And in my experience, I’ve found the following to work best for most people: Chest: 2 exercises per workout. Back: 2 exercises per workout. Shoulders: 1 exercise per workout. Biceps: 1 exercise per workout. Triceps: 1 exercise per workout. Download my most popular Upper Body Workout Routine to your phone or computer and start using it today.

The first step to designing an upper body workout routine, or really ANY kind of workout routine, should be individualization. This means taking the individual needs, goals, preferences, training/injury history, etc. of the specific person the program is being designed for, and going forward with all of that in mind.

An upper body workout is any workout that involves training most or all of the muscle groups of the upper body. This includes: While not required, upper body workouts are most often done as part of an upper/lower routine, which involves training the entire upper body on certain days and the entire lower body on others.

If you’re new to strength training, focusing on one upper body exercise per body part might be your best bet. But if you have years of training under your belt, your best upper body workouts can involve half a dozen upper body strength training exercises and a number of sets per exercise. Time constrains and schedule considerations.