The Most Effective Science-Based Chest & Back Workout (Full Upper Body) | Science Applied

Summary

In this episode of the 'Science of Playa de Series,' the focus is on a chest and back upper body workout, designed as part of a new upper lower split training program. The video outlines a detailed workout routine starting with bench press and progressing through various exercises like weighted pull-ups, barbell floor press, unilateral cable rows, and isolation work for biceps and triceps. Emphasizing explosive power and controlled reps, the program aims to build size and strength, with a suggested progression for a four-day upper lower split suitable for beginners to intermediate lifters.

Takeaways

• 💪 This video is part of a series focusing on upper body workouts, specifically targeting the chest and back muscles.
• 🏋️‍♂️ The workout is designed for day four of a new upper/lower split program, aiming to increase size and strength.
• 📈 The bench press is emphasized as a key exercise for chest development, with a progression from 3 sets of 6 reps to 8 reps over four weeks.
• 🔥 Explosive power is recommended for the bench press to maximize strength gains, with a focus on lifting the bar with maximum speed.
• 🤸‍♂️ Weighted wide grip pull-ups with forced negatives are included to enhance hypertrophy, targeting the lats and promoting mind-muscle connection.
• 🏋️‍♀️ The barbell floor press is highlighted as an underrated exercise for pushing muscles, particularly for triceps development.
• 📉 Unilateral cable rows are advised to address strength and size imbalances, ensuring balanced back development.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Arnold presses are recommended for a comprehensive shoulder workout, engaging the front to back of the shoulders.
• 🔄 A reverse PEC deck exercise is used as a mechanical drop set to target rear delts with a focus on scapular movement.
• 🤲绳索三头肌下压和锤式弯举作为结束动作，专注于三头肌和二头肌的孤立训练，以最大化肌肉发展。
• 📊 The video concludes with a tally of training volume for each body part, suggesting it's sufficient for beginners and intermediates on a four-day split, with options for advanced trainees.

Q & A

What is the focus of the workout described in the script?

The focus of the workout is a chest and back focused upper body day, which is the second upper body workout for the week in a new upper lower split training program.

How many sets and reps are recommended for the bench press in week one?

In week one, the bench press is performed with three sets of six reps.

What is the purpose of increasing the rep range on the bench press over the weeks?

The rep range increases each week up to eight reps in week three, then returns to six reps in week four but with more weight, to progressively overload the training and stimulate muscle growth.

Why is the bench press emphasized as a key exercise for chest development?

The bench press is emphasized because long-term studies show that it can produce considerable hypertrophy of the chest muscles, with a 2012 study showing increases in one rep max and pectoral muscle thickness over 24 weeks.

What is the recommended tempo for lifting the bar during the bench press?

The recommended tempo is to use explosive power to lift the bar with maximum speed and then lower the weight back down under control, as this can lead to greater strength gains according to a 2014 study.

What is the advantage of using weighted wide grip pull-ups with forced negatives?

Weighted wide grip pull-ups with forced negatives can elicit greater motor unit fatigue and provide an additional hypertrophic stimulus, leading to more muscle growth.

How does the barbell floor press differ from a standard bench press and what is its benefit?

The barbell floor press eliminates leg drive and targets the triceps more than a standard bench press, making it an underrated exercise for hypertrophy of the pushing muscles.

Why is unilateral work like the unilateral cable row important in a back training routine?

Unilateral work is important to address strength and size imbalances between the left and right sides, ensuring that both sides are worked equally and contributing to overall muscle balance.

What is the Arnold press and how does it differ from a standard shoulder press?

The Arnold press is a variation of the shoulder press that involves horizontal shoulder abduction at the start, engaging the rear deltoids more than a standard shoulder press, making it a comprehensive shoulder builder.

What is the purpose of the mechanical drop set with the reverse PEC deck?

The mechanical drop set with the reverse PEC deck is used to isolate the rear deltoids by first performing reps with scapular protraction and then extending the set by allowing the shoulder blades to protract and retract, thus targeting the rear deltoids more effectively.

How should the rope tricep pushdowns be performed to maximize triceps activation?

The rope tricep pushdowns should be performed with seven reps focusing on the bottom half of the range, seven reps focusing on the top half, and seven full-range reps, taking the triceps close to failure to maximize activation.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Upper Body Workout Routine

The video introduces an upper body-focused workout routine designed for day four of a new upper/lower split training program. It emphasizes the bench press as a key exercise for chest development, with a progression from three sets of six reps to eight and back to six with increased weight. The video discusses the importance of explosive power during the lift and controlled lowering for maximizing strength gains. It also highlights the use of weighted wide-grip pull-ups with forced negatives to enhance hypertrophy, and the floor press as an underrated exercise for pushing muscles. The routine includes unilateral cable rows to address strength imbalances and finishes with isolation exercises for triceps and biceps.

