10 Common Myths about Upper Body Training

You’ve probably heard it all 1000 times; but, things aren’t always as they seem. Many times people just do what they saw someone else do blindly or say what they heard elsewhere. Rarely do people sit back and assess why they do what they do or say what they say. The same holds true in the training world... That’s why today I’m debunking Training Myths. Shake up conventional thinking and get the results you’re looking for.

1) Big Biceps are the Key to Big Arms

Let’s face it, at some point you wanted bigger arms. Perhaps you were watching old school WWF wrestling or you saw a poster of Arnold flexing his Biceps and you decided then and there that you wanted huge arms. This is pretty common amongst us guys. Also a select number of gals that love muscles as well. So what was your approach?

Typically in this situation most people with start doing mass amounts of Bicep curls to “beef up” their arms. Don’t misunderstand. Bicep curls are a great exercise. However the upper arm is made up of both the biceps and triceps. If it is crazy arm size you are looking for you should know that the triceps accounts for a considerably larger portion of the upper arm mass.

What does this mean to you? If you want bigger arms train your biceps of course; but, focus of exercises that will increase the size of your triceps. The triceps will adapt and grow at a rate in proportion to their natural size in comparison to your biceps and your arms will increase substantially in size.

2) Dumbbell Curls are Best for Big Biceps

So you have decided to implement the aforementioned changes and focus on tricep development to increase your total are size; however, you still hunger for bigger biceps. That’s understandable and I can’t fault you for that. But, I can help you find the mass in the biceps you have been looking for.

Chances are good you have put a lot of effort into dumbbell, machine, or barbell curls. These are good exercises. They develop the peak and add some mass. My guess is that you are still looking for more mass though? If that is the case revisit your “PULLING” workouts.

The best way to add mass to the biceps is via compound pulling movements! Exercises that fit this bill are Rows, Pull-Ups, and Pull-Downs. These compound movements engage the bicep in actions that the arm is designed for (grabbing and pulling). What’s more is that you will be moving considerable weight for serious reps.

To take full advantage of these movements for total development let the arm straighten (but not lock out) between reps. This allows the biceps to fully stretch. Then work on peak contraction on each pull. It fully flexes the biceps on each rep. By following this principle you will get full range of motion out of the biceps in each pulling movement. The end result when done properly is massive biceps.

3) A Chest Workout Should ALWAYS Start with Flat Bench

Nothing says you workout like a powerful chest. Many times you have probably been asked or asked someone else, “What’s your bench?” There is nothing wrong with this question except that it has programmed us to work on getting a bigger NUMBER on ONE lift... The Barbell Bench Press. What does this do for us? It boosts our ego but does not lend to the best upper body and more specifically “Chest” development.

Most people neglect the incline bench movement, or do it after the BIG NUMBERS on the flat bench. This leads to pecs that are bottom heavy. What does that mean? They are sloped and have no meat at the top. A solid pec should be solid from the top to bottom. How do you develop the top portion of the pec? Incline Bench movements.

To develop the FULL CHEST start AT LEAST half of your chest workouts with an INCLINE MOVEMENT. This assures you will be working the upper portion when you are fresh and get the most development possible in that area.

4) The Best Exercise for the Chest is Barbell Bench Press

Don’t be a slave to the Barbell! The barbell is useful; however, using equipment that causes you to exercise each arm independently is an excellent variation. This assures you will be working both arms equally. With a barbell we tend to favor a side and continued training of only this variety can cause greater disparity in one side compared to the other.

Also important to note is your training situation. If you are training alone or no spotter is available, using a barbell on bench press can be very dangerous! You can get caught under the weight. What does this mean to you? You will stop short of muscle failure and not push the muscles to their limit. The result of this is that your muscle will not have to adapt and grow. By training on a piece of equipment that allows you to push to complete temporary muscle fatigue you can be sure you assault the muscles to the point where they have to adapt and grow.

5) Shoulder Press is a Bad Exercise for the Shoulders

You may have heard that Military or Shoulder Press is bad for your shoulders. True, if you have a pre-existing shoulder condition. You should exercise caution and get clearance from a professional to perform the movement. But if done properly, a shoulder press will strengthen the shoulder helping to prevent injury.

At the bottom end of the movement your arms should be at a 90 degree angle. Your upper arms parallel to the floor and your forearms perpendicular. At the top of the movement there is just a slight bend in the arms so as to not over extend the arms through the shoulder putting it into a vulnerable position.

