Upper body exercises help support functional fitness and posture. Strengthening the upper body also helps you avoid injury. Add these exercises to your regular routine.
Overhead press
The overhead press works your obliques, lower back, triceps and more. In short, you get a lot of bang for your exercise buck with this one. To do the overhead press with dumbbells – stand with feet hip-width apart. Grasp your weights at shoulder height with an overhand grip. Extend both arms fully above your head, bringing the weights side by side. Slowly lower to your shoulders and repeat. Repeat 8 to 10 times for two sets.
Planks
Planks aren’t just good for your arms. They are also good for your chest and back. In fact, planks are good for your whole body. To do them, start on your belly. Curl your toes under and lift your torso by bringing your palms flat on the floor with wrists under elbows and elbows under shoulders. Your middle fingers should be parallel. Your neck and spine should form a straight line reminiscent of a plank and hold for 15 to 60 seconds.
Kettle bell swings
Kettle bell swings can be very fun. They are a good upper body workout, plus they burn mega calories and show your lower body some love, too. To do them, stand with feet hip-width apart. Grasp your weight with palms facing down. Using a controlled motion, swing the kettle bell chest high and then with a hinge of your hips and bend of the knees, swing the kettle bell between your legs. Repeat this motion for 60 seconds for two sets to start.
Bear crawls
Put the fun back in your fitness routine with bear crawls. These benefit your arms, chest, and shoulders. To do them just crawl on all fours without letting your knees touch the floor. Pace yourself, bear crawls can be tough. Stick with it and you will build stamina and strength in just a few weeks.
Biceps curls
No upper body workout list is complete without this most basic exercise. To do these grab your weights using an underhand grip. Let your arms rest at your sides. With control, fully extend your arms in front of you and then curl the weight toward your shoulder. Extend and repeat for 8 to 10 reps.
Upper body exercises support functional health, stability, and posture. Keep these exercises in your fitness rotation to maintain your upper body strength.
