Create the Perfect Upper Body Workout Plan

The upper body is the most interesting part of the body to work-on in the sport of bodybuilding. It is the one that catches a person’s eye the quickest and also has the most potential of giving your body the perfect V-shape that depicts the ultimate physique. The upper body also has a lot of smaller muscles that, when developed over time, give you an incredible look that turns heads as you walk along the road. Whether you are looking for a buff bodybuilder-look or going in for a lean fitness-model appearance, you need to arm yourself with a great upper body workout plan before you hit the gym.

Setting up Your Upper Body Workout Routine

It doesn’t take much to setup your day for an upper body workout and with a few simple changes or adjustments to your regular routine you can prime yourself for an upper body workout. The first thing you need to do is identify all the major upper body muscle groups and understand the movement patterns that work them the most. Then, you need to pick the exercises that enable you to perform those movement patterns without losing your balance, and without putting undue pressure on your joints.


Then, you might want to look at the order in which you work on those exercises. This has nothing to do with any pre-recommended order but might have a lot more to do with the way you transition from one to the next, both physically and in the mind. Finally, you need to choose the number of sets you will do with each exercises, the number of repetitions you will perform and the weights you will work with. The first few times, you might need to try out different combinations to figure out exactly how much, of what exercise, you can do with a certain amount of weight. Then, you can go about tweaking your upper body workout plan and perfecting the exercise process.

Cover all the Upper Body Workout Movement Patterns

Now, there are six-basic types of movements you can perform when exercising your upper body. They are:

• Horizontal Push: An exercise where the weight is pushed out in front of you such that you are, effectively, pushing it away from your body. For example, chest exercises like the bench press or the inclined press

• Horizontal Pull: An exercise where the weight is placed in front of your body and your action pulls it towards you. For example, back exercises like bent-over barbell or dumbbell rows or the back-rowing exercises

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• Vertical Push: This is a form of exercise where the weight is pushed vertically away from your body, usually overhead. The Arnold Press or Overhead Press are forms of this exercise

• Vertical Pull: An exercise where you pull the weight vertically towards your body. The elbow may be flexed in this exercise and this includes things like upright rows or pull-ups

• Elbow Flexion: This is an exercise where the weight is moved towards your body by folding the arm at the elbow and flexing or contracting the bicep-muscle. Most bicep exercises, like barbell or dumbbell curls, fall into this movement category

• Elbow Extension: This is an exercise where the weight is moved away from your body by straightening the arm at the elbow and extending or stretching the bicep-muscle. Most exercises for the triceps, like cable press-downs or barbell extensions, fall into this movement category

Basically, your upper body is capable of performing a certain kind of movements and this generalization of the movement patterns covers almost everything that your upper body can do. If you can create an upper body workout plan that covers all these movements and patterns, then you can easily create the perfect weekly exercise plan for your upper body.

Choosing Exercises for a Weekly Workout Plan

Every single weekly upper body workout for men and women must address every single muscle group on the upper body. That means, you need to put effort for every single muscle group and make sure that there is overall development for better proportion and overall look. A lot of your selection will depend on the kind of exercise preferences you have, the kind of time you commit to your weekly workout plan as well as the kind of equipment you have access to.

As long as you keep at least one exercise for each kind of movement, you are likely to enjoy a long and healthy work-out program. There are many who argue that you don’t need to cover all those exercise movements but the main purpose of an upper body workout routine is that you work every single aspect of your upper body. This is also a way of putting a limit on your exercise-time and ensures that you don’t repeat exercises for a particular muscle group even after you have worked on it earlier.

Finally, every muscle-group has an equal and opposing muscle group and for each action that strengthens a particular muscle group, the opposing muscle also requires proportional strengthening. This balance needs to be maintained all over the body and a lack of this balance is also the main reason why so many bodybuilding athletes get injured – because their opposing muscles aren’t proportionately strong.

If you do not maintain that balance, you can strengthen some muscle groups too much when compared to their opposing muscles, which is the ideal recipe for an injury.

In the end, technique plays a major role and if you are putting in 100% with the right technique, you will see a lot more results and a lot less injuries. Then, you can supplement your workout with the right kinds of whey protein shakes or weight gainer supplements to work towards attaining the final result you need. Your diet plan will also play a major role in determining the effectiveness of your upper body workout and a weight lifting diet plan or bodybuilding diet plan will really boost your performance and enhance your results.

The key to a successful upper body workout routine lies in developing a well-rounded weekly workout plan to cover every single aspect of your upper body. Stick to these basic rules and your upper body workout will start showing results before you know it!

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