David Haye stunned sports fans by beating the Beast from the East on points despite being about 7 stone lighter and almost a foot shorter.
How did he do it? Well you don’t last the distance if you don’t have shoulders like boulders to pack that punch.
Here are some of the best shoulder exercises…
Lateral raises: Using dumbbells or kettle bells raise the weight up to your side. Palm facing down at all times. If you pick a heavy enough weight the last sets should be really hard so you may need to use your legs to bounce up. Use this exercise to stretch out your shoulders fully. 4 sets of 10 reps.
If you feel you are swinging the weights too much or using your legs in excess try do it seated.
Clean and Press: This will also work out your legs, back, abs and forearms. A true classic. Bend your knees, keep your back straight – like a dead lift. Use an overhand grip on the barbell – don’t overload the bar so you can focus more on form. Burst up with the weight and bring it up to your chin. From there press the weight over the head and bring it back down again. Aim for 5 sets of 8 reps.
Vertical rows: This will focus more on the traps. Close overhand grip on the barbell and raise it up to the chin. Aim for as heavy as possible, but don’t swing your back. 4 sets of 8 reps.
Bicep curl to Arnold Press: Bicep curl the weight up to the shoulder, palm facing backwards, then press the weight up turning the weight around until the palm faces forwards. Return the weight slowly. This can be done with both arms in unison or unilaterally. Do 10 reps on each side for 4 sets.
This can be done either seated or from standing.
Shrugs: Taking the heaviest weight you can roll your shoulders forward 10 times and then backward 10 times. This is 1 set. Repeat for 4 sets.
Sledge-hammer swing: Using a sledge-hammer to smash a tyre is a great way to work out your shoulders, back, forearms and get a cardio work out. Use alternative grips (left hand high, right low, then swap). Aim to do 20 swings per side for 4 or 5 stets. Aim for as little rest as possible to keep the heart rate up.
If you haven’t got a sledge-hammer or a tyre then try using an olympic bar bell. Instead of a fast swing aim to do it as slowly as possible and don’t let the bar bell hit the floor though. Have a few training mats on the floor just in case it does hit the floor. This exercise will use your back a fair bit more than the sledge-hammer.
Next week – how to grow back-hair like Valuev…
