bws workout

shoulder
shoulder WORKOUT
Table of contents

shoulder workout 3
Exercise 1: Standing Overhead Press 4
Exercise 2: Lateral Raises 5
Shortcut Your Transformation! 6
Exercise 3: Reverse Pec Deck 7
Exercise 4: Supine (Lying) Face Pulls 8
Exercise 5: Kneeling/Standing Face Pulls 9
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD SCHEME 10
EXERCISE ALTERNATIVES 11
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS 12
DISCLAIMER 13

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shoulder WORKOUT
shoulder workout
Exercise Sets Reps Rest (m)
Standing Overhead Press* 4 6-8 3

Lateral Raises (standing 3 8-12 2

or incline bench)

Reverse Pec Deck 3 8-12 2

Supine (Lying) Face Pulls 2 12-15 2

Kneeling/Standing Face Pulls 2 12-15 2

* APPLY PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD SCHEME (SEE PAGE 10)

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shoulder WORKOUT
Exercise 1: Standing Overhead Press
Working Muscles: Deltoids, Triceps

STEP 1 (SETUP)
Set up your rack such that the bar is around shoulder
height. Grab the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider
than shoulder-width. The key for grip is to ensure your
wrists are straight and your forearms are vertical when
the bar is in the starting position – so the grip width will
vary based on the individual.

STEP 2 (PREPARING THE PRESS)

Lift the bar off the rack and take a couple steps away
from the rack (keep in mind that normally you’d be
stepping backwards, I just had to unrack it forwards in
order to show you the positioning). Engage your core by
contracting your abs slightly (think about as if someone
was about to punch your stomach) and squeeze your
glutes.

STEP 3 (PRESS)
Take a deep breath in, hold it, and then press the bar up.
You’ll have to ensure your head is not sticking forward
in order to do so. Once the bar passes the top of your
head, you can move your head forward (“look through the
window”) to allow the bar to be directly over your head
in the finishing position. Don’t use momentum with your
legs as you and make sure that you aren’t arching your
lower back when pressing. A little bit of an arch is fine as
long as it’s not excessive, just make sure that your core
still remains tight and engaged.

STEP 4 (DESCEND)
Bring the bar to your shoulders after each rep while
exhaling your breath.

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shoulder WORKOUT
Exercise 2: Lateral Raises

Target Muscle: Lateral Deltoid

As shown in my shoulder workout video, these
can be done either standing or on an incline
bench. The instructions below are for the
standing version but the same tips will apply
if you wish to do them on the bench.

STEP 1 (SETUP)
Grab a dumbbell in each hand, then slightly lean forward
by slightly bending your knees and bringing your
hips back. Depress your upper traps by bringing your
shoulders down and away from your ears. Retract your
shoulder-blades by pinching them together. You want to
maintain this position throughout each rep.

STEP 2 (RAISE)
Raise both dumbbells out to the side until they reach
about shoulder-height. But raise the dumbbells such that
your shoulders are slightly externally rotated (such that
your thumbs are pointed slightly towards the ceiling).
Think about raising the weight “out” towards your sides
as much as possible opposed to “up”. Don’t use any
momentum to swing the weight up.

STEP 3 (DESCEND)
Control the weight down to the starting position and
repeat.

Optional: You can perform these while lying

on an incline bench instead – but use the
same pointers previously described.

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shoulder WORKOUT
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shoulder WORKOUT
Exercise 3: Reverse Pec Deck

Muscles Worked: rear delts,

rhomboids, and trapezius muscles

STEP 1 (SET UP)

Adjust the seat height such that when you
grab the handles, your arms are parallel
with the floor. As for which grip to use,
research does tend to show the neutral
grip (where the palms face eachother)
is better for activating the rear delts but
there’s a lot of individual variation, so I’d
suggest experimenting with the 2 different
grips and see what feels best for you
(Schoenfeld et al. 2013).

STEP 2 (PULL)
Pull your arms back while keeping
your arms straight and elbows locked
throughout each rep. Focus on squeezing
your shoulder blades together and try your
best to avoid tensing your upper traps or
shrugging your shoulders up as you pull.

STEP 3 (ECCENTRIC)
Control the weight back to the starting
position while keeping your elbow locked
in place. Repeat for more reps.

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shoulder WORKOUT
Exercise 4: Supine (Lying) Face Pulls

Muscles Worked: Rear and lateral deltoid

STEP 1 (SETUP)
Set up a cable system so that the notch is placed at the
highest position. Use a rope attachment. Grab the rope
with an overhand grip, then lie down with your back
on the floor. Relax your upper traps by bringing your
shoulders down and away from your ears. You want to
maintain this throughout each rep.

STEP 2 (PULL)
Pull the rope towards your face until your elbows just
about touch the ground. Keep the elbows high (shoulder
level) and think about “pulling with your elbows” to best
activate the rear delts.

STEP 3 (ECCENTRIC)
Control the weight back to the starting position and
repeat.

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shoulder WORKOUT
Exercise 5: Kneeling/Standing Face Pulls

Muscles Worked: Rear Delts,

Shoulder/Scapular Stabilizers

STEP 1 (SET UP)

Set up a cable system so that the notch is a couple
notches below from the very top. Grab the rope with an
overhand grip, then get down on one knee. Relax your
upper traps by bringing your shoulders down and away
from your ears. You want to maintain this throughout
each rep.

