Upper Body AT HOME Workout

Need a quick upper body workout to do at home?  Here’s a super efficient arms, back, and abs workout you can do at home in 30-40 minutes!  Beginners may even complete it in 20.  

Generally, I like to strength train three days per week.  Often I do a chest/shoulders/legs day, arms/back/abs day, and a leg day.  Those splits work well for me to give my muscles adequate rest between workouts, and allow me to do some sprint, HIIT, or active recovery days in between.

I hate wasting time on single muscle exercises which don’t build “real life” strength and don’t burn many calories.  I like to keep my heart rate up throughout my workout and get a great sweat, often working several muscles with each exercise.  This is working out smarter rather than harder for a person that has a real life.  I’m not looking to compete in bikini competitions or something, so I don’t need to meticulously train each individual muscle.

Fitness FAQ’s

1.  What type of strength training workout is this?

I keep my heart rate up by doing supersets.  No down time playing on your phone between sets.  Just get in, and get this done!  So, you’ll do two different exercises back to back.  Perform two rounds (4 sets total per superset) if you are a beginner; three rounds for intermediate/advanced strength trainers (6 sets/superset).  You are going to do four different supersets.

2.  What if I can’t do a chin-up?

Can I say a quick thing about chin-ups?  Ladies, get thee a chin-up bar!  You will work every single muscle in your upper body in about 30 seconds.  You will get so.strong without getting the least bit “bulky.”  (And if you don’t think you could ever possibly do a chin-up, much less a pull-up, stop believing that lie and sign up for my email newsletter at the top of your browser to receive my “how to” video.  I am not naturally “strong” by any means, but, by golly, I worked at them, and I can do them now!).  That being said, you do not need to be able to do a chin-up to do this workout!  I’m including a modification here that you can do as you work up to doing a full chin-up.  

3.  What sort of equipment do I need for this workout?

• A set of dumbbells if you have them (water jugs would work here, too!)
• A pull-up bar
• A bench or chair or step
• A suspension trainer

Personally, I like the TRX suspension trainer.  It’s the one that got the whole thing started for suspension training.  But there are other suspension trainers out there, and they are probably much less expensive.  I just can’t personally vouch for their quality.

Upper Body AT HOME Workout (Arms, Back, & Abs)

Superset #1

Chair Dips

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• Perform 15 reps.
• Make a 90 degree angle from elbow to shoulder to wrist (don’t let elbows rise above your shoulder).
• Bend knees to make it a little easier.  
• Add a weight to your lap to make it harder.

Supermans

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• Perform 15 reps.
• Arms and legs lift off the ground simultaneously.
• Keep your neck in a neutral position; don’t crunch it up when your arms and legs lift.
• Squeeze your butt to engage your back well.

Superset #2

Chin-ups

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Modified Chin-ups

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• Perform 10 reps (I do 3-4 unassisted and then grab my stool to finish my set.)
• Palms face toward you for chin-ups (you can do pull-ups if you want, but they are harder to do, and we are using chin-ups to focus a bit more on biceps for this exercise).
• Jump up or step up from a chair to modify; try to come down as slowly as you can.  This will really help you build strength to complete a full chin-up.

Side Plank & Twist

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• Perform 12 reps/side.
• Maintain a straight line from shoulder to hip to feet while you plank.
• To modify, come to your knee and maintain a straight line from shoulder to hip to knee.

Superset #3

TRX Lat Pulldowns

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• Perform 15 reps.
• You need to really focus on engaging your lats on this one.  Try to really feel it along your sides/upper back. This is the muscle we are working.
• The more flat footed you are in standing position, the easier this is.  As you get more advanced you will stay more on your toes for the entire exercise (kind of in a plank).

Single Arm Dumbbell Row with Single Leg Layout

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• Perform 12 reps/side (I use a 20 or 25 lb. dumbbell usually.)
• Hips stay square toward the ground.  This is more important than how far up in the air your back leg can balance.  Even if you can only lift your foot a few inches off the ground, pitching forward slightly, keep your hips from tilting to the side.
• To modify: the “single leg layout” component of this exercise allows us to engage our abs a bit more.  However, if this is too challenging, keep both feet on the floor, bend forward slightly with belly button in towards spine, and row with both arms (dumbbell in each hand).

Superset #4

TRX Face Pulls

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• Perform 15 reps.
• Focus on engaging the upper back (this muscle) for this one, just like you were trying to squeeze and hold a pencil between your shoulder blades.
• Neck stays relaxed and chin does not move during this exercise.  Work your back, not your neck!

Hanging Leg Raises

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• Perform 10-12 reps.
• To modify: bend your knees and draw them up toward your chest.
• Advanced: try to bring your straight legs up toward your toes!

Ready for Leg Day???  Try this one next!

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