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What is the Single Best Upper Body Exercise?

pgd3

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Agonists.

Almost any single work out lacks the ability to target a muscle and the muscles that work against it.

I would say if you want the best single work out you could do for your whole body in one sitting I would go with an actual rowing machine. Cardio, back, legs, shoulders, arms.

Just have to target the opposing muscles through something else.
 

lefty

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450px-MAN_Atlante_fronte_1040572.JPG


lefty
 

robertogomes

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I used to have a doorway chin-up/pull-up bar that I would use regularly. One day it broke as I was pulling myself up. Personally I think inclines are a better mass builder for chest and anterior deltoid.I like them because I can do them at the end of the day without any equipment other than a pull-up bar.
 

Dibidoolandas

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Well pull-ups are ideal for your biceps and depending on width your back (though IMO that's kind of cheating the point of this poll) and if you incorporate legs your abs. Incline or flat bench works your chest, triceps and deltoids. If I had to name two muscle groups that are purely for show they would be abs and biceps. I can't stand it when I see a dude who looks like he curls 135 lbs. and can't do 225 on bench.
 

upnorth

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The best upper body exercise for me hands down is weighted muscle up on gym rings.
 

furo

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It's rather funny to see so many in this thread trashing pullups. Will you get bigger in size if you do a lot of pullups? Probably not much bigger. But will you get stronger? Yes. Absolutely. Will you look cut? With some serious work ... probably.

I do nothing but cardio (running, cycling, etc) and pullups. My typical pullup workout ranges from 40-75 reps spread out over 2-5 sets. here is a video of a set of pullups I did today. I concentrate on dead hang pullups, varying the grip distance by set. Dead hang meaning your body is near stand still between reps.

I can say very definitively that you can look absolutely ripped with just this workout combination (cardio exercise + pullups).

Are there other more effective ways to look ripped? Yeah, I'm sure there are. Rock climbing comes to mind.

But with very minimal effort and almost no time at all in the gym, I can achieve my goals. Which is what I want.
 
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marvinbernard

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Chin-up/pull-up...Great upper body exercise. You can also work your core by keeping your legs up.
 

Michigan Planner

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It's rather funny to see so many in this thread trashing pullups. Will you get bigger in size if you do a lot of pullups? Probably not much bigger. But will you get stronger? Yes. Absolutely. Will you look cut? With some serious work ... probably.

I do nothing but cardio (running, cycling, etc) and pullups. My typical pullup workout ranges from 40-75 reps spread out over 2-5 sets. here is a video of a set of pullups I did today. I concentrate on dead hang pullups, varying the grip distance by set. Dead hang meaning your body is near stand still between reps...

I can say very definitively that you can look absolutely ripped with just this workout combination (cardio exercise + pullups).

Are there other more effective ways to look ripped? Yeah, I'm sure there are. Rock climbing comes to mind.

But with very minimal effort and almost no time at all in the gym, I can achieve my goals. Which is what I want.


My thoughts exactly. You're workout is nearly the same as mine (except I also add in jumping jacks and push ups between sets of pull-ups). In the winter or when the weather will not let me get outside as much as I want for running, I do get into the gym and lift some weights though.

I watched the video you posted and your pull-up form is about as perfect as I've seen and after 6 years in the Marine Corps, that's how I try to do mine as well. I usually have to chuckle to myself a little bit when I see others do their pull-ups and it looks like they are going for some sort of speed record with how much kipping they do and how far from a dead hang they actually get. Sure, they may be able to put out 30 reps in one set, but my god it seems so inefficient since their 30 is probably about the same benefit of 7 or 8 proper dead hangs.

Another exercise that hasn't gotten much mention in this thread is dips (weighted or not). They always seem to wear me out pretty well and feel like a good workout for my chest, shoulders, arms, and upper back as well as a bit of a work out for your core if you are doing enough in each set and keeping your knees/legs up.
 
