This is a simple and effective at home workout routine that you can do anywhere to help build upper body strength and endurance.
I’ve posted a number of articles outlining beginner core workouts so I’m going to use this post to focus more on other muscle groups that support upper body fitness.
Incorporate this introductory routine into one of the abdominal workouts that you enjoy and that should get you started on a well rounded upper body regimen.
I’m also going to do a deep dive into some of the movements in this routine and show you how to incorporate them into a full body workout with more advanced variations to build upper body strength and cardio fitness in the future.
For now though, we’ll focus on this amazing beginner’s upper body workout that is sure to have you feeling stronger and more fit without too much of an investment of your time.
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The Push Up
One of the first exercises I ever started doing on a regular basis is the push up. It’s my go to for upper body strength training.
I’ll probably always incorporate it into my workout.
There are numerous variations of the push up that you can do but for this, I’ll focus on the standard push up. We can look into other variations another time.
This movement is great for strength training because it hits several muscle groups including the chest, shoulders, triceps and core. It is definitely one of the classic favorites for building upper body strength.
Additionally it’s great because it can be adapted to focus more on different muscles and be made easier or more challenging.
Here’s how you go about completing a standard push up:
Lie down on the ground, face down, legs together with your hands palms down next to your shoulders.
From this position, push up so that your arms nearly straighten out and you are supporting your weight on your palms and toes.
Try and keep a straight line with your back down your legs and don’t let your hips sag.
From this upright position allow your body to come down all together, maintaining the straight line, with your elbows out a little from your sides.
Try and press up gradually. Also, bring yourself down slowly, resisting the urge to let gravity do all the work.
Once you press up and come back down, consider that a single repetition.
I like to perform the push up gradually in both directions to get the most out of the movement so that the muscles being used are engaged the entire time.
By the way, you’ll want to keep your core tight as well because you’re doing a little work there also.
Try and keep your shoulders back and down during this exercise, this will help you squeeze your scapula together and really concentrate on the chest.
By altering your hand positions you can change the angle you are working on your chest and change the muscles being worked as well.
For now, focus on the standard position and maintaining good form. This will pay huge dividends in building upper body strength and help with other exercises as well.
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If this position is too difficult, there are a couple variations you can try.
From the same starting point, instead of going up on your toes, press up on your knees, so that your knees and hands are bearing the weight.
You should find that a little easier since your upper body will not be in play the same as the standard position.
Work on this technique until it is coming easy to you and return to the standard position.
Another alternative is placing your hands on a bench, having them elevated above the ground, with the rest of your body lined up the same way.
This should make the move a little easier. It targets the chest on a different angle and keeps the core engaged. Using your knees removes your core from the movement.
Here’s a great demonstration by Anna Renderer for Popsugar fitness of how to complete a proper push up.
Some amazing workout tips for beginners included in there. As well as the variations I discussed to make the movement a little easier.
If you are a true beginner and this is your first time doing push ups, try and complete about 5 – 10 repetitions using whichever variation works for you. Remember you’re doing this exercise as part of a slightly larger routine. There’s two more movements to go.
Make sure you maintain good form. You’ll really feel this in your upper body.
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The Shoulder Press Up For Upper Body Strength
This is a great concentration exercise that will help you build strong and toned shoulders.
Much like the push up, it starts from a similar position and uses your bodyweight for the entire exercise.
If you are comfortable with the push up, you should have no problem setting up for this movement.
Start off by getting into the standard push up position, like you did above with your arms fully extended.
From there, extend your hips up towards the ceiling so that your body is making the shape of an upside down “V”.
Lower yourself down towards the floor until your head just about touches and then press back up.
Try and slowly control the movement in both directions, with a brief hold at the bottom and top of the exercise.
This is more of a focused move with emphasis on the shoulders. You should really feel it.
Here’s a good demonstration of the shoulder press up also known as the pike push up from the folks over at Livestrong.com.
The shoulder press will help you build strength and endurance.
Try and do about 8 to 10 repetitions. Don’t worry about going until you’re totally fatigued. You still have one more exercise in this routine to go.
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Tricep Dips
This is a highly effective movement for building the largest muscle group in your arms and contributing to upper body strength.
Find yourself a chair or a bench. You want one with a solid edge that will support your weight and that you can grip easily with both hands.
Sit forward on the edge with your hands by your sides. Wrap your hands around the edge so you are gripping it mostly with your palms.
Slide your butt forward so that it is no longer on the edge.
At this point your arms should be straight, gripping the edge of the chair supporting your weight with your butt suspended in the air and your legs together and straight out in front of you.
So basically, you should be holding yourself up with your hands and heels.
