Shoulders Hypertrophy Workout - 30min Advanced
This advanced hypertrophy session utilizes high-intensity compound lifts and targeted isolation to maximize muscle thickness in your shoulders and triceps. By moving from heavy barbell presses into high-volume handle work, you will exhaust every fiber of the deltoids. You will experience constant tension and refined movement patterns designed for serious upper body growth.
This workout is designed for advanced lifters and strength athletes looking to break through shoulder plateaus or build significant triceps thickness. It is ideal for those who have mastered Tonal barbell movements and want an efficient, high-intensity upper body session.
Equipment
Workout Plan
Rest 90-120s between heavy barbell sets to ensure power output, then reduce to 60s for handle-based isolation work to keep metabolic stress high.
Close Grip Barbell Bench Press
Triceps, Chest
Keep your elbows tucked close to your ribs to shift the load from your chest to your triceps.
Standing Barbell Overhead Press
Shoulders, Triceps
Engage your core and squeeze your glutes to maintain a rigid pillar as you drive the bar toward the ceiling.
Squat to Press
Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads, Abs, Shoulders, Triceps
Use the upward momentum from your legs to drive the handles up for a powerful finish to the workout.
Lateral Raise
Shoulders
Lead with your elbows and pause for a split second at the top to maximize tension on the lateral deltoid.
Reverse Fly
Back, Shoulders
Maintain a slight bend in your elbows and focus on pulling the handles apart using your rear shoulders.
Skull Crusher
Triceps
Fix your elbows in space and use Tonal's digital weight to control the descent toward your forehead.
Why this order
This program follows a compound-to-isolation progression, starting with heavy barbell movements to capitalize on Tonal's high-output digital weight while fresh. Exercises are grouped by accessory to eliminate mid-workout equipment changes, finishing with a high-rep metabolic burnout to drive hypertrophy through sarcoplasmic volume.
Want this personalized for you?
This is a template workout. Connect your Tonal and the AI coach adjusts weights to your strength scores, swaps exercises around injuries, and progresses you week over week.
Start Free with AI CoachFrequently Asked Questions
Should I use Tonal's Dynamic Weight Modes like Eccentric?
Yes, for the Skull Crushers and Lateral Raises, Eccentric mode is highly recommended to increase time under tension during the lowering phase where you are strongest.
What should I do if the weight feels too light on the high-rep finishers?
Tonal will automatically adjust based on your speed, but you can manually increase the weight by 1-2 pounds to ensure you reach near-failure by the final rep.
How do I handle the transition between the bar and handles?
The workout is specifically grouped to minimize changes; complete all barbell movements first before switching both arms to handles for the remainder of the session.