Keep What You Built — Short Heavy Upper
Deliberately short upper day. Two hard sets per pattern — press, row, pulldown, overhead, lateral raise — to hold pressing and pulling strength.
Estimated session
- Movements 5
- 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 | Dumbbell Bench Press Eight to twelve reps. Flat bench, elbows about 45 degrees from the torso, dumbbells over the mid-chest. Controlled descent, no bounce off the bottom. 1 warm-up set first 2 × 8 · rest 2:30 | 2 | 8 | 2:30 |
| 02 | Seated Cable Rows Eight to twelve reps. Neutral grip, chest tall, pull to the lower ribs and pause a beat. Cable station optional — Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row at the same reps is the swap. 1 warm-up set first 2 × 10 · rest 2 min | 2 | 10 | 2 min |
| 03 | Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown Eight to twelve reps. Grip wider than the shoulders, pull the bar to the collarbone with the elbows driving down. Pulldown station optional — Band Assisted Pull-Up first, then Pullups, then a wide-elbow dumbbell row only if there is no bar. 2 × 10 · rest 2 min | 2 | 10 | 2 min |
| 04 | Dumbbell Shoulder Press Eight to twelve reps. Seated with the bench pad upright, or standing. Ribs down, press to full lockout without leaning back under the weight. 2 × 10 · rest 1:45 | 2 | 10 | 1:45 |
| 05 | Side Lateral Raise Light, a fixed 12-15 reps rather than a double-progression slot. Lead with the elbows, stop at shoulder height, no swing from the torso. The only isolation on the day. 2 × 12 · rest 1 min | 2 | 12 | 1 min |
The coach sets the loads and moves them up — these are the schemes
When to reach for this template
Press and row first while you are fresh; the pulldown and overhead press ride on what is left. The second Seated Cable Rows WORKING set is rung two on the removal list — take it off before touching an anchor load; the second pulldown set is a planned week-seven trim, not a rung. Nothing goes to failure. Presses and pulls run 8-12 reps, the lateral raise a fixed 12-15. Equipment swaps. No cable station: Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row at the seated row's reps and RPE. For the pulldown keep a vertical pull — Band Assisted Pull-Up, or Pullups if you can hold the reps, at the same target — and only with no bar at all fall back to a second wide-elbow dumbbell row block. Shoulder press seated or standing.
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 Keep What You Built — Short Heavy Upper template?
Press and row first while you are fresh; the pulldown and overhead press ride on what is left. 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 Keep What You Built — Short Heavy Upper, and how long does it take?
Keep What You Built — Short Heavy Upper runs 5 movements and about 10 working sets, roughly 47 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 Heavy Upper version different?
Keep What You Built — Short Heavy Upper is the short heavy 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