man doing pull ups | upper body exercises

Balance Out Your Upper Body Workout with These 13 Killer Moves

By Andrew Heffernan

Training your upper body is about the most fun you can have in the gym. Cardio can be a grind, leg work can feel like hard labor, and stretching can be dull — but working chest, arms, shoulders, and back? Hard work, but it doesn't wear you out or beat you down. And after an hour or so of pushing and pulling, you're rewarded with an immediate visual payoff for your efforts.

Fun as it is, upper body work is great for you. Strength and muscle mass make movement easier, ward off fat gain, and keep you looking and feeling young. And the strength of your grip — a key factor in upper body strength — is a lifelong biomarker of health.

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How to Structure an Upper Body Workout

Upper body workouts should balance two pushing (as in a push-up or overhead press) and pulling (as in a row or a pull-up) movements. You can further categorize those two actions by the directions in which they occur. In a horizontal exercise, you push or pull an object forward and back, so the weight moves perpendicular to your spine. Think: dumbbell row or a bench press. In a vertical exercise, you push or pull the object up and down, with the plane of movement roughly parallel to your spine, as in an overhead press or a pull-up.

Tempting as it may be to emphasize your more visible pushing muscles, your upper body workouts should balance horizontal pushes and pulls with vertical pushes and pulls. This not only balances your strength and development but protects the health and function of your upper back, shoulders, and other muscle groups.

Finally, no upper-body workout would be complete without at least a little direct upper-arm work for the biceps and triceps. These assistance exercises improve your strength and stability in the basic upper body movements, while also helping you look great in short sleeves.

The movements below comprise a complete upper-body workout that will add balanced strength and muscle to all your upper body muscles, keeping you strong, athletic, and functional.

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Horizontal Pushing Exercises

1. Dumbbell Bench Press

dumbbell bench press | upper body exercises

Muscles targeted: Pectorals

  • Lie on a flat bench holding a pair of dumbbells directly above your chest with your palms facing forward.
  • Keeping your feet flat on the floor, your core engaged, and your lower back pressed into the bench, slowly lower the weights to the sides of your chest, keeping your elbows at a 45 degree angle to your body (not flared).
  • Pause, and then push the weights back up to the starting position.

2. Feet-Elevated Push-Up

decline push up | upper body exercises

Muscles targeted: Pectorals

  • Perform the movement as described above, this time with your feet on an elevated box, bench, or chair.

3. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press

incline bench press | upper body exercises

Muscles targeted: Pectorals

  • Set an exercise bench at a shallow incline (30 degrees or less).
  • Lie back on the bench, feet flat on the floor, holding two medium-heavy dumbbells near your shoulders. You should feel a deep stretch across your upper chest.
  • Exhale forcefully as you press the dumbbells to an arm's length above you.
  • Reverse the movement under control and repeat for repetitions.

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Vertical Pushing Exercises

4. Arnold Press

arnold press | upper body exercises

Muscles targeted: Deltoids

  • Stand upright holding two dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing you.
  • Keeping your torso vertical, exhale and press the dumbbells to an arm's length overhead, rotating your arms so your palms face forward at the top of the move.
  • Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat.

5. Landmine Press

landmine press | upper body exercises

Muscles targeted: Deltoids

  • Affix one end of a barbell to a landmine. If desired, add weight plates to the free end and secure with a safety clip.
  • Stand facing down the shaft of the barbell with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the weighted end of the barbell with both hands in front of your chest, one hand on top of the other. Brace your core.
  • Press the weight up until your arms are extended.
  • Pause, then slowly lower the barbell back to your chest. Repeat for all reps.

6. Wingspanner

Muscles targeted: Deltoids

  • Stand, holding two medium-weight dumbbells by your sides.
  • With your elbows at your sides and palms facing each other, curl the dumbbells until your forearms are parallel to the floor.
  • Keeping your elbows bent 90 degrees, raise your elbows away from the body's midline until your arms are parallel to the floor. Your palms should now face down.
  • Straighten your elbows so that your arms are now directly out to your sides.
  • Lower your arms down to your sides and repeat.

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Horizontal Pulling Exercises

7. Inverted Row

inverted row | upper body exercises

Muscles targeted: lats, rhomboids, and trapezius

  • Secure a bar in a Smith machine or power rack at waist height and lie on the floor underneath it.
  • Grab the bar with an overhand grip that's slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and hang with your arms fully extended, your body straight from head to heels. Your shoulders should be directly below your hands, and your heels should be hip-width apart. This is the starting position.
  • Keeping your core engaged, pull your chest to the bar as you squeeze your shoulder blades together.
  • Pause, and then slowly return to the starting position.

8. Feet-Elevated Suspension Row

Muscles targeted: lats, rhomboids, and trapezius

  • Standing a few feet behind the anchor point for a TRX (or equivalent), set the handles to chest height.
  • Position a box or bench a few feet behind the anchor point of a suspension trainer, and set the hanging handles between waist and chest height.
  • While seated on the floor, grab the handles of the suspension trainer, place your heels on the bench, and then straighten your body with your arms extended and the straps taut.
  • Keeping your body straight, head to heels, and your head in a neutral position relative to your spine, simultaneously bend your elbows and pull your shoulder blades back, lifting your chest as high as you can toward the anchor point.
  • Pause, slowly reverse the movement, and repeat for reps.

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Vertical Pulling Exercises

9. Pull-Up

pull up | upper body exercises

Muscles targeted: lats, rhomboids, and trapezius

  • Grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip that's slightly beyond shoulder-width. Hang at arm's length with your arms straight (a position known as a dead hang) and your ankles crossed behind you.
  • Without swinging or kipping (using momentum to propel you upward), squeeze your shoulder blades together as you pull your chest to the bar (or at least your chin above it).
  • Pause, and then lower yourself back to a dead hang.

10. Chin-Up

assisted pull up | upper body exercises

Muscles targeted: lats, rhomboids, and trapezius

  • Grab a pull-up bar with an underhand grip that's slightly wider than shoulder-width, and hang at arm's length (a position known as a dead hang).
  • Without swinging or kipping (using momentum to propel you upward), pull yourself upward until at least your chin clears the bar, keeping your back straight and core tight.
  • Pause, and then lower yourself back to a dead hang.

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Upper Arm Exercises

11. Zottman Curl

zottman curl | upper body exercises

Muscles targeted: biceps, forearms

  • Stand tall holding a dumbbell in each hand at arm's length by your sides, palms facing forward (underhand grip).
  • Keeping your elbows tucked and locked by your sides, curl the weights toward your shoulders.
  • Flip your grip 180 degrees (to overhand), lower the weights back down to your sides, and then flip your grip again (to underhand) to return to the starting position.

12. Skull Crusher

skull crusher | upper body exercises

Muscles targeted: triceps

  • Lie face up on a bench with your feet flat on the floor, and hold a pair of dumbbells above your chest with your arms straight and your palms facing each other.
  • Without moving your upper arms, bend your elbows and lower the dumbbells to the sides of your head until your forearms dip below parallel to the floor.
  • Pause, and then return to the starting position.

13. Overhead Triceps Extension

overhead triceps extension | upper body exercises

Muscles targeted: triceps

  • Stand with a single dumbbell held vertically in both hands.
  • Raise the weight overhead and place your palms on the inside surface of the top plate, wrapping your thumbs around the handle for safety. This is your starting position.
  • Squeezing your biceps close to your head, bend your arms but keep the elbows pointing forward, lowering the weight behind your head.
  • Reverse the move, extending your arms overhead.
  • Repeat for reps.

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