Why is it important to exercise your upper body?

Resistance training, also known as strength training, is an essential component of any fitness routine, especially for your upper body.

These upper body exercises work your chest, arms, and back. Regularly working out muscles in your arms, back, chest and shoulders is vital to keeping your upper body strong and giving your muscles definition. Upper body workouts strengthen our shoulders and back, helping us to have good posture.

You can now include different forms of exercise — Yoga, Zumba, HIIT, Boxing, Pilates, etc. — in your workout routine with just a single membership, One pass to Fitness — FITPASS.

Bench press

Lie on a flat bench, holding a barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart using an overhand grip. Brace your core and press your feet into the ground, then lower the bar towards your chest. Press it back up to the start.

Chin-up

Hold a chin-up bar using a shoulder-width underhand grip. Brace your core, then pull yourself up until your chin is higher than the bar, keeping your elbows tucked in to your body. Lower until your arms are straight again.

Overhead press

Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell across the top of your chest with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your chest up and core braced, press the bar overhead until your arms are straight, then lower it back to the start.

Pull-up

Hold a pull-up bar using an overhand grip with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Brace your core, then pull yourself up until your lower chest touches the bar. Lower until your arms are straight again.

With exercise, diet also plays a vital role in building that muscle mass. .Getting enough protein is vital to help your muscles repair and rebuild after a hard workout.

Having a nutritious diet will make a huge difference to your efforts to pack on lean muscle.

Consult nutrition experts with FITFEAST by FITPASS for planning a healthy diet chart for your nutrition requirements.

Also, remember that warm up before a workout is essential. Warming up before doing any resistance workout not only gets your body ready for exercise, it also reduces your risk of injury.

Upper body exercises will challenge your muscles and may leave you slightly sore, but you shouldn’t feel pain. If you do, stop and assess the problem.
If your pain persists even after correcting your form, follow up with your doctor or physical therapist.