Express Upper Body Workout

Express Upper Body Workout For Toning Or Building

Here’s a good upper body workout you can play around with. If you are in a rush, you can do one circuit which should on;y take 20 minutes. Like everything in life, it’s not quantity of how you spend your time but the quality. If you are even shorter on time, cut the reps in half on this upper body workout which means you could complete in around 10 minutes. Not ideal but it hits just about all of your upper body parts so 10 is better than none.

Tempo explained

Regardless if it’s an upper body workout or any other body part, a good rep tempo for me is at least a three second negative, mostly I use four. Of course this depends on how many reps per set you are doing, but I would rather you do lower reps than higher for when you train hard to build muscle.
Look at it like this, there are four phases to a rep, starting, positive, negative and pause phase. When you lift off, you should pause at the top of the movement, or positive phase before moving to the negative. This pause should be one second. For example, I have a set of dumbbells to work my biceps, I lift them up quickly in one second, I then pause for one second, contracting my biceps. Now I will lower them to a four second count until my arms are extended, pausing for one second, then lift them back up to my starting position in one second. This is called 4-1-1-1. Four second negative (lowering), one second pause at bottom, one second lift up, one second pause at the top, that’s one rep. You can use a 3-1-1-1 or even a 5-1-1-1, some use a 2-1-2-1. The point is you can mix this up a number of ways whether it’s an upper body workout or other body part. I think 4-1-1-1 and 4-0-1-0 ( this this means is you do not pause at the bottom or top, hence the 0’s) are the best. However, if you want to get crazy doing this upper body workout, you can do a negative while lifting too! 4-1-4-1, intense and tough! I have read articles about the Rock’s workout routines. They said he’s a big fan of 5-1-5-1. Look at the size of that guy, who would argue?

1. Lie on a bench holding dumbbells at shoulder level with your elbows bent

2. Press the dumbbells up over your chest, straightening your arms

Lower the dumbbells back to shoulder level and repeat

Pick a weight you can lift 8 times using a tempo method of 4-0-1-0

1. Grasp the bar using a shoulder width grip with your arms extended straight overhead

2. Pull the bar down in front to the top of your chest, bending at the elbows

Straighten your arms fully then return the bar to the top position

Pick a weight you can lift 6 times using a tempo method of 3-1-3-1

1. Stand upright holding a pair of dumbbells at shoulder height with your elbows bent and your palms facing forward

2. Press the dumbbells overhead, extending your arms fully

Keep your back flat throughout the movement

Pick a weight you can lift 10 times using a tempo method of 4-1-1-1

1. Hold a barbell underhanded with your hands shoulder-width apart and your arms straight

2. Raise the barbell up to shoulder height, keeping your elbows at your sides

Lower the barbell back to a straight arm position

Do not rock your upper body back and forth as you lift and lower the barbell

Pick a weight you can lift 8 times using a tempo method of 4-1-1-1

1. Grip the rope/handle in both hands at the chest level with your elbows bent.

2. Push the handles down, fully extending your arms and keeping your shoulders steady

Your hands should finish at the top of your thighs in the downward position

Pick a weight you can lift 12 times using a tempo method of 4-0-1-0

1. Holding a dumbbell in one hand with your arm straight, place the opposite knee and hand on a bench, keeping your back flat

2. Lift the dumbbell up to the side of your chest, bending at the elbow

Lower the dumbbell back to a straight arm position, keeping your back flat throughout

Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other side

Pick a weight you can lift 10 times using a tempo method of 3-1-1-1

1. Stand upright holding the dumbbells by your sides with your arms straight and your palms facing inward

2. Raise the dumbbells up to your shoulders, turning at the wrists, finishing with your palms facing back

Keep your elbows close to your sides throughout and do not swing your arms or upper body

Pick a weight you can lift 10 times using a tempo method of 4-1-1-1

1. Place your palms on a bench behind you and your heels on a bench in front with your legs and arms straight

2. Lower your body toward the floor, bending at the elbows

3. Push up through your palms to return to the straight arm position

Use a tempo method of 3-1-1-1

1. Lie on a incline bench holding the dumbbells up over your chest with your arms straight

2. Lower the dumbbells out and away from your body and down to shoulder level

Raise the dumbbells back up over your chest, keeping your arms straight throughout

Pick a weight you can lift 10 times using a tempo method of 4-1-1-1

1. Bend over at the waist holding dumbbells with your arms straight and palms facing in, your feet hip-width apart

2. Raise the dumbbells up and outward to shoulder height, keeping your back flat

Bend your elbows slightly as you lift if necessary

Pick a weight you can lift 10 times using a tempo method of 4-1-1-1
Were you able to complete this upper body workout? How many circuits? Please comment below