Many ladies are concerned about being overweight, and perfect figure want to have at any time. With age, the upper torso in women can increase significantly, so the question of how to lose weight in the upper body comes to the fore for them. Find out how to get rid of excess weight, using these types power loads like: fitness, massage, water aerobics, yoga, swimming and other methods.

Why is the upper body getting fat?

Pay attention to the individual characteristics of the body. The main factors in the appearance of excess weight in the upper body are the following common causes:

1. hereditary features. If your parents had a tendency to be overweight, then it is likely that you will inherit it too.
2. Hormones. Problems in the hormonal system of the body require a mandatory consultation with an endocrinologist or nutritionist.
3. Metabolism. Certain disorders in this area can also be the basis of excess body fat in the body.

How to lose weight in the upper body

To lose weight, it will be useful to do gymnastics, yoga, aerobic exercises. Intensive physical exercise contribute to the growth of muscle tissue, the burning of body fat. Wrapping and massage procedures will help to fix the result. Swimming is especially helpful for losing weight in old age. An integrated approach to the problem will help to get rid of excess weight much faster. Remember, repetition of exercises is necessary every day - this will allow you to quickly achieve results, and if you do interval training, then efficiency will increase markedly.

Diet

When answering the question of how to lose weight in the upper body, do not forget about a balanced diet. With active exercise it is important that the body has enough of the necessary substances. The process of cleansing the body will occur gradually, it is necessary to remove harmful foods from the diet, add healthy, fresh vegetables and fruits to it. Scientists and nutritionists advise before you remove fat from the upper body and reduce weight, still seek the advice of a doctor.

The diet should include cereals, plenty of drinking water, so that you can effectively lose weight in the upper body, improve digestion, improve metabolism, rid the body of excess calories. In dietary nutrition, in addition to fresh vegetables, fruits, low-calorie, protein products. Their role can be played by: lean fish, dietary meat, cottage cheese and sour-milk products, the calorie content of which should not exceed 1500 Kcal in general.

Workout

At home, you can enjoy doing cardio workouts, breathing exercises, which is very useful for girls with large top body. Thanks to the exercises, you can lose weight, give the body a relief structure, it will become more resilient, strong, and the skin toned. For exercises at home, use video tutorials, dumbbells, a hoop. You should always start aerobics complexes with exercises or exercises with a rope. In this case, you will not have excessive fatigue and muscle pain, while you will lose weight.

In the gym, in order to lose weight from the upper body, pay attention to special simulators, such as: wall bars with a horizontal bar, power simulator shoulder press and rear deltas and others. It will be useful to study under the supervision of an experienced trainer who will tell you the right course of action. Combining sports in the gym and at home, you can achieve the desired effect quickly, lose weight without any problems.

Massage

A positive effect on weight loss in the upper body can be achieved with self-massage. If you are wondering how to lose weight on top of the body, while not losing breast volume, then self-massage will come to the rescue. Proper massage movements in the chest area stimulate the production of oxytocin, a hormone that affects the mammary glands, so that they retain their volume. Self-massage of the abdomen will also be useful, this requires:

1. Lie on your back.
2. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
3. Make lungs circular motions clockwise in the abdomen.
4. Then you can move on to the sides and lower back.
5. Rub all over the skin with your palms, and then with your fists.
6. Mash body fat two hands.
7. The last step will be a light stroking of the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe body

Upper Body Exercises

In studying this issue, scientists came to the conclusion that the most the best way for weight loss there will be sports, aerobics, various workouts with dumbbells, Pilates and other types of exercise.

For hands

Active training will make your arms slender, strong. For these exercises, you will need dumbbells. Take them and do the following:

1. Lie on your back.
2. Bend your legs at the knees.
3. Raise them up in this position.
4. You need to take dumbbells in your hands.
5. From a bent position, the arms rise, connecting at chest level.
6. Repeat leg movements synchronously for about 30 minutes.

For the back

Back workouts will not only help you lose weight, but also improve your posture, help you avoid problems with your back and spine. This is especially true for older people. Do the following:

1. Place your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Keep your hands on your belt, in this position, bend the same number of times to the left and right.
3. Lie on your back, hands behind your head.
4. Bend your legs at the knees and start tilting alternately left hand to the right side, and the right side to the left side.

For shoulder girdle

Workouts that strengthen shoulder girdle, mainly consist of loads on the hands. It helps to develop endurance, strength of the entire upper body, lose weight. To get started, follow these steps:

1. Push-ups with dumbbells. Take an emphasis lying down, dumbbells should be clamped in your hands. The body should rest on the dumbbells clamped in the hands. Inhale as you raise your body, exhale as you lower it.
2. Tilts with dumbbells. It is performed standing, holding dumbbells in your hands. Do tilts down, while arms with dumbbells are extended forward. Then take the starting position.
3. Squats with dumbbells. Press your back against a hard surface. Start squats, while stretching your arms forward, and when standing up, lower them down.

