Angela Robinson

Angela Robinson‘s shoulders used to be her physique’s weakest link.

But that was many dumbbell presses and lateral raises ago.

Now, Robinson’s deltoids are among her best features.

“They’re one of my strong points,” the 31-year-old national-level physique competitor tells me proudly. “I always get complimented on them.”

Indeed, who says you can’t turn a weakness into a strength?

Certainly not Robinson.

Here’s a basic routine Robinson uses to forge her shapely shoulders:

• Dumbbell presses

Robinson will perform one warm-up set, followed by four working sets for most of these exercises. The number of repetitions varies.

“It depends on what my goals are, but I’ll do eight to about 15 reps,” she notes. “Eight is to build muscle. Higher reps is to work on the endurance.”

Dumbbell presses (start)

Dumbbell presses (finish)

• Side dumbbell raises

Of course, Robinson occasionally opts for a variation of this exercise.

“Or I’ll put a handle on a low pulley and do one arm at a time for side laterals,” she says. “I find the cable just puts a little bit different tension on the muscle.”

Side raises with pulley (start)

Side raises with pulley (finish)

• Front raises

“I just take a 45-pound plate, hold it in both hands and do a front raise with both arms,” she says.

That covers the front (anterior) and side (medial) heads of the deltoids. But many people neglect the third head (the posterior deltoid) because it’s in the back and is hard to see.

“You want to work your front, medial and rear ones. And that’ll give you the most balance, even through your shoulder joint, too, and more stability,” Robinson says. “You don’t want to create more imbalance by not working all of those three.”

Front raises with plate (start)

Front raises with plate (finish)

• Bent-over side laterals

For a variation on this, Robinson also uses the pec-deck flye machine (sitting facing the machine).

“I go fairly light with rear delts just so I can actually focus on the muscle and not engage my back and traps at all so I can actually feel it burn,” she explains.

Rear delts using pec-deck flye machine (start)

Rear delts using pec-deck flye machine (finish)

Robinson, roughly 120 pounds at five-foot-one, trains at World Health in Edmonton and the Hayabusa Training Centre in St. Albert.

She’s at Hayabusa several times a week doing MMA-style training, which she also credits for her strong shoulders.

All that punching has helped round her shoulders, says Robinson.

“It’s a completely different workout,” she adds.

The key to strong and shapely shoulders, according to Robinson, is to lift heavy.

That means shooting for 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps for each exercise, she adds.

“I had to train hard. I had nothing (for shoulder development). I’ve worked hard to bring them up,and  make them wider and rounder for competition,” Robinson says.

“For most women to build up the muscle, I’d say 6-8 reps, train heavy, train hard and listen to your body, too, because you don’t want to get injured. If you’re feeling anything sore, make sure that you’re listening to that so you’re not pushing through it. You dont want to mess up your shoulder.”

Robinson offers a few more key tips for workout newbies:

1. Set your goals small to start.

“Make them small and attainable, because too much too quick is going to be overwhelming,” she advises. “Even if it’s 30 minutes a day of anything. Do an ab video. Do a walk. Go for a hike. If you’re an inactive person, those things are going to make a difference.”

2. Cut back on sugar.

“Nutrition-wise, I would cut out your sugars,” she says. “It would make such a difference and you would see changes drastically. Once you get past the two-week mark without sugar, it does get better. The first few days is the worst.”

3. Push yourself and love yourself.

“Keep challenging yourself. You get there week by week, gradually making changes and before you know it, you’ve totally changed your lifestyle,” she adds. “And make sure to take time every day for yourself because mental health is as important as physical health.”

Angela Robinson

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