Push Day Workout to Build Strong & Shaped Upper Body Muscles

The incline bench press, a variation of the flat bench press, is done on an incline bench.

This minor variation in angle emphasizes the top area of your chest, creating a rounder, fuller appearance.

Incline presses also work the front deltoid and are more challenging than a flat bench press.

How to perform:

1. Lay on an incline bench with a bar above your head. Push your shoulder blades tightly together to form a sturdy and secure stance on the bench.
2. Raise the weight until the arms are straight.
3. Drop the weight until it is only a few inches from your chest.
4. Raise the weights until your hands are straight.
5. Repeat for reps.

3. Close Grip Bench Press

By doing a close-grip bench press, you will focus even more on your triceps. It necessitates changing your grip to a tighter posture, closer than shoulder-width apart.

This will extend your range of motion and place more strain on your triceps, challenging you to push them harder and further than you would in a regular grip.

"The grip closeness is the most misunderstood aspect of the close-grip press. People frequently grab the bar with both hands almost touching, but you don't have to go that narrow."

- Brett Williams, NASM Certified Personal Trainer

How to perform:

1. Place your legs firmly on the floor and lie on a bench press.
2. Hold the barbell above with your hands at least a few inches narrower than shoulder-width apart. They don't have to be too close together.
3. While your arms are extended, unrack the barbell and bring it in front of you so it sits directly over the shoulder joint.
4. Pull the bar to the rib cage, about the bottom of your pecs, then lower it to your chest.
5. Raise the bar to a starting position over the shoulder joint.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Side lateral raises, like shoulder presses, engage your shoulder muscles, but instead of isolating the posterior or anterior deltoids, they mainly isolate the lateral fibers [3].

This will make your shoulder muscle groups appear more prominent and broader, enhancing your body.

How to perform:

1. Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and a pair of dumbbells in your hands.
2. Lift your hands to the side until they're slightly above shoulder height.
3. Drop your arms back to the starting position.
4. Repeat until the required number of repetitions has been reached.

5. Triceps Pushdowns

The triceps pushdown is a fantastic approach to isolating the tricep muscles using a cable machine.

You will strike the triceps lateral and medial head pushing muscles by performing a pushdown.

How to perform:

1. Face the tricep pushdown cable machine and hold the rope attachment or horizontal cable bar (depending on the equipment at your gym) with an overhand grip as you prepare for this movement. Adjust the grips on the bar or rope at around chest height.
2. To begin, use the pin-and-place adjustments and a little weight. Several weighting systems may be included in various variants of the machine.
3. Begin by bracing the abdominal muscles.
4. Tuck the elbows in at the sides and spread your feet slightly apart.
5. Inhale and press down until the elbows are entirely stretched but not straight and locked. Keep your elbows closer to your body on the pushdown and your legs slightly bent. Avoid leaning forward.
6. While you press down, try to maintain the back as straight as possible.
7. Resume the starting position in a controlled movement as you exhale. Try not to collapse the loads.
8. Repeat for reps.

You May Also Like: Alternatives to Triceps Pushdown Workout

Skull crushers, or lying triceps extensions, are a conventional motion done lying on a bench with one or two dumbbells. You can also use a barbell.

Holding the weight above your face, you straighten your elbow and lift the load toward the ceiling with the triceps. Yet the triceps are not the only ones working out.

How to perform:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells from both hands and lie face up on a bench, legs flat on the floor on either side.
2. Raise your arms over your chest, palms facing one another toward the ceiling.
3. Contract the glutes and core while pulling the rib cage down to keep the low back from curving.
4. Tuck your elbows in and squeeze your shoulders down as you gently bend your elbows to drop the weights until they are an inch over your head or on each side of your head.
5. To activate the lats, avoid moving the upper arms and anchor shoulders down, isolating the triceps as the loads drop.
6. Straighten your elbows and stretch your arms back over your chest with control.
7. Return to the starting position and repeat for reps.

"By utilizing a bench, you may set your feet on the ground, necessitating different engagement in your core and lower body; engaging the glutes, tucking the pelvis, and maintaining your core engaged and ribs down all need deliberate effort."

- Ash Wilking, Nike Master Trainer & Tonal Coach

7. Dips

Dips are bodyweight pushing exercises that strengthen the triceps and other upper-body muscle groups.

How to perform: 

1. Grab the parallel bars and jump up, keeping your arms straight.
2. Lean forward at a 45° angle, bend at the waistline, and lift the toes toward the shins.
3. Pull the shoulders back and down. Hold this body posture for the length of the workout.
4. Gently lower your torso into the dip by bending your elbows until the upper arms are nearly parallel to the floor. Maintain a firm grip on your elbows.
5. Straighten your arms to propel yourself back to the starting position.
6. Repeat for reps.

Read Also: Is Bench Press Better Than Dips for Chest Exercise

While the bench press enables you to be perfectly stable because the bench supports your back while you press, the overhead shoulder press is the ultimate pressing exercise since a bench does not support you.

How to perform:

1. Place a barbell on an elevated rack to hold it under the chin, approximately shoulder level.
2. Hold the barbell with both hands and walk back from the rack to unrack it.
3. Lift the barbell over the head to rest precisely above the shoulder joints.
4. Check that you're not leaning back at the end. Maintain your balance by standing straight.
5. Lower the bar to the starting position or height of your chest or shoulders.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

9. Push-up

Push-ups are among the best general conditioning workouts for outdoor athletes, and they can be done anywhere without equipment.

Push-ups are excellent for strengthening your chest, triceps, and shoulders.

"Push-ups are commonly considered an upper-body workout, but they truly engage the entire body. You'll build your arm, chest, and back muscles while strengthening your abdomen and quads."

- Lisa Toscano, Professor of Kinesiology

How to perform: 

1. Adopt a high-plank stance, feet together, torso straight from head to toes, and hands in parallel with (but slightly broader than) your shoulders. To lock the body into position, engage both the glutes and core.
2. Drop your body until the chest is a few inches off the ground, maintaining your elbows tucked into your body and the head neutral.
3. Push your torso back to the starting position after a little pause.
4. Repeat for reps.

Read More:

• Can Push-Ups Burn Belly Fat
• Push-Ups for Maximum Chest Gains
• Effective Push-up Substitutes

This is a highly versatile split since it can increase muscle growth, strengthen muscle, lose weight, or be healthier.

If you want to lose weight, a push exercise for hypertrophy can increase your metabolic rate and burn more calories during and after the session.

If you're looking to bulk up, combine a push workout for mass with a caloric surplus to create muscle in your triceps, pecs, and shoulders.

If you're exercising for strength, a push exercise regime allows you to challenge yourself on the overhead or barbell press to prepare for the following personal record attempt.

It's Simple to Learn and Remember

It is not important to be able to name muscles or exercises to observe activity and determine whether the lifter is performing weight pulling or pushing exercises.

Even a novice lifter may come into a gym, select four push workouts, perform three to four sets of six to fifteen repetitions each set, and have an excellent workout without overthinking.

Choose whether you want to improve your size, strength, weight reduction, or overall health, and then tailor your program appropriately.

Above all, this entails establishing how your diet will contribute to this approach.

Eat in a calorie excess to assist your muscle growth efforts. To reduce weight, you should eat in a calorie deficit.

Eat your carbohydrates so you have the energy to push through the push day if you aim to be strong [4].

Maintain Consistency

Nothing will result from good push exercises if you perform them once or infrequently. Maintain consistency to see actual benefits [5].

These transformations take time, particularly for seasoned lifters.

The only way to convey to your body the information you want it to adapt and respond to the stress you're placing on it is to be consistent.