5 Best Upper Body Exercises for Men

Training the upper body is essential. Upper body strength allows you to move, lift, push, and pull more effectively. While basic movements are simple, adding some upper body strength training can make things easier. You will find it less taxing to carry heavy loads and have improved posture and reduced back pain, among others.

Men find it easier to build their upper body strength than women. The best part is that it doesn’t take much effort, nor do you need to pick up heavy weights or perform complex movements to do so. Doing some specific exercises a few days a week can be good enough for you to gain optimal strength in the upper body.

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Best Upper Body Exercises for Men

Here are five best exercises for men to train various muscle groups in their upper body. Not only will they make you stronger, but they will also shape your muscles to add to the aesthetics. Let's get started:

#1 Push-up

Here's how it's done:

• Get into a high plank position on the floor.
• Keep your core and glutes engaged to hold your hips in line with your shoulders and feet.
• Push your elbows back, and lower yourself to the floor, maintaining your hips in the same plane.
• Push yourself back up, straightening out your arms.
• Perform 12-15 reps.

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#2 Pull-up

They're done as follows:

• Grip the pull up bar in both hands, and suspend your body from it.
• Squeeze your upper back muscles, and pull yourself upwards, bending your elbows back, leading with your chest, and getting your chin above the bar.
• Lower your body back down, keeping it straight, and extending your arms fully.
• Perform 12-15 reps.

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#3 Push Press

Here's how it's done:

• Hold a dumbbell in either hand. Load them up on your shoulders, pointing your elbows forward at an angle.
• Dip down at your knees and hips slightly. Push your hips forward, and drive your knees back to push the dumbbells up with some momentum.
• Press the dumbbells up over your shoulders, straightening out your arms.
• Bring the dumbbells back down to their starting position before going for your next rep.
• Perform 12-15 reps.

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#4 Bent Over Row

It's done as follows:

• Grab a dumbbell in either hand.
• Hinge forward at your hips so that your upper body is parallel to the floor, maintaining a slight bend in your knees.
• Allow the dumbbells to suspend directly below your shoulders.
• Bend your elbows back to pull the dumbbells up towards your ribs, keeping your elbows close to your body and squeezing your upper back.
• Lower the dumbbells back down towards the ground, extending your arms out.
• Perform 12-15 reps.

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#5 Good Morning

Here's how it's done:

• Load a barbell onto your traps, and grip it as you would while doing a back squat. Stand straight with your feet hip-distance apart.
• Hinge forward at your hips. Go as low as you can while keeping your back straight.
• Stand back up to the starting position.
• Perform 12-15 reps.

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Takeaway

Add the aforementioned exercises to your upper body routine, and notice how they strengthen and shape your muscles to give you good strength and aesthetics. Make sure you eat right, and get plenty of rest, though.