3 Upper-Body Exercises

Posted byCoach Jo

Who has time for the gym? In today’s post, I’m going to share with you three upper body exercises that you can easily do at home.

1. The Chest Fly

  • How to do it:
    • Lie on the floor, a bench, or a balance ball.
    • Hold dumbbells out to the side arms bent.
    • Bring the dumbbells in front of your body.
    • Bring arms back out to the side.
  • The Benefits/Muscles worked
    • The chest fly is a great and easy way to work your chest, as the pecs are the main muscle group activated. A secondary muscle group worked with a chest fly are the shoulders.
    • Chest flys help build and tone upper body muscles while at the same time aiding and maintaining flexibility and mobility because of the range of motion incorporated in the exercise.
    • This is an easy exercise that does not require very much space or equipment.
  • Warnings
    • Be sure not to overextend in the downward portion of the exercise.
    • As with any weight lifting, don’t get going to fast and tear up your shoulders.

2. Row and Raise

  • How to do it
    • On all fours bring the dumbbell to your hip
    • Return to start
    • Bring the dumbbell out in front of you, arm extended
    • Return to start
    • Bring the dumbbell up and out to the side
    • Return to start
    • Repeat with the other arm
  • The Benefits/Muscles worked
    • This is a compound exercise hitting both the upper back and shoulder very well with just one exercise.
    • It is easy to perform and requires little space and equipment.

3. Hammer Curl → OH Press → Tricep Press

  • How to do it
    • Hold the dumbbells with the ends facing you
    • Curl up towards your shoulders
    • Press up over your head
    • Gently bend your elbows back, with the dumbbells towards your back
    • Bring the dumbbells back up over your head
    • Return the dumbbells to your shoulder
    • Uncurl back down to your thighs/Return to start
  • The Benefits/Muscles worked
    • This is another great compound exercise hitting three different muscle groups at the same time:
      • Biceps
      • Shoulders
      • Triceps
    • This, again, is also an easy exercise that requires little space and relatively little equipment.
  • Warnings
    • Don’t rock back and forth to get the weight up during the curl, this could injure your back.
    • Don’t jump too much to get the weight overhead for the press.
Watch the video here!

These three exercises are great to work into any home workout plan. They require minimal equipment and minimal space. They can be made easier or harder depending on your fitness level. I hope you enjoy these exercises! Happy training!