Increasing the muscle mass and strength in your upper body can help you look better, perform at a higher level and prevent you from becoming injured. No upper body exercise is the best -- rather, several exercises offer different benefits, and should be performed in your routine if you wish to achieve the maximum muscle gain possible.
Bench Press
Lie on a flat bench, with an Olympic bar placed on the safety pins. Grasp the bar with your hands shoulder width apart and push your upper back and glutes down into the bench. Lower the bar under control until it lightly touches your chest, pause for a second, then forcefully push it back up again. The bench press is fantastic for gaining size in your chest, shoulders and triceps, and helps to improve strength throughout your entire upper body.
Chinups
Grasp a chinup bar with your hands shoulder width apart, and palms facing toward you. Take your feet off the floor, and pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar by squeezing your shoulder blades together, flexing your arms and pointing your elbows down and back. Chinups are an excellent exercise to test your upper back, biceps and grip strength. You can also make them tougher by adding weight to them with the use of a dipping belt, weighted vest or dumbbell. For maximum results, perform body-weight chinups in one session, then weighted ones in the next.
Military Press
Place a bar in a power rack at chest height, and hold it with a grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Take the bar from the rack, stand with your feet together, and press the bar straight up above your head until your arms are straight, pause for a second, then lower the bar back to just above your shoulders. Military presses target your shoulders, triceps, upper back and core muscles, and can also be performed with dumbbells, or as a push press, in which you add a little leg drive into the lift.
Bent-Over Row
Place a barbell on the floor and hold it with a wide grip. Push your hips back and bend your knees slightly until your torso is just above parallel to the ground. Pull the bar to your upper abdomen, and squeeze your shoulder blades together, then slowly straighten your arms again. Bent-over rows can also be performed with dumbbells, and if your grip strength is a limiting factor, you might wish to use wrist straps.
Member Comments