OLD SCHOOL
"When training shoulders, you have to be conscious of your speed of repetition to avoid injury and maximize your development," advises Lou Ferrigno. "Think of it as playing the violin--an even and controlled bow stroke on the positive to make a pretty note, then an even and controlle dnegative reverse bow stroke to make the same note on the way back. This applies especially to dumbbell raises and dumbbel shrugs, during which you have a tendency back to the start on the negative. Think of this: If you can not perform an even, continual motion both ways like playing the violin, back and forth, up and down, positive and nagative, the weight you are using is too heavy for you. Drop the poundage incrementally so you can make all of your repititions pitch perferct."
NEW SCHOOL
In bodybuilding, too much of a good thing can sometimes be bad. "in more than a few competitions, the judges downgraded me because my arms were overpoweringmy shoulders," says 2003 USA heavyweight runner-up Lionel Brown. "So I have been focusing on developing my middle deltoids by supersetting and doubling up on particular exercises to help alleviate taht inconsistency. For instance, I begin my shoulder routine with a dumbbell lateral rais, putting these first to target the muscle i most want to bring up. I will get four straight sets of 12-15 reps on each apparatus four times through, until my middle delt caps are fried. I have noticed a really big difference in my symmentry since then."
