Working the upper body is one of the most common exercises performed in a gym. While it might seem as though every other person in your local gym is working their chest and arms, there are endless variations of exercises to target different muscle groups. You can take your standard bench press or shoulder press, for example, and make them more challenging by adding weight with a barbell or dumbbells, performing them on an incline bench to target your muscles differently, or performing them faster and more explosively (explosive training).
If you’re new to the gym scene, getting started with an upper body workout can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many different pieces of equipment and so many muscles to work! If you’re unsure where to start, this article will provide all you need to know about how to work your upper body at the gym.
So, read on to know more about beginner upper body gym workout!
What’s the Benefit of Working Out Your Upper Body?
The upper body is made up of your chest, shoulders, back, biceps, and triceps. Working out the muscles in your upper body can help you in many ways.
- Improved posture: Good posture is important for overall health and well-being. Working out your upper body can help you improve your posture, which can also help combat bad conditions like scoliosis, back pain, and more.
- Stronger corea: Since the muscles in your upper body help support your torso, working these out can help you strengthen your core and improve your posture.
- Better sports performance: Whether you’re an athlete or not, working out the upper body can help improve your sports performance. This is especially true if you play sports like gymnastics, tennis, or golf where you need strong shoulders and upper backs.
- Better body balance: You might not think of your upper body when you think of balance, but strengthening your upper body can help improve your balance and decrease your risk of falling.
Beginner Upper Body Gym Workout Ideas
Bench Press
The bench press is a common exercise performed in gyms to work the chest and arms. The equipment needed for the bench press is a barbell and bench. You lie down on a flat bench, hold the barbell with both hands, lower the barbell towards your chest, and press the barbell back up until your arms are fully extended. You can adjust the difficulty of the exercise by adding more weight to the barbell or changing the incline of the bench you lie on. Bench pressing is a great exercise for building upper body strength. It targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps, and can also be used to build upper back strength. Bench pressing doesn’t just work your upper body muscles, though; this exercise also strengthens your core and lower body.
Shoulder Press
The shoulder press is a great upper body exercise that targets the shoulders, upper back, and triceps. The equipment needed for the shoulder press is a barbell and bench. If you’re new to this exercise, you may want to start with an empty barbell until you get the hang of it. As you become stronger, you can increase the weight of the barbell. This exercise is very similar to the bench press. The main difference is that you lie on an incline bench with your feet on the floor. You lower the barbell down towards your shoulders, push the barbell back up, and then lower the barbell to your shoulders again. Working your shoulders can help prevent injuries, especially for athletes. Shoulder pain is common among many athletes, but strengthening your shoulders can help prevent this.
Pull-up
The pull-up is a great exercise that targets your back, biceps, and core muscles. The muscles worked in this exercise include your trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, and core. The equipment needed for a pull-up is a barbell or a bar with a lat pull-down attachment. If you don’t have a pull-up bar, you can ask a gym employee where the closest one is installed. The best way to approach the pull-up is to start with lower reps and increase them as you get stronger. Beginner exercisers should aim for doing 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps.
Dips
The dip exercise works your chest and triceps, and is a great upper body exercise. The equipment needed for the dip is a set of parallel bars. To perform this exercise, you sit on the bars with your legs straight out in front of you and slowly lower yourself until your arms are fully extended. As you become stronger, you can add more weight or move to a lower set of parallel bars. This is a challenging exercise, but one that can pay off in the long run. If you find this exercise too difficult, there are a few ways you can make it easier. You can use an assisted machine where you can sit on a bench or seat with your legs straight out in front of you. You can also use a bench with a bar attached to it to help you do the exercise.
Treadmill or Rolling Bag Exercises
You can also perform exercises such as the treadmill, rowing machine, or stationary bike. These exercises work your upper body muscles and are great for beginners who are still getting used to exercising their upper body. You can choose how difficult the exercise is by adjusting the speed or resistance of the equipment. You can choose to perform one exercise or combine a few together for a full upper body workout. For example, you could perform 10 minutes of rowing followed by 10 minutes of a treadmill. Exercises on the treadmill and rowing machine are low impact and are great for people with joint issues or who experience pain when performing regular weightlifting exercises.
Conclusion on Beginner Upper Body Gym Workout Ideas
The upper body is made up of many muscles that can often get overlooked in the gym. If you’re looking to improve your fitness, working out your upper body is an excellent place to start. The upper body is made up of many muscles, so it’s important to work out your arms and chest just as much as your legs. Working out your upper body can help improve your posture, core strength, and sports performance, as well as give you a more defined physique. There are many different exercises you can do to work out your upper body. The best approach is to select a few exercises you enjoy and perform them regularly.
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