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Exercises

Upper body exercises for beginners: push, pull, shoulders and arms

Published October 19, 2026

The best upper body exercises for beginners are the machine chest press, lat pulldown and seated row machine, because the machine guides the path and you only have to learn how hard to push. Add the machine shoulder press and a cable pressdown and curl, and you have trained every upper body muscle with six exercises. Once those feel familiar, usually after three to six weeks, bring in the dumbbell bench press and one-arm row. At home, incline push-ups and dumbbells cover the same ground.

  1. Machine Chest Press Chest
  2. Lat Pulldown Lats
  3. Machine Row Upper Back, Lats
  4. Machine Shoulder Press Shoulders
  5. Incline Push-Up Chest
  6. Cable Triceps Pressdown Triceps
  7. Cable Curl Biceps

Beginner pushing exercises: chest, front delts and triceps

Pushing moves the weight away from your body, either forward for the chest or overhead for the shoulders. Begin with the two machines, which hold the path steady while you learn to brace and breathe, and the incline push-up, which you can make easier or harder just by changing the height of your hands. The dumbbell press is the step after the machine.

Chest, first press to learn

Machine Chest Press

Chest

You sit, you push, and the machine handles the balance, so your first sessions go into learning what a hard set feels like instead of wobbling under a bar. The weight goes up in clear steps on the stack, which makes progress easy to see week to week.

How to do it

  1. Adjust the seat height until the handles are level with the middle of your chest.
  2. Sit back so your shoulder blades touch the pad, grip the handles, and plant both feet.
  3. Breathe out and push the handles away until your elbows are nearly straight.
  4. Breathe in as you let them come back toward you over two seconds, stopping when you feel a stretch in your chest.

Cues

  • Handles in line with your chest
  • Out in one second, back in two
  • Shoulders stay on the pad

Common mistakes

  • Locking your elbows hard at the end: stop just before they snap straight so the chest keeps working.
  • Picking a weight you can only move with a jerk: start light enough to do 12 smooth reps.

Swap for: Machine Incline Press, Flat Dumbbell Press, Push-Up

Build a session with Machine Chest Press

Shoulders, guided overhead press

Machine Shoulder Press

Shoulders

Pressing overhead with a free bar takes practice to balance. The machine removes that, so you can train your shoulders and triceps safely from day one and move to dumbbells later.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the handles start a little above your shoulders.
  2. Sit tall with your back against the pad and hold the handles with your palms facing forward.
  3. Push the handles up until your arms are almost straight above you.
  4. Bring them down slowly to about chin height, then press again.

Cues

  • Back flat against the pad
  • Press up, not forward
  • Stop at your chin

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back to get the last rep up: end the set when your back starts to lift.
  • Holding your breath for the whole set: breathe out on each press.

Swap for: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Smith Machine Shoulder Press, Landmine Press

Build a session with Machine Shoulder Press

Chest and triceps, scalable push-up

Incline Push-Up

Chest

Hands on a box or bench take part of your bodyweight off, so you can do real push-ups with a straight body before you can do them on the floor. The lower the surface, the harder the exercise, which gives you a built-in way to progress at home or in a corner of the gym.

How to do it

  1. Place your hands on a sturdy box, bench or table edge, slightly wider than your shoulders.
  2. Walk your feet back until your body forms one line from head to heels.
  3. Bend your elbows to lower your chest to the edge, keeping your elbows angled back rather than straight out.
  4. Push the surface away until your arms are straight, then lower again.

Cues

  • Body moves as one plank
  • Chest to the edge
  • Squeeze your glutes

Common mistakes

  • Letting your hips sag toward the floor: tighten your abs and glutes, or raise your hands higher.
  • Only moving your head down: the chest should get close to the edge on every rep.

Swap for: Kneeling Push-Up, Push-Up, Band-Assisted Push-Up

Build a session with Incline Push-Up

Chest, first free-weight press

Flat Dumbbell Press

Chest

The dumbbell bench press is the natural step after the machine: each arm has to steady its own weight, which builds control and evens out a stronger and weaker side. It needs only a bench and a pair of dumbbells, so it works at home too.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the end of a flat bench with a dumbbell on each knee, then lie back and bring them up beside your chest.
  2. Press both dumbbells up until your arms are straight above your chest, palms facing your feet.
  3. Lower them slowly to the sides of your chest, elbows angled about 45 degrees from your body.
  4. Press back up along the same path and repeat.

