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<!-- /articleinfo --><!-- -->Mike O'Hearn's superhero shoulders
Written by David Young
Want to build cannonball delts faster than a speeding bullet? David Young quizzes Mike O'Hearn on his training method.
What’s first on the agenda for shoulders, Mike?
Warm-ups — lateral raises. Nothing heavy. I’m just trying to get some blood into the shoulders and sweep away the cobwebs. Keep an eye on form, get your elbows up high, and focus on the medial delts. Take the weight up, and squeeze it a little bit at the top. Your shoulders, elbows and dumbbells should all be parallel to the floor at the top.
Time to get serious?
Yup, time to draw the line in the sand. This is what we came to do. Let’s battle. The enemy is facing us. Put it all on the line for front shoulder presses. Sometimes it’s a machine like Hammer Strength; sometimes it’s a bar or dumbbells. The idea is this: Focus on the front delts, and keep the elbows forward.
Push like you’re lifting a massive building off someone who’s stuck underneath and saving his life. Put everything into it — everything!
Front shoulder presses:
135 lbs (61 kg) x 10 reps
225 lbs (102 kg) x 8 reps
275 lbs (125 kg) x 6 reps
315 lbs (143 kg) x 5 reps
365 lbs (165.5 kg) x 7 sets x 4 reps
That’s tremendous weight you handle. What about people who are in their 40s and 50s?
Do people stop playing because they’re getting old, or do they get old because they stop playing? Look, I’m better now than I was last year, and I’ll be better next year than I am now. With that in mind, people should use what’s heavy for them, not what’s heavy for me. When people follow my ‘Power Bodybuilding’ the way I laid it out, they find that it works. What keeps me strong and injury free is the power. I believe the structure of a healthy person remodels itself over time to become stronger as he or she adapts to the increased resistance. Your body will adapt to the power, and your bones, joints and ligaments will become stronger.
So, presses done. What comes next?
Now it’s on to upright rows. I perform this exercise with a wider-than-shoulders grip. Sometimes it’s a bar, and sometimes it’s lying down on a low-pulley-row machine or with dumbbells. I like the bar, but some people use the machine for less stress on the lower back.
What’s the prescription for sets and reps?
Warm-ups 135 (61) x 10 reps, then 185 (84) x 10 reps. Work sets are 3 x 10 reps with 225 pounds (102 kg). Pull like you’re lifting someone to safety and you’re the only hope for survival!
I got it. Bring on the next assault weapon.
Plate raises to the front. I grab two 45-pound (20 kg)plates, hands even, and hold the plates even. Then I take them from my hips, elbows tucked underneath me, and raise them all the way above my head. Three sets of 15 reps does the deed. If I don’t use plates, I’ll grab some heavy dumbbells and do alternate front raises.
Side delts next?
You’ve got it. It’s time for capping the delts with seated laterals. It’s very easy to swing in this exercise. We don’t want that. Use strict form. Reduce the weight if you have to in order to avoid swinging. Do three sets of 10 reps. I use 60-pounders on this one. Now it’s on to rear delts.
Dumbbells or machine?
Dumbbells. Take a bench, and put it at a 45 degree angle. Lie facedown. Raise the dumbbells to the sides and slightly behind you. On this exercise you can use a lot of weight. Do four sets of 15 reps. I use 85-pounders (38.5 kg).
Anything else?
Traps — barbell shrugs. On this exercise do as many warm-ups as you need, and work your way up. I do six sets of 10 reps––up to 600 pounds (272 kg). That’s it for shoulders.
We can’t forget abs though. I train them every day, five sets of 10 reps on full situps with a 45-pound (20 kg) plate.
Where does power bodybuilding come in?
Power bodybuilding is about maintaining strength and muscle as you get lean by dieting. It’s the only way I’ve found to do that.
What about powerlifting suits — bench shirts, squat suits, and the like?
I don’t use them. If I go into battle on the ‘Gladiators’ set, I can’t use that stuff. In a real fight you don’t get any help. I go into the gym to do battle. Remember, I said the body adapts because it has to.
The body becomes its function; it’s forced to in order to survive — I get it. The entire process is made up of sets and reps over time. The reps we need — the growth reps — they’re at every bench, pulley, bar, exercise. You’ve got to be willing to find that last bit of fortitude to grab that rep and let your body adapt because of it.
You’ve got it!