STEP 2 (PULL)
Pull the rope towards your face while keeping your
elbows high. Think about pulling with your elbows and
squeezing your shoulder-blades together, and as you pull,
you want to externally rotate your shoulder such that
your knuckles are facing the ceiling.

STEP 2 (PULL)
You can see what I mean here at this angle, the end
position is as if you were holding a “biceps flexing pose”.
This helps further target the rotator cuff.

STEP 3 (ECCENTRIC)
Control the weight back to the starting position and then
repeat for another rep. Ensure that you aren’t excessively
arching or rounding your back during each rep. You
should feel a strong contraction in the middle of your
back.

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shoulder WORKOUT
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD SCHEME
The exercises I have placed an asterisk (*) beside (in this case just the standing overhead press), means
you want to put a priority on those exercises when it comes to progressive overload. The scheme we
will use is called a “double progression method”, and is as follows:

If the rep range provided is let’s say 6-8 reps, once you can comfortably perform 3 sets of 8
reps with a certain weight, increase the weight (e.g. 5 lbs) next week and try to perform 3
sets of 6 reps with this. If you fail, drop the weight down again but if you succeed then you
keep trying to improve until you get to 3 sets of 8 reps again with the heavier weight. At
this point you repeat the cycle by adding weight again and going back down to 6 reps.

Exercises with a * beside them mean you want to focus on doing this with those exercises the most,
and strive to improve every single week. Exercises without a * you still want to increase reps and
weight with overtime, which you can do naturally as you feel your strength improving with them,
but place a priority on improving the exercises with a * as these exercises will contribute the most to
overall muscle and strength gains.
You will be able to do this successfully and progress well by using this scheme. However, keep in mind
that the rate of your progressions will slow down overtime. So don’t be discouraged if eventually you’re
only able to progress by a rep or two each week (or simply able perform the same reps but with better
form).

INCORPORATING INTO YOUR ROUTINE

1. If you currently run a split routine (one body part each day), then use this routine how it is.
2. If you currently run a push/pull/legs routine, add overhead press and lateral raises (or just one of
the two if you have “push 1, push 2” days) to your push day. Add the face pulls to your pull day.
3. If you currently run an upper/lower split, add overhead press to one upper day and lateral raises to
the other. Do the same with the two face pull variations.

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shoulder WORKOUT
EXERCISE ALTERNATIVES
If for some reason you can’t perform the recommended exercises or you lack the equipment to do so,
here are some viable alternatives.
1) Standing Overhead Press
• Seated dumbbell press
• Seated barbell press
• Standing dumbbell press
• Arnold press (dumbbells)
2) Lateral Raises
• Cable lateral raises (perform them by holding onto a pole with one hand to allow a slight lean to one
side, as this will increase the ROM of the exercise and shift tension from the supraspinatus to the
lateral delt (Debski et al., 1995)
• Seated dumbbell lateral raises
3) Reverse Pec Deck
• Bent over reverse dumbbell flies
• Reverse cable crossovers (single or double hand)
4) Face pulls
• It’s difficult to find a decent alternative to the face pull, I’d suggest performing them with a
resistance band if you don’t have access to cables

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shoulder WORKOUT
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

I hope this PDF is useful for you!

I put in a lot of effort into providing this routine for you free of charge. All I ask in return is that you show
your support for my work and connecting with me on my social media platforms where I share more
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facebook @JEREMYETHIERfit

ENJOY!

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shoulder WORKOUT
DISCLAIMER
The content provided in this PDF is for informa- Please note the following:
tional and educational purposes only. Jeremy
• any and all exercise that you do as a result of
Ethier is not a medical doctor, psychologist, thera-
what you read in this PDF shall be performed
pist, nutritionist, or registered dietitian. The con-
solely at your own risk;
tents of this document should not be construed
as medical, psychological, dietary, nutritional, • any and all meal plans that you follow or ad-
or healthcare advice of any kind. The contents here to as a result of what you read in this PDF
of this document are not intended to diagnose, shall be used solely at your own risk; and
treat, cure, or prevent any health conditions, nor
are they intended to replace a physician, dieti- • any and all foods or beverages that you con-
tian, nutritionist, or other qualified healthcare sume as a result of what you read in this PDF
professional’s advice. You should always consult shall be consumed solely at your own risk.
your physician, dietitian, or other qualified health- No part of this report may be reproduced or
care professional on any matters regarding your transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic or
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diet before starting any fitness program or meal by any informational storage or retrieval system
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This is especially important if you (or your family permission from the author (Jeremy Ethier). All
members) have a history of high blood pressure or copyrights are reserved.
heart disease, if you have ever experienced chest Built With Science™
pain while exercising, or if you have experienced may not be copied or
chest pain in the past month when not engaged used for any purpose
in physical activity. You should also consult your without express
physician, dietitian, or other qualified healthcare written consent.
professional before starting any fitness program,
meal plan, or dietary regimen if you smoke, have
high cholesterol, are obese, or have a bone or joint
problem that could be made worse by a change in
physical activity or diet. Do not start or continue
any fitness program, meal plan, or dietary regimen
if your physician, dietitian, or health care provid-
er advises against it. If you experience faintness,
dizziness, pain, shortness of breath or any other
form of discomfort at any time while exercising
or while following any meal plan/dietary regimen,
you should stop immediately. If you are in Cana-
da and think you are having a medical or health
emergency, call your health care provider, or 911,
immediately.

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shoulder workout