Although bodyweight exercises are a great way to build muscle mass, adding weight to your upper body workouts can help you challenge your muscles in new ways. You can also work different muscle groups by cycling through a variety exercises to get the best upper-body workout.
Here are some tips to help you build stronger, bigger muscles (upper or lower body)
* Keep challenging your muscles. This can be done by increasing weight, performing more reps or decreasing the rest period between sets. Even minor tweaks can help keep your muscles progressing.
* Perform more sets. Research has shown that lifting weights who do three to five sets are more likely to gain strength, endurance, and hypertrophy.
* Eat right. Protein is crucial for building muscle. You need to eat enough protein and eat it right after your workout.
This guide will give you more information on building muscle. You can also add any of the 11 exercises from Beachbody On Demand to your upper-body training sessions.
1. Wide Bent-Over Row
Appears in:SHAUN WEEK – Insane weights
Benefits: “No one can do enough rows,” Tony Gentilcore C.S.C.S., who owns the CORE gym in Boston. Rows can alleviate back pain and correct posture. They also help to improve your vision, which will reduce the likelihood of you sitting too long at a computer.
* Stand with your feet together and your knees bent.
Keep your hips bent and your chest in line with the ground. Your palms should be facing your shins.
* Lift your elbows straight up, making a goalpost with your arms. As you pull back, squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Repeat the process by lowering your arms.
2. Callahan Press
Appears in:P90X2- Chest and Shoulder, Tris, and Tris
Benefits: The Callahan Press hits all three heads on the deltoid. This helps with full-shoulder development.
Holding a dumbbell in each of your hands, stand with your feet together. Your elbows should be bent at 90 degrees. Your shoulders should align with your upper arms. Your hands should point towards the ceiling. This is your starting position.
* Place your forearms forward and bring your palms towards your face. To return to the original position, reverse the motion.
To return to the original position, press the weights above your shoulders. This is one repetition.
Appears in:The Master’s Hammer, Chisel-Max Hammer Strength
The bench press has many benefits. It allows you to work your shoulders, pecs and triceps in a new way for those who have trouble with push-ups. Gentilcore says that bench presses allow you to lift more than your body weight for push-ups. This is crucial to add strength and definition.
Place your back on a bench and place a dumbbell in each of your hands above your chest. Raise your arms straight above your chest, palms facing forward.
* Bend your elbows so that the dumbbells are lowered to the floor.
* Pause. Next, press in slightly to make your arms fully extended.
4. Pullover
Appears in:The Master’s Hammer and Chisel – Total Body Chisel
Benefits: Although this move may seem simple, there are many factors involved, especially when it comes building your pecs and lats. Bonus: Every rep will increase the core’s energy, which can help you to bulk up your upper-body workout.
Place your back on a bench and hold a set dumbbells.
* Keep your feet on the ground, your core engaged, and extend your arms towards the sky. Hold the dumbbells in your hands, just above your chest.
* Bend your elbows slightly so that your arms are straight up.
* Slowly raise your arms to the top of your chest. Repeat.
Thomas suggests a tip: Avoid dropping dumbbells overhead. Instead, arch your back and lift your ribs. Keep your core engaged during the exercise to avoid this.
5. Reverse Fly on Bench
Appears in:Body Beast-Build: Shoulders
Benefits: The posterior-deltoid fly builds and strengthens rear heads of the deltoid.
* Place two dumbbells on a bench and sit down.
* With your palms facing in, lean forward 45 degrees.
* Keep your torso straight and slowly lift the dumbbells outwards until your arms are parallel to floor. At the top, squeeze your rear deltoids as well as your mid-back.
* Slowly reverse the movement and then repeat.
6. Alternating Biceps Curl
Appears in:FOCUS T25>> Upper Focus
Gentilcore says that biceps curls have many benefits, including building the biceps, which is everyone’s favorite vanity muscle. They also promote shoulder stability.
* Stand hip-width apart with your feet together, and hold two dumbbells by your sides. Your palms face forward.
* Keep your core straight and your elbows at your sides. The dumbbell should be held in your right hand.
* Take a brief pause at the top of your move and then return to your starting position.
* Continue the movement with your left arm.
* Perform the same number of reps on each side, alternating sides.
Pro tip: Resist the urge to “ego lift”. You should only lift weights you can bend your elbow to lift. You should reduce the weight if your shoulders, elbows, torso, or hips move or you feel like you are bouncing.
7. Floor Chest Fly
Appears in:P90X3 – Incinerator
Thomas states that this move has many benefits. It targets the chest muscles in a way other upper-body exercises such as push-ups or bench presses cannot. You don’t even require a bench, just a set dumbbells.
Place your back on the ground, with your knees bent, and your feet flat. Hold a pair dumbbells over your chest, with your palms facing one another. You should bend your elbows slightly.
* Slowly lower dumbbells to your sides. Create a wide arc with you arms so that your upper arms touch the ground.
* Pause and slowly reverse the motion to return to the top. Then, repeat the process.
8. Tower Dip
Appears in:Sagi’s BOD exclusives – Bis and Tris
Benefits: The dip is a foundational exercise for upper-body strength. It works the triceps along with the shoulders, chest, and pectoralis minor.
* Grab the handles from a dip station and jump up or down to the starting position: feet on the ground, arms straight, knees bent, ankles crossed.
* Keep your elbows straight and your forearms horizontal. Allow your torso forward to lower your body until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle.
* Return to the original position by inverting the movement. You can do as many repetitions as you like.
You find the move too difficult? Try it with your hands on a bench or chair behind you, and your feet on a hard surface.
9. Skull Crusher Press
Appears in: INSANITY Vol. 1- Strength
Benefits: Although the triceps get the most attention when it comes to upper body muscles, the triceps account for more upper arm mass. This move will help you develop triceps that pop. The press action activates your shoulders.
* Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your shoulders. Keep your elbows down.
* Hold the weight straight up.
* Do not move your upper arms.
* Inverse the movements to get back to the starting position.
Pro tip: This exercise is easy with a light weight. To maintain your form, start with lighter weights and increase your strength as you get more comfortable with the move.
10. Extend your triceps extension by sitting overhead
Appears in:Body Beast- Bulk Arms
Benefits: This move isolates the triceps muscles and rounds out your triceps.
* Sit down on a bench and place one end of the dumbbell behind your head. Keep your arms bent at 90 degrees.
* Keep your back flat with your elbows tucked and slowly lift the weight up.
* Stop, then slowly lower the weight back down.
Pro tip: Try to keep your torso straight and resist the temptation to lean forward during the movement. This move can be done standing. However, this will require you to use your core more for stability.
11. Chin-Up
Appears in:P90X3>>The Challenge
Benefits: This is the ultimate pulling movement. The chin-up strengthens your lats, rear deltoids and biceps, while the pull-up, which uses an overhand grip, places more emphasis on your biceps.
* Grab a pull up bar with an underhand grip slightly wider than your shoulder-width and hang at arm’s length (a position called a dead hang).
* Lift your head up until your chin touches the bar. Keep your core tight and your back straight.
* Stop, then lower your body to a dead hanging position.
