Out of the 3 deltoid heads that wrap around our shoulders probably the easiest to develop are the front and medial delts.
For many, the rear deltoid is not all that easy to build. But when all 3 heads are evenly matched this gives that great melon-like appearance to the shoulders.
Back in 2023, when I competed in a Bodybuilding Contest, part of my judge’s feedback was that I needed to improve my rear delts.
So I decided to train them first in my shoulder workout with rear dumbbell raises lying on a very low inclined bench. This is a terrific movement that takes the lower back out of the equation so you can really focus on that mind to muscle connection with your rear deltoids.
The other important reason for doing this exercise first is that it’s a great way to warm up the shoulder joints before the heavier pressing movements. This is particularly paramount for me with my dodgy AC joints.
Another useful tip is to perform your heavy rowing exercises first when you train Back. The rear deltoids are worked indirectly with rowing exercises, so this is another good way to prioritise them.
Pictured below are a few pics leading into my recent contest where you can see my rear deltoid development is more balanced.
So try this switcheroo in your workouts, you’ll be pleased with the results!
I have been in the Iron Game for over 40 years and have had my fair share of niggles during that time.
These niggles can last for 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months or even 3 years!
The pinched nerve in my neck and resulting tingling down my right arm has been very frustrating for several years and, touch wood, is just starting to subside.
Strange title to this post, you might say, but this relates to the way people perceive the cause of this issue.
How did it start in the first instance? Was it muscular tension that created the nerve impingement (the chicken) or was it a mal aligned spine that kicked things off (the egg)?
IMHO, I believe its prolonged poor posture, particularly forward head posture, that creates the stiffness in the joints, which is then followed by tight muscles, muscles spasms (or knots) and then ultimately nerve irritation.
Many people will seek treatment via remedial massage, physiotherapy and myotherapy, which all have their place.
But treating the symptoms still doesn’t address the root cause of the problem…your spine is out of whack!
So the multi-pronged approach I have used for my pinched nerve has focused on aligning my spine correctly, performing antagonistic stretches, improving my posture when sat at in a chair for lengthy periods, and changing the pillow I sleep on.
Luckily, for me, the spinal alignment has been corrected by my fantastic Chiropractor, Yousef, via Macquarie Chiro (see links below). Yousef is the first Chiropractor I’ve used that has been able to mobilise my very stubborn thoracic vertebrae. And, unbelievably, he did this with a “Full Nelson” wrestling-style manoeuvre!
For anyone living in the South West Metro region of WA, you need to check this fine gentleman out, if you’ve been having ongoing back and/or neck issues.
Now the antagonistic stretches to address the muscular tension and postural correction can be found via YouTube posted by various practitioners. These stretching exercises really helped me, so check out the links below from Stefan Becker’s Channel – “Body Fix Exercises”.
I also got the HR Department at my workplace to change my chair to one that helps me sit more upright. Focusing on keeping my shoulders down and back was important too.
Finding the right pillow was quite literally the final piece to the puzzle. Most conventional pillows exacerbate forward head posture, particularly if you’re a back-sleeper, like me. They also don’t support your neck properly whilst simultaneously restricting your breathing, which in turn disrupts sleep!
I purchased the pillow pictured below from SLUMBLR which looks really weird with the dip in the middle, but trust me, it corrects the forward head posture, supports your cervical spine and definitely opens up your air-ways for better sleep patterns. Worth a try I reckon, and no, I’m not affiliated with this company in any way!
Pinched nerves can be extremely hard to get rid of, but with a holistic approach of finding a great Chiropractor like Yousef, paying due diligence to homework exercises and using ergonomic sitting & sleeping aids, you can move them on! 👍😊
For my 60th birthday last September my amazing partner Louise bought me a new set of Golf clubs.
Before the Iron Game, Golf was my first passion, from about the age of 12.
So as to improve my Golf swing’s mobility I have started adding broomstick side twists in my Abdominal training regime.
The way that I perform these perfectly mimics the Golf swing whilst working the serratus abdominal muscles. This exercise is also awesome for improving the range of motion with the all-important shoulder turn. As we get older and stiffer it gets harder to rotate the shoulders a full 90 degrees in the backswing as well as rotating the hips in both backswing and follow-through.
