You know, there are a lot of guys out there who settle for upper-body exercises that look good in front of the mirror, but simply don’t make the cut when it comes to building a massive upper body...
Examples of this are your standard hammer-curls, dumbbell side-lateral raises, and pretty much any exercise where you can you can admire your muscles for a few minutes while being as “discreet” as possible…
The problem is that these exercises won’t get you the best gains in the shortest amount of time possible.
But it’s time to change all that.
If you want to build an impressive physique in the shortest amount of time check out this list of the 5 best upper-body mass builders you’re not doing.
Rack Pulls
Rack pulls make for excellent mass builders because the range of motion is short, and you can load the bar with weight – it’s a safe and heavy movement that promises results.
Similar to a deadlift, rack pulls recruit all of the muscles in your back including your lower back, lats, traps and rhomboids. And because the most effective rack pulls require heavy weight, your forearms will get a good pump, too.
Another benefit of rack pulls is their impact on your deadlift…
Because a rack pull’s range of motion is focused on the last 6-inches or so of a full deadlift, performing this exercise will translate into bigger deadlift numbers, which is one of the best total body mass builders you can do.
I go into more depth on the best overall mass builder in my free book, Bulk Up Fast.
How To: In a squat rack, set the spotter bars at about knee level. With the bar resting on the rack, grab the bar using a double over-hand grip. Keep your legs about shoulder length apart and bend your knees slightly. Keeping your arms straight, extend you’re your hips and stand up straight. Then, slowly lower the weight back onto the rack.
Push Press
Push press in one of the best upper-body mass builders that you can do. So why don’t you see a lot of guys doing this lift? Well, misguided trainers and Google search gurus probably decided that the push press was too dangerous of a lift to get the nod…
But I’m here to tell you it’s a safe and effective movement that’ll build muscle in a short amount of time… As long as you do it right.
Even though a push press involves some footwork, the main muscles involved are your shoulders, triceps and even your trapezius. This mass builder also recruits your abdominals and lower back, the dynamic duo for an indestructible core.
Because push presses require thrusting the bar overhead, I recommend starting with weight you know you can manage and working your way up from there.
But don’t make the mistake of many, and miss out on this upper-body mass builder.
How To: With the bar at about chest height in a squat rack, place your chest under the bar. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder length apart with your elbows directly under your wrists. Lift up on the bar and step into the middle of the squat rack. This your starting position. To perform the movement, dip your hips slightly and drive the weight upward by exploding through your feet and pressing the weight above the crown of your head. Then, slowly bring the weight back down to your chest.
Floor Press
I can almost guarantee that you haven’t done a floor press in a while… or ever for that matter.
The floor press is a variation of a bench press, making one of the best mass builders you can do. It’s a chest exercise that allows you to press a lot of weight without putting too much strain on your shoulders.
Also, because floor presses are performed in a completely reclined position, your legs aren’t involved in the movement, making it a pure upper-body push movement. You can’t rely on momentum, nor an extra bit of drive from your lower body…
It’ll take your chest, triceps and shoulders to get the job done.
How To: This is another exercise that you’ll perform in the squat rack. You’ll set the bar on J-hooks at a comfortable height to lift the weight off and you’ll need a spotter to help you lift the weight off when you’re ready to perform the set. Lie down horizontally on the floor with your eyes lined up under the bar, keeping your legs extended. After you lift off, slowly lower the weight, and keeping your elbows tucked to avoid crashing them into the ground. Pause for a split second when the bar touches your chest and press the weight upward.
Seal Row
The seal row makes the list of best upper-body mass builders you can do because of the way it isolates your upper back during the movement.
Seal rows give your lower back a breather, and recruit your lats, and middle back muscles so that you’ll build a thick and wide back in the shortest amount of time possible.
Similar to the floor press, it also prevents you from using momentum and really causes you to keep your form in check while checking your ego at the door.
The setup for the seal row may feel a little funky. You’ll need to grab a flat bench and elevate both sides of the bench (place it on two step-boxes) so that you can complete the full range of motion. Once you’re set up, you can grab your dumbbells and start the movement.
How To: Lie down flat on the bench with your stomach downward. With your palms facing inward, grab the dumbells and pull up towards your waist and midsection for optimal contraction of your lats. To focus more on your upper back and rear delts, pull the weight towards your chest. Then, slowly lower the weight.
Standing Landmine Press
Landmine presses are killer upper-body mass builders that most guys aren’t doing…
They’re a compound exercise that involves your shoulders, rhomboids, traps, triceps, upper chest and your core.
With that said, this exercise won’t only build muscle fast, but will also improve your performance on other mass builders like a standard bench press, overhead press, and others that I’ve included in my free book, Bulk Up Fast.
How To: To setup the landmine press, place a towel in the corner of the gym. Place a barbell in the corner and then load the front end of the bar – the end that’s closest to you. With a slightly staggered stance about shoulder width apart, grab the bar and place it on your shoulder. With one arm, push the weight towards the wall, moving the bar towards the center of your body. Then, slowly lower the weight.
Your Next Step
If you want to see the most return on investment in the gym, you need to add these mass-building moves to your weekly workout routine.
They’ll help you to build an impressive physique in the shortest amount of time.
And on top of adding these 5 best upper-body mass builders to your workouts, I also want to encourage you to grab a copy of my free book Bulk Up Fast.
In it I’ve got all the nutrition, workout, and supplement tips and tricks you need to pack on the most amount of mass in the least amount of time.
Grab it here and keep up the hard work!
