Goal: This workout focuses on enhancing muscular strength and endurance in the upper body, including the chest, back, arms, and shoulders.
Daily Benefits: Developing upper body strength can improve functional daily activities, such as lifting and carrying objects. It also helps maintain good posture and reduce the risk of shoulder and back injuries.
Warmup Exercises
- Jogging in Place with Arm Raises
- Instructions: Jog in place while raising your arms above your head and lowering them back down to increase circulation in the upper body.
- Equipment used: None
- Duration: 3 minutes
- Muscles worked: Full body
- Side Arm Raises
- Instructions: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, lift your arms to the side to shoulder height, and lower them back down in a controlled motion.
- Equipment used: None
- Duration: 2 minutes
- Muscles worked: Shoulders
Stretching Exercises
- Wrist Flexor and Extensor Stretches
- Instructions: Extend one arm with the palm facing up and gently pull back on the fingers, then flip the arm and press the fingers down to stretch the other side.
- Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch
- Instructions: Bring one arm across the front of your body and use the other hand to press it closer to your chest.
Main Exercises:
- Push-Ups
- Instructions: Perform a push-up with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width and lower your body until the chest nearly touches the floor, then push back up.
- Equipment used: None
- Duration: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
- Muscles worked: Chest, shoulders, triceps
- Tricep Dips
- Instructions: On a secure bench or chair, place your hands next to your hips, slide off the front, and lower your body by bending the elbows, then press back up.
- Equipment used: Bench or Chair
- Duration: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Muscles worked: Triceps, shoulders
- Bent-Over Rows
Cool-Down:
- Light Cardio
- Instructions: Keep moving with light activity such as walking to gradually lower the heart rate and begin the recovery process.
Post-Workout Stretching Exercises
- Chest Stretch
- Instructions: Find a doorway, place your arm against the frame, and lean forward until you feel a stretch in the chest and front of the shoulder.
- Seated Forward Arm Extension
- Instructions: Seated on the ground, extend your arms in front of you and lower your chest to the floor to stretch your upper back.
This Upper Body Strength and Endurance Workout, when performed consistently, will result in significant improvements to your upper body’s muscular endurance. To continue progressing, include a variety of dumbbells and resistance bands to gradually increase the difficulty of the exercises. Record your workouts and recovery with a workout planner and complement your efforts with balanced nutrition from a weekly meal plan subscription for best results.
