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Exercising The Lower Body

Exercise the lower body when you exercise your upper body to maintain a pleasing and uniform appearance.

Staying Fit will walk you through some simple and effective lower-body exercises that you can perform without the need of expensive equipment.

Exercising the Upper Body

Irrespective of whether you wish to lose weight in your lower body or develop your upper body, it is critical that you should begin by choosing exercises that fit your fitness and strength levels. Putting too much stress on your body before you are ready will not help you to become fitter or stronger; instead it can be counter productive and injurious.

Getting started with Exercising the Upper Body
Different levels are designed to help you build up experience with proper form and ready your body for increased activity. If you skip the basics and rush ahead you are risking damage to your body. Consult with your doctor before starting any new fitness regimen to avoid health complications and be certain of your physical condition before starting. If you feel at all uncertain about what upper body exercises work best for your problem areas and what level you are at, consult with a gym instructor or certified personal trainer and your doctor.

There is no one exercise that will help you work all of the upper body muscles in one workout; you will need to do a combination of exercises to achieve the desired effect. To this end, it is important to be aware of which parts of your body get worked out the most and which get the least workout when you are exercising and plan accordingly.

Keeping the Balance!
In order to avoid muscular imbalance it is important to develop an exercise program for the upper body that targets all the main muscle groups. This includes the biceps, triceps, shoulders, back and chest. This will also help to build the strength of your heart and lungs.

It is equally important to remember that it is inadvisable to do the same exercises in the same order every day. A switched up program prevents your body from growing too used to the pattern. When you change your routine regularly, the surprised muscles are forced to work harder giving you the most benefit from your work out.

It is best to start slow and easy and then build up the pace gradually. You could start with 5-10 repetitions and if this works for you add two more each week. Exercise at least 2-3 times a week to keep up your fitness level and to get the most benefit from your workout.

3 Effective Upper Body Exercises:

Push-ups:
One of the best ways to work out the triceps, biceps, chest and shoulders, this exercise often gets a bad rap but it’s worth the effort. Place your hands just beyond shoulder width keeping your elbows and wrists in line with your shoulders. Tighten your abs and gradually lower your chest to the floor by only moving you elbows until your arms are at a 90 degree angle and ease back up.
Dumbbell Wrist Curls:
Start by sitting with your forearms resting on a bench or your thighs. Grip one dumbbell with an underhand grip and passively extend your wrists downward placing your other hand on top of your wrist to maintain your place. Exhale, keep the rest of your arm still with your free hand and curl upwards with your wrist. Inhale, gradually lower to the starting position completing one rep. Do the desired reps on this arm and then switch to the other. You can also do this with both hands simultaneously.
Sit-ups:
Good for exercising the upper abdominals. Lie on your back with your knees bent together, feet flat on the floor. Put your hands on your thighs. Slowly sit up until your hands have reached your knees. Return to the starting position and repeat the process.

Note: It is important to remember to keep breathing as you work out. The right way to do this is to breathe out as you do the part of your exercise that involves the most work and breathe in during the relaxation phase. If you feel any joint or muscle pain while working out, stop what you are doing, rest a while and move on to a less strenuous exercise.