For chest

The plank is one of the most common exercises for development. chest, slimming. It will help develop the muscles of the back, chest, shoulder girdle, make the posture even, and the chest taut. Make the following movements:

1. Leaning on the forearms and socks, you should take the emphasis lying down.
2. The back and legs are extended in one straight line, and the abdominal muscles are tense.
3. Then you should move into the push-up position. To do this, alternately lower your hands.
4. It is worth repeating the movements four to ten times.

Video: Upper Body Slimming Exercises

This exercise is a "classic" in the training of the back muscles. Most often it is referred to as basic exercises. Upper pull...

show exercise technique

1. set the weight in the simulator at which you can perform the exercise without distorting the technique
2. sit on the seat and fix your feet under the support roller (its height can be adjusted
3. grab the handle with a straight grip, placing your hands slightly wider than your shoulders
4. while exhaling, slowly pull the handle to the middle of the chest, while the shoulders should be lowered, the elbows pointing down and the natural deflection in the lumbar region should be maintained
5. during the movement, it is necessary to slightly bend the chest forward, and at the end to bring the shoulder blades together
6. release the handle slowly and in a controlled manner, controlling its movement
7. make sure that the gaze is directed forward, and the movements are performed slowly and without jerks
8. repeat the required number of times

3 sets of 15 reps

Exercise #2

Unlike the barbell press, the dumbbell press allows you to perform a greater range of motion, which involves not only more...

show exercise technique

1. sit on a bench without leaning on your back, pick up dumbbells and only after that lie on your back
2. bend your arms to a right angle at the elbow
3. Spread your arms out to the sides so that your elbows are in line with your shoulders and your palms are facing forward (away from your face)
4. as you exhale, push your arms up
5. at the top, bring your hands together above your head
6. hold for a couple of seconds at the top
7. lower your hands along the same path a little below shoulder level and immediately start doing the exercise again
8. repeat dumbbell bench press incline bench required number of times

3 sets of 15 reps

Exercise #3

One-arm dumbbell row to the waist is one of the “classic” isolation exercises, which is accentuated on the latissimus dorsi...

show exercise technique

1. select the required weight of the dumbbell and place it near the bench
2. rest on the bench with your right hand and right foot as shown in the video
3. the left leg is almost straight and stands to the left of the bench
4. the body should be parallel to the floor, and a natural deflection should be maintained in the lower back
5. take a dumbbell in your left hand and as you exhale, begin to pull up and back a little (so that the elbow is directed towards the belt)
6. try to keep your hand as close to the body as possible
7. raise your arm as high as possible, but so that the opposite shoulder remains motionless
8. in ideal at the end point of the movement, the elbow should be slightly above shoulder level
9. lower your hand along the path down and forward a little, feeling a stretch in your back, and repeat the exercise again as many times as necessary
10. at the bottom of the movement, the elbow should remain slightly bent
11. for the right hand, the exercise is performed similarly and involves changing the supporting leg
12. repeat the dumbbell row to the belt as many times as necessary

3 sets of 15 reps

Exercise number 4

Alternating dumbbell bench press while standing allows you to strengthen the front and middle deltas. Performing a bench press with one hand connects the muscles of the stabilizers ...

show exercise technique

1. take the dumbbells and stand up straight with your knees slightly bent
2. raise your arms so that the elbows are at shoulder level, the palms are facing forward, and the angle at the elbow is straight
3. as you exhale, raise your right hand above you so that the dumbbell is above your head
4. at the top, do not fully extend the elbow
5. slowly lower your right arm down along the same path so that the elbow is slightly below shoulder level
6. immediately do the exercise with your left hand in the same way
7. repeat alternate dumbbell shoulder press as many times as needed

3 sets of 15 reps

Exercise number 5

Incline Dumbbell Raise allows for a more rounded shape of the upper region pectoral muscles. Also it...

show exercise technique

1. set the angle of the bench back to 35-45 degrees in relation to the floor
2. lower part benches (it is usually adjustable) also lift up - so you will not “slip”
3. sit on a bench, pick up dumbbells and only after that lie down and fix your position, resting your feet on the floor
4. raise your arms up above your chest so that your palms are facing each other and bend your elbows slightly
5. from this position, spread your arms down in an arcuate path so low that you can feel the stretch of the pectoral muscles well
6. as you exhale, bring your hands along the same trajectory
7. it is very important that the angle at the elbow remains unchanged
8. do the required number of times

