Barbell upper body workout: 7 exercises, sets and reps

Barbell upper body workout

7 exercises 23 sets about 55 min a barbell, plates, a rack and a bench

Chest, back, shoulders and arms in one session, with every press matched by a pull so the shoulders stay balanced. The two heavy lifts come first while you are fresh; the arm work is last.

A barbell, a rack and a bench is the classic garage setup. It is short on isolation work, so this session leans on big lifts and makes up the difference in load.

Start this workout free Creates your account with these 7 exercises already loaded. Free to log, no card.

The workout

Bench Press4 × 8Pinch your shoulder blades together, lower the bar to mid-chest and press up and slightly back.2 min rest
Barbell Row4 × 8Hinge to about 45 degrees with a flat back and pull the bar to your lower ribs without jerking your torso.2 min rest
Overhead Press3 × 10Squeeze your glutes and brace. Press the bar straight up, moving your head through once it clears your forehead.90 s rest
Inverted Row3 × 10Hang under a bar set at hip height with a straight body, and pull your chest up to it.90 s rest
Upright Row3 × 15Take a grip wider than your shoulders and pull the bar to lower-chest height, elbows leading. Stop there.60 s rest
Barbell Curl3 × 12Elbows stay by your sides. Curl without leaning back and lower for a full two seconds.60 s rest
Skull Crusher3 × 12Lying on the bench, lower the bar towards your forehead by bending only at the elbows, then extend.60 s rest

Muscles worked

Front

Back

Shoulders8
Biceps8
Lats7
Upper back7
Triceps6.5
Forearms5
Traps4.5

Sets per muscle. A muscle that only assists in an exercise counts half.

How to run it

Before the first exercise, do two lighter sets of it: one at about half your working weight and one at three quarters. Rest for the time shown next to each exercise; the heavy lifts at the top need more than the smaller ones at the end.

Aim to finish each set with one or two reps left in you. If every set reaches its target easily, the session is too light. Barbells reward small jumps: add 2.5 kg (5 lb) in total once every set reaches the target, and stay there until it does again.

Pair it with a leg day and alternate the two, four sessions a week: upper, lower, rest, upper, lower. Twice a week is plenty for the upper body to grow.

If something is taken

Bench Press→Push-Up

Keep the same number of sets. In the app you can swap an exercise for one session without changing the program.

In myreplog

It is already set up. These 7 exercises arrive in your account as a program, with the sets and reps above.
Tap, do not type. Set your weights the first time, then mark each set done as you finish it.
Records count themselves. From your second session, a lift that beats your best is marked as a personal record on the spot.
See what you trained. The session ends with this muscle map, drawn from the sets you actually did.

Logging is free for good. The first 14 days also include Pro, where a coach reviews each session and suggests the weights for the next one. No card needed.

Questions

How long does this upper body workout take?

About 55 minutes. That is 23 working sets with the rests listed next to each exercise, plus five minutes to warm up.

What muscles does it work?

Mostly the shoulders, biceps and lats. The upper back, triceps, forearms and traps assist. The map on this page shades each muscle by the number of sets that reach it.

What equipment do I need?

A barbell, plates, a rack and a bench.

How many exercises should an upper body workout have?

Six to eight is the useful range. Fewer leaves a muscle group out; more than that and the last exercises are done too tired to count for much.

Should I train chest or back first?

Whichever you most want to improve, since the first lift gets your best effort. This session starts with a press and follows with a row; swapping the two is fine.