Beginners Guide to Upper Body Training

Beginners Guide to Upper Body Training

FOCUS ON: Training Your Upper Body

Just because you are starting to layer up doesn’t mean your physique will Go unnoticed. Upper body training is important to prepare you to look your best even in the winter months. The chest can be a problem area for most men and getting the size and muscularity you want from your upper body is often difficult. Training arms is a little easier but everything you do takes time, patience and discipline. Never sacrifice form and never give up. Results don’t come easy and now is always a great time to start. Before you begin, read through the entire section to help you assess your current fitness level and set your Goals.

  • Always consult your doctor before beginning this or any training or diet/supplement program.
  • Please consult with a staff member of your gym or a personal trainer if you are unfamiliar with any of the exercises.
  • To calculate your maximal heart rate: 220 – age. Multipy this number by .85 to calculate 85% of maximal heart rate. Example for a 40 year old: 220 – 40 = 180 max heart rate. 180 x .85 = 153 beats per minute.

MEN’S BEGINNER EXERCISE PROGRAM

We recommend the following beginners program for anyone who hasn’t been training consistently in the gym. If you trained hard in the past but are just getting back into the swing of things, you should also try this program for three to four weeks to help you get back on track. No matter what your starting point is, make sure to continually increase the relative intensity of your workouts as your fitness levels improves.

Upper Body Workout #1

  • Seated Rows (exercise machine)
  • Seated Chest Press (exercise machine)
  • Lat Pulldowns (exercise machine)
  • Shoulder Presses (dumbbells)
  • Shoulder Raises To The Front (dumbbells)
  • Triceps Pushdowns (exercise machine)
  • Bicep Curls (dumbbells)

Upper Body Workout #2

  • Chest Press (dumbbells)
  • Lat Pulldowns (exercise machine)
  • Inclined Chest Press (dumbbells)
  • Shoulder Raises to the Side (dumbbells)
  • Shoulder Raises to the Front (dumbbells)
  • Overhead Triceps Presses (dumbbells)
  • Hammer Curls (dumbbells)