If you’ve been training awhile without results, there’s probable a reason for your lack of progress. Muscle building is a science. You have to continually keep the muscles guessing and entice them work harder to make gains. You also have to train with intensity. That said, here are some of the best exercises for putting mass on your upper body.

Pecs
Always start with your biggest muscles first — like chest. They require the most sets and energy. The best chest workout always commences with the bench press. It will add slabs of muscle to your pecs. But for the best gains, stick with to eight to 10 reps. Anything less and you’re focusing more on strength, according to Men’s Fitness. Also, rest no longer than 45 seconds to two minutes during you chest workout — or any upper body exercise for that matter. It increases the intensity and burn for maximum results, according to Muscle & Fitness. You’ll also want to add inclines to build your upper chest and flyes for shaping your pecs.

Shoulders and Back
Military presses, shrugs and lateral raises are the keys to building big shoulders. Remember, you’re trying to build a well-balanced physique. It not only looks better, it helps you avoid injuries. For back, make pull-downs and rows are regular part of your routine.

Biceps and Triceps
Whether you’re on a split or full-body routine, finish your workout by blasting your arms. For biceps, there’s no better exercise than straight-bar barbell curls. Perform curls with the E-Z Curl bar to work different angles of your biceps. Varying angles increase the thickness of your biceps. And don’t forget the preacher or concentration curls to increase your bicep peak.

If you want huge arms, perform the right triceps exercises. While pushdowns and kickbacks are effective exercises, you need to incorporate overhead tricep extensions to hit the long lateral head of the triceps. Isolating this long muscle will definitely set your arms apart from the other gym rats.