Sculpt the Ultimate Upper Body
Build better muscles with these six exercises.
A well-built upper body doesn't come by chance. Sure, some people are born with the goods. But even the most genetically blessed have to work at it. And everyone has to fight the muscle-diminishing effects of aging that can start as early as your 30s.
Like the recipe for success, a great body is 99 percent perspiration. But the good news is that it comes easier than you might think. It just takes about 30 minutes a session targeting key muscles to sculpt your arms, back and chest.
This bodybuilding workout consists of six classic moves. The key to packing on muscle is to first build a base level of strength, then to overload the muscles to challenge them to work slightly harder than normal. Gradually increasing the amount of weight you use, as well as varying the number of reps, sets and rest periods in between the exercises can help vary the stimulus and help you to grow stronger. Do this workout three times a week and get ready to flex with the best of them!
How to do it:
You may have benched 250 pounds back in the day, but it's important that you shape your workout to fit your fitness level right now. Don't hoist more weight than your joints and muscles are ready to lift. Start low and work up to heavier weights gradually. Different muscle groups will require different amounts of weight.
Choose a weight that is heavy enough to challenge your target muscles, but not so heavy that your joints feel strained. Start with dumbbells that are at least 8 to 10 pounds and gradually work up to using 10 to 20 pounds or more, depending on the exercise.
If you are new to lifting weights, or have not done so for six months or longer, then build a base level of strength for 8 to 12 weeks by doing one to two sets of 8 to 12 reps of each exercise, two to three days per week. Rest for two to three minutes in between each set of each exercise.
Once you have a base level of strength, perform two to three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise. Rest for one to two minutes in between each set of reps. Do this workout two to three times a week with a rest day in between.
What you need: Weights, a step and a stability ball.
Are you ready to sculpt the ultimate upper body? Click here to get the moves.
Find More Workouts in the Fit Zone: Popular Slide Shows on MSN Health & Fitness:
Martica is a Manhattan-based exercise physiologist and nutritionist and an award-winning fitness instructor. She has written for a variety of publications including Self, Health, Prevention, The New York Times and others. Martica is the author of seven books, including her latest, Cross-training for Dummies. (Read her full bio.)
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There’s one one common misconception people have in mind
that makes them think fat loss and weight
loss is the same. This is not entirely true. They are slightly different
but this small difference could means getting firm, developed abs or getting
flat, plain abs.
First of all, to uncover your abs you need to get rid of belly fat that covers
them. From this, you see that the goal should be fat loss.
But if I lose fat, I lose
weight…so if I lose weight, I should lose
fat too, right?
Not necessarily true. Your body weight comprises of many substances: water,
fat, muscle, etc. Now, if you only use weight scale to measure your progress,
how do you know which substance you lost most?
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Weight Loss vs Fat Loss in Getting Well-Defined Abs
There’s one one common misconception people have in mind
that makes them think fat loss and weight
loss is the same. This is not entirely true. They are slightly different
but this small difference could means getting firm, developed abs or getting
flat, plain abs.
First of all, to uncover your abs you need to get rid of belly fat that covers
them. From this, you see that the goal should be fat loss.
But if I lose fat, I lose
weight…so if I lose weight, I should lose
fat too, right?
Not necessarily true. Your body weight comprises of many substances: water,
fat, muscle, etc. Now, if you only use weight scale to measure your progress,
how do you know which substance you lost most?
About Appetite Suppressors to Help Reduce Weight
Prevent Snoring by Losing Weight
Use Acai Berry for Weight Loss
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