With all the machines and free weights, it can be overwhelming to decide what exercises to do in a weight room. If you are working the muscles of your upper body, you need to select exercises that target your chest, back and shoulders. Two exercises work all these muscles, plus they have dozens of variations to keep your upper body routine interesting.
Chest Press
The chest press exercise targets your chest, triceps and shoulders. Lie on your back on a flat bench. Grab a barbell with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Unrack the barbell and hold it over your chest with your arms fully extended. Inhale and bend your elbows, allowing them to flare out to the sides. Lower the bar until it almost touches your chest. Pause for a count then exhale and press the bar back up.
Chest Press Variations
Although a basic exercise, the chest press has dozens of variations that you can use to add spice to your routine. Use an incline or decline bench to target different areas of your chest. Perform chest presses on a stability ball to add a balance component to the exercise. Take a closer grip on the bar to emphasize your triceps more or a wider grip to emphasize your chest muscles more. Use dumbbells for a larger range of motion and different grip possibilities. Try a neutral grip with your palms facing each other or a multi-grip where you twist the dumbbells as you press up.
Bent-Over Rows
Bent-over rows target the muscles of your back, biceps and rear shoulders. Stand holding a barbell in front of your thighs with a wide, overhand grip. Push your hips back and lean your torso forward. Keep your back straight. Start with your arms fully extended, hanging straight down. Squeeze your back and bend your elbows to pull the bar into your upper abdominal area. Pause for a count before slowly lowering the bar.
Row Variations
Like the chest press, rows are a very basic exercise, but offer dozens of variations. Try an underhand grip, mixed grip or change the width of your grip on the bar. Use dumbbells with a neutral-grip or a twisting grip --- start with your palms facing you and twist the dumbbells so your palms face forward at the top of the movement. You can do bent-over rows with a cable machine or a Smith machine. For more back support, set one knee on a bench and do one-arm rows.
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