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.