UPPER BODY STRENGTHENING EXERCISES

Main Muscle Worked: Chest

Other Muscles: Shoulders, Triceps

Equipment: None

Guide:

1. Lie on the floor face down and place your hands about 36 inches apart while holding your torso up at arms length.
2. Next, lower yourself downward until your chest almost touches the floor as you inhale.
3. Now breathe out and press your upper body back up to the starting position while squeezing your chest.
4. After a brief pause at the top contracted position, you can begin to lower yourself downward again for as many repetitions as needed.

Variations:

If you are new at this exercise and do not have the strength to perform it, you can either bend your legs at the knees to take off resistance or perform the exercise against the wall instead of the floor.

For the most advanced lifters, you can place your feet at a high surface such as a bench in order to increase the resistance and to target the upper chest more.

STEP 1: 

STEP 2: 

Main Muscle Worked: Chest

Other Muscles: Abdominals, Shoulders, Triceps

Equipment: None

Guide:

1. Assume a push-up position, supporting your weight on your hands and toes while keeping your body straight. Your hands should be just outside of shoulder width. This will be your starting position.
2. Begin by shifting your body weight as far to one side as possible, allowing the elbow on that side to flex as you lower your body.
3. Reverse the motion by extending the flexed arm, pushing yourself up and then dropping to the other side.
4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Main Muscle Worked: Triceps

Equipment: Chest, Shoulders

Guide:

1. For this exercise you will need to place a bench behind your back. With the bench perpendicular to your body, and while looking away from it, hold on to the bench on its edge with the hands fully extended, separated at shoulder width. The legs will be extended forward, bent at the waist and perpendicular to your torso. This will be your starting position.
2. Slowly lower your body as you inhale by bending at the elbows until you lower yourself far enough to where there is an angle slightly smaller than 90 degrees between the upper arm and the forearm. Tip: Keep the elbows as close as possible throughout the movement. Forearms should always be pointing down.
3. Using your triceps to bring your torso up again, lift yourself back to the starting position.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can place your legs on top of another flat bench in front of you in order to make the exercise more challenging. If that variation also becomes easy, then you can have a partner place plates on top of your lap. Make sure that in this case the partner ensures that the weights stay there throughout the movement.

STEP 1:

STEP 2: