Go superwide: width in phase 2, learn delt development from NBA guard Allan "Widebody" Houston - Personal Trainer
Allan Houston flexed his arms, scowled, and launched a jumper from the baseline over former teammate Glen Rice to hand the New York Knicks a two-point win over the Houston Rockets.
"He hit a tough shot, but Allan has done that over and over and over," Rice said. "There really wasn't much I could do."
Houston, a broad-shouldered scoring machine who has the smile of Will Smith and the quick feet of Jackie Chan, credits strength and conditioning for his resiliency and ability to adjust to all facets of the NBA game.
"My workouts build power and endurance so that I can fight for a rebound or go to the hole and have that extra strength, that mental and physical edge, to prevail over bigger guys," says Houston, no slouch in the lean-muscle-mass department. "I give full credit to Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas, two of my teammates on the Detroit Pistons, for preaching the necessity of working hard in the summer to prepare for the intense physical requirements of playing in the NBA, night in and night out, all season long."
Houston and his trainer Anthony Gray, a New York City strength and conditioning specialist, use a unique training strategy that combines weightlifting and body-weight-bearing exercises to build a world-class physique, nowhere more impressive than in Houston's shoulders.
We turned to Houston and his trainer for Part 2 of our program to help you create barn-door width. This plan, along with the chest-training section from Part 1, will help you craft the appearance of a narrow waist, even if you don't have those ripped abs quite yet.
Gray has teamed up with Houston for the past five years to prepare his star athlete for the extreme physical challenges of professional basketball. Their strategy is ideal for any weight trainer or athlete looking to improve his deltoid width--and, if hoops is your game, score from way downtown.
GRAY'S ANATOMY: A MASTER CLASS ON SHOULDERS
Take a gander at Houston's upper body; those immense delts pop out at you in three-dimensional splendor. Houston doesn't train like a bodybuilder to get big, bad delt caps--the secret to his success is not heavy weights or genetic gifts, but a three-pronged attack on each head of the deltoid complex along with a full dose of functional-strength training.
"Forget about building impressive shoulders unless you are willing to pay the price in hard work," says Gray, who has improved Houston's endurance and stamina with an array of body-weight resistance exercises. "The difference between typical body-part workouts and what I recommend is the integration of functional-strength exercises--dips, pull-ups and push-ups--into the heart of the training session."
A typical deltoid workout for Houston includes:
* Machine shoulder presses, to hit anterior (front) delts.
* Lateral raises on a machine, to hit medial (side) delts.
* Rear-delt flyes on a machine, to bring up the posterior delts and to tweak the trapezius.
The plan is to start with shoulder presses for front delts and to use a weight that allows for 12 reps on the first set, 10 reps on the second set and eight reps on the third. Houston will generally do a drop set (cutting back on the weight) of 12 more reps at the end to go for the burn. For every set, "don't take the easy way out and choose a light weight that makes it feel like butter to complete," says Gray, "because you need to go with poundages that dictate the last three reps will be a challenge to complete with proper form."
Once his front delts are fried to a crisp, Houston immediately integrates dips, a functional-strength exercise, to add an endurance component to the workout. He will do three sets of dips (12-10-8) before moving on to the lateral raises.
"The average person could not handle the dips and be able to make it through the rest of the workout," says Gray, "and that's why I recommend that you do your shoulder exercises and then hit the dips at the end of the session." If you're a beginner, it's advisable to do machine dips. By keeping your arms in front of your body, these are less likely to put a shearing force on the shoulder joint.
Why integrate dips, a chest and triceps exercise, into a delt routine?
"The added endurance from dips is invaluable to enhancing the structural integrity of the joints, tendons and ligaments that support the shoulder capsule during exercise," says Gray.
Houston adds, "You will notice immediate gains in strength and detail as soon as you add dips to your delt program on a consistent basis."
After three sets of dips, Houston move on to three sets of lateral raises--generally on a machine, but sometimes with dumbbells--and three sets of rear-delt flyes. The reps (12-10-8) stay the same, with a weight that will make it a challenge to get through the last three reps.