Cues

  • Wrists stacked over elbows
  • Elbows at 45 degrees
  • Control the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Dropping the dumbbells fast and bouncing: take two seconds to lower each rep.
  • Starting too heavy to get the weights into position: if getting set up is a struggle, go lighter.

Swap for: Machine Chest Press, Dumbbell Floor Press, Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press

Build a session with Flat Dumbbell Press

Beginner pulling exercises: back and biceps

Most new lifters do more pushing than pulling, and their shoulders round forward over time. Give pulling at least as many sets as pushing. The pulldown and the assisted pull-up machine pull from above, the row machine and the one-arm dumbbell row pull toward your chest, and all four let you set a weight you can control from the first session.

Back, first vertical pull

Lat Pulldown

Lats

Most beginners cannot do a pull-up, and the pulldown lets you train the same muscles with a weight you choose. It is the main exercise for a wider back and teaches you to pull with your back, not just your arms.

How to do it

  1. Lock your thighs under the pad and take the bar with your hands a bit wider than your shoulders.
  2. Sit with your arms straight up and your chest lifted.
  3. Pull the bar down to the top of your chest, thinking about pulling your elbows down to your sides.
  4. Let the bar go back up slowly until your arms are straight, then pull again.

Cues

  • Think elbows, not hands
  • Bar to the top of your chest
  • Slow on the way up

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the bar behind your neck: bring it to the front, to your upper chest.
  • Using your whole body to swing the weight down: sit still and use a lighter pin.

Swap for: Assisted Pull-Up, Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown, Single-Arm Lat Pulldown

Build a session with Lat Pulldown

Back, pull-up practice

Assisted Pull-Up

Lats

The assisted machine pushes you up with a counterweight, so you practice the real pull-up motion with part of your bodyweight. Lowering the assistance over the weeks is a clear path to your first unassisted rep.

How to do it

  1. Set the assistance weight, step onto the platform and kneel or stand on it as your machine requires.
  2. Grip the handles overhead, slightly wider than your shoulders, and let your arms straighten.
  3. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the handles, keeping your chest lifted.
  4. Lower slowly until your arms are straight again.

Cues

  • More assistance means easier
  • Chin over the handles
  • Lower in three seconds

Common mistakes

  • Choosing so much assistance that 20 reps feel easy: pick a setting where 8 to 12 reps leave you 2 or 3 short of failure.
  • Dropping fast at the bottom: the lowering half builds strength toward a real pull-up, so take it slow.

Swap for: Lat Pulldown, Band-Assisted Pull-Up, Inverted Row

Build a session with Assisted Pull-Up

Mid-back, guided row

Machine Row

Upper Back, Lats

The seated row machine has a chest pad to lean into, so your lower back stays out of it and you only have to think about pulling. It trains the muscles between your shoulder blades that help you stand up straight.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the handles are at the height of your lower chest and the pad meets your chest.
  2. Sit tall with your chest against the pad and reach forward to grab the handles.
  3. Pull the handles back, bringing your elbows past your sides and pinching your shoulder blades together.
  4. Let the handles move forward slowly until your arms are straight, then pull again.

Cues

  • Lean into the pad
  • Pinch your shoulder blades
  • Arms straight between reps

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back off the pad to move more weight: stay in contact with the pad and lower the weight.
  • Pulling with your hands and wrists: picture your hands as hooks and pull from the elbows.

Swap for: Seated Cable Row, Chest-Supported Row, One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Build a session with Machine Row

Back, first free-weight row

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Lats, Upper Back

With one knee and hand on a bench, your back is supported and you can row a dumbbell with a full range of motion. Training one side at a time also shows you if one side is weaker.

How to do it

  1. Put one knee and the same-side hand on a flat bench, with the other foot planted and your back flat.
  2. Take a dumbbell in your free hand with your arm hanging straight down.
  3. Pull the dumbbell toward your hip, keeping your elbow close to your body.
  4. Lower it until your arm is straight again. Finish the set, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Row toward the hip
  • Flat back, level shoulders
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Twisting your chest open to lift the weight higher: keep your shoulders square to the floor.
  • Rushing the reps: lower the dumbbell over two seconds.

Swap for: Machine Row, Seated Cable Row, Dumbbell Lawnmower Row

Build a session with One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Beginner exercises for shoulders and arms

These are small, simple movements with light weights, so they are a good place to practice taking a set close to failure without much risk. Put them at the end of the session, one or two sets each, once the bigger lifts are done.

