Summers are just around the corner, literally and it is almost time to shed those warm clothes of yours! Shedding off your warm clothes comes with a price! Your body is no more under the cover of layers and layers of clothes, rather it is exposed. Your legs and your arms are the most exposed parts of your body, once summers kick in full gear and if you haven’t been very diligent about working out in winters, then it is going to be hard on you!
Luckily for you, there is still some time left before summers come scorching in and you can tone those jiggly arms to look absolutely smashing in summers! Here we have rounded up a few upper body exercises to help you storm through the summers!
Push-ups
Whenever we talk about upper body fitness, push-ups are the first and foremost type of exercise that you need to master! These not only work your upper body, including arms, shoulders and upper back, but they also strengthen your core. You can make it even more challenging by keeping your feet elevated. This can be done by placing them on a bench.
Make sure you keep your back straight and do not let your hips sag down. If you are a beginner, you can start off by doing a half push-up. In this, instead of keeping your feet on the ground, you can lean on your knees but make sure you completely perform the push-up move.
Barbell Overhead Press
A barbell overhead press is one of the best exercises to work your core and upper body, together. Start with a barbell resting over your shoulders and collar bone. Grab the barbell, with your hands slightly outside the width of your shoulders and your elbows slightly bent forward. Push the barbell vertically in a straight line and shrug your shoulders at the top of the movement. Bring the barbell down in a controlled manner. Start off with smaller weights and slowly and steadily, move towards lifting heavier weights. If you are a little wary of using a barbell, start with dumbbells in both of your hands. As with barbells, use lighter weights and work yourself up to heavier weights.
Bench Press
As with an overhead barbell press, you can do this exercise with either barbells or dumbbells. It is up to you. Lie on a flat bench and hold your weights at chest level, slightly wider than your shoulder width and keeping your abs and glutes tight. Drive your feet into the ground and raise your weights/ barbell vertically upwards. Bring the weights down in a controlled fashion and repeat the movement. This is an awesome move as it is almost working the whole of your body at the same time. Make sure you keep your back straight and flat, to prevent any injury risk.
Bent-over Rows
This move specifically targets your upper back and triceps. If you are doing it for the first time, stand sideways in front of a mirror to make sure you have the correct stance for the move. Hold the dumbbells in your hand with an overhand grip and bend your torso forward so that it is parallel to the ground. Make sure you keep your back flat. Slightly bend your knees, squeeze your shoulder blades together and row the weight to your chest. You can adjust the weights as your strength increases.
Dumbbell Curls
This is one of the most effective exercises for toning your biceps. If you want to bulk up your muscles, then use a heavy weight but if toning is what you want, then use lighter weights with an increased number of reps. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold your weights with your palms facing up and a braced core. Keep your upper arms vertical and curl the weights up. Pause for a second and release the weights to the starting position in a controlled manner, with your upper and lower arms fully extended. Start off with 10-12 reps in a set with a minimum of 2-3 sets in a workout session.
When it Comes to Upper Body Fitness, Never Say Never! Pick Up Your Dumbbells and Tone Your Upper body!
Author Bio
Alisa is working in writing industry since 5 years. Currently she is writing on fitness, weight loss and health products. Visit her blog and check her latest post on Ultimate Wight loss pills. Follow her on Facebook for more details.
Luckily for you, there is still some time left before summers come scorching in and you can tone those jiggly arms to look absolutely smashing in summers! Here we have rounded up a few upper body exercises to help you storm through the summers!
Push-ups
Whenever we talk about upper body fitness, push-ups are the first and foremost type of exercise that you need to master! These not only work your upper body, including arms, shoulders and upper back, but they also strengthen your core. You can make it even more challenging by keeping your feet elevated. This can be done by placing them on a bench.
Make sure you keep your back straight and do not let your hips sag down. If you are a beginner, you can start off by doing a half push-up. In this, instead of keeping your feet on the ground, you can lean on your knees but make sure you completely perform the push-up move.
Barbell Overhead Press
A barbell overhead press is one of the best exercises to work your core and upper body, together. Start with a barbell resting over your shoulders and collar bone. Grab the barbell, with your hands slightly outside the width of your shoulders and your elbows slightly bent forward. Push the barbell vertically in a straight line and shrug your shoulders at the top of the movement. Bring the barbell down in a controlled manner. Start off with smaller weights and slowly and steadily, move towards lifting heavier weights. If you are a little wary of using a barbell, start with dumbbells in both of your hands. As with barbells, use lighter weights and work yourself up to heavier weights.
Bench Press
As with an overhead barbell press, you can do this exercise with either barbells or dumbbells. It is up to you. Lie on a flat bench and hold your weights at chest level, slightly wider than your shoulder width and keeping your abs and glutes tight. Drive your feet into the ground and raise your weights/ barbell vertically upwards. Bring the weights down in a controlled fashion and repeat the movement. This is an awesome move as it is almost working the whole of your body at the same time. Make sure you keep your back straight and flat, to prevent any injury risk.
Bent-over Rows
This move specifically targets your upper back and triceps. If you are doing it for the first time, stand sideways in front of a mirror to make sure you have the correct stance for the move. Hold the dumbbells in your hand with an overhand grip and bend your torso forward so that it is parallel to the ground. Make sure you keep your back flat. Slightly bend your knees, squeeze your shoulder blades together and row the weight to your chest. You can adjust the weights as your strength increases.
Dumbbell Curls
This is one of the most effective exercises for toning your biceps. If you want to bulk up your muscles, then use a heavy weight but if toning is what you want, then use lighter weights with an increased number of reps. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold your weights with your palms facing up and a braced core. Keep your upper arms vertical and curl the weights up. Pause for a second and release the weights to the starting position in a controlled manner, with your upper and lower arms fully extended. Start off with 10-12 reps in a set with a minimum of 2-3 sets in a workout session.
When it Comes to Upper Body Fitness, Never Say Never! Pick Up Your Dumbbells and Tone Your Upper body!
Author Bio
Alisa is working in writing industry since 5 years. Currently she is writing on fitness, weight loss and health products. Visit her blog and check her latest post on Ultimate Wight loss pills. Follow her on Facebook for more details.