Following a huge weekend of celebrations in the UK for the King’s Coronation one hot topic of conversation that has come out of the festivities, perhaps a little unexpectedly is Penny Mordaunt and her arms of steel! The Lord President of the Council, Penny Mordaunt, stood holding the sword for what seemed like an eternity. So what is the trick to building upper body strength?
The key is to remember to train the upper body as a whole, not just the individual muscle groups. Whilst Penny’s role would have certainly required great bicep strength it’s not just the biceps we should focus on. Good nutrition and a workout plan including both cardio and strength are also fundamental.
Here are my top 7 arm exercises to target all of the upper body. Consistency is KEY so try and repeat these 3 or 4 times a week for 20 minutes. Start with light dumbbells and build up gradually to keep the muscles challenged. Correct form is essential.
Work for 10-12 reps of each and 3 sets. Increase your sets as you increase your fitness.
1. Bicep curls & hammer curls (both targeting the biceps)
2. Tricep dips (targeting the back of the arms) & tricep kickbacks
3. Shoulder press
4. Press ups (chest and shoulders)
5. Lateral raises (shoulders)
6. Renegade rows (core/shoulders/back)
7. Rear delt fly (back/shoulders)
If you train consistently you should begin to see the benefits after just 4-6 weeks.
I was delighted to be featured in an article in the Telegraph discussing this topic. You can read the full article here.
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