Upper Body Mass Workout for a Bigger Upper Body

Looking through the endless supply of bodybuilding and strength training programs on the Internet one can usually find approximately the same number of reps recommended for the main movements which are around 25-30.

Sometimes the same rule applies for arms’ workouts which a lot of people have successfully applied to in their routine. If you want to optimize your workout sessions and pack on mass on your biceps and triceps, strive to get the same number of reps and you’ll also experience more gains.

Given the amount of information one finds on the web, it’s easy to get confused as to what the best workout for any muscle group is. But regardless of the equipment, you have at your disposal, whether it’s a fully-equipped gym or a couple of dumbbells in your home, even if you don’t have anything at all but your bodyweight, you can still build muscle mass, lose the excess fat and achieve your ideal physique.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Employing the “low-rep, moderate number of sets” strategy, which provides an optimal mix of training volume and intensity, has always been related to increasing muscle size and strength.

You can try any combination: 5 sets of 5 reps, 6 sets of 4 reps, or 8 sets of 3 reps which will allow you to train with some heavier loads to build up your strength. These combinations are basic knowledge for anyone who strives to achieve progress in the gym.

HOW TO DO IT?

When you first do the workout, you will do 25 repetitions for all the main movements by doing 5 sets of 5 reps. If you want to repeat the same workout, do 6 sets of 4 reps.

For the next workout session, do 8 sets of 3 reps(heavy triples). Don’t do this workout more than two times per week, and give yourself a minimum of 3 days of rest before doing it again.

For every movement where you do 25 reps total, do the first 3 or 4 sets as a warm-up, and do the remaining two sets with heavy loads.

THE WORKOUT

OPTION A

1. OVERHEAD BARBELL PRESS

5 sets of 5 Reps, rest for 90 seconds

Put the barbell in a squat rack and use slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Take it off the rack and hold it at shoulder height, your forearms positioned at a 90-degree angle to the floor. Squeeze it tight and brace your core.

Then, start pressing the bar upwards and once it passes your head, push the head forward and shrug the traps at the top position, as you lock your elbows.

2. INCLINE BENCH BARBELL PRESS

5 sets of 5 Reps, rest for 60-90 seconds

Set an adjustable bench at a 45-degree angle and lie on it. Grab the bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip, arch the back and take it off the rack. Lower it to your upper chest area and strive to drive your feet into the group while you push the bar upwards.

3. DIPS

Do as many sets as you’d need. A total of 50 reps, rest for 60 seconds.

Grab the parallel bars, hop upwards and lock your elbows out. Then lower yourself down until the upper arms are parallel to the ground.

4. PULL-UP

Do as many sets as you’d need. A total of 50 reps, rest for 60 seconds.

Grab a pull-up bar and hang from it with a slightly wider than shoulder-width with a pronated grip. Pull yourself up until the chin goes over the bar.

OPTION B

There are numerous advanced techniques in bodybuilding like negative reps, drop-sets, forced reps, super-sets and lots of others which will help you tremendously in building more muscle mass.

However, they should never be given a higher priority than simply striving to always lift heavier weight, or progressively overloading.

If you have been training for years trying to build muscle mass using these techniques only but neglected the basics, then you need to learn how to add weight on the bar with small increments and start progressing again.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The MAX-effort method is one of the most effective strength training programs and has been a staple for powerlifters and athletes for many years.

It’s based on simple principles too. Just keep adding weight to the barbell until you get to the heaviest weight which you can handle for a specific number of reps.

After you finish maxing out on the bench press, you will then train the other muscle groups with heavy weight which will help you progress on your bench press and increase your upper-body strength.

The more your strength increases the more muscle you’ll gain. Only then, you can try the more advanced techniques.

HOW TO DO IT?

Do the exercise which is marked as “A” and “B” in a super-set. This means you will perform one set of exercise A and then without rest do a set of exercise “B”, for as many sets as prescribed. For all the other exercises, do all sets for the movement and then proceed to the next exercise.

THE WORKOUT

OPTION B

1. BARBELL BENCH PRESS

You need to work yourself up to a 3-rep max and rest between 3-5 minutes

Grab the bar slightly outside shoulder width and arch the back by leaving a space between the lower back and the bench. Take the bar off the rack, lower it to the sternum and tuck the elbows around 45 degrees to the sides.

Once the bar reaches the sternum, drive the feet into the ground and push the back upwards. Do a couple of warm-up sets, with no more than 5 reps each.

In small increments, work up to the heaviest load you can do for three reps, which should take you about 4-5 sets to do. Make sure that you have a spotter or do these sets in a rack with spotter bars.

 

2. NEUTRAL-GRIP FLOOR PRESS

4 sets of 8, 8, 6, 5 reps for each set respectively. Rest for 3 minutes.

Grab two dumbbells in both hands and lie on your back on the floor. Rest the triceps on the floor and get the elbows close to the sides with the palms facing each other.

Push the dumbbells over the chest and then lower the triceps to the floor, but don’t rest them there. Pause for 2 seconds under tension and do the next rep.

 

3. DUMBBELL ROWS

2 sets of 8 and 20 reps respectively. Rest for 2 minutes.

Rest the left knee and left hand on a bench and grab a dumbbell with the right hand. The dumbbell should hang down in a straight line. Then, retract the shoulder and row the weight to the side.

On you 2nd set, pick a heavier weight and start cheating a bit to get the weight up, by rowing explosively and with a not-so-stellar form.

 

4A. DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISES

3 sets of 10 reps. No rest.

Grab two dumbbells in both hands and stand with the palms facing each other. Raise the dumbbell up to 90 degrees to the floor, making the arms parallel to the floor.

4B. SEATED DUMBBELL CLEAN

3 sets of 10 reps. Rest for 90 seconds.

Grab a dumbbell in each hand and sit on a bench. Keep the lower back flat and lean forward. Then, straighten the body explosively and shrug the dumbbells so that the arms rise. Use the momentum to flip the wrists enabling you to catch the dumbbells and get them at shoulder level.

5. ZOTTMAN CURL

Zottman-Curl

3 sets of 8 reps. Rest for one minute.

Stand and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing the sides. Keep the upper arms in place, curl the dumbbells and rotate the palms to face the biceps when you reach the top position.

Turn the palms facing downwards and lower them slowly as you would do in a reverse curl. This would constitute one rep.

 


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