Upper body strength is important in a sport setting as well as for everyday activities. Picking up hay bales, shoveling snow, placing boxes on a high shelf and stacking firewood all take recruitment of upper body muscles. Being that weight training is the focal point of an upper body workout, you do not have much impact to worry about -- this is more the case with running and jumping exercises which work the lower body. However, you still have to pay attention to certain details to achieve the greatest success.
Warming Up
Warming up your body up before workouts is important for injury prevention. The best way to do this is by performing five to 10 minutes of light cardio, followed by a series of dynamic stretches. This will get blood pumping to your muscles and it will acclimate your body to movement patterns performed during exercise. Dynamic stretches move the body through a steady range of motion instead of being held for a certain time frame. Perform stretches like alternating toe touches, arm swings, arm crossovers, side bends, trunk rotations and shoulder rotations. Choose a low-impact form of cardio like cycling, elliptical training or rowing.
Muscles in the Upper Body
The major muscles in the upper body include the pectorals, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, deltoids, triceps, biceps and abs. The pecs are in the chest, the lats run form the mid to upper back, the traps are between the shoulder blades -- and delts sit on the outside of your shoulders. Your goal with a workout is to target all of these muscles.
Exercise Selection
Compound exercises work more than one muscle and involve more than one joint at the same time. Because they work multiple muscles, you can lift a high amount of weight which boosts strength gains. As an added benefit, the inclusion of compound exercises will cut down on your workout time. Base your workout around exercises like bench presses, shoulder presses, back rows, triceps dips and twisting biceps curls. All of these exercises cause little impact on the body and you have the option of using machines with many of them. Machines are advantageous if you are a beginner, but free weights promote more muscle recruitment because you have to balance them during your exercises.
Strict Form
Moving through a full range of motion and not using momentum are two key points with all of your exercises. Breaking these two rules will compromise your progress, even with low-impact exercises. Take barbell shoulder presses, for example -- stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width distance and hold the bar at upper chest height with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. Keeping your abs tight and back straight, forcefully push the bar above your head until your arms are fully extended. Slowly lower the bar back down and repeat. You also have the option of doing this exercise from a seated position. Remember to use proper breathing technique with your exercises. Exhale as you exert force and inhale as you return a weight to its starting position.
Reps and Frequency
The amount of work you do will correlate with your progress. Exercising every now and then will not produce favorable results. Aim for eight to 12 repetitions, do three to five sets and work out three days a week on nonconsecutive days.
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