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Shoulder Training With Regan Grimes

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Youth—and Insanely Developed Delts—Isn’t Wasted on the Young. Canadian Pro Regan Grimes Takes You Through His Superior Shoulders Training Routine.

George Bernard Shaw famously said, “Youth is wasted on the young,” meaning that young people are in their physical and cognitive prime but lack the patience, understanding, and wisdom to appreciate it. It’s only once we’re older that we often realize what we took for granted in our youth. Yet this couldn’t be further from the truth for 23-year-old Regan Grimes.

This young Canadian phenom has made quite an impact on the sport since he first burst onto the scene in 2012. Regan’s full, round muscle bellies are truly incredible for someone so young. His bowling-ball delts development harkens back to a young Gary Strydom. And Regan’s continually growing and making progress with every training session—it’s like he grows right before your eyes! This kid’s body may be genetically blessed, but it is also the product of hard work, determination, and a laser focus that you would not expect from someone his age. While most guys his age are hanging out in nightclubs or just spinning their wheels, Regan Grimes is in the gym grinding it out.

Regan rose quickly through the bodybuilding ranks in the Canadian provincial and national levels, earing a lot of notoriety in the Great White North. But it would be in steamy and tropical Brazil where this Canuck would earn his pro card, taking top honours with his amateur overall bodybuilding victory at the 2016 Arnold Classic Brasil. And he ain’t done!

MUSCLE INSIDER: Has the reality of earning your IFBB Pro card hit you yet? What is that feeling like?

REGAN GRIMES: I think it has now. The reality has sunk in, and it’s a dream come true. I’m excited to compete in the Pro League, but I know there’s a lot of work to do. I’m still working with Chris Aceto, and we want to put about 15 more pounds of muscle on me before March. I want to be bigger now that I’m a pro, but bring the same conditioning that I brought before. If I can do that and keep my waist tight, I’d be happy.

MI: Now that you’re a pro, do you have bigger plans than just competing—e.g., your own supplement line, franchising your gym, a clothing line, etc.?

RG: I would love to have my own show one day, promote my own bodybuilding show. So that’s something I am working towards, even though there are a lot of shows in Ontario already. There are a ton of plans I have, and a lot of things I want to do, but at this time in my career, I want to focus more on building myself and a bodybuilder as opposed to the business side. I think I’ll do that later on.

MI: Do you feel like being from Canada or living in Canada puts you at an advantage or disadvantage on the international stage?

RG: I think there are more opportunities in the US as far as having more professionals there and more shows in general. But I have my business here, so I plan on staying.

MI: What does it feel like to be so young and have your pro card and your own gym? You’ve already done so much—where do you go from here?

RG: Well, I just want to become a better bodybuilder, really. There’s a lot I still have to accomplish onstage, but offstage as well; I want to inspire people, make them want to become better, and continue that journey. I’m not sure what the future has in store, so I’m willing to just wait and see what happens.

MI: Do you feel intimidated having to go up against the older pros like Fouad Abiad and Ben Pakulski in the Pro ranks, or do you think it’s time that young guns like yourself, Dallas McCarver, and Cody Montgomery start taking over?

RG: It’s crazy to think that Kai Greene and I could be on the same stage. I probably have a few years before I get that density and mature muscle that they have. I feel like the new generation is coming, but also some of the older guys are starting to retire, so things will change soon.

MI: What kind of impact do you want to leave on the sport?

RG: I want to be remembered as someone who inspired others to be better bodybuilders, but also in all aspects of life. I want to remind them that their dreams can come true if they work hard. I also want to be able to teach people how to work out properly; for example, maybe one of my little tips in this shoulder workout can help someone in some way.

MI: What is it like working with BPI as your sponsor? What is your typical daily stack when you’re prepping for a show?

RG: BPI is great! I did my first event with them at the Toronto Pro, and it was really fun. Every Friday at 1 p.m. I take over their Facebook Live and do a live workout. That’s a really cool opportunity and chance for people to ask questions and have me answer live. Next, I’ll be working with them at the Olympia this year.

