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Training those Shoulders,
Biceps, Chest, Triceps and abdominals
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The upper body is the busiest part of the body
once you wake up early in the morning. Stretching, eat.work and
playing. These activities require us to use our upper body strength
for most of the time. Weak upper body body is definitely a bad
idea. Thus, developing those upper body muscles and maintaining
them is a must. It would be sufficient of you to engage in a progressive
resistenance training program for 30 minutes 3 times per week.
Thus will get you developing strong ripping muscles at the arms
, shoulders, and abdominals, and making everyday tasks a breeze.
Do you know that after the age of 25, you lose a half pound of
muscle every year ( approximately a quarter kilo) for the rest
of your life. It would be wise to arrest this decline by sticking
to and exercise routine. Not forgetting that one must warm up
first by doing 10 to 15 minutes of areobic exercises and stretching
before weight-training. Do the following exercises for the different
upper body areas for 4 weeks and you'd be amazed how much better
you would feel. |
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SHOULDERS
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The shoulders are made up of 3 distinct heads- the anterior,
medial,and posterior heards. A basic shoulder strengthening
exercise is the dumbbell shoulder press.Grab a pair of dumbells,hold
them at shoulder level, palms facing out. Push them up above
your head.Keep a slight bend in your elbows, never locking
out, Lower and repeat, 2 or 3 sets of 20 repetitions. |
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| BICEPS
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This
is the muscle on the front of your upper arm.Its main function
is to lift the hand toward the shoulder. It is used in all
pulling motions , such as pulling open a door or picking
up a drink, To exercise this muscle, pick up a pair of dumbbells
and let your arms hang down to your side, palms facing inside.
Now, lift one dumbbell upward while keeping your upper arm
tucked against your body, and slowly turn your palm to face
you on the way up Pause at the top for one second, then
slowly lower the weight while simultaneously lifting the
other arm. Do 2-3 sets of 20 repetitions. |
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| CHEST
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The
pectoralis major is a fan-shaped muscle that originates
at the sternum and attaches on to the humerus.Basically,
that means that the muscle starts in the middle of your
chest, and ends just under yout bicep. Its function is the
adduction of of the arms, or pullling the arms in the body,
like when you swing a tennis racket. To strengthen the pectoralis
major,lie flat on your back with a pair of dumbbells in
your hands, Lift yout arms up to a 90 degree angle, with
the back of yout hands facing you . Press the weights up
in an arc until they touch in midair above your chest, keeping
a slight bend in your elbows. Do 2-3 sets of 20 repetitions. |
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| TRICEPS
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This is the muscle directly opposite the bicep, on the back
of the upper arm. The main function of this horseshoe-shaped
muscle is to extend the arm, and it is used in most pushing
motions involving the upper body, like pushing a cabinet
into place in your home. To exercise the triceps, grab a
dumbbell and sit upright.Using only one arm,raise the dumbbell
above your head, palm facing forward.Keep a slight bend
in your elbow. Now,slowly lower the dumbbell behind yout
head until your arm reaches a 90 -degree angel. Raise and
repeat. Do 2-3 sets of 20 repetitions. |
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| ABDOMINALS
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The
function of the abdominal muscles is to assist in stabilising
the body, and pull the upper body to the lower body vice
versa. To work the abs , lie flat on the floor or on a mat
and bend yout knees.Touch your knees 20 times never relaxing.Take
a break and repeat 2-3 more times. |
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One final reminder
: Set realistic goals and remember start SOON ! May the
"dragon" be with you !
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