6 Steps to Massive Delts

Tom Graff, a promising young athlete competing in NPC Physique, notes that shoulders are his trump card, but he continues to train them as intensely as if they were the worst in the world.

Graff trains shoulders twice a week – this isn't too much, and the increased focus helps his delts grow. The rear head actively works during rows on back day, while the front head is engaged during chest presses. He trains chest, shoulders, and back three days in a row without rest but emphasizes the importance of frequent high-protein meals and proper recovery.

For presses, he prefers machines over free weights because he doesn't need to waste energy balancing the barbell – he can use more weight and simply press it.

His repetition range is 12-15, not 8-12. This increases blood flow to the muscles, provides a better pump, and is felt more strongly the next day.

He uses mirrors during training to see muscle striations – if they become more pronounced with each set, the exercise is working.

He finishes most sets just short of failure, going all out only on the last set. Taking every set to failure isn't advisable – it raises cortisol levels (a catabolic hormone).

His front delts are overdeveloped (due to chest presses), while his rear delts are a weak point, so he may add an extra exercise or increase volume for the rear delts. He pays special attention to the lateral heads on shoulder training day.

He begins his workout with light warm-up sets and internal and external rotations for the shoulder joints. Rest between sets is 60-90 seconds. He chooses a working weight that makes it difficult to reach the target number of repetitions. Warm-up sets are not included in the exercise program.