Upper Body Strength Workout - 45min Advanced
This advanced upper body session prioritizes high-output barbell compounds to maximize force production and mechanical tension. You will transition from heavy bilateral lifts to targeted handle work to address structural balance and finish with high-metabolic stress isolations. It is designed to push your digital weight PRs while refining your technique under heavy load.
Ideal for experienced lifters and athletes who have a solid strength base and want to break through plateaus using Tonal's advanced weight modes. This is perfect for those training for powerlifting or looking to significantly increase their upper body thickness and pressing power.
Equipment
Workout Plan
Rest 120-150s between heavy barbell sets to ensure full recovery; 60-90s for handle accessories, and 30s for the final isolation finishers.
Barbell Bench Press
Chest, Triceps, Abs
Activate Tonal's Spotter Mode and drive your shoulder blades into the bench to create a stable pressing platform.
Barbell Bent Over Row
Back, Biceps, Abs
Use Eccentric Mode to add resistance on the way down, fighting the digital weight for a full 3-second negative.
Standing Barbell Overhead Press
Shoulders, Triceps
Keep your glutes squeezed and ribcage down to resist the cables pulling you out of alignment.
Single Arm Rotational Punch
Abs, Shoulders, Obliques, Triceps, Chest
Pivot your back foot and explode through the digital weight as if you are throwing a punch in a ring.
Biceps Curl
Biceps, Forearms
Turn on Chains mode to increase the resistance at the peak of the curl where you are strongest.
Lateral Raise
Shoulders
Pause for a split second at the top of the movement to fight the constant tension of the cables.
X-Pulldown
Back, Biceps, Abs
Cross the cables and focus on pulling your elbows down to your back pockets for maximum lat engagement.
Skull Crusher
Triceps
Keep your elbows narrow and pointed at the ceiling so the handles travel in a perfect arc toward your forehead.
Why this order
The programming follows a classic powerbuilding structure, beginning with neural-heavy barbell compounds while the central nervous system is fresh. We then move to handle-based unilateral and cross-body movements to improve stability and range of motion, concluding with high-rep isolation to maximize local muscular fatigue and hypertrophy.
Want this personalized for you?
This is a template workout. Connect your Tonal and the AI coach adjusts weights to your strength scores, swaps exercises around injuries, and progresses you week over week.
Start Free with AI CoachFrequently Asked Questions
Which weight modes should I use for the barbell sets?
For the Bench Press, enable Spotter Mode so you can safely push to failure. For the Barbell Rows, Eccentric Mode is highly recommended to maximize the muscle-building potential of the lowering phase.
The 5x5 rep scheme feels too heavy on the final sets, what should I do?
Tonal's digital weight is smart; if it detects your bar speed slowing down, Spotter Mode will automatically reduce the weight by a few pounds so you can complete the set with perfect form.
Why are the biceps and triceps exercises at the very end?
These are smaller muscle groups that act as stabilizers for the heavy bench and overhead presses. Training them last ensures they aren't too fatigued to support your main heavy lifts.
Can I perform this workout every day?
Because this is a high-intensity strength session, you should allow at least 48 to 72 hours of recovery before hitting these specific upper body muscle groups again.