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suited

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It's rather funny to see so many in this thread trashing pullups. Will you get bigger in size if you do a lot of pullups? Probably not much bigger. But will you get stronger? Yes. Absolutely. Will you look cut? With some serious work ... probably.

I do nothing but cardio (running, cycling, etc) and pullups. My typical pullup workout ranges from 40-75 reps spread out over 2-5 sets. here is a video of a set of pullups I did today. I concentrate on dead hang pullups, varying the grip distance by set. Dead hang meaning your body is near stand still between reps.

I can say very definitively that you can look absolutely ripped with just this workout combination (cardio exercise + pullups).

Are there other more effective ways to look ripped? Yeah, I'm sure there are. Rock climbing comes to mind.

But with very minimal effort and almost no time at all in the gym, I can achieve my goals. Which is what I want.


Being "ripped" is such a vague term is has no meaning in the fitness community. Most people use it when they are speaking in terms of low body fat, which is a function of your diet - not whether you like pull-ups or bench press.

Pull-ups are a great exercise, but doing them alone isn't a workout that I would ever recommend for anyone under any circumstances. Even if they didn't have access to equipment, they could still include push-ups and other BW movements.

Your pull-ups are very impressive (good form), but the fact that you do "nothing but cardio and pull-ups" is patently evident as soon as you come into frame in the video you posted. Again, that's fine because maybe your goal is to become a great cyclist/runner and not build a physique - but I think it's important to point that out.
 
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furo

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Being "ripped" is such a vague term is has no meaning in the fitness community. Most people use it when they are speaking in terms of low body fat, which is a function of your diet - not whether you like pull-ups or bench press.

Pull-ups are a great exercise, but doing them alone isn't a workout that I would ever recommend for anyone under any circumstances. Even if they didn't have access to equipment, they could still include push-ups and other BW movements.

Your pull-ups are very impressive (good form), but the fact that you do "nothing but cardio and pull-ups" is patently evident as soon as you come into frame in the video you posted. Again, that's fine because maybe your goal is to become a great cyclist/runner and not build a physique - but I think it's important to point that out.


Fair enough. You're right about the term "ripped." It is vague and open to wide interpretation. As far as my current physique, I'm far from where I want to be. I took a long hiatus after pulling a groin playing tennis, and haven't been serious about fitness at all this year until maybe 3 weeks ago. I've been doing pullups now and then during the year, but not the numbers that I aim for (40-75 pullup reps in a workout, 3-4 times per week).

Maybe I'll post another update later this year after I've built my conditioning and pullup strength a bit.
 

jarude

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Throw in some dips, pushups, bridges, leg raises... check out the book Convict Conditioning if you're serious about strength and size through bodyweight exercises.
 

suited

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Fair enough. You're right about the term "ripped." It is vague and open to wide interpretation. As far as my current physique, I'm far from where I want to be. I took a long hiatus after pulling a groin playing tennis, and haven't been serious about fitness at all this year until maybe 3 weeks ago. I've been doing pullups now and then during the year, but not the numbers that I aim for (40-75 pullup reps in a workout, 3-4 times per week).

Maybe I'll post another update later this year after I've built my conditioning and pullup strength a bit.


Your physique is probably better than the majority of people out there - I just meant that (genetics aside) it's a physique that someone who focuses on cardio and BW exercises would have...as opposed to someone that came in here and said "try and do heavy deadlifts, squats and Presses often. Here's a video of me doing one of those". I'd expect that person to look different than you did in your video. I'm sorry if I came off as taking a shot at you, because that's not what I wanted to do - but rather show that someone who focused on those 3 lifts is probably going to be built much differently than someone who focused on cardio and pull-ups. This doesn't mean they'd look "better", because their goals may not incline them to achieve such a build.
 
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sonick

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Wrong thread
 
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ImAHardGainer

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I would go for the deadlift.
Done with enough weight to let it be hard to do 12 reps - Then to 20 - And be totally exhausted after.
Next best would be bench press - Heavy.
Best regards
Michael Morales
 

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