So performing these twists is a great way to improve your Golf game with bonus core work.
My Ab training is quite simple with 2 sets of crunches with 25-30 reps on the Ab Machine followed by 2 sets of broomstick twists with 120 twists per set (See the videos below)
So I’m now looking forward to playing more Golf while still enjoying the bodybuilding health & fitness lifestyle.
Whilst holidaying in Melbourne recently myself and a couple of gym buddies decided to train at the hugomungous Powerhouse Gym in Point Cook.
I was keen to trial the Max Pump Belt Squat Machine with a Sumo-style stance.
When training Hamstrings, I like to work the quads indirectly, as my next Quad workout is in 7 day’s time. So a Sumo-style exercise is ideal, and those Belt Sumo Squats really hit the spot!
Here’s the workout:
Stiff-legged Deadlifts
Seated Leg Curls
Sumo-stance Belt Squats
Seated Calf Raises
Standing Calf Raises
I remember many years ago, my Hamstrings were a weak point in my physique. It wasn’t until I gave them their own workout day that I saw some improvement.
This kind of makes sense, as we train Chest away from Back, so why not train Quads away from Hamstrings? You know, ‘Push versus Pull’.
Now that I have returned to WA, my gym doesn’t have a Belt Squat Machine, so I’ll go back to the Sumo-stance on the Leg Press or Barbell Squat.
So if your Hammies are lagging, why not give this workout a crack?
I recently reached a tally of 64 Bodybuilding Contests after competing in the IFBB O’Mara WA State Titles and the IFBB Mr Universe Competition.
I entered the Masters Over 60 years divisions in both shows.
In the WA State Titles I finished 3rd, and in the Mr Universe I was awarded 4th place.
It was great to get back in shape again over a period of 16 weeks.
My favourite aspect of prepping for a show is getting ‘in the zone‘, so to speak, where your focus towards the contest is unwavering. This focus ends up translating into other facets of your life too, be it work, rest or play.
Pec Dec Flys on the Primal Machine (see video below)
Cross Bench Dumbbell Pullovers
Cable flyes from high to low
This is a great workout that really targets the pectoral muscles, whilst minimising shoulder involvement. Particularly good if, like me, you have dodgy AC joints!
Don’t forget to train forearms and brachialis on biceps day!!
My favourite exercise is without question the Barbell Reverse Curl.
The barbell reverse curl primarily targets the brachialis (under the bicep) and brachioradialis (forearm), making arms look thicker, while also working the biceps brachii, improving grip, and engaging the core for stability. This overhand grip variation shifts focus from standard curls to forearm and deeper arm muscles, leading to overall arm development and enhanced lifting strength.
I like to keep my thumbs on top of the bar(thumbless grip) to make the exercise even more effective!
I have been using my own version of HIT training for many years now and am still going strong after some 4 decades in the Iron Game..
My own variation is very similar to Dorian Yates’ (see link), but I like to train each body part directly once and indirectly twice over a 10 day period.
The workout split I devised over this ten day period is:
Day 1: Quads & Calves Day 2: Chest & Biceps Day 3: Hamstrings & Calves Day 4: Delts, Triceps & Abs Day 5: Back & Trapezius
This system maximizes recovery and is perfect for natural athletes, or anyone over 40 years of age.
I was like a child with a new toy last night at the Gym, with my newly acquired Meteor mid width V-grip lat pull-down bar and reverse close grip handle.
Fantastic pieces of equipment that basically takes the forearms and biceps out of the equation with the hook style grip, which in turn allows the lats to do more of the work.
And only set me back $80 from Gym Mart Australia, via Amazon 👍🤑
Nice to see Dave Palumbo reiterate what I have said and done for years in competitive natural Bodybuilding.
Cutting salt out of your diet is not only unhealthy, but also detrimental to your physique.
Given the muscle cell is ~80% water, restricting sodium, particularly for longer than 1 day, will result in a flatter look as you lose water from the muscle cells. And, if your body-fat is not low enough, this will make you look even worse…the expression “flat and fat” springs to mind!😬
Restricting sodium for just the day before the show is all you need, if you feel you are holding some subcutaneous water.
Bodychisel by Craig. 