3 sets of 15 reps

Exercise number 6

In my opinion, extension on top block is one of the most effective exercises for triceps, allowing high-quality ...

show exercise technique

1. face the machine and grasp the rope handle so that the palms are facing each other
2. bend your legs slightly, move your pelvis back and tilt your body forward
3. press your elbows to the body and make sure that they are motionless
4. while exhaling, extend the arms until the triceps are fully contracted and, in the lower position, slightly spread the hands on the hips
5. then put your hands up again
6. the lower back should maintain a natural deflection, and the shoulders should be straightened back
7. perform the exercise only due to the strength of the triceps and do not allow strong swinging of the body
8. repeat the extension of the arms on the upper block the required number of times

3 sets of 15 reps

In continuation of the topic, I will list, in my opinion, the most useful types of exercises for the "upper body" and exercises for working out the "core muscles".
ATTENTION - not all of the listed exercises are available for beginners (AND people with certain physical limitations). For beginners in the gym, at first, you should do simpler versions of these exercises!

But since good exercise actually ten times more than good trainers, I will simply list the most famous of the most effective.

It is important to remember to remember about the health of the shoulder and elbow joints.

To reduce the risk of injuries to the shoulder and elbow joints, you need to remember about the balance of loads:

Physical activity shortens the muscles. Loading one of the muscle groups that perform a specific function, for example, moving the shoulder girdle forward - pectoralis major and minor, performing the bench press, which is beloved by many, there is a danger of shifting over time shoulder joint from a healthy position and even disrupt the posture of the thoracic spine, causing hypertrophied kyphosis. By the way, train the lats like &; antagonists&; thoracic (which is even anatomically incorrect) will not solve this problem, because the lats in a number of movements serve as synergists with the thoracic and also rotate the humerus inward. That is why it is important to remember about such exercises on the upper body of the body above the head.

This is usually expressed in the bend in the bench press and in general horizontal presses, and exercises that turn the humerus inward, and lack of traction, and exercises that turn the humerus outward.

For a balanced load, you need to perform approximately the same volume:
- Vertical push (from yourself up, for example, bench press / dumbbell standing / sitting)
- Vertical pull (down to yourself, for example, pull-ups / pull-ups of the upper simulator to the chest with narrow / direct / reverse grips)
- Horizontal push (bench press on a straight / inclined bench barbell / dumbbell, push-ups from the floor / uneven bars)
- Horizontal thrust(Row of the block while sitting to the belt, pull of the bar / dumbbell in an inclination to the belt)

UPPER BODY

BREAST

HORIZONTAL PRESSES:
BENCH PRESS ON THE HORIZONTAL BENCH

Starting position - position yourself so that the bar does not touch the barbell rack, the forearms should be approximately perpendicular to the floor (not an axiom - it depends on the width of the grip).
Focusing on the marks on the neck, grasp it symmetrically.
Bring your shoulder blades together.
Squeeze the bar firmly, and pull it slightly in different directions. Feet should be firmly planted on the floor.
Having removed the bar from the racks, you should not immediately begin to lower it, first fix it above the chest, with the shoulder blades brought together strongly. Lower the bar to approximately the bottom of the pectoral muscles, until the bar touches the body, and then squeeze it in a straight line up with a powerful force.
When the bar is on your chest, your forearms should be vertical when viewed from both the side and the front.

PUSH-UPS
Unfortunately, it has a limitation for people with problems with shoulder joints.
Take a full breath, push your chest forward, and then lower yourself down slowly, without pausing at the bottom, push yourself up with a powerful movement.
The legs should be kept still.

BACK

VERTICAL ROD:
PULL-UPS AND ROW OF THE UPPER BLOCK TO THE CHEST

Squeeze your shoulder blades together before starting the movement. Pull yourself up to approximately the level of the collarbones, pausing at the top point, smoothly return to the starting position. At the top, the back should be flat, in no case should you slouch while doing pull-ups.
When training the latissimus dorsi, and other muscles of the upper back, it is very important to work in both vertical and horizontal thrust vectors.
Examples of vertical traction are pull-ups - Before starting the movement, bring the shoulder blades together. At the top point, the back should be flat, in no case should you slouch while doing pull-ups.

HORIZONTAL DRIVES:
ONE-HAND TILT DUMBELL ROW

During the exercise, the torso should be parallel to the floor, the back should be straight. Chest forward, perfect posture. in starting position the arm is straightened, inhale, take your shoulders back and, bringing the shoulder blade together, lift the dumbbell up to the belt. Hold at the top for a couple of seconds, and then slowly lower the dumbbell to its original position.

