Mike O’Hearn: Superhero Shoulders

Drug-Free Star Mike O’Hearn Knows How to Build Cannonball Delts Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

In the dark of the early morning, while mere mortals are still rolling over in bed, Mike O’Hearn is preparing for battle. It’s a choice he makes, and it fuels his drive. Mike knows instinctively that you have to put it all on the line to achieve anything worthwhile. His mission is to destroy his training partners. He expects them to destroy him, and that thought causes him to breathe fire. It’s simply not going to happen. Not today. Not ever! His mind is made up. He’s already declared victory, and he hasn’t even left his house yet.

You can dig in or cave in; I choose to dig in, and I’ll push you to do the same.

You may ask, What is Mike’s reward for his victory over the evils of the world? Superhero status reserved only for those willing to pay the price and step into another level of belief. Mike comes to the aid of those who cannot fight for themselves, the underdogs of the world. He holds the weight of the world on his shoulders, and those shoulders must unleash his hardcore, brute power.

“Look,” Mike insists, “everyone has to find a deeper reason for training hard, following a good eating plan and getting into shape. If you do it ‘just to get in shape,’ that’s not enough to push through the pain. It’s not enough to keep your eating strict; it’s not enough to add more weight to the bar even when you think you’ve already reached your limit.”

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He gets louder as the seriousness in his voice intensifies. “There has to be something more that deafens anything in your mind that’s contrary to your most desired result. That’s my advice to people—find a deeper meaning. You’ll never know what you’re capable of until you decide to push yourself beyond what you previously thought was your limit. You can dig in or cave in; I choose to dig in, and I’ll push you to do the same.”

DY: Imagination alters fact. So I ask, What’s first on the agenda for shoulders, Mike?

MO: Warmups—lateral raises. Nothing heavy. I’m just trying to get some blood into the shoulders and sweep away the cobwebs. Keep an eye on form, get your elbows up high, and focus on the medial delts. Take the weight up, and squeeze it a little bit at the top. Your shoulders, elbows and dumbbells should all be parallel to the floor at the top.

DY: Time to get serious? 

MO: Yup, time to draw the line in the sand. This is what we came to do. Let’s battle. The enemy is facing us. Put it all on the line for front shoulder presses. Sometimes it’s a machine like Hammer Strength; sometimes it’s a bar or dumbbells. The idea is this: Focus on the front delts, and keep the elbows forward. Push like you’re lifting a massive building off someone who’s stuck underneath and saving his life. Put everything into it—everything!