How to build upper body strength

There are several ways of increasing the overall strength andmuscle mass of certain body area. If lean muscles are desired, practitionersshould focus more on cardio workout, while bulked up effect is gained withusing additional weight.

Focus

When focusing certain area, it is recommended to perform all possible exercises.For example, in order to build upper body strength, it is necessary to focus pectoral area,arms, back and abdominal muscles. But it is also necessary to perform cardio workout forthe entire upper part. Again, this depends on the wishes of the practitioner.Lately, the attention is givenmore to some mixture of both types of workout, which creates strong and fitbody with muscle mass just slightly emphasized.

Exercises

Great overall exercise for the upper body is push up. Weight of the practitionercan be regarded as the lifted weight, but it still somewhat easier than theregular mass building (more reps can be done), so it can be called an exercisethat goes both ways, which is great for the overall shape of the upper torso.Pushups affect pectoral area, arms, even abs and back are working out.Changing the exercise also changes the focus. If stronger triceps are needed,palms should be put close to each other. Widening that distance shifts the focusonto the shoulders. Even fingers can be worked out with using fists instead ofpalms and also using three or evenonly two fingers when lifting torso.

Abdominal exercises are great for lower torso, so-calledcore, but are also affecting pectoral area and even hands (when hands arepositioned behind the head while exercising). Crouches are excellent becausethey even affect thighs to a certain point. This is a good workout, but it doesrequire good stretching and extending after the session. This is because abdominalexercises usually involve flexion, which tends to shorten muscles a bit andthat has to be avoided. Using weight for strengthening the upper body is also essential, which is the only way to significantlyincrease muscle mass and recommended forms are bench press (and all itsvariations), biceps and triceps curl, side dumbbell raises, etc. These formsare performed with the help of barbell and dumbbells.

Weight reduction

If there is a problemwith extra fat tissue, it has to be eliminated too. Increasing muscle mass willreduce fat tissue to a certain point, but cardio workout should be more effectivein this area. Simple forms like running can be helpful, and there are alsoaerobics, swimming etc. Even dieting should be used until weight is withinnormal range.