Is the idea of having a firm & toned upper body something that appeals to you? But in the back of your mind a voice says, “I don’t want to be bulky or big”. If that sounds like you, awesome. This article is probably for you.
How will Resistance Training benefits you?
I want you to think about the benefits you receive through the process of having a strong and firm upper body. First part is relating to the strength element. At the moment, you are probably doing lots of things with your kids, ie playing with them, lifting them up, cuddling them. You are most likely also picking up the groceries, then putting things away in cupboards. In doing these tasks you require some upper body strength to complete them.
If at the moment, you’re not feeling the confidence to do all of these daily tasks, or you are exhausted at the thought of them, you may start to avoid them or hurt yourself. This will make your daily living that little bit harder, finding some overwhelm setting in. It is not just how we see ourselves wearing a dress or inside the mirror, although sometimes that does motivate us. It is how we are able to do daily tasks that make the difference. Being capable of moving is the key here.
There are four points we going to discuss on how to achieve a strong & firm upper body.
1) Variety in your workouts
The first one is having a good amount of variety in your workouts. Now I’m talking more specifically about in the upper body region that you’re looking to do. Although variety in whole exercise regime is very beneficial. Example, let’s say you do lots of straight push-ups and shoulder presses. Whilst these exercises are fantastic, look to find multiple ways of doing movements that target the chest, triceps & shoulders. Variety leads to a constant stream of stimulus on the muscle groups, bring out a more define muscle. Targeting the same/similar muscle group with higher repetition range will help work to this result.
2) Food intake
Along with changing up your workout routines to implement variety, think about what you’re currently doing with your food intake. Your body is going to demand a lot. It is from being put through these workouts, your muscles begin to scream out for energy. In turn, your intake of food is going to have to increase. Try to think about doing this when you’re planning out your meals.
It isn’t going to result in you putting on all this extra weight. Increasing food intake is done so your muscles have a larger fuel source to push themselves in workouts. Along with this it is about repairing muscles to have a little change in definition and shape.
3) It’s important to REST
It’s sounding pretty simple have some variety in your workouts and increase the food, right?
Another important area is rest. More than likely you’re probably going to workouts with guns blazing. If you do this every single day, it’s like taking a dog out for three to four walks a day. Guaranteed by the third or fourth time that walk is not very effective, and it will be dragging its feet. Our bodies work the same. We can only maintain a certain amount of challenge & stimulus before it needs to rest and recover.
So make sure that you’re having rest days in between your workouts. Giving your body time to use the fuel that you’ve put in to repair itself, increase its definition and size.
4) Setting goals
When achieving any goal, whether it is to get a stronger body or run a marathon, most likely you’ll use the S.M.A.R.T. principle. Smart, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timed. That last one Timed, is what we are bringing in when looking to achieve a firm upper body.
Have check-ins and an end date in mind to reach the goal set. You setting both the date & regular scheduled appointments will create accountability. As you move towards the end date it will keep your motivation up, seeing how you progress. More importantly, it gives you the opportunity to view your programming and make any alterations to stay on track.
Armed with this knowledge now, I hope you can take this information and implement into your workouts and take you closer to having a stronger and firm upper body.
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