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The upper-body, big-muscle workout program

Work your shoulders, traps, and forearms to exhaustion to build an upper-body that will pop, whether it's in a winter sweater or at the beach.

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  • 30-45

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The Upper-Body Muscle Workout Program
Getty Images/Westend61
The Upper-Body Muscle Workout Program
Getty Images/Westend61

Sure, you don’t get a lot of props for bulking up your chest, back, and legs in the fall and winter, when layers of insulation replace summer’s skimpy tank tops and tees.

But, no matter what time of year it is, your traps, shoulders, and forearms can still pop out and look powerful—whether it’s under long-sleeve shirts and sweaters, or out for show at the beach. With this program, you’ll pack on muscle to these areas and get an upper body you’ll want to show off all year round.

How it works

While this routine has plenty of legs and abs work, it particularly targets the upper-body muscles with exercises that train them heavy and hard. Hang snatch high pulls—an Olympic weightlifting move popular in CrossFit—will train your traps in a brand-new way, while rack pulls will add thickness to your shoulders and back.

You’ll also focus on the forearms—but by integrating them with other muscle groups for efficiency. Instead of wrist curls, we’re calling for hammers and farmer’s walks with a thicker dumbbell handle. This forces you to grip harder to hold on to the weight, firing up your forearm muscles without isolating them.

Directions

Perform each workout (Day I, II, and III) once per week, resting a day between each session.

Exercises marked “A” and “B” are alternated, so you’ll do one set of A, rest, then B, rest again, and repeat until all sets are complete.

Jeb Stuart Johnston, C.P.T., is a trainer in New York City. 

Routine

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Day I

Chest and shoulders

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 1 of 4

Snatch-Grip High Pull

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
8
Reps
3
Rest
E.M.O.M.
Get a stopwatch and start it just before you begin your first set. Perform all your reps, then rest as long as it takes for a new minute to begin.
Exercise 2 of 4

Rack Pull Exercise

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
6
Rest
90 sec.
Exercise 3 of 4

Incline Dumbbell Press

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
12
Rest
60 sec.
Exercise 4 of 4

Chest-Supported Row

Equipment
Sets
4
Reps
15
Rest
60 sec.
Exercise 5 of 4

Six-Way Shoulder Raise

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
3
Reps
10
Rest
60 sec.

Day II

Legs, traps, and biceps

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 6 of 4

Front Squat

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
3
Reps
8
Rest
--
Exercise 7 of 4

Bulgarian Split Squat

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
6 (each leg)
Rest
90 sec.
Exercise 8 of 4

Inverted Row

Equipment
Power Rack
Sets
3
Reps
10
Rest
60 sec.
Exercise 9 of 4

One-Arm Farmer’s Walk

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
100 ft. (each side)
Rest
90 sec.
Wrap a towel around the dumbbell's handle to thicken the grip.

Day III

Shoulders, chest, and arms

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 10 of 4

Dumbbell Overhead Press

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
6
Rest
60 sec.
Exercise 11 of 4

Pullup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
4
Reps
As many as possible
Rest
60 sec.
Exercise 12 of 4

Single-Arm Pushdown

Equipment
Cable Machine
Sets
4
Reps
15 (each side)
Rest
30 sec.
Exercise 13 of 4

Fat-Grip Hammer Curl

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
10
Rest
30 sec.
Exercise 14 of 4

Dragon Flag

Equipment
Bench
Sets
3
Reps
12
Rest
60 sec.
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