Monday: Upper Body — Horizontal Focus

Bench press, bent-over rows, and push-ups. For each one: how to set up, what a good rep should feel like, what to avoid, and one cue to keep in your head.

Bench Press

Horizontal push · chest, shoulders, triceps

4 sets × 6–8 reps · superset with Bent-Over Rows: after each set of bench, rest 1 minute, then do a set of rows

Setup

Lie flat with your eyes directly under the bar
Plant feet flat on the floor and drive them down — they’re part of the lift
Pinch shoulder blades back and down to build a stable shelf on the bench
Grip just outside shoulder width; bar sits in the heel of the palm, not the fingers
Wrists stacked straight over elbows — never bent back
Going heavy? Set the rack’s safety arms just below chest height, or ask for a spot

The Movement

Unrack with control; bring the bar over your lower chest, not your face
Lower in about 2 seconds to a light touch on the sternum
Elbows tucked at roughly 45° from your torso — not flared straight out
Drive through your feet and press the bar slightly back, ending over your shoulders

Avoid

Bouncing the bar off your chest
Flaring elbows to 90° — wrecks shoulders over time
Lifting your butt off the bench to cheat the rep
Pressing the bar straight up vertically instead of slightly back

Mental Cue

“Bend the bar in half.” Trying to twist the bar apart engages your lats and locks your shoulders into a safe, powerful position.

Bent-Over Rows

Horizontal pull · lats, mid-back, biceps

4 sets × 6–8 reps · after each set of rows, rest 1 minute, then head back to the Bench Press

Setup

Feet shoulder-width, soft bend in the knees
Hinge at the hips until your torso is around 45° from the floor
Brace your core like you’re about to be punched; spine and neck stay neutral
Grip the bar just outside shoulder width, palms down

The Movement

Pull the bar to your lower chest / upper abdomen
Lead with your elbows, driving them up and back
Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top
Lower the bar with control — don’t let it drop

Avoid

Rounding your lower back — leading cause of row injuries
Yanking the bar up with momentum (jerking your torso)
Pulling to your throat or chin instead of lower chest
Standing up at the top of each rep — torso angle stays fixed

Mental Cue

“Elbows back, not arms back.” If you focus on driving the elbows, the bar follows correctly. Focus on the hands and you turn it into a curl.

Push-Ups

Bodyweight finisher · chest, triceps, core

3 sets to failure · done on its own after the superset — rest 1 minute between sets

Setup

Hands shoulder-width, wrists directly under shoulders
Fingers pointing forward (or slightly out if wrists are tight)
Feet together or slightly apart — narrower is harder
Squeeze glutes, brace core; body is one straight line head-to-heels

The Movement

Lower until your chest is one to two inches from the floor
Elbows at ~45° from your body, just like the bench press
Push the floor away — drive through the palms
Keep that rigid plank the entire time, even on the last rep

Avoid

Sagging hips — instant lower back strain
Piking your butt up to make it easier
Flaring elbows out to 90°
Half reps — chest needs to come close to the floor

Mental Cue

“A plank that moves.” The push-up isn’t an arm exercise — it’s a full-body lift. If your plank breaks, the rep doesn’t count.

Push-Ups (Feet Elevated)

Horizontal push · chest, shoulders, triceps, core

4 sets × 6–10 reps to near failure · superset with Resistance Band Rows: after each set of push-ups, rest 1 minute, then do a set of rows

Setup

Hands on the floor shoulder-width, wrists directly under shoulders
Feet elevated on a chair, bench, or low couch — the higher the feet, the harder the press
Squeeze glutes, brace core; body is one straight line from head to heels
Shoulder blades pulled down and slightly back — no shrugging up to the ears

The Movement

Lower in about 2 seconds until your chest is one to two inches from the floor
Elbows tucked at roughly 45° from your torso — not flared straight out
Drive the floor away through the palms; finish with elbows locked
Keep the plank rigid the entire time — no sag, no pike

Avoid

Sagging hips — instant lower back strain
Piking your butt up to make the rep easier
Flaring elbows to 90° — wrecks shoulders over time
Half reps — chest needs to come close to the floor

Mental Cue

“A plank that moves.” If your plank breaks, the rep doesn’t count. If feet-elevated push-ups become easy at 10 reps, raise the feet higher or load a backpack with books.

