Here is your complete guide to upper body strength workouts.
Introduction to Upper Body Strength Workouts
When it comes to strength training, people use a variety of words that they believe are “synonymous”: weight lifting, resistance training, and so on. “strength training” encompasses body weight exercises, bands, machines, weighted equipment, and essentially anything that isn’t running, swimming, jump roping, or flexibility training (like stretching). As a result, it is not synonymous with weight lifting; rather, it is an umbrella term that includes it. While weight lifting is beneficial, there are numerous other strength-training exercises that do not involve the use of actual weights that can help you sculpt a strong, muscular upper body. So what you need to know about upper body strength workouts? What is upper body strength workouts exactly? Here is your ultimate guide for upper body strength workouts.
You’ve probably noticed that you’re doing a lot of supersets. Don’t worry, the supersets are your friends, even if they may not appear to be so at the time. Supersets are a tried-and-true method used by the world’s best bodybuilders to increase time under tension (TUT) when attempting to gain hypertrophy. They can also be used if you are short on time, reducing total workout duration while increasing work capacity.
Because the goal here is to build strength and size, supersetting will benefit hypertrophy adaptations because you’ll be hitting back-to-back similar muscle groups, pushing yourself closer to failure and thus recruiting more muscle fibres.
Incline barbell bench press
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As a superset, perform the next two moves.
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 6
- Rest: 90s
Chin-up
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 6
- Rest: 90s
Grab the pull-up bar with your palms facing you and a grip narrower than your shoulder width. Raise your body until your head is above the bar. Return to the starting position slowly.
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Dumbbell incline press
Superset the next two moves.
- Number Of Sets: 3
- Number of Reps: 8
- Rest time: 1m15s
Dumbbell row with one arm
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 8
- 1m15s of rest
Place your right hand against a flat bench under your shoulder while keeping your arm straight. Step your other leg out to the side while resting your right knee on the bench. Grab a dumbbell from the floor with your free hand and row it up to your side until your upper arm is parallel with the floor. Return to the floor slowly and repeat.
Hammer curl with dumbbells
As a superset, perform the next two moves.
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 12
- Rest: 45s
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your hips, at your sides. Curl up the weights until your thumbs are close to your shoulders, then lower.
Dips
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 12
- Rest: 45s
Grab the dip station’s bars with your palms facing inward and your arms straight. Lower slowly until your elbows are at right angles, making sure they are tucked against your body and not flaring out. Drive yourself back to the top and do it again.
Face pulling
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 12
- Rest: 60s
Attach rope handles to a cable machine’s top pulley. Kneel in front of it, one foot forward and flat on the grand piano. Take hold of the handles and pull them towards your face, keeping your hands apart and your upper arms flat. Pause for a moment, then reverse the movement.
Most of these exercises can also be modified. (For example, a one-arm row can be done with a cable or a dumbbell, and a face pull can be done with a band, TRX, or cable.) So, depending on your personal fitness goals and the readily available equipment, mix up the variations by using your body weight, a resistance band, a dumbbell, or a suspension trainer.
Read Also: Bench Glute Workout.
These moves will not only increase your overall strength, but they will also reduce your risk of injury, help you build a more symmetrical body, and naturally improve your core strength for everyday functional fitness.