This intensive workout dictates at least three days of rest for the delts between sessions, though it does not preclude shooting baskets or other recreational pursuits that require shoulder strength and dexterity.
"He hit a tough shot, but Allan has done that over and over and over," Rice said. "There really wasn't much I could do."
Houston, a broad-shouldered scoring machine who has the smile of Will Smith and the quick feet of Jackie Chan, credits strength and conditioning for his resiliency and ability to adjust to all facets of the NBA game.
"My workouts build power and endurance so that I can fight for a rebound or go to the hole and have that extra strength, that mental and physical edge, to prevail over bigger guys," says Houston, no slouch in the lean-muscle-mass department. "I give full credit to Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas, two of my teammates on the Detroit Pistons, for preaching the necessity of working hard in the summer to prepare for the intense physical requirements of playing in the NBA, night in and night out, all season long."
Houston and his trainer Anthony Gray, a New York City strength and conditioning specialist, use a unique training strategy that combines weightlifting and body-weight-bearing exercises to build a world-class physique, nowhere more impressive than in Houston's shoulders.
We turned to Houston and his trainer for Part 2 of our program to help you create barn-door width. This plan, along with the chest-training section from Part 1, will help you craft the appearance of a narrow waist, even if you don't have those ripped abs quite yet.
Gray has teamed up with Houston for the past five years to prepare his star athlete for the extreme physical challenges of professional basketball. Their strategy is ideal for any weight trainer or athlete looking to improve his deltoid width--and, if hoops is your game, score from way downtown.
GRAY'S ANATOMY: A MASTER CLASS ON SHOULDERS
Take a gander at Houston's upper body; those immense delts pop out at you in three-dimensional splendor. Houston doesn't train like a bodybuilder to get big, bad delt caps--the secret to his success is not heavy weights or genetic gifts, but a three-pronged attack on each head of the deltoid complex along with a full dose of functional-strength training.
"Forget about building impressive shoulders unless you are willing to pay the price in hard work," says Gray, who has improved Houston's endurance and stamina with an array of body-weight resistance exercises. "The difference between typical body-part workouts and what I recommend is the integration of functional-strength exercises--dips, pull-ups and push-ups--into the heart of the training session."
A typical deltoid workout for Houston includes:
* Machine shoulder presses, to hit anterior (front) delts.
* Lateral raises on a machine, to hit medial (side) delts.
* Rear-delt flyes on a machine, to bring up the posterior delts and to tweak the trapezius.
The plan is to start with shoulder presses for front delts and to use a weight that allows for 12 reps on the first set, 10 reps on the second set and eight reps on the third. Houston will generally do a drop set (cutting back on the weight) of 12 more reps at the end to go for the burn. For every set, "don't take the easy way out and choose a light weight that makes it feel like butter to complete," says Gray, "because you need to go with poundages that dictate the last three reps will be a challenge to complete with proper form."
Once his front delts are fried to a crisp, Houston immediately integrates dips, a functional-strength exercise, to add an endurance component to the workout. He will do three sets of dips (12-10-8) before moving on to the lateral raises.
"The average person could not handle the dips and be able to make it through the rest of the workout," says Gray, "and that's why I recommend that you do your shoulder exercises and then hit the dips at the end of the session." If you're a beginner, it's advisable to do machine dips. By keeping your arms in front of your body, these are less likely to put a shearing force on the shoulder joint.
Why integrate dips, a chest and triceps exercise, into a delt routine?
"The added endurance from dips is invaluable to enhancing the structural integrity of the joints, tendons and ligaments that support the shoulder capsule during exercise," says Gray.
Houston adds, "You will notice immediate gains in strength and detail as soon as you add dips to your delt program on a consistent basis."
After three sets of dips, Houston move on to three sets of lateral raises--generally on a machine, but sometimes with dumbbells--and three sets of rear-delt flyes. The reps (12-10-8) stay the same, with a weight that will make it a challenge to get through the last three reps.
This intensive workout dictates at least three days of rest for the delts between sessions, though it does not preclude shooting baskets or other recreational pursuits that require shoulder strength and dexterity.