upper

A popular and true saying has been floating around the weight room for a while: You got to row to grow. It doesn’t matter if it is vertical or horizontal, and it doesn’t matter what equipment you use. You must train your posterior delts, upper back, and lats hard and heavy as your wings depend...

It's the best training split for a lot of people, but not everyone. Here are the pros and cons. This upper/lower split allows you to hit everything hard twice per week. There’s a minimal negative carryover from each workout. “Negative carryover” is when one workout will negatively affect the...

Gain an inch on your biceps while building a rock-solid upper body with simple chin-up progressions. Chin-Ups for Pure Muscle Growth There are two problems with most chin-up programs: They're usually designed to help you increase the number of chins you can do, not increase muscle mass. While...

The best mobility drills are ones that work to the point of never having to do them ever again, and that comes with mastery of movement and hitting the "save button" by adding it to your movement library. So what comes after that? An active stability component to the new range of motion or...

You've probably seen the Swiss ball ham curl before. And if you've never done it, it might remind you of something you'd see on those cheesy workout DVDs your mom uses as dust collectors. On paper, the exercise seems comical, almost pathetically simple. But in practice, it'll make you wonder...

A CORE EXERCISE THAT WORKS EVERYTHING Ab wheel rollouts are known as a core exercise, but they involve more than just your abs. The emphasis is on the rectus abdominis, but you'll also need to engage your arms, shoulders, chest, back, glutes, and even your legs. Your lower back is also a key...

Ahh, the humble pullup. It never lies to you—you can either do it or not, and there is no “it’s all you, bro” as the spotter sometimes peels the bar from the lifter’s chest. As great as the overhead and bench press are for the upper body, pullups and chinups are the best upper-body relative...

The pushup is a strength training staple renowned for its simplicity and effectiveness. But what if you could simultaneously elevate the traditional pushup to target more muscle while improving your strength and mobility? Enter the yoga pushup, an exercise that combines the conventional pushup...

Strong triceps contribute to better performance in activities like pushing, lifting, and throwing, making them invaluable for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Triceps exercises help you achieve a well-rounded physique and promote functional strength and stability in your arms and shoulders...

The most often asked gym question is, ‘How much do you bench?’ No one ever asks how much you chin up, but they should. Although the bench press is a fantastic exercise to add upper body size and strength, the chin up, in my opinion, is the gold standard when it comes to upper body strength. It’s...

Don't have access to your favorite upper body gym machines but still want to hit your favorite upper body workout? Check out these band, barbell, and dumbbell alternatives! Getting the motivation to train at home can be tricky. You’re not at the gym surrounded by other people training with the...

Here’s a little-known gym fact, kirk shrug may be, he best shrug variation you’re not doing. There’s nothing more imposing than a lifter with a big yoke, otherwise known as a set of massive upper traps, shoulders, and back will make you stand in awe—and move out of their way as they toss...

GROWN MEN DON'T NEED BRO SPLITS You're not 15 anymore. The traditional bro split where you train one body part each workout (usually 5 workouts a week) isn't efficient or effective, especially for an adult with a job who actually communicates with real-live women in their non-pixilated form...

THE PROBLEM WITH BACK TRAINING A seasoned lifter knows how to manage the ratio of training volume and intensity against accumulated fatigue. Accumulate too much central nervous system, cardiovascular, or mechanical fatigue during or across workouts and your results won't be optimal. But when...

Build your upper back and lats while strengthening the lockout on your conventional deadlifts. The upper back and lats essentially perform in an isometric fashion during the conventional deadlift. The problem is, the start of the movement is initiated by a push off the floor using a degree of...

PLUG YOUR STRENGTH LEAKS Are you aware of the "strength leaks" phenomenon? If not, imagine that your body is a tube and water is being poured into it. The water going in is the force your muscles are producing (e.g., feet pushing on the floor in a squat) and the water coming out is the amount of...

Want healthier shoulders, better posture, and a bigger bench press? Do band pull-aparts. In a world of constant sitting and looking at computer screens, many fall victim to protracted shoulders and slouching. You're probably slouching right now as you're reading this. A simple solution...

It could be argued that the three most popular pieces of gym equipment are in no particular order are the flat benches, standing cable machines and the lat pulldown machine. Take a look around your gym, while the adductor machines remains empty. Often you will find lifters milling around these...

There’s probably no need to tell you that dumbbell rows are near the top of the list when it comes to helping build a massive back, as well as blow up your biceps and improve your grip strength. But did you know that a combination of different unilateral dumbbell row variations each serve a...

Upper-Back Isometrics and Shoulder Pain The barbell bench press is the universal standard for upper-body strength, but it’s also one of the most injury-inducing exercises. So what exactly gets injured the most when benching? Generally, the anterior part 58 of the shoulder. There could be...