Day 3 - Upper Body Strength

Decline bench is worth keeping in the rotation, especially as the second upper-body day. The decline angle:

• Hits the lower-chest fibers that flat bench under-trains — useful for building a fuller chest shape
• Reduces shoulder strain because the angle keeps your delts out of the prime mover role
• Often allows heavier loads than flat bench since the range of motion is shorter

If your gym doesn't have a decline bench, swap for dips (parallel bars, bodyweight or weighted) — they hit similar lower-chest fibers and add triceps stimulus.

Face pulls train the rear delts and external rotators — the small stabilizing muscles behind your shoulders that bench press and pressing movements neglect. Without them, you develop front-loaded shoulder imbalances that lead to poor posture and rotator-cuff issues.

Setup: cable at upper-chest height, rope attachment, pull the rope toward your face with elbows high and wide. Squeeze for a second at the back, then release with control.

Keep the weight light — typically 20–40 lb (9–18 kg). If you're swinging the weight or your front delts take over, you've gone too heavy. Face pulls are corrective work, not max-strength work.

Both upper-body sessions hit chest, shoulders, and back, but with different exercise variations and focus:

• Day 1: incline bench, cable crossover, seated dumbbell press, lat pull-down. Emphasizes upper chest and vertical pull.
• Day 3 (this session): decline bench, Arnold press, bent-over row, face pull. Emphasizes lower chest, shoulder rotation, horizontal pull, and rear delts.

Running two upper-body sessions a week with rotated emphasis distributes stimulus across the full upper body. Skipping either day creates an imbalance: Day 1 alone misses lower chest and rear delts; Day 3 alone misses upper chest and lats.