Is there a more satisfying workout than a killer upper body regime? A broad chest and shoulders will help fill a suit and look great in an off-duty T-shirt. Pull your shirt off at the beach and a well-defined chest and back will confirm to everyone that yes, you do lift, bro.

If shoes make the man, it’s your upper body that usually gets a second look.

When it comes to the best upper body workouts, the benefits aren’t just ornamental either. In fact, head of TMF Fitness Chris Antoni, a nutritionist and personal trainer with 12 years of experience, believes upper body workouts are essential for helping with posture-related pains, reducing the risk of injury, protecting bones as we age, and increasing our abilities in sport or manual labour.

“A large percentage of the population live sedentary lives, either hunched over a computer or sat in the car for endless hours,” he says. “Upper body workouts can help with this, as well as protecting our bones so they don’t become brittle as we get older.”

How To Train Your Upper Body

All that said, the temptation to turn every gym session into chest day should be resisted at all costs. As with every workout, balance is important. “Depending on how you train and how much time you have, you could think about doing an upper body workout two to three times a week,” says Antoni.

If you prefer to split your workout days by muscle groups, he recommends you split your workouts up into chest and triceps day (Monday and Thursday); back and biceps (Tuesday and Friday); and, shoulders and legs (Wednesday and Saturday).

By breaking it up like this, you’ll reduce your risk of injury by balancing out exercises (for instance, making sure you hit both chest and back to reduce your chance of over-developing one area), and also giving muscles a chance to heal before training them again. Plus, no one wants a barrel chest up top with a pair of chicken legs down below.