Side delts, light raise

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Lateral raises train the side of your shoulders, which presses barely reach. They need only light dumbbells, so they are a good exercise for learning to reach close to failure safely.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with a light dumbbell hanging beside each thigh.
  2. Keep your elbows softly bent and raise the dumbbells out to the sides.
  3. Stop when your arms are level with your shoulders.
  4. Lower slowly to your sides and repeat.

Cues

  • Arms out like wings
  • Stop at shoulder height
  • Light weights, slow reps

Common mistakes

  • Picking dumbbells so heavy you have to swing: most beginners start with 5 to 10 pounds.
  • Lifting your shoulders toward your ears: keep them down and lead with the elbows.

Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise, Machine Lateral Raise, Band Lateral Raise

Build a session with Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Triceps, cable pressdown

Cable Triceps Pressdown

Triceps

The pressdown works the back of your arms with almost no setup and no balance to manage. It is one of the easiest exercises to learn, which makes it a good finisher for a beginner's upper body session.

How to do it

  1. Attach a rope or bar to a high cable and stand facing the machine.
  2. Grip the attachment and tuck your elbows against your sides with your forearms at about a right angle.
  3. Push the attachment down until your arms are straight.
  4. Let it come back up slowly to the starting angle, keeping your elbows in place.

Cues

  • Elbows stay put
  • Straighten fully
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Elbows drifting forward as the set gets hard: if they move, the weight is too heavy.
  • Leaning your body over to push: stand upright with a slight forward lean at most.

Swap for: Machine Triceps Extension, Overhead Cable Triceps Extension, Close-Grip Push-Up

Build a session with Cable Triceps Pressdown

Biceps, cable curl

Cable Curl

Biceps

A cable curl keeps steady tension on your biceps from the bottom to the top, and the stack lets you start with very light loads. It is easier to keep strict than a dumbbell curl, which helps you learn the movement.

How to do it

  1. Attach a straight bar to a low cable and stand facing the machine, holding the bar with your palms up.
  2. Stand tall with your arms straight and your elbows tucked in.
  3. Curl the bar up toward your shoulders without moving your elbows forward.
  4. Lower it slowly until your arms are straight again.

Cues

  • Elbows at your sides
  • Squeeze at the top
  • Straight arms at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to lift the bar: stand still and choose a lighter pin.
  • Stopping halfway down: let your arms straighten on every rep.

Swap for: Dumbbell Curl, EZ-Bar Curl, Machine Preacher Curl

Build a session with Cable Curl

Biceps and forearms, neutral-grip curl

Hammer Curl

Biceps, Forearms

With your palms facing each other, the hammer curl trains the biceps and the muscles of the forearm, and many beginners find it easier on the wrists than a regular curl. A pair of dumbbells is all it needs, so it is the arm exercise for training at home.

How to do it

  1. Stand with one dumbbell per hand at your sides, palms facing your thighs.
  2. Keep your elbows next to your ribs.
  3. Curl both dumbbells up, keeping your palms facing each other, until your forearms are near vertical.
  4. Lower them slowly to your sides and repeat.

Cues

  • Thumbs point up
  • Elbows still
  • Two seconds down

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the dumbbells with your back: if you have to swing, drop to lighter dumbbells.
  • Turning your palms up as you curl: keep the grip neutral all the way.

Swap for: Cable Rope Hammer Curl, Alternating Hammer Curl, Dumbbell Curl

Build a session with Hammer Curl

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

First month at the gym, machines only

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentChest Press, Lat Pulldown, Seated Row Machine, Shoulder Press +1

You are new to the gym, a bit unsure where to start, and want a short session you can do on your own without asking anyone how a bar works.

Every exercise is a machine or cable, so each one has a fixed path and a pin you can move to change the weight. Sets stop at 3 reps in reserve, which is enough to grow muscle in your first months while you learn what a hard set feels like and let your joints adjust. Two sets of six exercises is 12 working sets, about 30 minutes, which you can recover from twice a week.

Upper (machines)
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Machine Chest Press1 warm-up set firstHandles at mid-chest. 2 × 8–12 3 90 s
Lat Pulldown1 warm-up set firstBar to the top of the chest. 2 × 8–12 3 90 s
Machine RowChest on the pad. 2 × 8–12 3 90 s
Machine Shoulder Press 2 × 8–12 3 90 s
Cable Triceps Pressdown 2 × 10–15 3 1 min
Cable Curl 2 × 10–15 3 1 min
How to run it
Do the same session twice a week, for example Monday and Thursday, with lower body or rest on the days between. Before your first set of the chest press and pulldown, do one easy set of 10 to get used to the machine.
How to progress
When you can do 12 reps on both sets and still have 3 left in the tank, move the pin down one plate next time. After four weeks, change the target to 2 reps in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Starting at home with dumbbells and a bench

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets39 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench

You would rather start at home, and you have a pair of dumbbells, a flat bench and something sturdy to put your hands on.

