{"id":4967,"date":"2025-07-12T19:30:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T19:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/4967\/"},"modified":"2025-07-12T19:30:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T19:30:30","slug":"5-underrated-upper-body-exercises-that-are-great-for-muscle-growth-says-a-sports-scientist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/4967\/","title":{"rendered":"5 underrated upper body exercises that are great for muscle growth, says a sports scientist"},"content":{"rendered":"

When aiming to build maximum upper body muscle, it\u2019s easy to fall back on the usual suspects \u2013 bench press<\/a>, bicep curls, push-ups<\/a> \u2013 you know, the traditional \u2018go-tos\u2019. However, doing the same thing on repeat can get a little dull, which is why it\u2019s nice to sprinkle in a few new exercises now and again to freshen things up. But how do you introduce variety without sacrificing your muscle gains?<\/p>\n

Thankfully, Exercise Scientist, Dr. Milo Wolf, has shared some of his favourite underrated, science-backed upper body exercises in a YouTube video<\/a>, that he says he doesn\u2019t see \u201cnearly enough people doing\u201d. Now, that doesn\u2019t mean scrap your entire workout plan and start doing all of these instead. But, like we mentioned, if you\u2019re looking to slot in a few new additions to your upper body routine that will actually deliver results, you may want to consider these.<\/p>\n

1. Single-arm dumbbell preacher curl<\/p>\n

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While incline and Bayesian curls stretch the biceps in a lengthened position, Dr. Wolf reminds us not to forget about preacher curls. Although they work the biceps in a more shortened position, research shows preacher curls better develop the distal part of the biceps \u2014 the area closest to your elbow \u2013 which can create a fuller, more balanced looking bicep. \u201cI also find single arm dumbbell preacher close very easy to push close to failure,\u201d he adds \u2013 and we all know, the closer to failure you can go the more muscle growth.<\/p>\n

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2. Side-lying dumbbell raise<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just Dr. Wolf who rates this exercise for bigger delts, but Arnold Schwarzenegger<\/a> also gives it the seal of approval \u2013 and agrees that he rarely sees people doing them anymore. \u201cBy lying down you\u2019re flipping the lateral raise by 90 degrees, making it more challenging in the lengthened position and easier in the shortened position,\u201d says Dr. Wolf. Arnie also adds that this move will deliver “a fantastic deltoid pump”. However, don\u2019t be disheartened if you have to reach for much lighter weights \u2013 these are tougher than you think!<\/p>\n

3. Dumbbell flyes<\/p>\n

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Dr. Wolf claims this is \u201cone of the most underdone chest exercises for hypertrophy\u201d. While many tend to favor cable crossovers or the pec deck machine for isolating the chest, he points out that this move typically provides a deeper stretch than either of these exercises. \u201cThe dumbbell flye also allows you to depress your scapula without restricting range of motion, which further increases the stretch on the pecs,\u201d he adds. Dr. Wolf says aim anywhere between 10-30 reps for a powerful pec pump.<\/p>\n

4. Dips<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you can get deep on the dip it provides a substantial loaded stretch on the triceps, front delts, and the lower and upper chest as well,\u201d says Dr. Wolf. Fellow exercise scientist, Dr. Pak Androulakis-Korakakis, also highly rates it, claiming it to be one of the two only exercises you need to build upper body muscle<\/a>. What\u2019s better is that it requires minimal equipment, no setup time, and it can be easily progressed by adding additional weight.<\/p>\n

5. Dumbbell pull-over<\/p>\n

Not only is the dumbbell pull-over an amazing lat builder, it also works your chest and triceps. Similar to the dips, pull-overs require minimal equipment \u2013 just a single dumbbell<\/a> and a weight bench \u2013 and time to set up. \u201cOn average, it\u2019s going to train your lats at longer muscle lengths in a stretch position compared to the cable pull over,\u201d says Dr. Wolf. He doesn\u2019t recommend ditching your lat pull downs and bent-over rows just for this, but it\u2019s a nice addition to these.<\/p>\n

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