The top five upper body exercises for men

2 mins to read

If you want to make your t-shirt stretch over your shoulders and not your belly this summer, then read on. Online personal trainer Andrew Cate shares his workout secrets on how to tone and strengthen your upper body.

Mens health

The key - compound strength training

Compound strength training is vital if you are serious about boosting your upper body strength and size. It involves resistance training exercises where there is movement at more than one joint. For example, a push up involves movement at your shoulder and elbow joint, unlike a bicep curl, which only includes movement through the elbow joint. Classic compound strength training exercises include bench press, push-ups, lat pull downs, seated row and shoulder press. These exercises allow you to lift heavy weights and save time by targeting multiple muscle groups in the one exercise. Instead of performing single joint exercises that only isolate one muscle, get into compound strength training.

Did you know? - Compound strength training involves resistance training exercises where there is movement at more than one joint, such as bench press, push-ups and lat pull downs.

The top five compound upper body exercises

#1 Bench press
Works your chest, front shoulder and triceps
Technique tips:

Lying on a bench, hold a bar or dumbbells over your upper chest
Your hands should be just wider than shoulder width apart
Lower the weight slowly just before chest height
Push the weight straight up a little faster than you lowered it for one rep

Variations – Use dumbbells, barbells, wide grip, narrow grip, a flat bench, a declined bench, or an inclined bench

#2 Push-ups
Works your chest, front shoulder, triceps and abdominals
Technique tips:

Lie face down with your hands at shoulder level and just beyond shoulder-width apart
Keep your legs straight, your toes tucked under your feet and your abdominal muscles contracted
Keeping your back straight, push your body up off the floor
Lower body until your chest touches the floor

Variations – Wall push-ups, knee push-ups, feet elevated push-ups and one arm push-ups

#3 Lat pull downs
Works your upper back, biceps, forearms
Technique tips

Sit on the pull-down machine and brace your knees under the leg pads
Grab the bar with a wide, overhand (knuckles facing backwards) grip
Pull the bar down towards your chest and tuck your elbows back
Return the bar slowly back to the starting position

Variations – Underhand grip, alternating grip, shoulder width grip, seated row handle and single handle.

#4 Seated row
Works your mid back, rear shoulders, biceps, forearms
Technique tips

With your feet braced and your back straight, grab the handle with an overhand grip
Pull the weight towards you, bringing your shoulder blades together
Exhale as you straighten your arms, maintaining tension on the cable
Keep your torso straight and still throughout the movement

Variations – Underhand grip, narrow grip and wide grip

#5 Shoulder press
Works your middle shoulders, triceps
Technique tips

Sit on a bench or ball with your back straight
Hold a pair of dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing forwards
Raise the dumbbells above your head, then return to your shoulders for one rep
Keep your abs contracted throughout the movement

Variations – Barbell, alternating dumbbells (one goes up as the other comes down) and Arnold press (twisting the dumbbell as you lift).

Did you know? – Five of the best resistance training exercises to build strength in your upper body are bench press, push-ups, lat pull downs, seated row and shoulder press.

Training tips

To maximise your results and prevent injury, adopt these following tips.

Perform each exercise 2-3 three times per week, with a rest day in between strength training workouts.
Perform 2-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions for each exercise.
Use enough weight or resistance so that it's a challenge to do 10 to 15 reps, but you can still maintain good form. Lift the weights at a controlled speed, keeping your back straight and abdominals contracted.
Aim to continually progress by increasing the repetitions, the amount of weight you are lifting, and / or the number of sets.

Did you know? – When performing strength training exercises, find a weight you can lift at least 10 times, but make it heavier if you can lift it 15 times.