# Barbell Upper Body Session A full barbell session for chest, back, shoulders, and arms, built around the bench press and the row. Eight movements with real rest between sets. - URL: https://formaroutines.com/routines/barbell-upper-body-session/ - Duration: About 38 min - Admin slug: barbell-upper-body-session ## Before you start Move gently and stop if you feel sharp pain, dizziness, numbness, or symptoms that feel unsafe. This routine is general fitness guidance, not medical care. ## Exercises ### 1. Barbell Bench Press 3 sets · 8 reps · 90s rest Set the shoulder blades down and back, lower to the chest, and press without bouncing the bar. Use a spotter for working sets. #### Steps - Lie on the bench with your eyes directly under the bar and your feet planted flat on the floor. - Pull your shoulder blades back and down into the bench to create a stable pressing platform. - Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width with wrists stacked over elbows, then unrack to full arm extension. - Lower the bar slowly to your lower chest with elbows tracked at about 60 to 75 degrees from your torso. - Pause briefly with the bar touching the chest, keeping full-body tension and a tight upper back. - Drive the bar back up explosively by pressing through the chest and triceps until the arms lock out. #### Cues - Shoulder blades set. - Touch with control. - Drive the bar up. #### Common mistakes - Letting the elbows flare to 90 degrees, which strains the front shoulders and reduces chest engagement. - Losing the shoulder-blade squeeze mid-rep, causing the shoulders to roll forward under load. - Bouncing the bar off the chest to use momentum instead of a controlled touch or pause. - Lifting the glutes off the bench for leverage, which destabilizes the lift and risks back strain. ### 2. Barbell Incline Bench Press 3 sets · 8 reps · 75s rest A moderate incline shifts the work to the upper chest. Go lighter than your flat bench and keep the elbows under the bar. #### Steps - Set the bench to about 30 to 45 degrees and lie back with feet planted flat on the floor. - Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width and pull the shoulder blades back into the pad. - Unrack the bar to full arm extension with the wrists stacked directly over the elbows. - Lower the bar slowly to the upper chest with elbows tracked at about 60 to 75 degrees from the torso. - Pause briefly at the chest, keeping a tight upper back and full body tension. - Drive the bar back up by pressing through the upper chest and triceps until the arms lock out. #### Cues - Blades set back. - Lower to the upper chest. - Press evenly. #### Common mistakes - Setting the bench too flat or too steep, which dilutes the upper-chest target either way. - Letting the elbows flare wide to 90 degrees, which strains the front shoulders. - Lifting the hips off the bench for leverage, which destabilizes the press and stresses the back. - Bouncing the bar off the chest to use momentum instead of a controlled touch and press. ### 3. Barbell Bent Over Row 3 sets · 10 reps · 75s rest Hinge to about forty-five degrees, keep the back long, and row to the lower ribs. End the set when the torso starts rising. #### Steps - Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and grip the barbell with hands just outside your knees, palms facing you. - Hinge at your hips with a flat back until your torso is at about a 45-degree angle to the floor. - Brace your core hard and let the bar hang directly below your shoulders at full arm extension. - Pull the bar up to your lower chest, keeping your elbows tucked at about 45 degrees from your torso. - Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top, fully contracting the lats and mid-back. - Lower the bar back down with control over 2 to 3 seconds, keeping the back position locked the whole time. #### Cues - Hinge stays locked. - Lead with elbows. - Pull to lower ribs. #### Common mistakes - Standing too upright, turning the row into a partial deadlift instead of a back exercise. - Rounding the lower back as you pull, which puts the spine at serious risk under load. - Pulling with the biceps and bending the wrists, leaving the lats and mid-back understimulated. - Using too much momentum and swinging the bar up — the back stops working when the body cheats. ### 4. Landmine T Bar Rows 3 sets · 10 reps · 60s rest The row that balances all the pressing. Keep the back long throughout. #### Steps - Anchor a barbell in a landmine attachment and load plates on the open end. - Straddle the bar near the loaded end and place a V-grip handle under the bar behind the plates. - Hinge at the hips with a flat back and grip the handle with both hands, arms extended. - Brace your core and row the handle up toward your lower chest, leading with the elbows. - Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top with the handle just below the sternum. - Lower the bar slowly back to the start, fighting the descent through the full range. #### Cues - Hinge and hold. - Pull to the belly. - Squeeze the blades. #### Common mistakes - Standing more upright as the set goes