2023 Mr. Olympia competitor Nick Walker has a few of the finest shoulders in bodybuilding that helped rating his bronze medal efficiency on the 2022 Olympia. Nevertheless, Walker hardly ever does conventional shoulder presses in coaching.
On Aug. 10, 2023, Walker printed a video on his YouTube channel that showcased the six workouts he makes use of to construct huge shoulders and a thick higher chest. Watch the exercise video right here:
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Nick Walker’s Shoulder Routine
Right here’s a whole breakdown of Nick Walkler’s shoulder routine:
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Incline Flye
Walker usually does dumbbell incline flyes on a cable machine, however for the session within the above video, he opted for dumbbells attributable to tools availability. Walker prioritizes incline coaching for his higher chest and entrance delts.
I really feel like incline is what most individuals lack essentially the most.
Walker prioritizes the higher “shelf” comprised of the higher pectoralis main to create a full upper-body aesthetic. He performs a number of units of 15 reps, every with sluggish eccentrics to maximise time underneath stress.
Incline Bench Press & Dumbbell Press
Walker performs incline bench press units within the 10-12 rep vary to proceed loading his higher pecs. His reps stay sluggish and managed, contracting all through the complete set for a heavy pump within the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Walker recommends the cue of compressing the elbows collectively in the course of the concentrics and maximizing the contraction as a lot as doable on the prime.
Focusing totally on the press, Walker performs the dumbbell bench press on a flat bench to interact his mid-pecs. Once more, he employs sluggish, managed motion all through every set, aiming for the 10-12 rep vary.
Machine Lateral Raises
Walker’s advisable shoulder coaching routine is push-pull-legs cut up. He doesn’t presently prepare his shoulders independently. As an alternative, he pairs shoulder coaching with incline presses as they’re efficient at loading the entrance delts. He’s discovered a fundamental shoulder press causes his shoulder ache, so he avoids them solely.
Walker at all times follows his chest coaching with lateral raises and entrance and/or rear delt raises. Within the video, he solely carried out the lateral raises. Nevertheless, if Walker wanted to prioritize lagging delts, he would incorporate the motion that targets the muscle group in query for his capped shoulder look.
Superset: Barbell Face Pull & Barbell Entrance Raises
To finish the exercise, Walker performs a superset to failure. Utilizing solely a barbell, Walkers leans over for face-pulls to hit his posterior delts. He pairs them with upright rows, additionally to failure.
Walker ends his push day with two triceps workouts: cable triceps pushdowns and barbell cranium crushers. Dips or push-ups operate as his finisher. He performs just a few units simply shy of failure.
Whereas Walker suggests learners stick to the fundamentals, he acknowledges what number of front-delt-focused push workouts there are. He considers shoulder presses “overkill, particularly if the shoulders are already extra dominant than the chest itself.” Walker advises hitting entrance and facet delts on push days and rear delts on pull days, with excessive incline actions and deltoid raises as the principle workouts.
Featured picture: @nick_walker39 on Instagram