No time to make it to the gym for your usual weight room workout? No problem! Here are four upper-body exercises you can do at home. Be sure to warm-up for 5 to 10 minutes, swinging arms forward and backward, doing shoulder circles forward and backward, and doing jumping jacks to get your heart rate up.
No time to make it to the gym for your usual weight room workout? No problem! Here are four upper-body exercises you can do at home. Be sure to warm-up for 5 to 10 minutes, swinging arms forward and backward, doing shoulder circles forward and backward, and doing jumping jacks to get your heart rate up.
1. Push ups
So simple and so effective in toning your shoulders, arms, and chest, push ups can be done anywhere. Get on all fours with your hands wider than your shoulders. You can do push ups on your knees or on your toes, depending on your fitness level. Do 10 to 20 push ups, 1 to 3 sets.
2. Dips
Grab a chair and tone your triceps and shoulders. Sit at the edge of a sturdy chair with your hands at the edge of the front of the chair. Straighten your arms, lifting yourself off the chair and move your body forward, keeping your knees over your feet. Bend your elbows and lower body until your elbows are at about 90 degrees. Straighten your elbows, working the back of your upper arms, and repeat for 10 to 20 repetitions, 1 to 3 sets.
3. Back rows
If you have dumbbells in the closet collecting dust, now is the time to use them. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms straight at your sides. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your knees slightly bent and your back flat (don’t round your shoulders or mid- to lower back), allowing your arms to move perpendicular to the floor. With your wrists facing eachother, bend your elbows, lifting the dumbbells towards your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold for 1 second then lower the dumbbells to start position. Repeat for 10 to 20 repetitions, 1 to 3 sets. If you don’t have dumbbells or the pair you have are too light, use full gallon jugs of water or milk.
4. Bicep curls
Place a dumbbell in each hand, arms straight by your sides, wrists facing forward. Curl dumbbells to your shoulders, squeezing the front of your upper arms. Lower and repeat, 10 to 20 repetitions, 1 to 3 sets. If you’re going to use water or milk jugs, do curls with your wrists facing each other to protect your wrists.
If you want to do a full-body workout, add these lower body exercises and core moves to your routine.
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