Kizzito Ejam calls this his shoulder-pad workout, because it zeros in on his upper pecs and front delts. “You won’t get bigger without them both coming up,” he says.
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His approach—as you’ll see in the video—is Ejam at his freewheeling best: fun, athletic, and unconventional. Even if you’re not inclined to do his workout, you’ll find some of his exercise variations novel and perhaps a good fit for your own routine.
One caveat: Beginners should focus on training chest and shoulders more comprehensively than this more focused workout allows. This workout is best suited for lifters who are a little more advanced.
| Kizzito’s Kitchen-Sink Approach |
The basic workout structure is conventional: Multijoint mass-building movements are done first, followed by single-joint exercises and what he calls “shaping” movements. But there are all sorts of deviations from standard fare along the way. Here’s a closer look at the routine, in order.
| Push-Up |
Everyone has a different degree of strength on this basic warm-up move. Ejam suggests taking as many sets as you need, so long as you reach 30 reps total. In a flash of his trademark showmanship, Ejam does it all in a single set.
| Incline Barbell Press |
After a warm-up set, Ejam loads up the weight for 4 sets of just 6 reps. In a nod to a technique he learned from four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler, Ejam takes a momentary break in the set if he can’t reach his rep target, perhaps no longer than 5 seconds, and then continues going until he reaches his rep target.
| Incline Dumbbell Press |
Ejam uses an incline that’s slightly less steep than the one he uses for the barbell version. He also uses a relatively lighter weight for 8 reps while also cutting his rest periods to 45 seconds. He recommends choosing a weight that makes the last rep a real struggle.
| Guillotine Press |
Ejam jams over to the flat bench for this movement, aptly named because it entails lowering the bar toward your neck. (We recommend using a spotter for that reason.) Ejam notes that because of the angle, you’ll likely have to use less weight than you do with the flat-bench barbell press. He aims for 15 reps per set.
| Supinated Smith Machine Shoulder Press |
If you were looking for the move that delivers a “push-up-bra effect,” according to Ejam, you’ll find it here. The supinated grip is new for many lifters, but drawing your elbows forward clearly marks its intended target: the anterior delts. Ejam also doesn’t go anywhere close to full arm extension, effectively eliminating the triceps from the movement.
Shoulder presses also recruit the upper pecs. While this exercise could be done with a seat back, Ejam prefers to sit on a flat bench to make his core work that much harder to stabilize him. The target here is 12 reps.
| Low Cable Cross-Over |
Lowering the pulleys to their bottom-most position shifts the emphasis of this single-joint move to the upper pecs. Ejam locks his elbows in a slightly bent position and holds that arm position throughout. After completing 12-15 reps, Ejam moves quickly to the second half of the superset.
| Low Cable Press |
Still using an underhand grip, Ejam now unlocks his elbows and does short presses in front of him through a very short range of motion. Like the cross-over, this move falls right on the upper chest and front delts. Without extending his elbows, triceps involvement is minimized. He toughs these out, barely completing his target of 8-12 reps. After a brief rest, he completes the superset two more times.
| Bodyweight Dip for Chest |
The final exercise pairing couples this multijoint bodyweight move with a single-joint exercise for the front delts. Ejam can do about 8-12 dips, but if you can’t do that many, use an assisted-dip machine. Regardless, the idea is still to reach complete muscle failure.
To keep those dips focused more on your pecs and less on your triceps, lean forward! After finishing the reps, go right into the next exercise.
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