8 Upper Body Machine Workouts
Shoulder Press Machine Adjust the seat so that the handles are aligned with your shoulders. Check that your knees are bent at a 90º angle and your feet are flat on the floor. Grab hold of the handles and place your back against the pad. Inhale and push up without locking your elbows, then slowly bring your elbows back down. Repeat. What It Is: The seated shoulder press machine is a variation of the dumbbell shoulder press that gives you the same exercise within a fixed range of motion. Targeted Muscles: Deltoids (shoulders) and other important stabilizer muscles in your back and shoulders like the supraspinatus muscles, rotator cuff, traps, and rhomboid muscles. Tips: Be careful not to lock your elbows while completing the motion, as it may cause injury.
Lateral Pulldown Machine Adjust the seat so your feet are flat on the floor. Use an overhand grip to grab the bar above your head, then pull it down. As you pull, lead with your elbows without overarching your lower back. Stop at about chin height, then slowly release up and exhale. Repeat. What It Is: The lateral pulldown is an effective upper-body exercise that can help you build back size and strength. Targeted Muscles: Latissimus dorsi or lats (back). Tips: Be careful not to over-arch your back, which could cause injury.
Seated Dip Machine Adjust the seat so that your feet are flat on the floor. Point your elbows backward and grab the handles. Push down until your elbows are almost fully extended (but not locked). Slowly pull back and bend your arms until they’re at a 90º angle. Repeat. What It Is: The seated dip machine mimics the triceps dip, a bodyweight exercise that’s typically performed on a pull-up and dip station. Targeted Muscles: Triceps, chest, and shoulders. Tips: Be careful not to lock your elbows, which may cause injury.
Seated Row Machine Adjust the seat to a comfortable position. Sit up straight and tighten your core. Lean forward and grab the handles—use an overhand grip for a wide row and a palms-inward grip for a narrow row. Pull the bar toward you until it reaches your sides, squeezing your back simultaneously. Release and repeat. What It Is: The seated row machine mimics the impact of rowing on the body without the need for a boat or water. Targeted Muscles: Latissimus dorsi or lats (back), rhomboids, and the middle and lower trapezius. Tips: Most rowing machines have different handle options for narrower or ride rowing, so switch up the handles you use to target different muscles in your upper body.
Incline Chest Press Machine Align the seat so that the handles are in line with the middle of your chest. Place your feet flat on the floor. Grab the handles with an overhead grip so that your elbows are facing down. Inhale and push out, almost straightening your arms without locking them. Lower and bend your elbows until you’ve brought them back to your chest. Repeat. What It Is: The incline chest press machine is a variation of the bench press that provides a longer range of motion and more stability for beginners. Targeted Muscles: Pectoral muscles (chest), anterior delt, and triceps. Tips: Be careful not to lock your elbows, which may lead to injury.
Chest Fly Machine Adjust the seat so that the handles are at chest height and in line with your shoulders. Place your head and back firmly against the seat. Grab the handles with your palms facing each other and pin your shoulder blades back. Inhale deeply, then squeeze your chest muscles and push the handles together in front of your chest. Slowly return the handles to your starting position and repeat. What It Is: The chest fly machine uses adduction to replicate the fly movement and open up the chest muscles in order to help with posture and strength. Targeted Muscles: Pectoralis (chest), deltoids, triceps, and biceps. Tips: Keep your elbows softly bent and your shoulders pinned backward throughout the movement.
Assisted Pull-Up Machine Step onto the footrests and grab the handles, then kneel on the pad one leg at a time. Suspend yourself from the handles with your arms extended. Engage your back and arms to pull yourself up until your chin is just above your hands. Focus on keeping your torso straight and shoulders back. Slowly lower your body back down to the starting position until your arms are fully extended. Repeat. What It Is: The assisted pull-up machine is a variation of the standard pull-up or chin-up that provides more support for beginners. Targeted Muscles: Chest, shoulders, arms, back muscles, and abdominal muscles. Tips: Only mount and dismount from the machine when the pad is in its fully raised position.
Cable Machine Fix the pulley so it’s above your head, and add a rope attachment. Hold the rope with an overhand grip and step away from the cables until your arms are straight. Position your feet shoulder-width apart, activate your core and glutes, and pull your shoulder blades back. Pull the rope toward your forehead and pause for a few seconds. Slowly straighten your arms to their original position and repeat. What It Is: A cable machine uses a pulley system to let you perform a wide array of workouts and introduce variety into your workout routine. Targeted Muscles: Full-body workout: upper body, core, glutes, etc. Tips: There are many different types of exercises you can do with a cable machine—this is just one example, but feel free to try more to see what works best for you.
Sample Machine Workouts for Beginners
Simple Machine Workout Routine This full-body routine is straightforward and beginner-friendly, and it can be done alongside cardio or bodyweight exercises. Start by warming up for 10 minutes with some light cardio and dynamic stretches. Then, proceed through the machine exercises below: Chest Press: Three sets of 10-15 reps each. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets. Lat Pull-Down: Three sets of 10-15 reps each. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets. Leg Press: Three sets of 10-15 reps each. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets. Shoulder Press: Three sets of 10-15 reps each. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets.
