When it comes to women’s fitness and keeping fit generally, having an effective upper body workout is a must. As a woman you have to be targeting all the vital segments of the body, the upper body being one of those vital segments. However, what often happens is an uneven focus on one area, for example if you are someone who favors running or you tend to do a lot of walking, you could end up having a lower half that getting all the attention. While it is important for a woman to have strong legs, you will see that an upper body that is also nicely toned will be very rewarding. In this guide we will layout some of the best options when you want to get a good upper body workout for women that will surely get you the results you are hoping for.
As with any sort of workout, be sure that you have taken in some good warm up exercises before you start. For these upper body exercises, you can take on some jump rope, jogging or cycling to help get your heart-rate up and your blood circulating well.
1. Overhead Presses
Take a set of dumbbells and make an angle of 90 degree in each arm, bringing the upper arm parallel to the ground while having the dumbbells around head-height. While you exhale, you simply press the weights up overhead and then return to your starting position. Never let your elbows droop down below your shoulder’s height, so you can maintain a good measure of resistance.
2. Triceps Kickback
This is another very good upper body workout for women. To do the Triceps Kickback keep your back flat and your core tight while you hinge forward from the hips. Do Bend your elbows while at the-same time keeping the upper arms tight to your sides. As you exhale, straighten the arms as much as you can, then inhale while bending your elbows into your original starting position. Just be sure that you are keeping a neck and spine position that is neutral.
3. Lateral-Raise Side Plank
Get into a side plank position and keep a lighter dumbbell grasped in your upper hand. Take the dumbbell and bring it in front of your center core while still keeping your arm slightly bent. Then, lift the weight up to approximately shoulder-height and then return to the start position. To add a challenge to this upper body workout, lift the top leg and in-between your rep let it touch the weight.
4. Push Ups
The Push Up is a timeless classic workout that never disappoints as a good upper body exercise. Just start in a plank position with both hands firmly positioned on the floor beneath your shoulders. You can then use your toes to stabilize the lower half of the body. Keep your spine straight with hands pressing into the floor, lower the body until the chest just about makes contact with the floor. When pressing back up, exhale and then go back again.
In addition to the exercises in this guide, there are countless other options to explore, you can further research these and add them to your workout routine to give you a complete upper body workout for women. This is all about finding a good balance with exercises that push you to the limit while also giving you joy and a good feeling when all is said and done. For a bit of an extra push, add in some resistance for the ultimate upper body workout.
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