Build Your Chest and Arms With This Upper-Body Circuit
19th March 2020
Supersize your chest, back, arms and shoulders while stripping away belly fat with this six-move upper-body blast.
Working one main muscle group per workout – known as a body-part split – might have been the gold standard for the golden age of bodybuilding, but if you can only train a couple of times per week you need a more efficient approach to get maximum bang for your buck.
This six-move session targets all your major upper-body muscle groups, using different angles and rep ranges to recruit and fatigue as many muscle fibres as possible, so they’re rebuilt bigger and stronger.
Workout Instructions
- This is a six-move session made up of 2 straight sets then 2 supersets.
- Do all reps of move 1, sticking to the sets, reps and rest shown, then do all sets of move 2.
- Then do moves 3b and 3b as a superset, and the same again for moves 4a and 4b.
1. Bench Press
Reps: 8
Rest: 60 secs
Sets: 5
Why: The classic big lift for a bigger, stronger and wider chest.
How:
- Lie flat on a bench holding a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Plant your heels on the floor, tense your glutes and core, then lower the bar to your chest and press it back up.
2. Chin-Ups
Reps: 5-8
Rest: 60 secs
Sets: 5
Why: The best bodyweight move for bigger arms, and one that also works your entire upper back.
How:
- Hang from a bar with a shoulder-width underhand grip.
- Engage your abs and glutes and, keeping your chest up, pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar.
- Pause in this position, then slowly lower yourself back to the start.
3a. Incline Dumbbell Bicep Curls
Reps: 12
Rest: 30 secs
Sets: 4
Why: Starting with your arms behind your torso increases the range of motion.
How:
- Lie back on a incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand and arms straight.
- Keeping your elbows in position, curl the weights up to shoulder height and squeeze your biceps.
- Slowly lower back to the start.
3b. Incline Dumbbell Flyes
Reps: 12
Rest: 60 secs
Sets: 4
Why: It works your upper and outer pecs to build a broader chest.
How:
- Lie back on an incline bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms straight and palms facing.
- With your chest up and a slight bend in your elbows, lower the weights out to the sides until you feel a good stretch across your chest, then raise them back to the start.
NOTE: For this final superset, if you don’t have access to a cable machine, superset Diamond Press-Ups with Wide Press-Ups instead. Aim for 10-15 reps of each, rest for 60 secs, and repeat 3 times.
4a. Cable Rope Overhead Extensions
Reps: 15
Rest: 30 secs
Sets: 4
Why: This move works your triceps through a full range of motion, and the cable forces your muscles to work hard in both the lifting and lowering phases.
How:
- Stand tall, holding a double-rope handle attached to the low pulley of a cable machine.
- Turn to face away, bringing your hands up to your head.
- Keeping your elbows still and pointing up, press the handles up and forwards to straighten your arms.
- Flex your triceps at the top, then return to the start.
4b. Cable Cross-Overs
Reps: 15
Rest: 60 secs
Sets: 4
Why: It isolates the chest muscles and hits the inner and outer sections of the pecs.
How:
- Stand tall in the middle of a cable machine, holding a D-handle in each hand attached to the high pulley.
- With a slight bend in your elbows, bring your hands down and in so they cross in front of your body.
- Pause for a second, then reverse the move to the start.
