Move · Videos · Strength · 28 min

Beginner Upper Body Strength with a Personal Trainer

Beginner Upper Body Strength with a Personal Trainer — video by Nuffield Health Play · 28:20

Video by Nuffield Health on YouTube · Open on YouTube

A gym-style session: warm-up, then sets of bench press, incline flys and push-ups, shoulder presses, lateral raises and rear-delt flys, rows, curls and tricep extensions, then a cool-down. Clear coaching for people new to weights.

  • 28 min
  • Beginner
  • Low impact (no jumping)
  • barbell, bench, dumbbells
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Step by step 11

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  1. Warm-up: dynamic chest openers, shoulder shrugs up and back, and hand walkouts with your core tight. 0:12
  2. Barbell bench press, 2 sets of 10: grip just wider than your shoulders, feet flat, lower for two seconds. 2:25
  3. Incline dumbbell flys on a 30-degree bench: keep the weights close to your body, not out wide. 4:53
  4. Push-ups, full or on your knees: back straight, core tight, elbows only slightly out. 7:36
  5. Seated dumbbell shoulder press: light weights, back flat against the seat, press up in a straight line. 9:42
  6. Lateral raises: light dumbbells, chest up, one second up and two seconds down. 12:31
  7. Seated rear-delt flys: lean forward with a straight back and raise the weights out to shoulder level. 15:05
  8. Single-arm rows leaning on a bench: pull the dumbbell back towards your hip, hips still, 10 each arm. 17:42
  9. Hammer curls: light weights, elbows tucked at your sides, no swinging, controlled on the way down. 21:15
  10. Single-arm overhead tricep extensions: upper arm still, lower the light dumbbell behind your head. 23:51
  11. Cool-down: cobra, child's pose and a standing chest opener, about 30 seconds each. 25:50

The steps are a summary in our words, checked against the video — the coach shows every move.

Form cues from the coach

  • Lower the bar slowly for about two seconds and keep your feet flat and core tight
  • Keep the dumbbells close to your body on chest flys to protect your shoulders
  • Pull the row back toward your hip, not straight up, and keep your hips still

What it works

Tap an area for more videos that work it.

Joints it uses 3 takes load

  • Shoulders takes loadbench press, shoulder press, raises, flyes, push-ups
  • Elbows takes loadbench press, push-ups, hammer curls, tricep extensions
  • Wrists & hands takes loadpush-ups, hand walkouts, barbell bench press
  • Upper back movesrear-delt flyes, single-arm rows, shrugs
  • Lower back movesbent-over flyes, rows, cobra
  • Hips moveshand walkouts, child's pose
  • Knees moveschild's pose, knee push-up option
  • Kneeling. Pressure on the kneecaps — a folded towel or cushion under the knees helps.
  • Weight on your hands. The wrists bend back under load. Fists, push-up handles or your forearms ease it.
  • Down on the floor. You get down to the floor and back up again.

Easier option from the coach: Push-ups on the knees; light dumbbells; any sturdy surface for supported rows

A guide to the joints this video’s moves load, from what the coach does — not medical advice. Some ache is normal; stop if a joint hurts sharply. How joints are rated

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Video by Nuffield Health; the summary, steps, cues, body areas and joint notes are Notbroken’s, written from what the coach actually does in the video and checked a second time. Warm up first, take the easier options until a move feels easy, and stop if you feel sharp pain, chest pain or dizziness. General instruction, not advice for your body. About & safety