An upper body workout for men over 40 works best as two sessions a week built on movement planes: a horizontal day for bench press and rows, and a vertical day for overhead pressing and pull-ups or pulldowns. Pulling volume matches or beats pressing on both days to keep shoulders healthy. Rep ranges move in a wave across the eight weeks, from moderate to heavier and back, and an optional third session adds arm and shoulder work for men who want more size.
Why split by horizontal and vertical
Pressing and pulling in the same plane on the same day keeps the shoulder balanced: every bench set is matched by a row, every overhead set by a pull-up or pulldown. Training the upper body twice a week also gives you enough weekly sets to grow. A meta-analysis found that more weekly sets produced more muscle growth in a graded way; this plan gives chest, back and shoulders about 10 to 14 hard sets a week each.
The weekly layout
| Day | Session | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Upper 1: horizontal | 50 min |
| Tuesday | Lower body | — |
| Thursday | Upper 2: vertical | 50 min |
| Friday | Lower body | — |
| Saturday (optional) | Upper 3: arms and shoulders | 30 min |
If you don’t have a lower-body plan, the 4-day split covers both.
Upper 1: horizontal
| Exercise | Sets × reps (weeks 1–3) | Rest | Reps in reserve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 4 × 6–8 | 2–3 min | 2 |
| Seated cable row | 4 × 8–10 | 2 min | 1–2 |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 × 10 | 90 s | 1–2 |
| Chest-supported row | 3 × 10–12 | 90 s | 1 |
| Face pull | 2 × 15 | 45 s | 1–2 |
| Dumbbell hammer curl | 2 × 10–12 | 60 s | 1 |
Upper 2: vertical
| Exercise | Sets × reps (weeks 1–3) | Rest | Reps in reserve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overhead press (barbell or dumbbells) | 4 × 6–8 | 2–3 min | 2 |
| Pull-up or lat pulldown | 4 × 6–10 | 2 min | 1–2 |
| Half-kneeling landmine press | 3 × 8–10 per arm | 90 s | 2 |
| Single-arm lat pulldown or chin-up | 3 × 10 per arm or 3 × 5–8 | 90 s | 1–2 |
| Cable lateral raise | 3 × 12–15 | 45 s | 1 |
| Overhead cable triceps extension | 2 × 12 | 60 s | 1 |
Upper 3 (optional): arms and shoulders
A short, high-rep session. Keep loads moderate so elbows stay happy.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Incline dumbbell curl + rope pushdown, paired | 3 × 12–15 each | 60 s |
| Dumbbell lateral raise, lean-away | 3 × 15 | 45 s |
| Reverse pec deck | 3 × 15 | 45 s |
| Push-up, close grip | 2 × as many as you can minus 2 | 60 s |
| Band pull-apart | 2 × 20 | 30 s |
The eight-week rep wave
Each three-week wave changes the rep range on the first two lifts of Upper 1 and Upper 2. Other exercises stay as written and use double progression.
| Week | First two lifts each day | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 × 8 | 2–3 reps in reserve |
| 2 | 4 × 7 | 2 in reserve |
| 3 | 4 × 6 | 1–2 in reserve |
| 4 | 4 × 8, with weights 2.5 kg above week 1 | 2 in reserve |
| 5 | Deload: 2 × 8 at week 1 weights | 3–4 in reserve |
| 6 | 4 × 7, 2.5 kg above week 2 | 2 in reserve |
| 7 | 4 × 6, 2.5 kg above week 3 | 1–2 in reserve |
| 8 | 4 × 5 at the heaviest clean weight | 1 in reserve |
How close to failure you go matters more for muscle than for strength. An analysis found that muscle growth improved as sets ended closer to failure, while strength gains were similar across a wide range of reps in reserve. That’s why isolation work here runs to 1 rep in reserve while the heavy compound lifts stay at 2.
Pull-up progression
| Stage | What you do on the vertical day | Move on when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lat pulldown 4 × 8–10, then 3 negative pull-ups (5 s lowering) | Pulldown at about bodyweight × 0.7 for 8 |
| 2 | Band-assisted pull-ups, 4 × 5–8 | 8 reps with a light band |
| 3 | Pull-ups for total reps: aim for 15 total in as few sets as possible | 15 total in 3 sets |
| 4 | Pull-ups 4 × 5–8 | 4 × 8 |
| 5 | Weighted pull-ups, 4 × 5, starting with 2.5–5 kg | — |
Warm-up
Five minutes on a rower or bike, then 15 band pull-aparts, 10 band external rotations per arm, 10 scapular push-ups and 5 slow dead hangs of 10 seconds. Ramp the first lift: empty bar or light dumbbells × 10, then 50%, 70% and 85% of your working weight for a few reps each.
Swaps for shoulders, elbows and wrists
| Problem | Instead of | Do |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulder pain pressing | Bench press | Neutral-grip dumbbell press or floor press |
| Shoulder pain overhead | Overhead press | Landmine press, both upper days |
| Elbow pain (outside) | Hammer curls, pull-ups | Lighter curls with a neutral grip; pulldowns with a neutral handle |
| Elbow pain (inside) | Chin-ups, close-grip push-ups | Neutral-grip pulldown; rope pushdowns |
| Wrist pain | Barbell bench | Dumbbells with a neutral grip, or push-ups on handles |
If shoulder pain is limiting most pressing, switch to the shoulder-friendly upper body workout for eight weeks. Persistent elbow or shoulder pain deserves a physiotherapist’s look; see also elbow pain from lifting.
How to tell it’s working
By week 8, the weights on your first two lifts should be higher at each rep target than in weeks 1 to 3, you should have moved at least one stage on the pull-up progression, and your chest, arm and shoulder measurements should be holding or creeping up. If your shoulders feel worse each week, cut pressing sets by one on both days and add a set of face pulls.
Bottom line
Two upper days split by plane, balanced pulling, and a rep wave that lets you push without grinding. Pair it with a lower-body plan, or use the push/pull/legs program if you’d rather train six days. For printed plans with logs, see the FITWITHIM programs.
Questions people also ask
How many times a week should I train upper body after 40?
Twice is the sweet spot for most men: enough to grow and get stronger, with two or three days for shoulders and elbows to recover. A third, lighter session for arms and shoulders is optional.
Can I do this alongside my leg training?
Yes. The two main upper sessions slot between two lower-body days, for example upper Monday and Thursday, lower Tuesday and Friday. Don't train upper body on back-to-back days.
What if I can't do a pull-up yet?
Use the lat pulldown for the main sets and add negative pull-ups, jumping up and lowering over 3 to 5 seconds, at the end of the vertical day. The pull-up progression on this page takes you from there.
Should I train arms separately?
Arms get a lot of work from rows, presses and pulldowns. If arm size matters to you, the optional third session adds direct work without crowding the main days.
Sources
- Schoenfeld et al. (2017), Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass, J Sports Sci
- Robinson et al. (2024), Exploring the dose-response relationship between estimated resistance training proximity to failure, strength gain, and muscle hypertrophy, Sports Med