I like their isolate protein (S’mores flavour), and I’ll also use their multivitamin, which also contains caffeine and gives me a nice little boost in the morning. I use their BCAAs, creatine, and glutamine after my workout. I also always use their pre-workout, 1MR, all the time. They have a test booster/hardening agent and a fat burner, which I will use for my Arnold Classic prep. If they come out with any new products between now and then, I’m sure I’ll try those too!

MI: What advice do you have for competitors who come so close to getting their Pro cards and just need a little inspiration?

RG: It takes a loser to become a champion. It takes a loss to win. It’s just a matter of putting in the work every single day. I got smoked at the Canadians, so I worked harder and put in my work because I didn’t want to lose again. Just keep your head up and keep trying. I know I’m never going to be the biggest guy, but maybe the judges will like someone’s shape better. So just keep trying and doing your best.

 

REGAN GRIMES’ OLYMPIA ASPIRATIONS

MI: With the Olympia coming up, do you have any Olympia goals in your sights for the next three, five, 10 years?

RG: I really want to be on the Olympia stage. The goal for 2017 is to get fifth place at all three Arnold Classic events, which would hopefully entitle me to enough points to make it to the Olympia. [Ultimately, Regan would not compete at the Arnold Classic in 2017, but did go on to compete at the 2017 Vancouver Pro and took 2nd place.]

 

MI: What would it mean to you if you made it to the Olympia in your first full year as a pro?

RG: That would just be
crazy [laughs]. That would just be another dream come true.

 

MI: Would you consider going the classic physique route? You can obviously add the size, but would that division be better than the 212 or open?

RG: I’ve thought about doing Classic Physique, but not 212. I would be way too tall for the 212s. When I won my Pro card, I was 232 at six feet, so for me to lose all that weight, I think I would get smoked because those guys are shorter and jacked. The Classic physique is a really cool division, but again, I would have to compete under 200 pounds for six feet, so it would never happen. But my goal is to bring those same classic lines to the Men’s Open division.

 

REGAN'S DELT ROUTINE

Dumbbell Lateral Raises:

“I basically turn my elbows so that my pinkies are out, and when I raise the dumbbells, my arms are slightly bent. I have my elbows above my hands; I lead with my elbows so that there’s more tension on the actual shoulder. I almost do them like a variation on the upright row, but slightly different. I usually hold at the top for one to two seconds, and do two seconds up, two seconds down. You can do these sitting down, too.”

Overhead Dumbbell Presses:

“There’s not much to this one other than controlling the weight. I never just throw it up and do a partial range. Some people do a shorter movement because it incorporates the triceps more, but I like to get a full extension of the arm on this movement. I don’t lock out completely, but I go pretty high.”

 

Dumbbell Shrugs:

This is one where I go up fast and then take about three seconds to bring it down. I also change up the angle from which I lift the weight. So sometimes I’ll start with the dumbbells behind my body, beside my body, in front of my body. Each set I’ll do from a different position.”

 

EZ-bar Upright Rows:

“With this one, I like to lean over just slightly, and then basically just lead with my elbows. Because I’m bent over just a little, it pulls in the rear delt at the start of the movement, then the medial delt at the top/finish. I pull right to my neck on these.”

Note: These can also be done with dumbbells, keeping the points of execution similar—i.e., hands shoulder width apart, keeping your elbows above your wrists, bringing the dumbbells to the chin.

Front Dumbbell Raises:

“I turn the dumbbell inwards as I raise it forward, almost like I’m pouring out a bucket of water, so my thumbs will go lower than my pinkies. I also bring the dumbbell across my body.”

Bent-Over Dumbbell Rear Delts Laterals:

“I treat this one almost like a back row. I like to keep the dumbbell closer to my body, so that it puts more tension on the rear delt. My tempo is two seconds up, two seconds down for this one too.”

Photos by Jason Breeze