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The seven-minute solution: your simple fix for fast gains. This month: shoulders

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2004

Shoulders are like the middle child of body parts: They're rarely pictured by themselves, and they never get as much attention as their more spotlight-hogging brothers, the chest and arms. Luckily, they don't need years of muscle-group therapy to fix the inequities--just seven simple minutes two times a week for one month.

"Since most guys work their shoulders after their chest, the delts are rarely at full strength when they're trained," says Michelle Basta Boubion, a trainer at Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, Calif. That means less than optimal results. The trick to faster gains is emphasizing your shoulders by hitting them first in your workout. So start your regimen with the dedicated shoulder routine that follows.

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It designed to work all the muscle fibers in your shoulders in less time than ever before.

How to do it: Do one set of each exercise (in the order shown) before resting for 30 seconds (a tri-set). Repeat one time for a total of two tri-sets.

1. Incline lateral raise: Do 10 repetitions.

2. L-lateral raise and extension: Do 10 repetitions.

3. Dumbbell military press: Do 21s. (For 21s, press the weight from the starting position to the midpoint of the lift seven times, then press the weight from start to finish seven times, then press the weight from the mid-point to the finish--so your arms are completely straight--seven times.)

* Raise the dumbbell until it's at a 90-degree angle to your torso.

* When your upper arms are parallel with the floor, straighten them and lower to the starting position.

* Press the dumbbells in a straight line above your shoulders.

[ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

The seven-minute solution: your simple fix for fast gains. This month: shoulders

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2004

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