05:01

🏋️‍♂️ Advanced Training Tips and Volume Analysis

This paragraph delves into advanced training techniques, such as using explosive power during lifts and the strategic use of forced negatives for additional hypertrophic stimulus. It also covers the Arnold press as a complementary exercise to the standard overhead press, emphasizing its benefits for rear deltoid engagement. The reverse PEC deck exercise is introduced as a way to isolate and target rear deltoids effectively. The video concludes with a detailed breakdown of the training volume for each exercise, suggesting it's sufficient for beginners and intermediate trainees on a four-day split. For more advanced lifters, the speaker recommends a six-day split with a third workout focusing on specific weak points. The video ends with a prompt to subscribe for more content and a link to a comprehensive nine-week training program.

Keywords

💡Upper Body Workout

An upper body workout is a type of strength training exercise that targets the muscles of the upper body, including the chest, back, shoulders, and arms. In the video, the host focuses on a specific routine designed to enhance the size and strength of the upper body, which is a central theme of the content. The script mentions exercises like the bench press and pull-ups, which are integral to upper body development.

💡Training Volume

Training volume refers to the total amount of work performed during a training session or program, typically measured by the number of sets, reps, and weight lifted. In the context of the video, the host discusses the importance of tallying up the total training volume for both upper body workout sessions to ensure adequate weekly volume for progress, which is crucial for both beginners and advanced trainees.

💡Bench Press

The bench press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. It is highlighted in the video as a key mass builder for the pectoral muscles. The script explains how variations in grip width and arch can target different regions of the chest, emphasizing the bench press's role in building both strength and size.

💡Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy is the increase in muscle cell size, which leads to an increase in muscle size. The video discusses how certain exercises, like the bench press, can lead to significant hypertrophy of the chest muscles. The script cites a 2012 study that shows a correlation between bench press one rep max and pec muscle thickness increase over 24 weeks.

💡Forced Negatives

Forced negatives are a training technique where an exercise is performed with assistance on the concentric (lifting) phase and then lowered slowly and with control on the eccentric (lowering) phase. The video mentions using forced negatives in weighted wide grip pull-ups to elicit greater motor unit fatigue and provide an additional hypertrophic stimulus, enhancing muscle growth.

💡Barbell Floor Press

The barbell floor press is an exercise that targets the chest and triceps, similar to a close grip bench press but starting from the floor. The video script explains how this variation eliminates leg drive, allowing for a focus on the pushing muscles and emphasizing the triceps, which is an underrated aspect of upper body training.

💡Unilateral Work

Unilateral work refers to exercises performed with one limb at a time, which can help address strength and size imbalances between the left and right sides of the body. The video script notes the importance of unilateral exercises like the unilateral cable row to ensure balanced development of the back muscles.

💡Arnold Press

The Arnold press is a variation of the shoulder press that involves horizontal shoulder abduction at the start, engaging the rear deltoids more than a traditional press. The video script describes how this exercise complements the standard overhead press by targeting the shoulder muscles from a different angle, promoting a more comprehensive shoulder development.

💡Reverse PEC Deck

The reverse PEC deck is an exercise that targets the rear deltoids by changing the position of the scapula during the movement. The video script outlines a mechanical drop set technique where the first part of the set isolates the rear delts by slouching the upper body, followed by a change in posture to involve the traps, allowing for a more extended set.

💡Isolation Exercises

Isolation exercises are designed to target a specific muscle group with minimal involvement of other muscles. The video script discusses the inclusion of isolation exercises like rope tricep pushdowns and preacher curls at the end of the workout to focus on the triceps and biceps, respectively, after the compound movements have already been performed.

Highlights

Introduction to a new episode focusing on a chest and back upper body workout.

Description of the workout as the second upper body session in a new upper lower split training program.

Suggestion that the workout volume is suitable for a four-day upper lower split.

Emphasis on the bench press as a key exercise for chest development.

Recommendation to perform bench press with explosive power for optimal results.

Discussion on the importance of using a full range of motion while maintaining proper form.

Weighted wide grip pull-up with forced negatives to enhance hypertrophy.

Explanation of how forced negatives can lead to greater motor unit fatigue.

