Upper Body Morning Program

Bowflex Ultimate 2 + dumbbells + kettlebells · 25–35 min sessions · 4x/week · Built for a true beginner — Aug 4, 2026

The weekly split

Push and Pull, alternating, so each muscle group gets 48+ hours to recover before it's worked again. Lower body and cardio can slot into the off days later — this program only covers upper body for now.

Mon

Push

Tue

Pull

Wed

Off

Thu

Push

Fri

Pull

Sat

Off

Sun

Off

Push = chest, shoulders, triceps (muscles that push weight away from you). Pull = back, biceps (muscles that pull weight toward you). You never do the same muscle group two days in a row, so it's fine if a day shifts — just keep Push and Pull alternating and leave at least 1 day off between two Push days (and between two Pull days).

Before every session (4–5 min)

Warm-up move	Dose
Arm circles (forward + backward)	20 sec each direction
Band-free shoulder pass-throughs (broomstick or empty bar overhead, arms wide)	10 reps
Bowflex cable row, very light (1 rod)	15 easy reps — just to get blood into the muscles
Push-ups (knees down if needed) or wall push-ups	10 reps

This is not optional when you're new — cold shoulders and elbows are where beginners get hurt on cable machines. 4 minutes here saves you weeks of a nagging injury.

PUSH DAY Chest / Shoulders / Triceps

~32 min total (incl. core finisher) · rest 60–75 sec between sets

Exercise	Equipment	Sets × Reps	How-to video
Bowflex Bench Press Lie on the bench, press the handles straight up and slightly forward until arms are extended, then lower slowly to chest level. This is your main chest exercise.	Bowflex	3 × 10–12	Bowflex How-To →
Bowflex Shoulder Press Seated, handles at shoulder height, press straight overhead without arching your lower back, lower under control.	Bowflex	3 × 10–12	Bowflex How-To →
Dumbbell Flat Chest Press Lie on a flat bench or the floor, dumbbell in each hand at chest level, press up until arms are straight, lower slowly. Hits the chest from a slightly different angle than the Bowflex press.	Dumbbells	3 × 10–12	Watch →
Bowflex Triceps Pushdown Set the pulley to the high position, elbows pinned to your sides, push the handle down until arms are straight, control it back up.	Bowflex	3 × 12–15	Bowflex Classic →
Dumbbell Lateral Raise Light weight, arms slightly bent, raise both dumbbells out to the sides to shoulder height, lower slowly. Builds the "cap" of the shoulder — go lighter than you think.	Dumbbells	2–3 × 12–15	Bowflex How-To →
Core finisher · ~5 min
Plank Forearms and toes on the floor, body in a straight line from head to heels, squeeze your abs and glutes. Don't let your hips sag or pike up.	Bodyweight	3 × 20–30 sec hold	Bowflex Beginners →
Bowflex Cable Pallof Press Set the pulley to mid-height, stand sideways to the machine, press the handle straight out from your chest and back without letting your torso twist toward the machine. Trains your core to resist rotation.	Bowflex	2 × 10 each side	Watch →

PULL DAY Back / Biceps

~32 min total (incl. core finisher) · rest 60–75 sec between sets

Exercise	Equipment	Sets × Reps	How-to video
Bowflex Lat Pulldown Sit under the lat tower, grip the bar wide, pull it down to upper chest level leading with your elbows, control it back up. Your main back-width exercise.	Bowflex	3 × 10–12	Watch →
Bowflex Seated Row Low pulley, sit with knees slightly bent, pull the handle to your stomach while squeezing your shoulder blades together, extend back out slowly.	Bowflex	3 × 10–12	Bowflex Classic →
Kettlebell Bent-Over Row Hinge at the hips, flat back, one kettlebell in each hand hanging down, pull both up to your ribs, lower slowly. Adds thickness to the back.	Kettlebells	3 × 10–12	Onnit Tutorial →
Seated Dumbbell Curl Sit on a bench with your back flat against the pad, feet planted, dumbbell in each hand at your sides. Curl both up toward your shoulders without swinging your elbows forward, squeeze at the top, lower slowly.	Dumbbells	3 × 10–12	Watch →
Kettlebell Halo Hold one kettlebell by the horns at chest height, circle it around your head in one direction, then the other. Builds shoulder stability and core control — great finisher, very low injury risk.	Kettlebell	2 × 6–8 each direction	Watch →
Core finisher · ~5 min
Dead Bug Lie on your back, arms reaching straight up, knees bent 90° over your hips. Slowly lower one arm and the opposite leg toward the floor while keeping your lower back pressed flat, then return. Switch sides.	Bodyweight	2 × 8 each side	Watch →
Kettlebell Suitcase Carry Pick up one kettlebell in one hand like a suitcase, stand tall, walk slowly for the distance/steps below without letting your torso lean toward the weight. Switch hands.	Kettlebell	2 × 20–30 steps each side	Watch →

How to actually run this

1. Pick a starting weight

On the Bowflex, start with roughly half your bodyweight-equivalent in Power Rods for the big presses/rows (adjust the pulley to add or remove a rod), and something you can lift 12 clean reps with but that feels hard by rep 10 for dumbbells/kettlebells. It's fine to guess low the first session — you'll dial it in fast.

2. Progression rule (the only one you need for now)

If you hit the top of the rep range (e.g. 12 reps) on all sets of an exercise, with good form, two sessions in a row → add one Power Rod or move up to the next dumbbell/kettlebell size next time. If you're missing reps, stay at that weight until you're not.

3. Form over weight, always

Every rep should be slow and controlled, especially lowering the weight (that's where most of the muscle-building happens). If you have to jerk, arch your back, or swing to move it, the weight is too heavy — drop it down.

On the Bowflex specifically: always confirm the pulley pin is fully seated before pulling, and never stand directly under the bar during a bench press — use the safety catches on your reps.

Beginner glossary

Set: A block of reps done back-to-back without stopping (e.g. "10 reps" = 1 set of 10).
Rep (repetition): One full up-and-down (or push-and-return) of an exercise.
Rest: The break between sets. 60–75 seconds is enough to recover without your session running long.
Power Rod: The resistance bands/rods inside the Bowflex. Each one you clip onto the pulley pin adds resistance, similar to adding a weight plate.
Pulley: The cable-and-pin system on the Bowflex that lets you attach handles/bars at different heights (high, mid, low) to change which muscles an exercise targets.
Lat tower: The tall attachment on the Bowflex you sit under to do pulldowns for your back ("lats" = latissimus dorsi, the big back muscles).
Range of motion (ROM): How far a joint moves during an exercise. Full range (fully extending and fully contracting) builds more strength and mobility than partial reps.
Compound exercise: An exercise that uses multiple joints/muscles at once (bench press, row). These are your priority — do them first each session while you're fresh.
Isolation exercise: An exercise that targets one muscle (lateral raise, curl). Good for finishing a session, less important to prioritize.
Anti-rotation / anti-extension core work: Core exercises (Pallof press, plank, dead bug) that train your midsection to resist movement rather than create it. This builds the stability that protects your lower back during the bench press, rows, and overhead presses above — more useful for you right now than crunches.

What this doesn't cover yet

Lower body and your VO2max cardio program run separately — this is upper body (now with a short core finisher on each day), by design, so it's easy to actually stick to in the time you have. Once this feels automatic (usually 3–4 weeks), say the word and we'll add a lower-body day and slot everything into one weekly calendar.