ROW TO THE BELT ON THE SIMULATOR

SHOULDERS

VERTICAL PRESSES:
OVERHEAD PRESS
Tighten the muscles of the legs, abdomen, lower back, latissimus dorsi, inhale and squeeze the dumbbells up. Both hands, during the entire movement, should work symmetrically in relation to each other. It is strictly forbidden to bend your back and lean back.
After a short pause at the top, lower the dumbbells to the starting position.

STANDING DUMBELL RESTRACTION

Also remember about specific exercises for the development of precisely the "rotators" of the shoulder. For example, about such as L-dilutions, which have an extremely beneficial effect on the health of the shoulder joints.

MUSCLES OF THE ARM

The health of the elbows is also directly related to the balance of loads - as a rule, the elbows begin to hurt due to an exorbitant imbalance in favor of bench presses. And lying down a lot, for some reason this is an "unspoken tradition" in gyms. Triceps are involved in numerous pressing movements - bench press, standing press, incline bench presses, dips on the uneven bars, etc. get a pretty decent load, and often "finishing off" them with large volumes of isolating exercises is not only not productive, but often harmful to elbow joints

TRICEPS
EXTENSION DOWN TO TRICEPS ON THE UPPER BLOCK

ARM BICEPS
LIFT DUMBELLES FOR BICEPS

MUSCLES OF THE MIDDLE BODY

Oblique muscles of the abdomen transverse m. of the abdomen straight m. of the abdomen small and medium gluteal m.

"any complex movement begins with a contraction of the muscles of the core. Only after they are included in the work, the force is transmitted through the arms and legs to the barbell or dumbbells or is invested in the blow. "Weak center" sends "weak commands", therefore, if to increase results in strength exercises or to increase the impact, it is necessary to train the muscles of the core. ©

“Core training is all about strengthening a whole complex of stabilizer muscles that make micro-movements during exercise, where you need to constantly maneuver and maintain balance.
It is very important to observe the technique of performing exercises, this will help to avoid injuries and constantly progress.

HYPEREXTENSION

ABDOMINAL MUSCLES

To accelerate recovery, improve protein metabolism and maximize muscle growth, each major muscle group (for example, chest, back, legs) should be trained no more than once every 2-3 days, but no less than once every 4-5 days - in other words, about twice a week.

Based on this principle, most training programs recommend splitting the musculature of the body into top and bottom - the so-called "double split" - and train each of these groups twice a week. At the same time, the exercises of the program themselves can be performed both with a barbell ( - a basic chest exercise), and on simulators.

The principle of alternating workouts

The double split and division of the exercise program into the upper and lower parts of the body allows you to optimize the mechanisms of muscle recovery and the production of hormones important for its growth. While the muscles of the upper half of the body are recovering, you are actively training the lower, and vice versa.

Optimal is 4 workouts per week and alternating exercises up-down-up-down. If you do not have the opportunity to train on weekends, you can do 3 workouts per week, alternating the weeks themselves. In this case, in the first week you train the upper body twice, in the second - the lower body twice.

Upper body exercises

The first two exercises of the upper body training program are the most difficult - they involve performing 3-4 sets with low reps and long rest periods. The following two exercises are recommended to be alternated from workout to workout.

The last two exercises, which work the biceps and triceps, are recommended to be performed in 1-2 sets with a high number of repetitions and short rest. You determine the number of approaches yourself, depending on fatigue. You can also vary the exercises to work out the muscles of the hands.

The above training program is performed twice, on Monday and Friday. On Wednesday, the training for the leg muscles (exercises of group A) from is repeated. The very same exercise program for the lower body will be presented next week of our guide.

Warm-up rules

Limit your warm-up and cool-down cardio to a total of 10-15 minutes. If you want to "dry" the muscles and increase the relief, then the best solution would be either highlighting separate day for such training, or combined with evening strength training.

Before everyone strength exercise 2-3 warm-up sets are performed, which are not taken into account in the program table and in the training diary. Optionally, you can perform a warm-up on the simulators, gradually learning to shift the mechanics of the barbell exercises you know to a different plane.

Chest exercises on simulators

Block and machine training isn't that bad - it can be even more effective than training with free weights. It is enough to understand which of the basic exercises underlies the exercise on the simulator, as well as to be able to consciously involve the key muscle group in the work.

The advantage of the simulator is both increased safety (you cannot “drop” the working weight on yourself), and the ability to train muscles from different angles. Unfortunately, most trainees do not know how to use these advantages correctly - however, they are not doing well with the barbell either.