Introduction of the barbell floor press as an underrated exercise for pushing muscles.

Advice on starting light with the floor press and progressively overloading.

Unilateral cable row to address strength and size imbalances.

Arnold press as a complementary exercise to the standard OHP for shoulder development.

Standing position for Arnold press to increase stabilization demands and engage side delts.

Reverse PEC deck exercise to isolate and work rear delts.

Mechanical drop set technique on the reverse PEC deck for extended muscle fatigue.

Rope tricep pushdowns with a focus on different ranges of motion.

Optional inclusion of constant tension preacher or curl to target biceps directly.

Final tally of training volume for each body part across both upper body workouts.

Recommendation for advanced trainees to add a third workout focusing on specific weak points.

Promotion of a nine-week training program with progression scheme and tracking sheet available at Jeff Nipper's website.

Transcripts

[Music]

okay welcome everyone to a new episode

of the science of Playa de series in

this video we're hitting a chest and

back focused upper body day and this is

gonna be the second upper body workout

for the week so day four of our new

upper lower split based on my new upper

lower size and strength training program

and as we'll see at the end when we

tally up the total training volume for

both sessions I think you can easily run

these workouts as a four-day upper lower

split and still have enough weekly

volume to make progress especially if

you're further from that more advanced

end of the training experience spectrum

so after completing the full warm-up

routine which will be the topic of my

next science supplied video we're gonna

jump into our first exercise for the day

which is the bench press where we're

doing three sets of six reps in week one

and then adding one rep each week until

we get to eat reps in week three before

going back to six reps again in week

four but with more weight now we're

starting with the bench press because I

think if I had to pick just one overall

mass builder for the pecs it would be

the basic barbell bench press according

to the strength and conditioning

research comm database long term studies

show that a strength training program

made up of the benchpress

on its own is able to produce

considerable hypertrophy of the chest in

this 2012 study showed that benchpress

one rep max in PEC muscle thickness

increased perfectly in tandem across 24

weeks so a stronger bench and bigger

pecs go perfectly hand-in-hand

and since on the first upper-body day we

used a closer grip bench press with

slightly less arch to target the upper

pecs and triceps more here we're using a

bigger arch in a wider grip to target

more of the sternal head of the mid pecs

even though the entire PEC will be

highly active in both variations it's

just a matter of regional emphasis and

one thing I wanted to focus on here is

using explosive power off the chest to

move the weight up with max speed and

then lowering the weight back down under

control according to a stronger by

science write-up of a 2014 paper which

I'll link down below subject saw about

double the strength gains by lifting the

bar with maximum speed on each rep as

opposed to a slower cadence even when ik

weighting training volume and intensity

now the catch is that if you're pushing

these sets close to failure anyway

now the rep speed isn't going to matter

much slow speeds and explosive speeds

both work but if you're training sub

maximally as we usually do on these

heavy compound lifts anyway and it makes

much more sense to drive the bar off

your chest with as much explosive power

as possible so as you lower the bar you

want to bring it down to the highest

contact point on your chest pause

briefly for half a second or so and then

explode off your chest as if you had a 1

rep max on there pressing the bar back

and up you think about pushing the floor

away from you at the same time and the

goal here is to maximize the weight we

can use while still using a full range

of motion and maintaining proper

position okay up next we're doing three

sets of eight reps on a weighted wide

grip pull up with two forced negatives

on every set so we're doing the first

eight reps as usual with a full stretch

at the bottom and a full contraction at

the top where we're aiming to get our

chin up over the bar on every rep and

then after your eighth rep you're gonna

use a box to jump up over the bar and

then take the weight back down nice and

slow for two forced B Centrex

or you can use a training partner to

help lift you up on the positive and

then take the negative yourself and

according to one paper from dr. Brad

Schoenfeld because a muscle isn't fully

fatigued during concentric training

heavy negatives may elicit greater motor

unit fatigue and thus provide an

additional hypertrophic stimulus now

these sets should feel pretty intense so

I'd recommend starting with just

bodyweight if you're not able to

complete the first each reps with good

form and if that's still too challenging

for you and you can always use the

assisted pull-up machine to knock out

the first eight reps and then use the

jump method without assistance to knock

out the to force negatives regardless on

every rep including the forced reps you

want to feel a strong stretch and a

strong mind muscle connection with your

lats on each and every eccentric

contraction after that we're doing two

sets of eight to ten reps on the barbell

floor press which i think is actually

one of the most underrated exercises for

hypertrophy of the pushing muscles

that's really common to see power

lifters use this variation to help

