If You Want to Work Out Four Days a Week: Upper-Body Routine 1
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The workout below is for 6 Weeks to Stronger, SELF’s new six-week workout plan geared toward building serious strength. Check out the full program right here for the rest of your workouts and more important info!
Welcome, our four-time-a-weekers! We’re so excited that you’ll be joining us for Six Weeks to Stronger, and know you’re going to love what’s coming next.
For your program, the workouts will be split between upper-body and lower-body ones, all of which will be packed with compound exercises that’ll really encourage you to progress with them over time (plus some accessory moves to round it all out). You’ll have two upper-body and two lower-body days. This will allow you to put in some really targeted work for each muscle group. You’ll want to space your workouts out so you’re not hitting the same muscles any more frequently than every 48 hours, so try to stick to the order we’re suggesting. (For more general info about the program, make sure to check out our primer here.)
You’ll start with your first upper-body day, and the overhead press will be your main move, the one for which we’ll really challenge you to choose a weight you can go heavy with. That’s because we’re keeping the rep range relatively low (and the rest period higher), which will allow you to lift more than you would if you had to eke out 10+ reps. And more of a breather between sets ensures that your muscles will be ready to do it all over again. This will be a straight set, meaning you’ll finish all your sets of this exercise before moving on to the next.
Then you’ll follow that up with a superset that will have you alternating between moves that work the backside of your upper body (the bench-supported row, which hits your largest back muscle, and the rear delt fly, which targets the small muscles on the back of your shoulders) and the front side (the chess press, which smokes your pecs and also challenges the front of your shoulders). The rep range will be a little higher here (and the rest period a tad longer), but it’s still right in the range to help you build strength and muscle. Finally, you’ll end with two moves that zero in on your abs—your obliques and deep core muscles in particular.
Grab your equipment—take a look at what you need below—and get ready to crush your first workout of the week!
The Workout
What you need: Dumbbells (or a barbell if you prefer) and a weight bench. You may also want an exercise mat for comfort.
Exercises
Straight Set:
- Overhead Press
Circuit:
- Bench-Supported Single-Arm Row
- Chest Press
- Rear Delt Fly
Superset:
- Bicycle Crunch
- Plank With Leg Raise
Directions
- For Straight Set, complete 5 to 8 reps. Rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Complete 4 sets total.
- For Circuit, complete 8 to12 reps of the first exercise; rest for 60 to 90 seconds before going on to the second exercise. Rest for 60 to 90 seconds before going to the third exercise. Rest for 60 to 90 seconds after all three are done, and then repeat from the top. Complete this circuit 3 times total.
- For the Superset complete 12 to 15 reps of the first exercise. Rest for 30 to 60 seconds before going on to the second exercise. Rest 30 to 60 seconds, and then repeat from the top. Complete this superset 3 times total.
Katie ThompsonOverhead Press
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your shoulders with your palms facing out and your elbows bent. Alternatively, you can use a barbell; hold it in an overhand grip with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. (You can also do this seated on a bench with your back supported). This is the starting position.
- Press the weight overhead, straightening your elbows completely. Make sure to keep your core engaged and hips tucked to avoid arching your lower back as you lift your arms.
- Slowly bend your elbows to lower the weight back down to the starting position. This is 1 rep.
You can use dumbbells or a barbell for this upper-body move, which hits your shoulders and your triceps.
Katie ThompsonBench-Supported Single-Arm Row
- Stand in front of a bench with one foot flat on the floor and the other knee on the bench, with the hand on that side supporting you on the bench. Hold a dumbbell in your other hand. This is the starting position.
- With your core engaged, hinge forward at the hips, push your butt back, and keep a soft bend in your knee, making sure you don’t round your shoulders.
- Gaze at the ground a few inches in front of your foot to keep your neck in a comfortable position.
- Pull the weight up toward your chest, keeping your elbow hugged close to your body, and squeeze your shoulder blade for 2 seconds at the top of the movement.
- Slowly lower the weight by extending your arm toward the floor. This is 1 rep.
- Continue to do all of the reps on the same side, then repeat on the other side.
The row variation provides a little more stability than a bent-over single-arm row and helps you build balanced strength in your upper body by working each side separately. If you don’t have a bench, you can do a single-arm row in a split stance instead, with your non-rowing arm supported by your quad.
Katie ThompsonChest Press
- Lie faceup with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, or on a bench with your feet planted on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your legs and your elbows on the floor bent at about 90 degrees so that the weights are in the air. You can also do this with a barbell; your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. This is the starting position.
- Press the weight toward the ceiling, straightening your elbows completely and keeping your palms facing your legs. Pause here for a second.
- Slowly bend your elbows and lower them back down to the floor. This is 1 rep.
This exercise targets your chest and triceps; do it with dumbbells or a barbell (and on the floor or a bench), whichever makes you more comfortable.
Katie ThompsonRear Delt Fly
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a weight in each hand with your arms at your sides and elbows slightly bent.
- With your core engaged, hinge forward at the hips, push your butt back, and bend your knees slightly, so that your back is no lower than parallel to the floor. (Depending on your hip mobility and hamstring flexibility, you may not be able to bend so far over.) Gaze at the ground a few inches in front of your feet to keep your neck in a comfortable position.
- Keeping your back flat, core tight, and elbows bent, raise your arms out to the sides until they are in line with your shoulders. Pause for a second, and then lower your arms back down to the starting position. This is 1 rep.
This fly variation really homes in on your rear deltoids, the small muscles in the back of your shoulders that help you stand straight.
Katie ThompsonBicycle Crunch
- Lie faceup with your legs in tabletop position (knees bent 90 degrees and stacked over your hips). Place your hands behind your head, elbows bent and pointing out to the sides. Use your abs to curl your shoulders off the floor. This is the starting position.
- Twist to bring your right elbow to your left knee while simultaneously straightening your right leg.
- Then twist to bring your left elbow to your right knee while simultaneously straightening your left leg. This is 1 rep.
- Continue alternating sides. Go at a slow and steady pace so that you can really twist and feel your abs working.
This dynamic exercise smokes your obliques; slow it down to really feel the burn.
Katie ThompsonPlank With Leg Raise
- Start in a high plank with your hands directly under your shoulders.
- Keep your core, butt, and quads tight, and avoid arching your back. Think length—imagine that you’re extending out from the crown of your head and out through your heels simultaneously.
- Keep your neck in a neutral position by gazing at the floor a few inches in front of your hands. This is the starting position.
- Brace your core and lift one foot off the floor.
- Return to the starting position, then repeat on the other side. This is 1 rep.
When you raise your leg, you’re losing one point of support—so your core really has to fire extra to keep you stable.
Demoing the moves above are Chad Ryan (GIFs 1 and 5), a personal trainer, group fitness instructor and life coach; Winnie Yu (GIF 2), a doctor of physical therapy, certified strength and conditioning specialist, and running specialist; Lauren Leavell (GIFs 3 and 6), a NASM-certified personal trainer and founder of Leavell Up Fitness; and Francine Delgado-Lugo (GIF 4), a strength coach and co-founder of Form Fitness Brooklyn.
Chad Ryan wears: Top by On Running; shorts by Reebok; and shoes and socks by Alo. Winnie Yu wears: Bra by Aritzia; leggings and socks by Alo; and shoes by Vivobarefoot. Lauren Leavell wears: Top and leggings by Beyond Yoga; shoes by Reebok; and socks by Alo. Francine Delgado-Lugs wears: Top by Aritzia; pants by Yitty; and shoes by Alo.
BowFlex 5.1S Adjustable Weight Bench by Bowflex.
SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.
