Build Boulder Shoulders With This Beyond-Failure Dumbbell Workout


If your shoulder growth in the gym has stalled, it may be time to kick up the intensity to reignite some serious gains.

Whether your shoulders are a lagging body part, or you’re just looking to build some Death Star-sized deltoids, this dumbbell-only workout is your ticket to boulder shoulders.

Using the "forced-reps" technique, a favourite of old-school bodybuilders, you’re going to take your dumbbell pressing to failure, before using momentum from your lower body to power on beyond failure, unlocking more muscle-building reps. You'll still focus on controlling the important "eccentric" part of the rep, keeping the tension up. Once you can no longer push press your weights above head, you’ll switch to the jerk, enabling you to lockout a further few reps overhead, still controlling that eccentric, majorly upping the time your delts spend under that muscle-swelling, growth-inducing tension.

When you can no longer successfully lower your dumbbells back to your shoulders under full control, your set is over.


Beyond-Failure Shoulder Workout

High-intensity techniques such as forced reps are brutal and taxing. That's a recipe for muscle growth, sure, but one that must be used sparingly, so save this technique for your final 1-2 sets of dumbbell presses or as a standalone solution to ramp up the intensity in a time-crunched workout. Ensure you warm-up thoroughly before beginning this protocol.

A. Strict Dumbbell Press x Max Reps

strict dumbbell shoulder press
Phil Haynes - Hearst Owned


Clean your dumbbells onto your shoulders, palms facing in. Take a breath and brace your core. Press your dumbbells overhead, avoiding flaring at the elbows. Lower under control to your shoulders and repeat until you can no longer lock them out overhead.

B. Push Press x Max Reps (controlled eccentric)

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Phil Haynes - Hearst Owned

After failing to lock your final strict press out overhead, take a breath, brace your core and dip at the knees. Use your legs to help press your dumbbells overhead. Lower under complete control with a slow tempo to your shoulders. Repeat until you can longer achieve lockout.

C. Push Jerk x Max Reps (controlled eccentric)

With push presses tapped out, you’re going to switch to a "double dip" with your legs to help you "catch" the dumbbells in an overhead position. With the remaining shoulder power you have left, dip at the knees and use an explosive drive from your legs to drive your dumbbells upwards. As they begin to lose steam towards the top of the rep, quickly bend your knees again, dropping below the bells and allowing you to extend your arms and catch the dumbbells in a locked out position. Stand back up, bells still locked out, and lower them under control to your shoulders. Continue in this fashion until you can no longer control the descent of a rep or achieve a lockout overhead.


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