  What are your favorite exercises for bigger and stronger exercises?