Posted by Brandon
In here, you know what you're getting - a hefty dose of pain and sacrifice. But out there, the
"outside"...it's different. The others - the weak ones, they don't understand, nor do they want to.
They don't understand our passion, commitment; why we partake in this way of life. No, instead of
trying to understand, they choose to be willfully ignorant...to turn away. Fear, aversion, disgust -
you can see it in their eyes every time. We are programmed to fear the unknown, to reject what is not
understood. But brothers, we are not like these weak-minded sheep. Like cattle, they graze from one
fad to the next -- inevitably to their own slaughter. While there is fear, doubt, and uncertainty within
us, there is also a raging inferno burning with fierce intensity behind it. While out there we are a mere
afterthought, an abomination; in here we are men with calloused hands, refusing to resign to
mediocrity. We are men of honor, commitment, and dignity - something quite lacking on the outside.
Yeah, there are a lot of unknowns out there. But it'll take a hell of a lot more than that to turn us
away. Brothers, it's time to make our presence felt. It's time to DOMINATE THE UNKNOWN.
It starts - another shoulder workout straight from the bowels of hell. It's unknown whether or not
we'll survive this workout. Whether or not we'll be crushed under the loads of defiant steel or
succumb to the pain and anguish. If we do see ourselves through, there's still tomorrow, and the
crushing burden of our own expectations. It's all uncharted territory. But you know what...fuck it.
Sometimes you gotta dig your heals in, kick it in high gear, and bulldoze your way forward - even if
failure is imminent. Let it begin. Let us embrace the unknown. Let us dominate.
We'll start this bruiser with a heavy compound movement, hence the military press. This is by no
means an isolation movement, so the involvement of your entire body is warranted. Stand with your
feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees, and explode upward. Again, the entire body can be
incorporated in this movement. All three delt heads will take a beating, but the front delts will take
the brunt of it. Perform four sets of military press, dropping the poundage each time. Hit ‘em hard,
gather your bearings, and prepare for war at the next torture session.
With the shoulders blistered, we'll proceed to supersets. Today we will be supersetting standing
behind the neck presses with standing DB laterals. With your grip slightly wider than shoulder width
apart and the bar behind your head, press up until the barbell is clearly over your head. Unlike the
military press, you should keep the rest of the body out of this movement. After completion, rack
the weight and grab a pair of moderately light DBs. Begin performing DB laterals. Don't get overly
sloppy, use strict form. Lead with elbows and rotate the palms as if you're pouring two pitchers of
water. Execute this ordinance of affliction twice more; recognizing that the anguish you feel shall soon
fade, and the grandeur of your efforts shall endure on.
To put the final touches on these cannon ball delts we'll perform two sets of side DB laterals. Grasp
a light DB and grab on to a sturdy object with your other hand. With the DB at your side, raise it as
high as possible, then lower it completely down. Likewise, do the exact same on the other arm.
Perform two sets of these to really isolate the side deltoids and flush more lactid acid in that area.
With the delts annihilated head over to the DB rack - it's time for some trap work. Grab a heavy set
of DBs -- a weight that you can get ten to twelve good reps on -- and begin performing DB shrugs.
Slow and steady - utilize full range of motion. You should really feel the stretch at the bottom of the
movement and the extreme contraction at the peak of the movement. Continue this, rep after
agonizing rep, until you have completed three sets.
So you've survived. Hell, you even surprised yourself - you never knew you had it in ya. But don't
get too complacent. Tomorrow, next week's workout - you gotta up ante, top this week's workout.
Because staying the same or digressing is never an option, we're always moving forward, trudging
into uncharted territory. Yeah, we're unsure about what's out there, what the next big obstacle is. But
whatever it is one thing is for certain - we will fight hard, conquer, and dominate.