Why not a basic program?

Main disadvantage basic program training, on the principles of which the first weeks of the "Beginner's Guide" were based, is that a low number of repetitions (only 5-7) and a high working weight significantly increase both the risk of injury and the chance of developing chronic overtraining.

Suitable either for those who train with personal trainer, controlling the technique of performing exercises, or those who are engaged in working weights of not more than 70-80 kg. Upon reaching this milestone, for safety reasons, it is recommended to switch to more “sparing” workouts.

***

The "double split" program is one of the most effective in terms of muscle growth and easy to perform consistently. It can include both three and four workouts per week, and the exercises of the program can be optionally replaced with their counterparts in the simulators.

the main goal: increase in muscle volume
Type of training: split
Required level of fitness: middle
Number of workouts per week: 4
Necessary equipment: barbell, dumbbells, exercise equipment, blocks
Target gender: men and women

When putting together an up/down split training program, people often make the following mistakes:
1. Too many sets per muscle group
2. Too many isolation exercises
3. Lack of variety in training the same body part

When developing this training program, we tried to avoid these mistakes and provide each muscle group with a sufficient level of hypertrophy stimulation. The program will work best for those athletes whose training experience exceeds 6 months. If you have been bodybuilding for more than 3 years and are close to reaching your limit muscle growth, then this program, most likely, will not bring you tangible benefits.

Workout #1 for the lower body

The exercise	Approaches	repetitions
	2 warm-up and 3-4 workers	12-15 (warm-up), 6-8
	2-3	10-12
	3-4	6-8
	2-3	10-12
	3-4	6-8
	2-3	10-12

As you can see this workout consists of at least 17 approaches, the implementation of which will take you about 45 minutes. You can do a maximum of 23 approaches, the implementation of which is desirable to lay in 60 minutes.

Upper Body Workout #1

A minimum of 16 sets, which should take 35 minutes to complete. Maximum 22 sets, which should take 50 minutes to complete.

Lower Body Workout #2

The exercise	Approaches	repetitions
	2 warm-up and 2-3 workers	12-15 (warm-up), 10-12
	2-3	10-12
	2-3	10-12
	2-3	10-12
Standing up on toes in Smith's car	2-3	8-10
	2-3	12-15

Minimum 14 sets and 30 minutes of time. Maximum 20 sets and 40 minutes of time. How is it different from workout #1? Less volume training and leg curls in the machine have been replaced by lunges with dumbbells back.

Upper Body Workout #2

The exercise	Approaches	repetitions
	2-3	to failure
	2-3	10-12
	2 warm-up and 2-3 workers	12-15 (warm-up), 10-12
	2-3	10-12
	1-2	10-12
	1-2	10-12

Minimum 12 sets and 30 minutes of time. Maximum 18 sets and 40 minutes of time. How is it different from workout #1? Less volume of training, plus a slightly different set of exercises.

Weekly lesson plan

This split was designed to be a 4-day split, so ideally you should train on the following schedule:
Tuesday – Upper Body Workout #1
Wednesday - rest day
Thursday – Lower Body Workout #2

However, if circumstances do not allow you to train 4 times a week, or if you do not have time to recover, exercising on such a schedule, then the 3-day version of this split will suit you:

Week 1
Monday – Lower Body Workout #1
Tuesday - rest day
Wednesday – Upper Body Workout #1
Thursday - rest day
Friday – Lower Body Workout #2
Saturday and Sunday - rest days

Week 2
Monday – Upper Body Workout #1
Tuesday - rest day
Wednesday – Lower Body Workout #1
Thursday - rest day
Friday – Upper Body Workout #2
Saturday and Sunday - rest days

Working weights in exercises
The rep ranges prescribed above must correspond to a certain amount of weights:
6 reps - approximately 85% of 1 rep max
8 reps - about 80% of 1RM
10 reps - approximately 75% of 1RM
12 reps - about 70% of 1RM

Working weight progression
The first 2 weeks of training for this program are "test": during this period, you must determine your working weights. From 3 weeks you begin to engage in full dedication.

Increase working weights in heavy basic exercises (squats, deadlift, bench press on a horizontal and inclined bench) after you can complete the specified number of reps on all sets with the same weight.

After 6 weeks of full-time training ( weeks 3 to 8), followed by a "unloading" week.

"Unloading" week
This is the time of rest from hard training. This stage is necessary in order to give your body the opportunity to fully recover, and your nervous system rest to avoid overtraining, reduce the likelihood of injury and increase motivation.

As for the working weights, they should not be reduced. Reducing the volume of training ( total number of approaches) will suffice.