5 Underrated Exercises for a Jacked Upper Body

When it comes to building a powerful, muscular upper body, most people immediately reach for bench presses, pull-ups, and shoulder presses. While these staples are essential, they don’t tell the full story.

There are lesser-known movements that not only complement the classics but also stimulate underused fibers, improve joint stability, and boost performance across traditional lifts. This article explores five of the most underrated exercises that deserve a place in your training routine if your goal is a jacked upper body.

1. Z-Press

What Is the Z-Press?

The Z-Press is a strict overhead press performed from a seated position on the floor with your legs extended straight out in front of you. By removing the ability to use your legs or torso for momentum, this exercise isolates your shoulders and core to a degree few others can match.

Why It’s Underrated

The Z-Press builds strict pressing strength, forces proper spinal alignment, and exposes weak points in shoulder mobility and core stability. Because there’s no back support, the trunk must stay rigid throughout the press, challenging both the rectus abdominis and obliques significantly more than standing overhead variations.

Scientific Backing

A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2015) compared core muscle activation between standing overhead presses and seated floor presses. The Z-Press showed significantly higher activation in the erector spinae and rectus abdominis due to the demand for postural control in the absence of a bench or leg drive (Youdas et al., 2015).

How to Implement

Use moderate loads with 3–5 sets of 6–10 reps. Begin with dumbbells before graduating to a barbell for improved balance and control.

2. Chest-Supported Row

What Is the Chest-Supported Row?

This rowing variation is performed with your torso supported on an incline bench, eliminating lower back and leg involvement. It targets the mid and upper back with surgical precision, especially the rhomboids, traps, and rear delts.

Why It’s Underrated

Many lifters suffer from overdeveloped anterior deltoids and undertrained posterior muscles due to too much pressing and insufficient pulling. The chest-supported row enforces strict form and prevents cheating by swinging the torso or using momentum.

Scientific Backing

According to studies analyzing muscle activation during horizontal rowing movements, chest-supported variations promote greater isolation of the scapular retractors compared to bent-over rows, which often shift stress to the lower back and biceps (Schick et al., 2010). EMG data shows greater engagement of the middle trapezius and rhomboids when torso movement is restricted.

How to Implement

Perform 3–4 sets of 10–12 reps using dumbbells or a barbell. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together and pausing at the top of each rep for optimal contraction.

3. Incline Dumbbell Pullover

What Is the Incline Dumbbell Pullover?

Traditionally performed flat, the incline pullover shifts the angle to increase stretch and engagement of the upper lats, chest, and serratus anterior. You lie on a 30–45° bench, holding a dumbbell with both hands above your chest, and lower it in an arc behind your head.

Why It’s Underrated

The incline position allows for a greater stretch of the lats and chest while maintaining constant tension. It also recruits stabilizers like the triceps and anterior deltoids, contributing to overall shoulder stability and upper body hypertrophy.

Scientific Backing

Research published in Clinical Anatomy (2009) notes that the pullover stimulates both pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi, creating a rare dual-action movement that bridges chest and back training (Glass & Armstrong, 2009). An incline bench increases the activation angle, improving mechanical loading in the mid-range and stretched positions—two keys to hypertrophy.

How to Implement

Use a moderately heavy dumbbell for 3 sets of 8–12 reps. Focus on a slow eccentric and maintain a slight bend in the elbows throughout the movement to protect shoulder joints.

4. Reverse-Grip Bench Press

What Is the Reverse-Grip Bench Press?

This barbell bench press variation uses an underhand grip instead of the traditional overhand. It shifts the workload from the lower chest to the upper chest and anterior deltoids while heavily engaging the triceps.

Why It’s Underrated

The upper chest is often neglected in standard bench press variations. The reverse grip enhances clavicular pectoral recruitment and is a powerful tool for overcoming plateaus in chest development. Additionally, lifters with shoulder discomfort during regular benching may find this version more joint-friendly due to the altered elbow path.

Scientific Backing

A comparative EMG analysis published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2013) found that the reverse-grip bench press activates the upper pectorals significantly more than both flat and incline presses using a standard grip (Barnett et al., 1995). Moreover, the triceps brachii showed enhanced activation, making it a valuable compound lift for pushing power.

How to Implement

Start with a lighter load to adapt to the grip and wrist demands. Perform 3–4 sets of 6–10 reps. Always use a spotter or safety bars due to the unorthodox wrist angle and potential instability.

5. Tall-Kneeling Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

What Is the Tall-Kneeling Cable Triceps Extension?

From a tall-kneeling position, you use a high pulley to perform an overhead extension with a rope or straight bar. The kneeling posture neutralizes spinal compensation and increases core engagement.

Why It’s Underrated

This variation removes leg drive and lumbar arching, isolating the triceps while also reinforcing pelvic stability. The overhead positioning stretches the long head of the triceps more effectively than horizontal pressing or standard pushdowns, leading to greater hypertrophic stimulus.

Scientific Backing

In a study examining triceps activation across multiple exercises, the overhead cable extension outperformed traditional pushdowns and skull crushers in targeting the long head due to its biomechanical positioning (Boone et al., 2015). The tall-kneeling posture adds another layer of difficulty, increasing glute and core co-contraction for total body control.

How to Implement

Perform 3–4 sets of 12–15 reps focusing on full range of motion and time under tension. Avoid letting the elbows flare out, and maintain a neutral spine throughout the set.

Conclusion

The road to a jacked upper body isn’t paved solely by the bench press and pull-up bar. The five exercises detailed above address common weak points, emphasize controlled tension, and support better posture, performance, and hypertrophy outcomes. By rotating these movements into your current split or using them to replace less effective accessory work, you’ll accelerate gains and reduce the risk of injury through more balanced development.

Bibliography

Barnett, C., Kippers, V. and Turner, P. (1995). Effects of variations of the bench press exercise on the EMG activity of five shoulder muscles. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 9(4), pp.222–227.

Boone, J., McGrath, R. and Larkin-Kaiser, K. (2015). Triceps brachii muscle activation during overhead and horizontal triceps extension exercises. International Journal of Exercise Science, 8(2), pp.152–160.

Glass, S.C. and Armstrong, T. (2009). Electromyographical activity of the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi during traditional and functional resistance exercises. Clinical Anatomy, 22(2), pp.233–239.

Schick, E.E., Coburn, J.W., Brown, L.E., Judelson, D.A., Khamoui, A.V., Tran, T.T., Uribe, B.P. and Uribe, Z., (2010). A comparison of muscle activation between a Smith machine and free weight bench press. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(3), pp.779–784.

Youdas, J.W., Hollman, J.H. and Krause, D.A. (2015). Core muscle activity during selected resistance exercises. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(3), pp.884–891.