The bench press is a fundamental compound exercise that significantly increases the mass in your shoulders, triceps, and chest. Depending on your preference, either a barbell or dumbbells can be used.
A powerful bodyweight exercise that helps build strong lat and upper-back muscles is the wide-grip pull-up. In this form, the prone grip is used to increase lat width and create the traditional V-taper shape associated with a shredded torso.
The dumbbell shoulder press is the next exercise in our upper-body routine. The dumbbell shoulder press is a compound exercise that increases the mass of your upper back, triceps, and deltoids (shoulders). I prefer the dumbbell variation since it is easier on the shoulder joint than a barbell while still offering a great stimulus for muscle growth.
The bent-over barbell row is a great workout for defining your middle back muscles by strengthening and bulking them up. Your biceps will also get some boost from this reverse grip version.
A powerful bodyweight exercise, the tricep dip adds growth, definition, and strength to your chest, shoulders, and triceps by targeting them from a different angle than previous workouts.
To target your lower abdominal muscles for substantial muscular loss in that area, try the hanging leg lift.
Bicycle crunches are the final exercise in this upper-body workout for a toned torso. The dynamic core workout known as the bicycle crunch targets the oblique muscles as well as the upper and lower abdominals, giving you the traditional V-shred look on the front of your torso.