Sam Warburton has put his shoulders through more than most. Years of elite-level rugby will do that. These days, the former Wales captain and founder of SW7Academy trains with the goal of building muscle and strength without unnecessary pain.
In a recent Instagram post, Warburton shared his favourite shoulder finisher, explaining why he keeps traditional overhead to a minimum.
‘Not always a huge fan of overhead presses. 3 sets of overhead pressing is enough for me during the week before my shoulders begin to get annoyed,’ he wrote. ‘I have to be very strategic on how I train my shoulders after a previous career playing contact sports to ensure I can train but avoid pain,’ said Warburton in the post.
There’s also another sporting pursuit he’s keen to protect: ‘(Also, I don’t want to compromise my very amateur Padel game 😂).’
Instead of piling on more heavy vertical pressing, Warburton uses a mechanical triple drop set to target all three heads of the deltoid without aggravating his joints.
‘Therefore, your shoulders need stimulus in another way. There are 3 heads to your shoulders (deltoid) so I find this triple drop set is a very effective way to take the shoulders to fatigue without irritation and covering all the bases,’ he explained.
The method is simple but brutal. Start with the bench set at a higher incline and complete 10 controlled reps. Then lower the bench slightly and hit another 10. Drop it one more notch and grind out a final 10 reps as fatigue kicks in.
‘10 reps, drop the bench slightly, 10 reps, drop the bench for a second time one notch, and finish with a final 10 reps (unlikely to complete unbroken). 2 rounds with a few minutes rest is plenty,’ said Warburton.
The shift in bench angle subtly changes the emphasis across the shoulder as you fatigue, keeping the load manageable while increasing time under tension. The result is a serious burn without the repetitive strain that can come from heavy barbell work.
As Warburton summed it up: ‘It’s a very humbling exercise, but one I like you’ll enjoy for your next upper body workout!’
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