When you’re just getting back into fit over 50 joining a gym or learning how to use the newest fitness gadget can add extra overwhelm to a workout. The last thing you want is to spend all day learning how to get fit.
When you’ve found the quickest, simplest solution to gain strength and stamina you can spend more time genuinely enjoying your favourite activities again, not to mention feeling one step ahead of that ever growing to-do list.
Of course it’s about being as efficient as you can. Really simple movements that require zero fancy fitness equipment or complicated choreographies not only strengthen the body, they firm and define the body too.
This upper body workout that requires zero fitness equipment can be done anywhere and unlike most standard “zero equipment” workouts, you do these moves standing. Give it a try:
Upper Body Squeeze:
This “Pull” exercise strengthens the upper back and shoulders as it stretches tight chest muscles all while firming up the triceps muscles (the muscles of the under arm that many of my clients have called the “bat wings”) .
The back is often neglected because almost every movement we do in life over stretches and weakens these muscles while it tigthens chest muscles.
Think about all the forward movements you do in a day. You may drive, you type on the computer, you cook. Each of these movements requires that your arms come forward and your chest muscles stay tight. It can even round the upper back, creating upper back pain and shoulder injuries.
By pulling back the arms during this exercise, you’ll begin to balance out the body,working those weaker back muscles which reduces your risk of shoulder and back injuries.
All while toning the back of the arms too, making this one of the best exercises to tone and strengthen the upper body without fitness equipment.
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- Lift your arms to shoulder level, palms face the ground
- Keep your arms at shoulder level as you squeeze your shoulders together, creating two 90 degree angles with your arms
- Then, reach your fingertips forward as you straighten out your arms once again.
- Do 15-20 repetitions
Upper body Pull Back:
Much like the upper body squeeze, this exercise strengthens the upper back and stretches out the chest. Not to mention it defines your shoulders too.
There’s a fun secret about sculpting the shoulders. It makes your waist look smaller.
That’s right! it’s an old figure fitness move. The small increase in muscle size along the lateral portion of your shoulder (known as the lateral deltoid) acts as the base of an hour glass figure. It lengthens the shoulder muscles and cinches in the waist, giving the wonderful appearance of a flatter tummy.
Arm Circles Forward and Back:
This exercise gives an all around lean sculpted look to your arms as it targets the biceps and triceps by continually contracting your arm as you hold the arms out (a type of exercise known as an isometric contraction). At the same time you increase blood flow to your shoulder joint, reducing your risk of shoulder injury, lubricating the shoulder joint and creating optimal mobility and strength around your shoulder.
- Raise your arms up to each side until they are parallel to the floor. Palms face down
- Create Very slow, small circles in a forward motion
- Do 15-20 repetitions
- Then immediately switch directions without rest in between.
- Do 15-20 repetitions
