About this workout
Strong shoulders and a defined back do more for an athletic look than almost anything, and they are the areas most women's programs ignore. This plan fixes that. Three upper-body days a week, each with a slightly different focus, build the shoulders, back and arms while a small amount of lower-body work keeps you balanced. You will finish stronger, more defined, and standing taller.
Who This Program Is For
- You have a few months of training and want to bring up your upper body.
- You can train three days a week.
- You want defined shoulders, a strong back and toned arms.
Who this is NOT for: total beginners, who are better off building a base with a full-body plan first, like the 4 Week Beginner Gym Workout Plan for Women.
It is also not a complete standalone program forever; it emphasizes the upper body on purpose. Rotate to a full-body or lower-focused block after it.
What You'll Need
- Dumbbells, a cable station, and basic machines.
- A pull-up bar or an assisted pull-up machine.
- A notebook or app.
The Program
Train three days with rest between, for example Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Lead each pull with your back, not your arms, and control every press. Progress by reps then weight.
| Day 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Push Focus | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 12 | 90 sec |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 4 | 15 | 45 sec |
| Tricep Pushdown | 3 | 15 | 45 sec |
| Day 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pull Focus | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| Lat Pulldown | 4 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| Seated Cable Rows | 4 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| One Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 | 12 each arm | 60 sec |
| Face Pulls | 3 | 15-20 | 45 sec |
| Dumbbell Curls | 3 | 12 | 45 sec |
| Day 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper and Lower Balance | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| Push Ups | 3 | To failure | 60 sec |
| Bent Over Row | 3 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 12 | 60 sec |
| Barbell Squat | 3 | 10 | 2 min |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 10 | 90 sec |
How to Progress
Two four-week blocks.
Weeks 1-4. Set your weights and add reps within each range each session. When you top out a range on all sets, add weight.
Weeks 5-8. Keep progressing and push the last set of the shoulders and back work close to failure, with a slow squeeze at the peak of each rep. Ease off for a couple of days after week 8.
Warm-Up and Recovery Notes
Warm up the shoulders and upper back first: band pull-aparts and a light set of lateral raises, then a lighter set of your first exercise.
The shoulders get the most work here, so give them the two-day gap between sessions. If a shoulder aches, switch to a neutral-grip dumbbell press and reduce the range to what is comfortable.
Recover with sleep, protein and enough food, the same as any muscle-building plan.
Nutrition and Supplementation
Building upper-body muscle needs protein and enough food. Eat at maintenance or a slight surplus with 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.
The useful three: protein powder, creatine monohydrate at 5 grams a day, and a daily multivitamin.
FAQ
Will this make my shoulders too big? No. It builds defined, athletic shoulders that make your waist look smaller, not bulky ones.
I cannot do a pull-up yet. Use the assisted pull-up machine or lat pulldown, which is already in the plan, and your pulling strength will build over the eight weeks.
Do I really need the lower-body work on Day 3? It keeps you balanced so you do not become all upper body. Keep it in unless you are running a separate leg day elsewhere.
Questions and results
Ask a coach
Running this program? Tell us what week you are on and how the progression is going. A coach answers every question here.