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[BendtheBar]

Bodybuilding.com - The Secrets To Humongous Deltoids! - Planet Muscle

Seated Behind-The-Neck Press - View Exercise

Lately, a few so-called certified trainers have given this exercise a bum rap. These are those freshly graduated, correspondence-course, all-knowing sages, as it were. Of course, no matter that Chuck Sipes, Bill Pearl, Reginald Park and Marvin Eder developed the strongest deltoids in natural training history just by doing behind-the-neck presses, the granddaddy of deltoid exercises. Once more, none on them developed debilitating shoulder dysfunction, as has been so tiresomely predicted.

For an entire era previous to Ronnie Coleman's out-of-this-galaxy musculature, behind-the-neck presses were to the 'man' as bench presses are today.

[BendtheBar]

[Carl1174]

He was an absolute legend, so strong and powerfull...



Who wouldnt want to look like that

Carl.

[glwanabe]

Good shoulder flexability, and proper hand spacing are two very important aspects to performing the presses.

As most everybody knows, I hold the opinion that shoulder, and chest work has been twisted in the modern world of training. While benching is a viable movement, Deltoids should be the primary upper body group to work.

Think about it from this aspect. What looks better?

Big chest small shoulders
Big shoulders small chest

I'll go with the latter. There is also the aspect of having good shoulder strenth and stabilty will lead to a big bench. No matter how you look at it. Proper shoulder work is the key to upper body mass, and strength. IMO!

Quote:
Seated Behind-The-Neck Press - View Exercise

Lately, a few so-called certified trainers have given this exercise a bum rap. These are those freshly graduated, correspondence-course, all-knowing sages, as it were. Of course, no matter that Chuck Sipes, Bill Pearl, Reginald Park and Marvin Eder developed the strongest deltoids in natural training history just by doing behind-the-neck presses, the granddaddy of deltoid exercises. Once more, none on them developed debilitating shoulder dysfunction, as has been so tiresomely predicted.

For an entire era previous to Ronnie Coleman's out-of-this-galaxy musculature, behind-the-neck presses were to the 'man' as bench presses are today.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by glwanabe

Good shoulder flexability, and proper hand spacing are two very important aspects to performing the presses.

As most everybody knows, I hold the opinion that shoulder, and chest work has been twisted in the modern world of training. While benching is a viable movement, Deltoids should be the primary upper body group to work.

Think about it from this aspect. What looks better?

Big chest small shoulders
Big shoulders small chest

I'll go with the latter. There is also the aspect of having good shoulder strenth and stabilty will lead to a big bench. No matter how you look at it. Proper shoulder work is the key to upper body mass, and strength. IMO!

I will add to that the reality that a big chest is very hard to achieve. Arnold was a true genetic freak regarding chest size. Thought I would mention him since he is the gold standard.

[Carl1174]

Not to mention that shoulder width also helps with the coveted 'v-taper' the chest is never gonna help with that.

Arnold was a freak with his chest, but i think the importance of a big chest has just come from Arnold having such a large chest and the importance of the Bench press has also got mixed up with that. The fact is you can bench press all you want and unless you have the genetics you will never have a chest like Arnie. Ok so shoulder width also can be determined by the length of the clavical, but IMO you can do more to change the look of you body by working the shoulders, than you can by working the chest.

I was admittedly completely ignorant to this untill GL put me right, but it really does make blindingly clear sense now.

Look at any of the 'old time' lifters and they all have impressive shoulders... Sandow, Grimek, Park, Reeves, Eger, Koszewski... some have great chests too, but ALL of them have wonderfull shoulders.

Carl.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Carl1174

Look at any of the 'old time' lifters and they all have impressive shoulders... Sandow, Grimek, Park, Reeves, Eger, Koszewski... some have great chests too, but ALL of them have wonderfull shoulders.

Carl.

Very good point.

The modern era's gold standard shoulder workout is often:

--Overhead press variation, often in a Smith or Hammer Strength.
--Side Laterals.
--Rear Laterals.

/Done.

I have advocated more weekly compound lift work for shoulders than this, but it wasn't received very well. I was told that I was advocating too much delt work.

My rebuttal, of course, was that it is currently acceptable to do 12+ weekly compound sets for chest, but only 3-4 weekly compound sets for shoulders?

This, my friends, is epic fail and about as misguided as working abs 7 days per week, and overkilling the biceps.

[Carl1174]

I think the shoulders can take more compound work than poeple think. Atm im doing OH Press 3x per week (so 9 compound sets), the side delts are aching as I have the DB's right back by my ears and my shoulders are feeling/seeming fuller than ever before.

Carl.

[BendtheBar]

In a perfect world I would like to see at least 6 compound sets per week for the shoulders. It depends on the individual, history, shoulder health, etc.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Very good point.

The modern era's gold standard shoulder workout is often:

--Overhead press variation, often in a Smith or Hammer Strength.
--Side Laterals.
--Rear Laterals.

/Done.

I have advocated more weekly compound lift work for shoulders than this, but it wasn't received very well. I was told that I was advocating too much delt work.

My rebuttal, of course, was that it is currently acceptable to do 12+ weekly compound sets for chest, but only 3-4 weekly compound sets for shoulders?

This, my friends, is epic fail and about as misguided as working abs 7 days per week, and overkilling the biceps.

Originally Posted by Carl1174

I think the shoulders can take more compound work than poeple think. Atm im doing OH Press 3x per week (so 9 compound sets), the side delts are aching as I have the DB's right back by my ears and my shoulders are feeling/seeming fuller than ever before.

Carl.

One of the "theories" that tends to be bandied about on the internet, about shoulder training, is that they are a relatively small muscle group...might be why people have this image concerning their training.

I was going to start another thread about this.