<!-- /articleinfo --><!-- -->Mike O'Hearn's superhero shoulders
Written by David Young
Want to build cannonball delts faster than a speeding bullet? David Young quizzes Mike O'Hearn on his training method.
What’s first on the agenda for shoulders, Mike?
Warm-ups — lateral raises. Nothing heavy. I’m just trying to get some blood into the shoulders and sweep away the cobwebs. Keep an eye on form, get your elbows up high, and focus on the medial delts. Take the weight up, and squeeze it a little bit at the top. Your shoulders, elbows and dumbbells should all be parallel to the floor at the top.
Time to get serious?
Yup, time to draw the line in the sand. This is what we came to do. Let’s battle. The enemy is facing us. Put it all on the line for front shoulder presses. Sometimes it’s a machine like Hammer Strength; sometimes it’s a bar or dumbbells. The idea is this: Focus on the front delts, and keep the elbows forward.
Push like you’re lifting a massive building off someone who’s stuck underneath and saving his life. Put everything into it — everything!
Front shoulder presses:
135 lbs (61 kg) x 10 reps
225 lbs (102 kg) x 8 reps
275 lbs (125 kg) x 6 reps
315 lbs (143 kg) x 5 reps
365 lbs (165.5 kg) x 7 sets x 4 reps
That’s tremendous weight you handle. What about people who are in their 40s and 50s?
Do people stop playing because they’re getting old, or do they get old because they stop playing? Look, I’m better now than I was last year, and I’ll be better next year than I am now. With that in mind, people should use what’s heavy for them, not what’s heavy for me. When people follow my ‘Power Bodybuilding’ the way I laid it out, they find that it works. What keeps me strong and injury free is the power. I believe the structure of a healthy person remodels itself over time to become stronger as he or she adapts to the increased resistance. Your body will adapt to the power, and your bones, joints and ligaments will become stronger.
So, presses done. What comes next?
Now it’s on to upright rows. I perform this exercise with a wider-than-shoulders grip. Sometimes it’s a bar, and sometimes it’s lying down on a low-pulley-row machine or with dumbbells. I like the bar, but some people use the machine for less stress on the lower back.
What’s the prescription for sets and reps?
Warm-ups 135 (61) x 10 reps, then 185 (84) x 10 reps. Work sets are 3 x 10 reps with 225 pounds (102 kg). Pull like you’re lifting someone to safety and you’re the only hope for survival!
I got it. Bring on the next assault weapon.
Plate raises to the front. I grab two 45-pound (20 kg)plates, hands even, and hold the plates even. Then I take them from my hips, elbows tucked underneath me, and raise them all the way above my head. Three sets of 15 reps does the deed. If I don’t use plates, I’ll grab some heavy dumbbells and do alternate front raises.
Side delts next?
You’ve got it. It’s time for capping the delts with seated laterals. It’s very easy to swing in this exercise. We don’t want that. Use strict form. Reduce the weight if you have to in order to avoid swinging. Do three sets of 10 reps. I use 60-pounders on this one. Now it’s on to rear delts.
Dumbbells or machine?
Dumbbells. Take a bench, and put it at a 45 degree angle. Lie facedown. Raise the dumbbells to the sides and slightly behind you. On this exercise you can use a lot of weight. Do four sets of 15 reps. I use 85-pounders (38.5 kg).
Anything else?
Traps — barbell shrugs. On this exercise do as many warm-ups as you need, and work your way up. I do six sets of 10 reps––up to 600 pounds (272 kg). That’s it for shoulders.
We can’t forget abs though. I train them every day, five sets of 10 reps on full situps with a 45-pound (20 kg) plate.
Where does power bodybuilding come in?
Power bodybuilding is about maintaining strength and muscle as you get lean by dieting. It’s the only way I’ve found to do that.
What about powerlifting suits — bench shirts, squat suits, and the like?
I don’t use them. If I go into battle on the ‘Gladiators’ set, I can’t use that stuff. In a real fight you don’t get any help. I go into the gym to do battle. Remember, I said the body adapts because it has to.
The body becomes its function; it’s forced to in order to survive — I get it. The entire process is made up of sets and reps over time. The reps we need — the growth reps — they’re at every bench, pulley, bar, exercise. You’ve got to be willing to find that last bit of fortitude to grab that rep and let your body adapt because of it.
You’ve got it!