With no machines, the picks are the ones that stay safe with free weights: incline push-ups that you can scale by hand height, a dumbbell press and one-arm row with the bench supporting you, then lateral raises and hammer curls for the smaller muscles. Sets stop at 2 to 3 reps in reserve, since you have no spotter. Each session is 13 working sets.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Flat Dumbbell PressElbows at 45 degrees. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. Hand and knee on the bench. 3 × 10–12 2 90 s
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 2 × 12–15 2 1 min
Hammer Curl 2 × 10–12 2 1 min
Incline Push-UpHands on the bench. 3 × 8–15 3 1 min

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Incline Push-UpHands lower than last time if you can. 3 × 8–15 2 90 s
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. Pause at the hip. 3 × 10–12 2 90 s
Flat Dumbbell Press 2 × 10–12 3 90 s
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 × 12–15 2 1 min
Hammer Curl 2 × 10–12 2 1 min

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Session A and Session B on alternate training days, three times a week, so each comes up every five days or so. Rest at least a day between them.
How to progress
Add reps until you reach the top of every range. Then use heavier dumbbells for the presses and rows, and lower the surface for the push-ups by one step.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Months two and three, adding free weights

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets30 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench, Lat Pulldown, Seated Row Machine +4

You have been on the machines for a month or more, the movements feel natural, and you want to start using dumbbells without dropping what is working.

Each day keeps the machines you already know and adds one free-weight exercise near the start, when you are fresh enough to learn it well: the dumbbell press on day A, the one-arm row on day B. The assisted pull-up begins your path to a real pull-up. Sets move to 2 reps in reserve because by now you can judge a hard set, and the volume rises to 15 working sets per day.

Upper A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Flat Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set firstElbows at 45 degrees. 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Lat Pulldown 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Machine Row 3 × 10–12 2 90 s
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 × 12–15 2 1 min
Cable Triceps Pressdown 3 × 10–15 2 1 min

Open Upper A in the session builder

Upper B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
One-Arm Dumbbell Row1 warm-up set firstPer arm. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Machine Chest Press 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Assisted Pull-UpLower slowly. 3 × 6–10 2 2 min
Machine Shoulder Press 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Cable Curl 3 × 10–15 2 1 min

Open Upper B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Upper A and Upper B once each per week with at least two days between them. If you also train legs, put those on the days between.
How to progress
On the machines, move down one plate when both sets hit the top of the range at 2 in reserve. On the dumbbells, go up by the smallest step available. Drop the assisted pull-up's counterweight by one plate when you reach 10 reps.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What are good upper body exercises for a beginner?

The machine chest press, lat pulldown, seated row machine and machine shoulder press cover the big upper body muscles, and a cable pressdown and curl cover the arms. At home, incline push-ups, a dumbbell bench press, a one-arm dumbbell row and lateral raises do the same job.

What are some good arm workout machines for beginners?

The cable station is the most useful: a high pulley for triceps pressdowns and a low pulley for curls. Many gyms also have a preacher curl machine and a seated triceps extension machine, which guide the movement the same way. Your arms also work hard on the chest press, shoulder press, pulldown and row.

How do you work out your upper body as a beginner?

Pick one pushing and one pulling exercise for the chest and back, one shoulder press, and one exercise each for biceps and triceps. Do two sets of 8 to 12 reps, stopping each set when you think you have about 3 reps left, twice a week.

How many times a week should a beginner train upper body?

Twice a week is enough for most beginners. It gives each muscle two chances a week to grow and two or three days to recover between sessions.

How much weight should a beginner lift?

A weight you can lift for 8 to 12 reps with about 3 reps left in the tank. There is no standard number, because it depends on the machine and on you. Start lighter than you think and move up within the session if it was too easy.

Should beginners use machines or free weights?

Machines are the easier place to start, because they let you learn effort and range of motion without balancing a weight. Free weights are worth adding after a few weeks, and you can build plenty of muscle on either.

How long until I see results?

Most beginners get noticeably stronger in the first four to six weeks, mostly from learning the movements. Visible muscle takes a few months of steady training and eating enough protein.