Thursday · Upper Body Push/Pull

Vertical Focus — Technique Guide

Thursday is the vertical mirror of Monday — pressing overhead instead of straight out, pulling down instead of rowing in. Together they cover every direction your shoulders move. Get these three lifts right and your upper body will be both strong and durable.

Overhead Press

Vertical push · shoulders, triceps, full-body bracing

4 sets × 6–8 reps · superset with Pull-Ups / Lat Pulldowns: after each set of presses, rest 1 minute, then do a set of pull-ups

Setup

Bar resting on the front of your shoulders / collarbone shelf
Hands just outside shoulder width; elbows in front of (not directly under) the bar
Wrists stacked over forearms — slight backward bend is fine
Feet shoulder-width, glutes squeezed, abs braced — full-body tension
Stand like a vertical plank before the bar leaves your shoulders

The Movement

Press the bar straight up, not forward — picture pressing past your nose
As the bar passes your forehead, push your head “through the window”
Lock out fully overhead with shoulders shrugged into the bar
The bar should finish stacked over the middle of your foot

Avoid

Excessive layback — leaning back turns this into an incline bench, hurts the lower back
Pushing the bar in a J-curve forward instead of vertical
Soft glutes or unbraced core — power leak
Stopping short of full lockout — always finish with shoulders shrugged into the bar

Mental Cue

“Stand tall and push the floor away.” The press starts at the floor — drive your feet down, stay rigid, and the bar will go up.

Weighted Pull-Ups / Lat Pulldowns

Vertical pull · lats, upper back, biceps, grip

4 sets × 6–8 reps · after each set of pull-ups, rest 1 minute, then head back to the Overhead Press

Setup

Grip slightly wider than shoulder width, palms facing forward (pronated)
Pull-ups: hang from a dead start — full extension, slight elbow bend, feet crossed and glutes squeezed
Pulldowns: sit tall, thighs locked under the pad, slight ~10° back lean, chest up
Pull shoulders down and back into an “active hang” — never let them shrug to your ears

The Movement

Drive elbows down and back toward your ribs
Pull until chin clears the bar (or bar to upper chest on pulldowns)
Lower under control — fight the negative for ~2 seconds
Reset at the bottom of every rep — full extension, then go again

Avoid

Pulling with only the arms — lats first, biceps assist
Half reps; not getting full extension at the bottom of each rep
Pulling to the back of the neck on pulldowns — shoulder impingement risk
Kipping or swinging on pull-ups for momentum

Mental Cue

“Pull the bar to you, not yourself to the bar.” Even on pull-ups, imagine the bar coming down to your chest while you stay rigid. It engages the lats first.

Dumbbell Hammer Curls

Isolation finisher · biceps, brachialis, elbow tendons

3 sets × 10 reps · done on its own after the superset — rest 1 minute between sets

Setup

Dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other (neutral grip — like holding a hammer)
Stand tall, shoulders pulled back
Elbows pinned to your ribs and stay there the whole set
Soft knees, abs braced — no rocking, no momentum

The Movement

Curl by bending only at the elbow — shoulder doesn’t move
Stop when forearm is roughly vertical and the bicep is fully shortened
Lower over 2 seconds to full extension at the bottom
Either lift both at once, or alternate to slow the tempo

Avoid

Swinging the hips or rocking back to lift heavier weight
Letting the elbows drift forward — turns it into a front raise
Half reps at the bottom — extend fully each time
Going too heavy — isolation work demands strict form

Mental Cue

“Elbows pinned, wrists locked.” If your elbows move, you’re cheating the bicep. If your wrists bend, you’re stressing the tendons. Stay strict.

Pike Push-Ups

Vertical push · shoulders, triceps, core

4 sets × 6–8 reps · superset with Band Lat Pulldowns: after each set of pike push-ups, rest 1 minute, then do a set of pulldowns

Setup

Start in a downward-dog pike: hands and feet on the floor, hips high, butt to the ceiling
Hands shoulder-width, fingers spread, wrists stacked under the shoulders
Head between the arms, gaze back at your feet, body forms an inverted V
Feet on a chair or low couch makes it harder; flat-floor pike is the baseline
Brace core, squeeze glutes — full-body tension, no sag

The Movement

Lower in about 2 seconds until the crown of your head lightly taps the floor
Elbows tuck at ~45° from the head — not flared straight out
Press straight up, head pushing past the hands as you lock out
Keep the hips piked the whole rep — don’t drift into a regular push-up

Avoid

Letting the hips drop — instantly turns it into a flat-press pattern
Flaring elbows to 90° — same shoulder wear as a bad overhead press
Bouncing your head off the floor — lower under control
Half reps — lower until the head actually touches

Mental Cue

“Push the floor straight away from your head.” The pike forces the press vertical. If you’re pressing toward your toes, your hips are too low.

