Upper body strengthening that's not in the gym?
Discussion
I'm pretty fit thanks to a combo of circuit training/HIT type classes, some running and some mountain biking, so this means I am slim and have good leg muscles but it'd be nice to have a bit more muscle in my arms and upper body. I could do this in the gym but I find it hard to motivate myself and my local gym always has a ton of people hanging about the weights section doing about 2 reps every half hour (or it seems like!)
I feel like I need something like biking/running/a class where, by enjoying that, I end up with more arm/upper body muscles but i am struggling to think what. Any ideas?
I feel like I need something like biking/running/a class where, by enjoying that, I end up with more arm/upper body muscles but i am struggling to think what. Any ideas?
Frimley111R said:
I'm pretty fit thanks to a combo of circuit training/HIT type classes, some running and some mountain biking, so this means I am slim and have good leg muscles but it'd be nice to have a bit more muscle in my arms and upper body. I could do this in the gym but I find it hard to motivate myself and my local gym always has a ton of people hanging about the weights section doing about 2 reps every half hour (or it seems like!)
I feel like I need something like biking/running/a class where, by enjoying that, I end up with more arm/upper body muscles but i am struggling to think what. Any ideas?
Rowing would seem an obvious choice?I feel like I need something like biking/running/a class where, by enjoying that, I end up with more arm/upper body muscles but i am struggling to think what. Any ideas?
sisu said:
didelydoo said:
Press ups and pull ups at home- pretty much upper body covered! Cardio based classes won’t be optimal for growing your upper body
If this is to easy put a backpack/weight vest on. 
gregs656 said:
Even if you see results?
Resistance training of some description is the most straight forward way to build muscle.
Maybe boxing?
I won't do it long enough to see them. I know it sounds a bit silly (but no different to 99% of people). It's the activity that motivates me and the fitness is the benefit.Resistance training of some description is the most straight forward way to build muscle.
Maybe boxing?
Funnily enough there is a gym at the bottom of my road...but I have no idea about boxing apart from winning a fight at school in 1984. I did retire undefeated of course but then it was the only one i ever had.
Kitchen dips (not those kind) - find a corner where two worktops join at 90deg. Face into the corner. Place your palms flat on the surfaces, slightly wider than shoulder width. Take the weight of your body, feet off the ground, knees bent to raise your feet up behind you - dip down until arms at 90deg. Repeat until exhaustion three/four times or do your preferred sets.
Once you get used to them, put a few tins/weights in a backpack.
Once you get used to them, put a few tins/weights in a backpack.
Frimley111R said:
I won't do it long enough to see them. I know it sounds a bit silly (but no different to 99% of people). It's the activity that motivates me and the fitness is the benefit.
Funnily enough there is a gym at the bottom of my road...but I have no idea about boxing apart from winning a fight at school in 1984. I did retire undefeated of course but then it was the only one i ever had.
It sounds like you need a different goal to be honest. Building muscle like you want to requires the kind of training you don't enjoy.Funnily enough there is a gym at the bottom of my road...but I have no idea about boxing apart from winning a fight at school in 1984. I did retire undefeated of course but then it was the only one i ever had.
gregs656 said:
Frimley111R said:
I won't do it long enough to see them. I know it sounds a bit silly (but no different to 99% of people). It's the activity that motivates me and the fitness is the benefit.
Funnily enough there is a gym at the bottom of my road...but I have no idea about boxing apart from winning a fight at school in 1984. I did retire undefeated of course but then it was the only one i ever had.
It sounds like you need a different goal to be honest. Building muscle like you want to requires the kind of training you don't enjoy.Funnily enough there is a gym at the bottom of my road...but I have no idea about boxing apart from winning a fight at school in 1984. I did retire undefeated of course but then it was the only one i ever had.
Volunteering for a forestry charity has helped me. I'm not ripped, and don't want to be. But definitely improved my upper body strength.
I'm similar, in that I hate gyms and only exercise for fun so being fit is a happy by-product of doing what I enjoy (climbing and mountain biking fwiw). However the time constraints of kids, and getting older, means that I can't just go and do the bigger trips because I don't have the base line strength.
So I started running when time was short and got a cheap dumbbell set from Decathlon. I just do a round of push ups, bicep curls, flies and leaning rows to fatigue when I get in from whatever I've been doing. I keep meaning to buy a finger board to do some pull ups too.
However now I'm MTBing loads and doing a s
t load in the garden I've left off the tedious crap.
So I started running when time was short and got a cheap dumbbell set from Decathlon. I just do a round of push ups, bicep curls, flies and leaning rows to fatigue when I get in from whatever I've been doing. I keep meaning to buy a finger board to do some pull ups too.
However now I'm MTBing loads and doing a s
t load in the garden I've left off the tedious crap. Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff