The Five Best Exercises to Add Upper Body Muscle

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The first thing to say about adding upper body muscle is that it's a lot easier to do if you don't neglect lower body training.

I know this sounds weird, but remember that most of the some of the largest muscles in your legs and butt are among the largest muscles in your entire body, and the secret to getting bigger is to build the largest muscles in the body first.

For that reason, unless you have a genuine physical condition that stops you from either dead lifting or squatting, make sure you pay your dues with one of these exercises.

I'd also add the leg press to that - so rule number one is don't neglect lower body training.

This produces the anabolic effect that you need to build muscle. It also makes it much easier to add muscle to other parts of your body - a bit like throwing a stone into a pond - the larger the stone the more ripples it creates.

Similarly, the larger the muscle you train, the easier it becomes to get the smaller muscles to grow as well - they come along for the ride.

This is called "indirect effect."

Now to upper body mass builders;

Again, focus on compound exercises where possible. This is a more efficient way to train because you want to exercise the major muscle groups with as few movements as possible, giving you more time for recovery, and just as important, to get on with the other things in your life!

Take a look at this group of exercises. Bench press, overhead press, dip, chin, shrug.

These are the only mass builders you will ever need for training the upper body. You don't even need all of them! The first three are pushing movements and the last two are pulling movements.

I'd suggest that you pick a pushing exercise, and then follow with a pulling exercise. You'll probably find it easier to train them both hard if you follow this plan instead of following a pushing exercise with another pushing exercise, or a pulling exercise followed by another pulling exercise.

If you're just starting out with the weights then you may not be able to do the chin up - in which case you could do the pull down exercise if you have access to that equipment, or you could do negative chins until you have the strength to do a normal chin up.

All the other exercises you should be able to do.

It's vital to add small amounts of weight to the bar whenever possible. Don't be in too much of a hurry adding weight though, or your body won't have a chance to adapt to the extra stress you place on it.

Make sure that you learn the right way to do the exercises, so that:
1/ You get the maximum muscle building effect and
2/ You greatly reduce the chance of injury.

Good luck!

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Gain Muscle Mass Fast - 5 Killer Exercises

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If you are fed up with having very little muscle mass then you have probably considered joining a gym or purchasing some weight training equipment. But what do you do once you have made the financial commitment to reaching your goals of a better body? Unfortunately many beginners have very little understanding of how to work out properly and therefore make insignificant progress and eventually give up on their vision of a better body.

It is for that reason essential that you know what exercises to do in order to achieve the best possible results. Don't worry about doing what the person next to you does; if you perform these killer compound exercises then you will be packing on lean muscle mass in no time.

1. Barbell Squat - The Barbell Squat is considered by many bodybuilders, weightlifters and athletes to be the king of all lifts. The exercise is performed by resting the bar across the back of the shoulders and stabilizing it into position with your hands, you then "squat" down deep, keeping the back straight, chest out and knees behind the toes. Squats when performed correctly with strict form work the Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Lower Back and Glutes. For safety purposes it is always best to perform this exercise in a Squat or Power Rack.

2. Bench Press - Possibly the most famous weightlifting exercise, the Bench Press is the ideal core lift for hitting the chest and triceps. The Bench Press can be performed in variety of different ways including flat, incline, decline and close grip. For the beginner it is always best to start with flat bench press and this can be performed using either a Barbell or Dumbbells.

3. Deadlift - One of the best exercises for building up the lower back, it is performed by "pulling" a barbell from the floor by pushing with your legs and keeping your back straight. The Deadlift also works the muscles in the legs, middle back, traps and forearms making it an incredible full body exercise.

4. Military Press - The Military Press is performed by holding a barbell at shoulder level slightly in front of your head and then slowly raising it above your head. The Military Press is the ideal core exercise for hitting the shoulders and triceps. This exercise can also be performed behind the neck.

5. Barbell Rows - This rowing exercise is ideal for developing the middle back as well as the lats and biceps. The barbell row is performed by bending at the waist and keeping the back straight, the barbell is then pulled up towards the chest. This exercise can also be performed using dumbbells.

By performing an exercise routing based around these compound lifts you will be able to build a strong muscular physique when combined with a well balanced, protein rich diet.

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