Workout of the week: 20-min upper body workout

21st August 2023

ALL LEVELS / upper body workout / 20 minutes

Equipment: Incline chest press machine, dumbbells, dips bar & gym mat

Upper body workout enthusiasts: rejoice! Here’s a workout fully dedicated to this body part. We promise to bring a lower body one next week. After all, mixing workouts allow you to exercise your whole body which is crucial for gaining balanced muscle development and overall strength.

This upper body workout will help you achieve that. It has 6 exercises, with 10 reps each, to perform for 3 rounds. You get to rest for 1 minute between exercises and extra 30 seconds between rounds. A 20-minute long session that will help you build upper body muscle!

Incline chest press
Quadruped shoulder taps
Deadlift to row
Dips
Dumbbell sumo curls
Russian twists

Ready? Here we go!

WORKOUT SETUP

6 exercises
10 reps
1-min rest between exercises
3 rounds
30-sec rest between rounds
20 minutes total
Equipment: Incline chest press machine, dumbbells, dips bar & gym mat

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

3 rounds

1 – INCLINE CHEST PRESS

10 reps

Lean back and press your feet actively into the floor.
Find a symmetrical grip that lets your forearms stand almost parallel to the floor in the starting position.
Engage your core and press forward and up with as much as possible.
Make sure your back stays in contact with the cushion behind you.
Repeat.

2 – QUADRUPED SHOULDER TAPS

10 reps

Begin on your hands and knees, all fours — knees beneath hips and hands beneath shoulders.
Maintain your head in a neutral position.
Lift one hand off the floor and tap the opposite shoulder. Try not to shift your hips or weight.
Repeat the movement, but now with the other hand.
Repeat.

3 – DEADLIFT TO ROW

10 reps

Standing up proud, hold two dumbbells in each arm.
Now, bend forward until your upper body is slightly above parallel to the ground. Your back should remain under tension/straight throughout the motion.
Row the dumbbells up and down one time. Bend your elbows and retract your shoulder blades.
With your arms returned to the lower position, raise your upper body back up.

4 – DIPS

10 reps

Grab the bars and boost yourself up. Engage the core, looking forward.
Bend your knees — it will help you with stabilisation.
Keeping your elbows at your side, lower your body. Your triceps should be parallel to the floor.
Bring yourself back up without locking your elbows.
Repeat.

5 – DUMBBELL SUMO CURLS

10 reps

Grab two dumbbells and hold them with both hands. You should stretch your arms, and the dumbbells should be in front of your waist.
Feet apart (about twice your shoulder width) with your toes pointing out slightly.
Lower your body as far as you can, hips back and knees bent. That’s the starting position.
Now, perform a curl by bringing the dumbbells all the way up to your shoulders by bending your elbows.
Maintain the sumo squat position while you repeat the curls 10 times.

6 – RUSSIAN TWISTS

10 reps

Sit on the ground with your knees bent.
Lift your feet from the ground.
Hold the dumbbell with both hands. Move the kettlebell from one side to another over the hip.
Keep your legs stable and your back straight.