10 Exercises to Make the Best Upper-Body Workout of All Time

If you want to craft a supremely effective upper-body workout, you'll need a combination of exercises that hit your chest, back, biceps, triceps, forearms, and shoulders. Carving out a big chest or sleeve-splitting arms requires constant stimulation so muscle tissues feel the pressure to grow.  Some of the best upper-body exercises to achieve this goal include equipment like barbells, dumbbells, and machines, but don't shrug off the effectiveness of using your body weight or resistance bands. 

Believe it or not, you don't have to hit a three-plate bench to achieve a stellar upper-body workout for men. To help you on your mission to find a top-notch full upper-body workout, we combed through our database, pulling out exercises that will give you the most bang for your buck. 

If you lack home gym equipment, but want to do an upper-body workout at home, you can modify most of these moves. For instance, you can do one-arm rows with a cable pulley, kettlebell, or dumbbell, and a face pull with a band, TRX, or cable pulley, depending on your personal fitness goals and the equipment you have on hand.

Here are 10 strength-training moves to create the best upper-body workouts.

Related: 10 At-Home Workouts to Lose Weight and Build Muscle

Best Upper-Body Workout of All Time

1. Pushup

How to Do It

1. Place your hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and extend your legs behind you.
2. Brace your core and lower your body until your chest is just above the floor.
3. Take two seconds to lower down and two seconds to press back up.
4. Remember to keep your back flat throughout the movement, your elbows close to the sides of your torso, and to fully extend your elbows at the top of the pushup.  

2. Bench Press

How to Do It

1. Lie on a flat bench and grasp the bar slightly wider than shoulder width.
2. Lower the bar to your chest while keeping your glutes and abs tightened, your elbows slightly tucked, and your back arched.
3. When the bar touches your body, drive your feet into the floor to press the bar back up. 
4. Adjust your weights accordingly for each set.

3. Overhead Press

How to Do It

1. Set the bar up in a squat rack or cage, and grasp it just outside shoulder width.
2. Take the bar off the rack and hold it at shoulder level with your forearms vertical.
3. Squeeze the bar and brace your abs.
4. Press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward and shrugging your traps as the bar passes your face.

Related: 15 Minutes and a Kettlebell Are All you Need for a Great Workout

4. Incline Bench Press

How to Do It

1. Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle and lie back on it with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level.
2. Then arch your back and drive your feet into the floor.
3. Press the weights over your chest.

5. One-Arm Row 

How to Do It

1. Grab a dumbbell in one hand and stand in a staggered stance with one foot forward.
2. Bend at your hips and knees and lower your torso until it's almost parallel to the floor.
3. Let the dumbbell hang at arm's length from your shoulder.
4. Without moving your torso, pull the dumbbell to the side of your torso, keeping your elbow close to your side.
5. Pause and squeeze at the top of the movement.
6. Lower the dumbbell back to the start position.

6. Chinup/Pullup 

How to Do It

1. Grab the bar at (or slightly inside) shoulder width, with a supinated grip (palms facing you).
2. While keeping your core tight, pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar.
3. Try not to use momentum to get your chin over the bar.

7. Hammer Curl

How to Do It

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing your sides and arms extended straight down.
2. Keeping your upper arms against your sides, curl both weights at the same time, minimizing the momentum used during the curl.

8. Lying Tricep Extension 

How to Do It

1. Lying on a bench, hold the weights directly over your face.
2. Keeping your upper arms at that angle, bend your elbows and lower the weights behind your head.
3. Extend your elbows, keeping the same angle with your upper arms.

9. Bentover Lateral Raise 

How to Do It

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and keep your lower back in its natural arch.
2. Bend your hips back until your torso is about parallel to the floor.
3. Allow your arms to hang.
4. Now, squeeze your shoulder blades together and raise your arms out 90 degrees, keeping your thumbs pointing up until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.

10. Face Pull

How to Do It

1. Attach a rope handle to the top pulley of a cable station.
2. Grasp an end in each hand with palms facing each other.
3. Step back to place tension on the cable.
4. Pull the handles to your forehead so your palms face your ears and your upper back is fully contracted.

How Should I Split My Upper-Body Workout?

"There is no 'perfect' split because you can see progress in many different ways, but I always advise a push/pull split," says Nike Global Performance Trainer David Carson. "It's a great way to develop balance in the upper body and also reduce injury."

For people who don't have the time to train individual muscle groups, he suggests using a two day split (at least to start). The workout split would include a pull day where you train your back, rear delts, and biceps and a push day where you train your chest, shoulders, and triceps. 

Related: The Push-Pull Workout for a Well-Balanced Upper Body

How Many Exercises Should I Do Per Upper-Body Workout? 

"It is hard to say an exact number because there are many different smart approaches to training," says Kenna Johnson, Nike trainer and co-founder of Sona Fitness. "However, generally speaking, after you properly build up and activate each muscle group, you want four to eight upper-body exercises as the 'meat' of your full upper-body workout. The reason for the wide range depends on your goal. For example, if you're doing a superset workout, you'll have a higher number of exercises so you can work the same muscle group back-to-back."

How Should I Split My Upper-Body Workout?

"Split your upper-body workout by anterior chain and posterior chain," Johnson says. Think of this like you would push-pull routines.  "The anterior chain muscles lie on the front side of the body and the posterior chain muscles lie on the back side of the body." To build the best upper-body workout for your anterior chain, focus on the chest, anterior deltoids, and biceps. To build an upper-body workout routine for your posterior chain, focus on the posterior deltoid, rhomboids, lats, traps, and levator scapulae. 

Related: Daniel Craig's 'No Time to Die' Strength and Conditioning Workout

What Upper-Body Muscles Should I Work Out Together?

"To get the best and most out of a session, it's great to group muscles based on their function," Carson says. "For example, chest and triceps are both push muscles, and many moves that utilize the chest also use the triceps." An optimal upper-body workout for men can group the chest and triceps, back and biceps, and shoulders and traps.