Upper Body Workout

What It Is & Mechanics

Isolates the lateral deltoid through humeral abduction in the scapular plane, optimizing fiber alignment while avoiding subacromial impingement.

Key Execution Cues

• ✓Raise arms 20-30° forward from pure side in the scapular plane to match delt fibers
• ✓Lead outward with the elbows; keep wrists relaxed without externally rotating hands
• ✓Perform seated to remove lower-body sway and enforce strict tension on the delts
• ✓Control a strict 2-3s descent; use low cables with wrist cuffs for continuous tension

What It Is & Mechanics

Compound vertical press providing heavy mechanical overload to the anterior deltoids, clavicular chest, and triceps with superior back support.

Key Execution Cues

• ✓Set back pad to 75-85° to protect glenohumeral joint and optimize pressing mechanics
• ✓Tuck elbows 30-45° forward in the scapular plane rather than fully flared
• ✓Lower dumbbells under control until handles reach chin or ear level for a true stretch
• ✓Keep upper back glued to pad and feet planted; avoid hyperextending lumbar spine

What It Is & Mechanics

Positions the humerus in forward shoulder flexion to place the long head in passive insufficiency, channeling maximum mechanical tension to the short head and brachialis.

Key Execution Cues

• ✓Anchor armpits snugly over top pad edge with triceps flat against the support
• ✓Stop the eccentric lowering 2-3° shy of hyperextended lockout to protect tendons
• ✓Emphasize a strict 3-second eccentric lowering on every single repetition
• ✓Bring the single working set to true 0-1 RIR with consistent execution

What It Is & Mechanics

Positions the humerus behind the torso in shoulder hyperextension, placing the biarticular long head under profound stretch for stretch-mediated hypertrophy.

Key Execution Cues

• ✓Incline bench at 45-60° to pull arms behind the torso plane
• ✓Keep elbows pinned pointing toward the floor; do not allow them to drift forward
• ✓Rotate wrists into full supination (palms up) through the concentric phase
• ✓Lower fully to a complete hang and pause 1s at bottom stretch before curling

What It Is & Mechanics

Neutral-grip flexion shifts prime mover leverage onto the brachialis and brachioradialis, building outer arm thickness and dense forearm musculature.

Key Execution Cues

• ✓Keep palms facing each other and thumbs pointed up throughout the stroke
• ✓Keep torso completely stationary without using hip sway or backward lean
• ✓Lock elbows firmly at your sides without swinging them forward
• ✓Hold and squeeze hard for 1 second at peak contraction

What It Is & Mechanics

Isolates the monoarticular lateral and medial triceps heads through direct elbow extension, loading the contracted and mid ranges with zero shoulder fatigue.

Key Execution Cues

• ✓Pin elbows tight to sides and depress scapulae down away from ears
• ✓Press straight down to full elbow lockout and squeeze for 1 second
• ✓Allow forearms to rise above 90° for full range of motion while upper arms stay fixed
• ✓Choose straight bar, rope, or single-cable handle based on wrist comfort

What It Is & Mechanics

Elevates upper arms overhead to stretch the triceps long head across the shoulder joint, inducing significantly greater hypertrophy through lengthened overload.

Key Execution Cues

• ✓Lean torso 20-30° forward to allow a continuous cable line-of-pull overhead
• ✓Keep upper arms fixed beside ears; bend strictly at the elbow joint
• ✓Allow handles to travel deeply behind head until forearms contact biceps
• ✓Extend smoothly outward and forward without shrugging traps or flaring elbows

What It Is & Mechanics

Direct horizontal shoulder adduction in the transverse plane. Sharing the identical primary movement pattern with flat barbell and dumbbell pressing, rotary cam resistance provides continuous tension across the full chest excursion, particularly in the deep stretch.

Key Execution Cues

• ✓Set handles level with mid-chest and keep scapulae pinned back against the pad
• ✓Pause for 1 second at full stretch to eliminate elastic rebound and standardize reps
• ✓Think of driving your inner biceps together across your sternum, not your hands
• ✓Maintain a soft, fixed bend in elbows throughout the entire set

What It Is & Mechanics

Biases the clavicular head of the pectoralis major through combined shoulder flexion and adduction with a natural converging dumbbell path.

Key Execution Cues

• ✓Set bench to 25-35° incline to maximize clavicular recruitment over anterior deltoids
• ✓Keep elbows angled 30-45° relative to torso in the scapular plane
• ✓Lower under control until dumbbells touch outside upper chest for a deep stretch
• ✓Press up and slightly inward in a smooth arc without clacking weights together

What It Is & Mechanics

Horizontal rowing with flared elbows targets rhomboids, mid/lower traps, and rear delts while chest support eliminates spinal fatigue and momentum.

Key Execution Cues

• ✓Flare elbows out 45-75° from torso to bias upper back musculature over lats
• ✓Let shoulder blades spread apart around ribcage at bottom stretch for full excursion
• ✓Keep chest pinned firmly to pad without arching lower back off the bench
• ✓Drive elbows out and back, squeezing shoulder blades together for 1 full second

What It Is & Mechanics

Trains the costal and thoracic fibers of the latissimus dorsi through frontal-plane shoulder adduction, optimizing mechanical leverage for back width.

Key Execution Cues

• ✓Sit tall with a very slight natural arch; avoid excessive backward leaning
• ✓Drive elbows straight down toward hips rather than yanking the bar with biceps
• ✓Pull to chin or collarbone level to avoid unnecessary internal shoulder rotation
• ✓Take 2-3 seconds to return under control to full overhead lat stretch

What It Is & Mechanics

Biases the lower iliac and lumbar latissimus dorsi fibers through sagittal-plane shoulder extension, keeping continuous tension throughout the entire stroke without lower-back spinal fatigue.

Key Execution Cues

• ✓Keep elbows grazed tightly along ribcage throughout the pull
• ✓Stop pulling once elbows align with torso; pulling further back reduces lat tension
• ✓Allow scapulae to glide forward into a stretch without rounding lower back
• ✓Maintain an upright chest and eliminate backward torso momentum