on, which turns the row into a partial shrug. - Letting the lower back round under load, which puts the spine at risk on heavy sets. - Yanking the bar up with momentum instead of pulling cleanly with the back. - Cutting the bottom of the rep short and skipping the full lat stretch. ### 5. Barbell Overhead Press 3 sets · 8 reps · 75s rest Brace the core and press overhead without arching the lower back. Ribs stay down and the bar finishes over the ears. #### Steps - Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and rack the bar across the front of the shoulders just under the chin. - Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width with the wrists stacked over the elbows. - Brace your core, squeeze the glutes, and take a big breath to lock the torso in place. - Press the bar straight up by pushing through the shoulders and triceps, moving your head back slightly. - Lock out the arms overhead with the bar over the middle of the foot and biceps near the ears. - Lower the bar back to the front of the shoulders under control, reset your breath, and repeat. #### Cues - Ribs down. - Press straight up. - Head comes through. #### Common mistakes - Pressing the bar in front of the head instead of straight up, which strains the lower back and shoulders. - Leaning back excessively to turn the lift into an incline press, which overloads the spine. - Failing to brace the core, which lets the rib cage flare and weakens the press. - Bending the knees and using leg drive, which makes the lift a push press and not a strict press. ### 6. Barbell Close Grip Bench Press 3 sets · 10 reps · 60s rest The triceps half of the session. Keep the grip inside the shoulders, not painfully narrow. #### Steps - Lie on the bench with eyes under the bar and feet planted flat on the floor for a stable base. - Grip the bar with hands about shoulder-width apart, slightly inside your normal bench grip. - Pull your shoulder blades back and down, then unrack the bar to full arm extension over the chest. - Lower the bar slowly to the lower chest with elbows tucked close to your sides at around 30 to 45 degrees. - Pause briefly at the chest, keeping the wrists stacked over the elbows and full-body tension intact. - Press the bar back up by driving through the triceps until the arms are fully locked out. #### Cues - Hands inside shoulders. - Elbows brush the ribs. - Press straight up. #### Common mistakes - Gripping the bar too narrow, which strains the wrists without adding any extra triceps work. - Letting the elbows flare out wide, turning the lift back into a regular bench and reducing triceps load. - Bouncing the bar off the chest to use momentum instead of a controlled pause and press. - Allowing the wrists to bend back under the bar, which leaks force and stresses the joints. ### 7. Barbell Curl 3 sets · 10 reps · 60s rest The standing barbell curl. If the torso swings, drop the weight rather than the standard. #### Steps - Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart, gripping the bar underhand at shoulder width with arms fully extended. - Pin your elbows to your sides and brace your core to stop your torso from swinging back. - Curl the bar upward by bending only at the elbows, keeping the upper arms locked in place. - Squeeze the biceps hard at the top with the bar near the front of the shoulders. - Lower the bar slowly over 2 to 3 seconds, fighting the bar all the way back to full extension. - Pause at the bottom in a fully straight-arm position, then repeat for clean controlled reps. #### Cues - Elbows stay pinned. - No leaning back. - Lower slowly. #### Common mistakes - Swinging the torso to throw the bar up, which transfers work from the biceps to the lower back. - Drifting the elbows forward at the top, which turns the curl into a partial front raise. - Cutting the range short and not extending the arms fully at the bottom of each rep. - Gripping the bar too wide, which shifts tension off the biceps and stresses the wrists. ### 8. Barbell Shrug 3 sets · 12 reps · 45s rest Lift the shoulders straight toward the ears and pause. Rolling adds nothing. #### Steps - Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and grip the barbell at the hips with hands shoulder-width apart. - Pull your shoulders down and back to start in a neutral position with arms fully extended. - Brace your core and keep the chest up so the torso stays still through the lift. - Shrug your shoulders straight up toward your ears as high as you can without bending the elbows. - Pause for a second at the top, squeezing the upper traps hard. - Lower the bar slowly back to the start over 2 to 3 seconds, keeping tension on the traps. #### Cues - Straight up. - Pause at the top. - No rolling. #### Common mistakes - Rolling the shoulders forward and back instead of shrugging straight up, which strains the joints. - Bending the elbows to help cheat the bar up, which turns the move into a partial upright row. - Using too much weight and cutting the range short with tiny shrugs that miss the contraction. - Letting the chin jut forward, which loads the neck instead of the upper traps.