Shoulder siren: transform your upper body with Christine Pomponio-Pate's delt-widening workout

Muscle & Fitness, Sept, 2005 by Michael DiGregorio

The surgeries were terribly trying: "They told me that I could lose my leg," Christine recalls. "[That didn't happen, but] the rehab was quite lengthy. It took a few years to get through all of the operations."

Reconstructive surgeries took skin from the inside of her mouth to form lips, and new teeth had to be created. Along the way, her relationship with a higher being was cemented. "I prayed a lot," Christine admits.

To this day, she still deals with nerve damage in her face. "It's fairly numb," she says. "But I'm so lucky to have my life and no physical handicaps. That's motivation to continue to work out and compete. I definitely don't feel sorry for myself. It makes me who I am."

Christine says she'll stay in the game as long as it takes to reach her personal goals. But she adds this qualifier: "As long as it stays fun. I feel lucky to have my life and abilities after the accident, so I need to take advantage of what I'm still blessed with."

Given her brush with death, it's understandable that Christine relishes the self-gratification that accompanies competing. "You look at yourself and know how hard you've worked," she says. "I absolutely love doing photo shoots. I can't wait to be 75 and to show my grandchildren what I looked like."

RELATED ARTICLE: SNAPSHOT

BIRTHDATE: Jan. 28, 1975

BIRTHPLACE: Wheatridge, Colorado

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Colorado

HEIGHT: 5'1"

WEIGHT: 115 pounds

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 2004: Show of Strength Figure, 4th; New York Pro, 2nd; Figure Olympia, 6th

TO CONTACT: christinepomponio.com

RELATED ARTICLE: A CUT ABOVE

1 During any type of standing delt work, keep your body straight and avoid leaning backward, which takes away from the muscles you're trying to work and adds unnecessary stress to your low back. Sitting down helps alleviate form problems and better isolates the working muscles.

2 Don't neglect to train all three delt heads. Sure, when doing chest and back, you also hit front and rear delts, but for overall development and symmetry, plan a day in which you specifically train each of the three heads.

3 I like to do front raises with a plate as opposed to dumbbells since I can go heavier using two hands and it changes my hand position. With a traditional front raise, my palms face the floor, but here my palms face in, which tends to hit the muscle differently and takes some stress off the rotator cuffs.

4 When doing lateral raises, think about lifting your elbows toward the ceiling and pouring water from a jug while keeping your wrists straight.

5 For seated presses, sit up straight and maintain the natural curve of your back.

6 Change up your delt training as often as possible, swapping out different variations of similar exercises. For example, lie facedown on an incline bench and do rear delt raises, or do lateral raises holding onto the squat rack--your feet in the same line as your hand--so you're leaning away from it.

7 I usually stay away from cable-based delt exercises since I feel I can't go as heavy and my form tends to suffer. If you use cables, play strict attention to your form.