From this position, allow your elbows to bend so that your butt dips down until your arms form almost a 90 degree angle, hold for a moment and then press back up.
That is one completed repetition of the tricep dip. This is one of the best concentration exercises for your triceps.
If this position is too difficult, bend your knees so that your feet can go flat on the floor in front of you.
This will make the movement a little easier and allow you to assist yourself with your legs if you need it.
If this movement is still a little too tough, there is a variation of the push up you can do to focus more on the triceps.
Go back to the easier push up position where you are on your knees. From there, bring your hands in a little closer than shoulder width apart.
When you press up and come down, keep your elbows tighter to your sides. In this position you should really feel the focus on your triceps.
Stick with these easier variations and you’ll see your upper arm strength building quickly.
It won’t be long before you are doing full tricep dips without any problem at all.
Here’s a good demonstration of the tricep dip by Scott Herman from Scott Herman Fitness.
Try and do about 5 – 10 repetitions. Remember if its too touch at first, pull your feet a little forward so they’re flat on the ground, giving yourself a little more support.
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Putting It All Together
OK. Let’s put this strength building upper body beginner workout together and see how it looks.
- Push Ups 5 – 10 Repetitions
- Shoulder Press Ups 8 – 10 Repetitions
- Tricep Dips 5 – 10 Repetitions
That looks pretty good. With just these three movements you’ll be giving yourself a major upper body strength workout.
At first glance it may not look like much but if you are new to working out, this will really be a solid strength building routine.
Try and do the entire routine 3 times through, giving yourself about a minute or two rest in between each exercise.
Do the whole routine 2 to 3 times a week and you’re on your way to building some serious upper body strength.
Now it’s still possible you complete this routine and decide you need a little more. Maybe this workout is still a little too beginner for you.
In that case why not…
Make It Metabolic!
Wait! What?
I’ll tell you.
This routine can be turned into a great metabolic workout for beginners.
If you haven’t heard of a metabolic workout before and want to know what it is, here’s a general breakdown for you.
A metabolic workout tends to involve compound exercises. Compound exercises utilize multiple joints and multiple muscle groups at the same time.
So for example, the push up in this routine is a great compound exercise incorporating the pectorals, deltoids, triceps and core. As you can imagine, it works multiple joints for these muscle groups to work together. A major builder of upper body strength.
A good metabolic workout will have you boost your metabolism with a good calorie burn. Your metabolism is generally measured by how many calories you burn while at rest.
The faster your metabolism the more calories you burn. The more calories you burn the better your chances of burning fat and losing some weight.
Metabolic training tends to incorporate large muscle groups in the body. Though it can be done with smaller muscle groups as well. It utilizes high intensity and you’ll definitely feel the burn in the muscles you are working.
The high intensity also means you’re able to workout for a shorter period of time to achieve the same results.
The benefits of a solid metabolic workout routine for beginners include improved cardiovascular performance and strength training. There also tends to be a boost in fat loss as a result of increased calorie burns.
Some studies indicated that following a good metabolic workout routine, a percentage of the increased levels of calorie burns continue while at rest. This has been referred to as the “afterburn effect”.
Also known as the excess post exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC. It’s really just a fancy way of describing the increased number of calories burned after exercise.
Related Article: High Intensity Interval Training Made Easy
So now you’re wondering…
Just How Do We Make This Workout Routine Metabolic?
No problem.
If you’re looking to turn this into a metabolic workout routine for beginners the best place to start is with your rest period in between exercises.
This is one way to boost the intensity. So instead of resting for a couple of minutes between each movement, cut your rest down to 30 seconds.
If that still doesn’t do it for you, take the rest out completely from in between exercises and go straight through from one movement to the next.
Save the rest for after completing all three exercises.
If you still want something a little extra, try jumping rope for 30 seconds after each exercise. This is what I like to do some days with my routine to make it metabolic. Still, no resting until you’ve gone all the way through all the listed exercises.
And whatever you do, don’t slow down. You want to maintain a steady pace.
By boosting the intensity in this fashion you’ll reap the benefits of this bodyweight strength training routine in less time and effectively turned it into a great metabolic workout.
For a super power packed upper body day, remember you can add one of the core workouts you liked after completing a couple circuits of this one.
The Wrap Up
So there you have it. A great bodyweight workout for beginners to build upper body strength.
If you’re able to jump right to the metabolic workout, I’d imagine you’re not quite a beginner and may be ready soon to take this workout to the next level by adding weight and additional sets.
If you are a beginner, this routine should get you on track to building your strength and toning your body. Try and do it at least a couple times a week until it gets considerably easier.
At that point you won’t be such a beginner anymore. You’ll be on your way to the next level. Way to go!