Band Lat Pulldowns

Vertical pull · lats, upper back, biceps, grip

4 sets × 6–8 reps · after each set of pulldowns, rest 1 minute, then head back to the Pike Push-Ups

Setup

Anchor a resistance band over the top of a door (use a door anchor) or a sturdy bar above head height
Kneel or sit far enough away that the band has tension with your arms fully extended overhead
Grip just outside shoulder width, palms forward (pronated)
Pull shoulders down and back into an “active hang” before the first rep
If you have a doorframe pull-up bar, sub doorframe pull-ups (assist with a chair under one foot if needed)

The Movement

Drive elbows down and back toward your ribs — handles end near your collarbone
Imagine pulling the band past your chest, not just toward it
Slight ~10° back lean is OK; do not row your torso to add range
Return under control to full overhead extension — fight the band for 2 seconds

Avoid

Pulling with only the arms — lats first, biceps assist
Shrugging shoulders to the ears at the top — pack them down before each rep
Snapping the band back overhead — own the eccentric
Standing too close to the anchor — there’s no resistance unless the band is loaded

Mental Cue

“Pull the band to you, not yourself to the band.” Stay tall and rigid; drive the elbows. If your torso is folding forward, the band is too heavy.

Band Hammer Curls

Isolation finisher · biceps, brachialis, elbow tendons

3 sets × 10 reps · done on its own after the superset — rest 1 minute between sets

Setup

Stand on the middle of a resistance band with both feet shoulder-width apart
Grip one handle in each hand with a neutral grip — palms facing each other, like holding a hammer
Stand tall, shoulders pulled back
Elbows pinned to your ribs and stay there the whole set
Soft knees, abs braced — no rocking, no momentum

The Movement

Curl by bending only at the elbow — shoulder doesn’t move
Stop when forearm is roughly vertical and the bicep is fully shortened
Lower over 2 seconds to full extension at the bottom — fight the band
Either lift both at once, or alternate to slow the tempo

Avoid

Swinging the hips or rocking back to lift through harder band tension
Letting the elbows drift forward — turns it into a front raise
Half reps at the bottom — extend fully each time
Stepping on too thin a section — choke the band by widening your stance

Mental Cue

“Elbows pinned, wrists locked.” If your elbows move, you’re cheating the bicep. If your wrists bend, you’re stressing the tendons. Stay strict.

Progressive Overload

How to keep getting stronger on this session, week after week

The Lever — Double Progression

Add reps first, then weight. Live inside the 6–8 range on the press and the pull-up. When you hit 8 clean reps on all four sets, make the smallest weight jump you can next session and reset to 6. Then climb back to 8 and repeat. The overhead press moves in the smallest jumps of any lift — 2.5 lb plates are your friend. On pull-ups, earn 4 × 8 at bodyweight first, then hang the smallest plate you have from a belt and reset to 6.

In Practice

Session	Load	Set Reps
1	95 lb	6 · 6 · 6 · 6
2	95 lb	7 · 7 · 6 · 6
3	95 lb	8 · 7 · 7 · 6
4	95 lb	8 · 8 · 8 · 8 ← top of range
5	100 lb	6 · 6 · 6 · 6 ← +5, reset

Example: overhead press starting at 95 lb. Your numbers will differ — the pattern won’t. Hammer curls follow the same idea at 10 reps: add a rep, then a small weight bump.

No Equipment?

Pike push-ups and band pulldowns don’t have a barbell to load, so progress them by elevating your feet further (pike push-ups), stepping back further from the anchor for more band tension, or slowing the lowering phase to 3–4 seconds. Any one is a real overload without adding a single plate.

When It Stalls

These are the two hardest lifts to fake progress on — bad form caps out fast. If a number drops two sessions in a row, cut the load about 10% for a week before pushing again. Control the top, control the bottom, then add the load.