develop lockout strength on the bench

now that I think bodybuilders can also

benefit from it since it's really going

to hammer your triceps in a way that

most pressing movements can't while

still having a lot of carryover to pure

benchpress

strength so you can think of the floor

press more like a close grip bench press

where the elbows are more tucked in by

the sides you can still use that

standard 1.5 times shoulder-width grip

or so also since this variation

eliminates leg Drive you won't be able

to move as much weight here so you want

to start light and then progressively

overload as the week's go by all right

up next we're doing three sets of twelve

reps on a unilateral cable row and one

thing that I find a lot of people

neglect with their back training is

unilateral work which i think is part of

the reason why it's so common for

trainees to have left to right strength

and size and balances so by isolating

each side one at a time starting with

your weaker side and then matching the

reps with the same weight with your

dominant side you're going to ensure

that both sides are contributing equally

and we're using the row here as a more

dominant movement so we're thinking

about driving the elbows down and in

against the sides rather than straight

back which would target more of the

traps and rear delts okay after that

we're hitting two sets of twelve reps on

the Arnold press which is a great

assistance vertical press to compliment

the standard barbell OHP on day one

because you actually initiate the press

here with horizontal shoulder abduction

so you get the rear delts more involved

right away and then it transitions into

a more standard dumbbell shoulder press

also doing the standing is going to

force you to check your ego because you

won't be able to go as heavy due to

increased stabilization demands however

for the same reason the side delts are

gonna get more involved as well so this

is such a solid overall shoulder builder

front to back and you can include it in

your routine if you're not already

alright up next we've got two sets of

ten and ten reps on the reverse PEC deck

now here we're doing a sort of

mechanical drop set where for the first

ten reps we're gonna slouch the upper

body forward into full scapular

protraction this is really gonna take

the traps out of the movement and

isolate the rear delts and then for the

next ten reps without resting or

dropping the weight we're gonna

straighten the back out and

intentionally allow the shoulder blades

to protract and retract on every rep so

squeeze your shoulder blades together on

every rep for the next ten reps and

that's going to allow you to extend the

set further as the traps get more

involved and help the rear delts crank

out those extra effective reps and

similar to the pull-up you should be

reaching near failure on the first 10

reps before moving on to the second lot

ten reps okay just about finishing out

the workout here we're gonna finish with

some tricep and bicep isolation work so

first we're doing three sets of rope

tricep pushdown 20 ones we're doing

seven reps in the bottom half of the

range first focusing on really squeezing

the triceps at the bottom of each rep

and then seven reps in the top half

you know we're focusing on stretching

the triceps at the top and then we're

gonna do the final seven reps through a

full range of motion to really finish

the triceps off and while we've been

avoiding failure on most of the compound

pressing movements so far leaving a rep

or two in the tank here we're gonna take

the triceps pretty much all the way to

failure since there's a much lower risk

of accumulating systemic fatigue on a

single joint isolation movement like

this and to finish off the workout you

can optionally add in two sets of 15 to

20 reps on a constant tension preach or

curl since growing my biceps is a goal

of mine and I want to hit them directly

with a higher frequency and even though

they will be highly active in the pull

ups and rows we've hit already I think

including some isolation work is smart

to maximize their development so we've

done all the heavy compound stuff now

we're really trying to isolate the

biceps not resting in between reps and

keeping the hands and firms as loose as

possible while thinking about only

moving the bar by flexing and squeezing

your biceps not your forearms and you

can even let your wrists go into a bit

of extension here we're just going to

put the elbow flexors of the forearm in

a weaker position leaving the biceps to

do more of the work okay so guys I'm

going to tally up the volume here for

each body part for both upper body

workouts and put it up here on the

screen if you'd like to pause and read

for more on volume and I think this is

plenty of volume for beginners and most

intermediate level trainees just running

this as a four day per week split but if

you are more advanced I think you can

add in a third workout each week

focusing on whatever your specific weak

point is and my upper lower size and

strength program is geared more toward

intermediate to advanced level lifters

so it uses a six day per week split with

every body part being hit three days per

week and if you'd like to have all of

this information condensed down into a

nine week training program with a full

progression scheme and tracking sheet

built in you can grab it at Jeff nipper

comm so I'll put a button to the program

over here next to my head if you'd like

to check it out and the next science

applied video is going to cover the full

warm

routine I'm so don't forget to hit the

thumbs up button if you enjoyed the

video subscribe to the channel if you

haven't already and I'll see you guys

all here in the next one