Training upper body is such an important part of your training program. Often females tend to focus on the lower body and although they may train upper body they may not place as much emphasis or focus on it. So today I’m sharing an upper body workout that only requires a set of dumbbells. It can be done at home or in the gym.
Complete 8-12 reps of each exercise and repeat 3-4 times before moving on to the next exercise.
8-12 Dumbbell Chest Press
If you have a bench or an elevated surface you can use it for this move, however if that’s not available to you then you can also do the chest press from the floor. Begin laying on your back with the dumbbells straight up over top of you. Bending at the elbows and keeping your elbows tucked in slightly lower the weights towards your chest and you inhale. At the bottom begin to exhale and push the weights back up and away from you. Keep your core tight throughout the movement and your feet firmly on the floor (as long as that’s comfortable for you).
8-12 Dumbbell Single Arm Row
Again for this movement if you have a bench or an elevated surface you can use it to place your non-working knee and hand on. If you don’t have an elevated surface you can do this move from a staggered stance position instead. Anchoring one knee and one hand on the bench or elevated surface place the other leg on the floor and allow the opposite arm to hold a dumbbell beside out. Pull your elbow behind you in a slow controlled manner rowing the dumbbell up towards your belly button. Although this is a single arm movement you can still focus on squeezing the shoulder blades together at the top of the movement. Exhale as you row up and then inhale as you lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
8-12 Bicep Curls
Take a dumbbell in each hand and stand tall with your core tight. Tuck your elbows in close to your side and bending at the elbow curl the weights up towards your shoulders exhaling as you do. Inhale as you return to the start position. Ensure that your elbows are fully extended at the bottom of the movement before moving into the next rep.
8-12 Overhead Tricep Extensions
Take a single dumbbell straight overhead keeping your core active and your spine neutral. Bending at the elbow lower the dumbbell in behind your head as you inhale and exhale to extend it back overhead. Ensure your core is tight through this movement to avoid arching through the lower back. If you are struggling with core control try this movement from a seated position until you are able to maintain neutral spine. You can also try decreasing the weight as sometimes this helps as well.
8-12 Dumbbell Overhead Press
Take a dumbbell in each hand and bring your hands to about shoulder height. Keep your core tight and engaged throughout the movement as you press overhead to avoid arching in the lower back. Press the dumbbell above your head and together fully extending through the elbows as you exhale. Return the dumbbells to their start position as you inhale by bending at the elbows and lower to about shoulder height.
There you have it a simple dumbbell upper body workout you can complete at home (if you have dumbbells or other weights) or in the gym (all you need is a couple different dumbbell weights and a corner). What other workouts do you want to see on the blog? Let me know, or just over to my Instagram for a weekly workout posted there!
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