Heavy First — Short-Rest Upper
The third upper template. Ninety seconds of rest, reps in the tens and twelves, and cable and dumbbell work taking over most of the volume from the barbell.
Estimated session
- Movements 6
- Loads Coach-filled
- Progresses Every session
Every movement, in order
Each lift with its working sets and target, in the order you run them. The coach sets the loads from your training and moves them up as the work gets easier.
| Order | Exercise | Sets | Target | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip Protected slot — two minutes of rest and RPE 8, not 8.5. Same groove, same touch point as week one. Log the load. 1 warm-up set first 3 × 10 · rest 2 min | 3 | 10 | 2 min |
| 02 | Seated Cable Rows Chest tall, pull to the navel, let the shoulder blades travel forward on the return without the torso following. 3 × 12 · rest 1:30 | 3 | 12 | 1:30 |
| 03 | Incline Dumbbell Press Bench at 30 degrees, full stretch at the bottom, twelve controlled reps. This is the session's second pressing dose. 3 × 12 · rest 1:30 | 3 | 12 | 1:30 |
| 04 | Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown Twelve reps, elbows down to the ribs, no leaning back to finish. 3 × 12 · rest 1:30 | 3 | 12 | 1:30 |
| 05 | Standing Military Press Ten reps at a load that stays strict for all ten. Ribs down, no layback — the load is well below block one's. 3 × 10 · rest 1:30 | 3 | 10 | 1:30 |
| 06 | Side Lateral Raise Fifteen strict reps, lead with the elbow, stop at shoulder height. 3 × 15 · rest 1 min | 3 | 15 | 1 min |
The coach sets the loads and moves them up — these are the schemes
When to reach for this template
Written order, no supersets, ninety-second clock on everything except the bench press, which keeps two minutes. Rows and pulldowns are strict: no torso swing to buy reps at short rest. If the last set of any movement drops more than two reps below target, cut that movement to two sets next session. Equipment swaps. No cable stack: Seated Cable Rows becomes One-Arm Dumbbell Row at 12 per side and Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown becomes Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row at 15. No adjustable bench: incline dumbbell press becomes Dumbbell Shoulder Press.
Every workout
The coach reads your log, tunes the loads and volume to where you are today, and tells you when to add weight.
Programs that use this template
This session is scheduled across a week and progressed over the mesocycle in the programs below.
Common questions
The facts most people check before they drop this session into a week.
01When should I use the Heavy First — Short-Rest Upper template?
Written order, no supersets, ninety-second clock on everything except the bench press, which keeps two minutes. Add it to your week in Squatly and the coach schedules it, sets the loads from your training, and tells you when to move up.
02How many working sets is Heavy First — Short-Rest Upper, and how long does it take?
Heavy First — Short-Rest Upper runs 6 movements and about 18 working sets, roughly 68 minutes once warm-ups are in. The full per-exercise scheme — sets, reps or RPE, and rest — is in the session table above.
03What makes the Short-Rest Upper version different?
Heavy First — Short-Rest Upper is the short-rest upper cut of this family — same method, but the movement order, set scheme, and emphasis are tuned for it. The session table shows exactly what changes; the coach sets the loads and drives the progression either way.
Built on the Squatly method
Every set count, rep target, and rest period here comes from how the coach weighs volume, intensity, and fatigue. See where the numbers come from.
Read the methodVolume, intensity, and fatigue — read per lift, every session.
Last updated: June 2026
Keep moving forward.
Add this template to your week. The coach reads your training, sets the loads, and tells you when to push.
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Aleks · Coach
Proposal — add weight