Resistance Band Rows

Horizontal pull · lats, mid-back, biceps

4 sets × 6–8 controlled reps · after each set of rows, rest 1 minute, then head back to the elevated Push-Ups

Setup

Anchor the band at chest height — a closed door (band over the knob), a sturdy post, or a railing
Grip one handle in each hand, arms straight, step back until the band has tension
Stagger your stance for stability; soft bend in the knees
Brace your core, pull shoulders down and back, spine neutral
No band? Sub inverted rows under a sturdy table — heels on the floor, chest under the table edge

The Movement

Pull the handles toward your lower ribs
Lead with your elbows, driving them back and slightly down
Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of the pull
Return under control to full arm extension — don’t let the band rip you forward

Avoid

Shrugging your shoulders up to your ears at the end of the pull
Yanking with the arms instead of leading with the elbows — turns it into a curl
Pulling to your throat or chin instead of lower ribs
Standing too close to the anchor — there’s no resistance unless the band is loaded

Mental Cue

“Elbows back, not arms back.” If you focus on driving the elbows, the handles follow correctly. Step further from the anchor if the resistance feels light.

Chair Dips

Bodyweight finisher · triceps, lower chest, front delts

3 sets to failure · done on its own after the superset — rest 1 minute between sets

Setup

Sit on the front edge of a sturdy chair, couch, or step — something that won’t slide or tip
Hands on the edge just outside your hips, fingers pointing forward, gripping the lip
Slide your butt off the edge so your arms are holding you, hips an inch or two clear of the chair
Legs out in front, heels on the floor — knees bent is easier, legs straight is harder

The Movement

Lower in about 2 seconds until your elbows hit roughly 90°
Elbows track straight back, hugging close to your ribs — not out to the sides
Chest stays tall and your back stays close to the chair the whole way down
Press through the heels of your hands until the elbows lock

Avoid

Drifting your hips forward away from the chair — that’s where shoulders get pinched
Letting the shoulders roll up toward your ears at the bottom
Going deeper than 90° chasing a stretch
Bouncing off your legs instead of pressing with the arms

Mental Cue

“Stay close to the chair.” Your back should almost graze the edge on every rep. When straight legs get easy, put your heels up on a second chair, then rest a loaded backpack across your thighs.

Progressive Overload

How to keep getting stronger on this session, week after week

The Lever — Double Progression

Add reps first, then weight. Live inside the 6–8 range on the bench and rows. When you hit 8 clean reps on all four sets, make the smallest weight jump you can next session and reset to 6. Then climb back to 8 and repeat. On push-ups, the lever is simpler: add one rep per set until you’re maxing out.

In Practice

Session	Load	Set Reps
1	135 lb	6 · 6 · 6 · 6
2	135 lb	7 · 7 · 6 · 6
3	135 lb	8 · 7 · 7 · 6
4	135 lb	8 · 8 · 8 · 8 ← top of range
5	140 lb	6 · 6 · 6 · 6 ← +5, reset

Example: bench press starting at 135 lb. Your numbers will differ — the pattern won’t. Reps climb, then load jumps, then reps climb again.

No Equipment?

Without weights, load doesn’t add itself — progress the other levers: more reps before adding difficulty, a harder leverage variation (feet higher on the chair for push-ups, heels up on a second chair for dips, stepping further from the anchor for band rows), or a slower 3–4 second lowering phase on every rep. Any one of those is a real overload.

When It Stalls

Log every session — weight, sets, reps. If a number drops two sessions in a row, that’s your body asking for a deload: cut the load about 10% for one week, then resume the climb. “Beat last time” is the whole game — same weight, one more rep; same reps, a little more weight.