Injury on this type of movement often takes place with lifting the weight into ready position or trying to lower it after the set is complete. One way to avoid this issue and assure proper form is to use a machine and place the bottom setting at safe lower level of the movement. This is one of the benefits of using a machine for this particular exercise.

6) 3 sets of 10 reps is the best for adding size and strength

There are tons of set and rep recommendations out there. Probably the most common is the ol’ 3 sets of 10 reps. Not that there is anything wrong with that particular rep and set combo; however, sticking to one and only one rep/set range will stagnate growth. You must mix up your reps and sets. Some use a principle called “muscle confusion” get out of here! This is not a new idea rather a catchy term. The idea is to STRESS the muscle differently from workout to workout. You can do this by performing varying numbers of reps with different weight and/or changing exercise order.

It is also important to note that you should do a particular exercise / rep range long enough for your body to make the necessary neuromuscular adaptations. In other words, if you constantly change the rep range and exercises the way the brain communicates with the muscle will never adapt resulting in very limited physiological changes in muscular structure.

So, what should you do? Pick a rep range and exercise list for a month then switch it up the next month. For example; for one month do 3 sets of 15-20 reps. The next month do 4 sets of 10-15 reps. The following month do 5 sets of 5-10 reps. Then mix up the exercises and start over at 3 sets of 15-20 reps. This will shock the muscles into continued growth while allowing them to adapt just enough to get real results!

7) Lift Heavy to Get Big and Light to Get Cut

This one is super common. Though heaving lifting will help the muscles grow so will lighter weights when pushed to temporary muscle failure. So then how do we gain muscle or get cut?

If you want to gain muscle/mass simply bash the muscles. Hit the workout hard and push to ultimate fatigue during the workout. Complete the workout in 25-40 minutes and then get to eating. That’s right. It’s not so much the exact weight you move as it is the lifting with intensity and then fueling up that will cause you to gain mass. The calories taken in throughout the day will result in muscle gain so long as you break the muscle down sufficiently in each workout.

If you’re looking to get more cut, keep moving during the workout. Cut the rest time to an all time low between sets. Work-out for 35-55 minutes with good intensity. It’s not so much about performing 25 reps or more; instead, it’s about elevating the Heart Rate during the workout and eating multiple small clean meals throughout the day to get ripped.

8) Pull-Ups are the Only Back Exercise I Need

Many guys neglect training their back all together since they can’t see it in the mirror. This is a mistake! A strong back balances the physique and supports the pushing movements. For those guys that do exercise the back they may neglect the most vital back movement THE ROW.

A pull-up is an excellent exercise for the back; however, it is far from the only back exercise needed. It focuses primarily on the Lats. The lats give a nice V-Taper but don’t add the depth to the back that is necessary for a pleasing profile. A row is a vital exercise and is absolutely for full back and total body development. The rhomboids, traps and lats are involved and benefit from the row.

9) The Body is Automatically Balanced Right side versus Left side

Upon initial glance the body looks symmetrical left side versus right side. However upon closer scrutiny we will see there are often subtle differences from one side to the other. What’s more is that weight training without addressing this disparity will cause a greater disparity. To correct this difference it is imperative to train each side of your body iso-laterally. That is, work with equipment that allows you to work one limb independent from the other. This allows you to be sure each side is working equally creating equal results. This can be done by using one arm at a time on a fixed machine, with dumbbells, or on an iso-lateral machine.

10) Machine Movements are not capable of Adding Mass

Adding muscle mass is as simple as stressing the muscle to a point of temporary muscle fatigue causing it to see the need to adapt and then supplying the fuel for it to make the necessary adaptations. (i.e. Push until no more reps are possible and then take in the necessary proteins and carbs after the workout).

That being said, you can reach that point of muscle fatigue via free weights or with a machine. The question then comes down to what is best for you? If no spotter is available chances are a machine may be the safest option that still allows you to work to the necessary muscle failure.

In order to maintain balance from one side of the body to another, iso-later movement is also necessary. There are many options for upper body training. But, when choosing your piece of equipment keep these thoughts in mind:


Is it capable of iso-lateral movement?
Can it handle my workout needs today AND tomorrow?
Is it versatile?
Are the movements “Gym Quality?”

There you have it! 10 myths that will restrain you from getting the most out of your body.