Shoulder workout: Vootele Parts’ training plan
This story looks at the shoulders through Vootele Parts’ training: what he did, why he did it and what kind of training load it added up to. This isn’t neat theory on paper, but a strength-cycle shoulder day at Arctic Sport, where the weights were real and the repetitions short.
FORUM THREAD. Vootele Parts, a.k.a. “bohemianrhapsody”, was in a shoulder-training mood that day. Once the chance came up to train with him, it made sense to take a closer look at whether there’s some secret trick behind his progress or simply hard work.
Why the shoulders matter in Vootele Parts’ plan
At the most recent Estonian Cup competition, Vootele stood out with a bulkier look. It was good to see that on a bodybuilding stage it isn’t only conditioning that counts. Muscle size, density and overall impression still matter.
Since Vootele had a shoulder day, we looked at exactly that muscle. We met up at Arctic Sport. Half-joking: so many Go-Getters’ Workouts have been done there by now that it’s getting suspicious, and Arctic’s management might want to think about an advertising fee. No blankets accepted, cash only.
So what actually happens when the shoulders go to work in a strength cycle? The rep count is low, the weight is high and every set demands focus. Nobody trains here to look good. They train to progress.
Shoulders in a strength cycle: exercises and weights
Seated barbell press from the chest. Before the working sets there was a short warm-up on a machine. Then we moved on to the first main exercise. Sitting wasn’t any sacred rule here. Soldier Muc had simply taken over the power rack, so the exercise had to be done on a bench.
The bar was taken from the rack and pressed overhead. Since Vootele was in a strength cycle, the repetitions stayed in the range of 1-5. Whether it comes out as 2 reps or four isn’t the point. The point is to push all the way to the limit. The bar ended up weighing 70 kg.
Seated dumbbell press. The movement is similar to the previous one, only with dumbbells instead of a bar. Do 3 sets of each exercise. The plan was to do four shoulder exercises for sure. The fifth depended on how Vootele’s shoulders were feeling.
The exercise itself is good, but getting heavy dumbbells up from the floor is awkward, especially when a strength and mass cycle calls for heavier weights. Vootele used 27.5 kg dumbbells here.
Dumbbell lateral raise. You stand up, pick up the dumbbells and raise them out to the sides. Why standing rather than seated? A simple reason: on the last reps you can help out a little with a knee bend.
That doesn’t mean the exercise turns into random flailing. You get some momentum from the knee, raise the dumbbells and lower them back down with control. In Vootele’s view, clean form doesn’t always have to come first in a strength cycle. He used 17 kg dumbbells.
One-arm cable lateral raise. Here the cable is set to run from the bottom. You take the handle and raise your arm out to the side. The weight is such that you can manage 1-5 reps. Sometimes Vootele uses more reps toward the end of the workout to get a proper pump in the muscle.
Once one arm is done, the other arm goes straight away. Only then comes the rest. Rest breaks should be moderately short, because with too long a pause you lose the feel of the workout.
Bent-over one-arm cable lateral raise. This was the exercise we briefly debated whether to do or not. Since there was no sign of injury, it went into the plan as well. 3 sets in total.
The movement is similar to the previous one, but you have to lean your body forward. Your upper body should be as parallel to the floor as possible so that the load shifts better to the rear of the shoulder. The exercise is a little uncomfortable, but after the workout it was clear it had worked well.
Shoulders don’t need a miracle trick, just consistency
Honestly, there was nothing mystical here. The exercises were pretty ordinary. The difference comes from how seriously they’re done. You have to take the maximum out of every set and keep your focus on the muscle you’re training.
At times Vootele’s shoulder strength was surprising, especially during the first exercise, where we pressed the bar. The plan gives a good training load and works every part of the shoulder: front, side and rear. The question isn’t only whether an exercise is a compound lift or an isolation movement.
In my view, you can do isolation exercises with heavy weights too, just as you can do compound lifts with lighter weights. What matters is understanding why you’re doing something. If a strength cycle is the goal, the weight has to be sufficient. If you lose the muscle feel completely, the weight is too heavy.
Vootele’s shoulder workout: the plan in brief
SHOULDERS
- Seated barbell press from the chest 3 x 1-5
- Seated dumbbell press 3 x 1-5
- Dumbbell lateral raise 3 x 1-5
- Single-arm cable lateral raise 3 x 1-5
- Single-arm bent-over cable lateral raise 3 x 1-5
The full weekly plan looked like this:
- shoulders, abs
- biceps
- lower back, hamstrings, quads (light), calves, abs
- chest, back (light), abs
- triceps
- quads, hamstrings (light), calves, abs
- back, chest (light), abs
Vootele’s closing comment: the order works in such a way that it doesn’t matter where the cycle starts or ends. He takes rest days by feel, roughly one rest day every 4 days.
His favorite exercises are the basic compound lifts with fewer repetitions. At the end he also does a few isolation exercises as a finishing touch. 3 working sets of each exercise. Repetition range roughly 1-12.
FAQ
Should shoulders get only compound exercises in a strength cycle?
Not necessarily. Compound exercises provide a strong main training load, but isolation exercises help you work the different parts of the shoulder more thoroughly. These can also be done heavy, as long as your technique stays under control.
Are 1-5 repetitions suitable for a shoulder workout?
In a strength cycle, yes, as long as you’ve warmed up and chosen a sensible weight. The shoulder is a sensitive area, so if you feel pain or instability, stubbornness is not a wise choice.
Which exercise best shows the bottom-to-top movement in sport?
A good example in this workout is the single-arm cable lateral raise, where the cable runs from below and the arm moves up and out to the side. It loads the lateral part of the shoulder and demands good control.
The video will also be available on Fitness TV soon, so stay tuned to the channel.
Author: Joker
Come and work out! ArtGym