3-Day Machine Workout Routine This muscle-building, machine-only workout is built out over three days with 30-45 minutes per workout. Start each exercise with a 10-15 minute warm-up before moving through the designated machine exercises: Day 1—Chest, Shoulders, Triceps: Hammer strength machine bench press (4 sets of 10 reps) Machine incline press (3 sets of 12-15 reps) Pec deck fly (3 sets of 12-15 reps) Machine shoulder press (4 sets of 10 reps) Machine lateral raise (3 sets of 12-15 reps) Tricep rope pushdown (3 sets of 12-15 reps) Day 2—Back, Biceps: Lat pulldown (4 sets of 10 reps) Cable row (4 sets of 10 reps) Pec deck fly (3 sets of 12-15 reps) Machine pullover (3 sets of 10-12 reps) Machine preacher curl (3 sets of 10-12 reps) Cable hammer curls (3 sets of 10-12 reps) Day 3—Legs: Hack squat (4 sets of 10 reps) Leg press (4 sets of 10 reps) Leg curl (3 sets of 10-12 reps) Leg extension (3 sets of 10-12 reps) Machine glute kickbacks (3 sets of 10-12 reps) Calf raises (3 sets of 15 reps)
How to Correctly Perform an Upper Body Machine Workout
Understand the relationship between sets, reps, and rests. Repetitions (reps) are the number of times you repeat each exercise in a set. A set is a group of repetitions that you perform without resting. A rest is something you take between each set. For example, let’s say you’re doing three sets of squats with 10 reps each and a rest of 60 seconds. You’d complete 10 squats, then take a 60-second break—that’s one set. Repeat that three times to complete your exercise.
Select the right weight for your level. If you’re a total beginner to strength training, start with 5 pounds (2.3 kg) weights for each exercise and work your way up from there. If those feel too easy, try 10–15 pounds (4.5–6.8 kg) weights. If you’re more advanced in strength training, start with 15–20 pounds (6.8–9.1 kg) weights. You should be able to comfortably lift the weight 12 to 15 times before your muscles are tired. If you can easily do more than 15 repetitions, up your weight. If you can’t complete 12 repetitions, lower your weight.
Focus on form for each movement. Proper form and technique are the most important aspects of strength training because they help you avoid injury. Study each exercise in your routine and make sure that you’re doing it correctly. If it’s too difficult for you to maintain good form, decrease the weight or the number of repetitions until you can do the exercise comfortably.
Avoid exercising the same muscles two days in a row. If you’re doing a full-body workout, only perform that routine two or three times a week. If you want to hit the gym every day, plan to exercise different muscle groups on different days. For example, work your upper body on Monday and your legs on Tuesday. “Spacing out your [exercises] properly helps you have the best recovery,” affirms Cerqua.
Keep increasing your weights over time. “If you can get 12 reps easily with a weight,” instructs Cerqua, “then it’s time to move the weight up a little bit.” Try a weight that’s just 5–10 pounds (2.3–4.5 kg) heavier than the one you were using. For a more aggressive approach, use the “2 for 2” rule when deciding when to increase your weights. If you can do twice as many reps with a given weight than what you started with, increase the weight to the next level. You may eventually stop improving or hit your limit as to how much weight you can support with a given exercise. When that happens, find a new machine workout to replace that exercise in your routine.
Frequently Asked Questions About Upper Body Workouts
What gym machines are best for the upper body? Whalen recommends standard exercises like “rear delt raises, lateral raises, shoulder presses, and front raises to work your upper body.” Bench presses are also fantastic, adds Cerqua, who notes that you can do them “with dumbbells or a machine.” If you choose to do a bench press, Cerqua recommends starting “somewhere between three and five sets of 8-12 repetitions with a light weight and increasing as you go.”
What are the best upper body exercises for women? Some of the best upper body exercises for women (or anyone) include the overhead press, wide-grip chest press, skull crusher, wide grip bent-over row, bicep curl, front raise, and dumbbell hammer curl.
What exercises work all three parts of your shoulders? Compound exercises like the lateral raise, Arnold press, and supported rear fly raise all work to target every part of your shoulder at once. Whalen also recommends the rear delt raise, which “is going to all the shoulders, [both] the front lateral and rear.”
Can I train my upper body every day? No, you should avoid training the same muscles on two consecutive days. Instead, choose certain days on which to work your upper body and work other muscle groups on the remaining days. Or, you can do a full-body routine multiple times a week—but not two days in a row.
Can you build muscle with machines only? Yes, it’s technically possible to build muscle in your upper body with machines only. However, it’s much easier and more optimal to increase your overall strength and muscle definition with free weights, cardio, and body weight exercises.
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