Get 3D shoulders with the "Godfather of Bodybuilding"! Detailed training by Charles Glass

Most people in the gym just "swing" their shoulders... They pull it with the trapeze, throw it with their whole body and then wonder why their shoulders are still flat as a runway. Charles Glass, who's known as "The Godfather of Bodybuilding" for a reason, does it differently. He doesn't look at the weight on the barbell, he looks at how the muscle moves.

Here's his recipe for shoulders that look like balls, with no unnecessary ballast around.

It's not the weight, it's the angles.

Charles Glass is known for knocking out even pros with a pound of muscle with 10-pound one-arms. How? Because he forces them to isolate. That goes double for the shoulders. If you want that proverbial 3D look, you have to hit all three heads of the delta.

1. Forearm (but with rotation)

The classic forearm usually ends up hurting your neck because the traps take over. Glass has a trick: as you lift the dumbbells in front of you, slightly rotate your elbows outward. This cuts the trapezius off from the work and sends all that pain (and growth) straight to the front shoulder.

2. Push away from you, don't pull up

This is the most common mistake. People pull the one-arms to their ears. Glass says, "Push those dumbbells sideways." Your arms are just hooks. The movement has to start in the shoulder and go to the distance, not up. That's the only way to build the width that makes a character.

3. Chin-ups (wide and away from the body)

Forget the narrow grip where you break your wrist. Glass recommends a wide grip. Most importantly, don't pull the barbell tight along your shirt. Pull it in a slight arc away from your body and focus on always keeping your elbows higher than your wrists. It's surgical work on the middle head of the shoulder.

4. Seated push-ups (stop ego-lifting)

Why does Glass almost always train seated and supported push-ups? Because as soon as you stand, your body starts to subconsciously cheat. You arch your back, engage your pecs, and suddenly your shoulder workout is a weird bench-press. Sit down, lean back, and let your shoulders eat themselves. And keep your elbows slightly in front of you, not quite in line with your ears - your rotators will thank you.

5. Rear delts: thumbs up

The back shoulder is what makes the final "look." Glass trains it in a forward bend, but with one detail - when moving backwards, she pulls her pinkies up toward the ceiling. It's a small movement, no big swing. If you can feel your shoulder blades coming together in the middle of your back, you're doing it wrong. You just need to feel that little bump on the back of your shoulder.

Glass' advice at the end:

Fuck your ego. If you have to throw your whole torso when you're deadlifting to get those dumbbells up, you're done with this workout. Take the weight off, slow it down, and focus on where your elbows are pointing. Where the elbow goes, that's where the muscle stimulus goes. Try it this way next workout and you'll see that even with half the weights, you'll have a hard time combing your hair after the workout.