Victor Martinez’s in-depth shoulder training guide.
Victor Martinez is a well known and influential pro bodybuilder and legend in the sport. He is considered by many to have one of the greatest physiques of the 2000s era of bodybuilders. In 2007, he was right on the heels of Jay Cutler for the Mr. Olympia title, and in a controversial decision, Jay won that year.
Our team was lucky enough to meet up with Martinez at the Generation Iron Personal Training Gym for an epic workout. In this GI Exclusive, Victor Martinez follows up his chest workout with a grueling shoulder training guide.
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Full Name: Víctor Martínez (Men’s Open Bodybuilder) |
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| Weight | Height | Date Of Birth |
| 240-245 lbs | 5’9″ | 07/29/1973 |
| Division | Era | Nationality |
| Bodybuilding | 1990, 2000, 2012 | Dominican |
It’s easy enough to find a training routine online – but the real work comes in knowing the details. A list of exercises, sets, and reps is simply the most basic foundation for a successful workout. Knowing proper form, full movement, and specific tips can transform a workout from good to great. It’s what separates a “normal” in shape person from a shredded bodybuilder.
Victor Martinez met up with Vlad Yudin to continue with part two of our training mini series with Martinez. This time, he puts Vlad through the paces and shares important tips on how to optimize your routine for your shoulders. A workout sheet is certainly a good way to track your workouts, but seeing it being performed is a whole different level, and that is exactly what we are providing here.
This workout is an immediate follow up to Victor Martinez’ in-depth chest training guide and should be completed within the same session.
Victor Martinez’s Shoulder Training Workout
As mentioned above, this shoulder training session immediately follows a full chest day workout, so think of it like a “push day” routine almost. Victor Martinez prefers to do a half-day shoulder workout within the same session as chest day, and he does this because chest exercises often indirectly workout your shoulders through various pressing movements. So Martinez’s weekly schedule typically consists of a full shoulder workout followed by a half shoulder workout on his chest day training.
| Exercises | Sets | Reps |
| Side Laterals (Dropsets) | 2 | 15 |
| Shoulder Press | 4 | 15 |
| Upright Rows | 4 | 15 |
| Cable Pushdowns | 4 | 15 |
When it comes to weight, that’s impossible to recommend broadly because each individual has different limits on how much weight they can physically push. Ultimately, you want to lift enough weight to complete all three sets for each exercise, but by the end of the final set for each – you should barely be able to finish, bringing yourself to almost failure. It may take trial and error to begin with – but you’ll ultimately find a sweet spot this will be more than enough to exhaust your muscles completely. As Tom Platz has said, the last thing you should want is to leave the gym knowing you could have done more.
Victor Martinez also has some tips on how to ensure you’re fully pushing yourself with each workout session. For every exercise, make sure you always hit the number of reps you are shooting for. On the final set, if you can’t hit, let’s say, 15 reps. Don’t stop. Drop weight so you can hit that number. That’s where real muscle growth comes from – pushing beyond your first perceived limit.
Side Laterals (Dropsets)
Since these exercises are coming after a full chest workout, you will probably be fatigued. So Victor Martinez recommends doing the side laterals sitting down. Being seated prevents you from using your legs and swinging your arms, and ensure that you are getting the most out of the muscle. Often times, lifters will compensate with other muscles or even “cheat reps” when fatigued by dropping legs to “reach” the full range of motion. This cheats you out of gains and the lack of proper form could also lead to injury.
Shoulder Press (Machine)
For the shoulder press, Victor Martinez stresses the importance of having your shoulders right under the bar. If you sit back too far you end up training more of your front delts. You also want to bring the weight down to your ears to get the full range of motion for this exercise.
You also want to avoid slouching forward with your chest caved in as you continue this exercise, as this can lead to injury. It’s important to have your chest out and your back locked for this movement to get the most out of it.
Upright Rows
For this exercise, Victor Martinez recommends holding the bar with a wide grip, bringing your hands all of the way to the edge of the weights on either side of the barbell. Your palms should be facing inward towards your body. When you perform this movement – you want to bring the bar up in front of you. Pulling the bar up close to the chest will train your traps. Watch in the video the specific difference to ensure you are targeting the right muscle.
Cable Pushdowns
For the cable pushdowns, Victor Martinez recommends doing three down and then three overhead. During this exercise, Martinez further explains why he prefers to do shoulders with chest. This is opposed to doing biceps with back training. His reasoning is that you are using so much bicep with a back workout, that you end up being too fatigued for the bicep workout afterward. You aren’t fully stimulating the muscle to maximum efficiency.
Martinez also feels this way about quads and hamstrings. If you give yourself a powerhouse quads workout and then jump into hamstrings in the same day – you won’t get the same level of effort needed to fully develop that muscle group.
Victor Martinez Shoulder Workout Wrap Up
That just about wraps up Part 2 of Victor Martinez’s upper body training routine. But, it does not stop there. We’ll return to hit up the back in a new selection of exercises. Make sure to watch the GI Exclusive training video above to get complete play-by-play tips on each exercise. Soon you’ll transform your workout into a pro level routine.
Will you be utilizing any of Victor’s training tips and tricks?
