Shoulder Workout – Parabellum

Shoulder workout Parabellum House of Gainz

Gabe’s back from the DEAD with a fresh victim!

Gabe’s back in full swing, kickin’ ass and taking numbers. This time, it’s Thomas’ turn to get put to the test. This hour-long shoulder workout is full of drop sets, high reps, heavy weight, and pure will to finish the set! The full workout is below the video.

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Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Shoulder press

Warm up is critical. What you didn’t see in the video were two warm up sets that were done with lighter weight.

Make sure you get to at least a 90 degree bend in the elbows and be sure to soft lock at the top. Locking your arms out will release the tension on the shoulders, which is NOT what we want to do. Also, pay careful attention to the video and how Gabe pushed the weight upwards similar to a barbell. He avoids bringing the weights together and touching them. Rather, he pushes the dumbbells straight upwards.

Exercise Set DS SS Reps Rest time (min)
Dumbbell shoulder press 1 20 2
2 16-18 2
3 12 2
4a 8-10 None
4b 12 or failure None
4c 12 or failure 2

Dumbbell Lateral Raises

Dumbbell lateral raises

In this part of the shoulder workout, we’re doing these seated to avoid cheating the reps by bouncing with our legs. Get as many strict reps as possible and then, as you begin to fail, it’s OK to get a small amount of swing to finish the set.

Exercise Set DS SS Reps Rest time (min)
Dumbbell lateral raises 1 20 2
2 20 2
3 15 2
4a 12 None
4b 12 or failure None
4c 12 or failure 2

Wide Grip Upright Rows

Wide grip upright row for shoulder workout

Hand placement on this exercise is critical to focus on the side delts. In the video, you can see how Gabe discusses placing his hands on the outside of the index lines. Also, on the final set, Gabe slows it down and uses about a 2-second negative motion for each rep.

Exercise Set DS SS Reps Rest time (min)
Wide grip barbell upright rows 1 20 2
2 20 2
3 15 2
(negative focused) 4 8-10 2

Simultaneous Front Raises

Raise both arms simultaneously until you fatigue:

Shoulder workout front raises

Then switch to single arm raises to finish the set:

Shoulder workout front raises one arm

For this shoulder workout, we’re going to start each set by raising both arms at the same time. When you start fatiguing and can’t get the full range of motion anymore, then switch to single arm raises. Keep a slight bend in your knees and avoid bouncing with your legs to get the weight up. Also, the last set will be a drop set so there’s no rest when you finish the reps for set 4a. You’ll grab a lighter weight and jump right into set 4b.

Exercise Set DS SS Reps Rest time (min)
Simultaneous front raises 1 20 2
2 20 2
3 15 2
4a Yes 10-12 None
4b Yes 16 or failure 2

Rear Delt Reapers

Face pulls – position 1:

Face pulls – position 2:

Straight arm pulldowns

Overhead face pulls with overhand grip – position 1:

Overhead face pulls with overhand grip – position 2:

Straight from our 1,000 rep shoulder workout, rear delt reapers are a triple set starting with face pulls, then moving to straight arm pulldowns, then finally to overhand grip face pulls and pulling over your head.

Exercise Set DS SS Reps Rest time (min)
Rear delt reapers 1 15/15/15 2
2 12/12/12 2
3 12/12/12 2

Machine Lateral Raises Super Set with Machine Shoulder Press

Finishing off this monster shoulder workout is a super set with some high reps. If you don’t have either of these machines, just substitute with any machine you have with similar motions. You can even use cables for the raises, if need be.

Exercise Set DS SS Reps Rest time (min)
Machine Lateral Raises Super Set with Machine Shoulder Press 1 Yes 20/20 1
2 20/20 1

Bonus Tips

One of Gabe’s favorite ways to ensure that he’s using the targeted muscle group and really focusing on the contraction, is to have a workout partner tap the muscle he’s trying to use. In the photo below, you can see how Gabe is gently tapping on the lateral head of the deltoid as Thomas is doing upright rows. This triggers a mind-muscle connection and allows the person to focus more on contracting that specific muscle group.

Gabe and Thomas shoulder workout

More workouts like this one!

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Body Spartan All Access

Access to EVERY Body Spartan Program! 14-DAY FREE TRIAL
  • Get full access to our all of our amazing programs
  • Full, custom calculated nutrition
  • 10 & 12 week programs
  • Instructional videos
  • Full workouts
  • Triphase, polymorphic, and contest prep style training
  • Body composition tracker
$19.00 / month with a 14-day free trial