Upper Body Workout at Home

It is true that a 'complete' workout is one wherein both the upper and lower body muscles are equally exercised and toned. However, what most gym instructors won't tell you is that you should always put in a little extra effort in your upper body workouts. The reason is, your upper body consists of a group of important muscles such as the neck muscles, shoulder muscles, biceps, triceps, stomach and back muscles. Almost each of them plays a significant role, both voluntarily and involuntarily, in all your daily activities. Therefore, it is very important that your upper body muscles be strong and toned. A weak upper body can lead to various spine-related problems which can subsequently cause serious discomfort and pain. Regular gym-goers would be well versed with the different exercises that make a complete upper body workout. For those who prefer home exercises, you can do the following upper body workout at home and keep yourself in good shape.

How to do a Complete Upper Body Workout at Home
Since there isn't any trainer physically present to supervise the proceedings, all workout routines at home require you to be extra careful. Keep in mind that the best workouts at home are those in which you achieve a good degree of balance between exercise and rest. You should perform the following exercises as part of your upper body workout at home:

Pull Ups: These are a great way of strengthening your shoulders, biceps and lat muscles. For this purpose, you can either purchase a readymade pull up bar or you can consider making a homemade pull up bar as well. Pull ups can be performed in a number of ways such as standard pull ups, overhand grip pull ups, deadhang pull ups, kipping, single-arm pull ups and muscled pull ups. Initially, begin with standard pull ups and focus on testing your arm and shoulder strength. Even if you are able to do just 1 or 2 pull ups on the first day of the workout, it is absolutely fine. Persist and you will find your stamina increasing with every passing day.

Push ups: One of the most common upper body exercises, push ups target your biceps, triceps, chest, abs and back. They should ideally be performed in sets of 10 with a maximum repetition of 6 - 8 sets. Start slowly and build up your stamina over time. You can further increase the difficulty level by doing push ups with your fists closed or on your fingertips. Another variation involves doing push ups while keeping your legs on a chair or on a bed. This position will specifically target your lower abs along with the above-mentioned muscles.

Crunches: Crunches is what you should do if you wish to have those washboard six pack abs. There are different types of crunches, all of which target different sets of stomach and abdomen muscles. Start with sets of 10 and gradually increase the repetitions over time.

Curls: Bicep and tricep curls are an integral part of weight training. They go a long way in toning and shaping your shoulders, biceps and triceps. You can use a barbell or a dumbbell for this purpose. Start off with a comfortable weight and increase it only when you find the current weight to be insufficient and easy to lift. Perform these exercises in a set of 10 - 12 curls and gradually increase the repetitions with every subsequent workout.

Yoga: Yoga is an important part of all workouts, including upper body workouts. Certain yoga exercises and asanas help to strengthen the back muscles, thereby improving your posture and protecting you from spine-related ailments. Try doing the surya namaskar or sun salutation exercise in a set of 12 each, along with the bhujangasana and the virasana. Finally, complete your workout by lying down in shavasana i.e., the corpse position for a good 10 - 15 minutes.

Once you are comfortable with the above exercises, you can include resistance band exercises, tricep dips, shoulder presses, bench presses and deadlifts as part of your upper body workout at home. Getting adequate rest is paramount, so make sure that you work out not more than 4 times a week, or else you may experience the side-effects of over-training.