A Fitness Program You Can Start At Any Age: Upper Body Muscle Program

Not working out for fitness and strength throughout your life is a mistake. There is a bigger mistake, though . . . not beginning at all. It is never too late to start a fitness program.

Research has shown that even octogenarians can benefit from strength training and cardiovascular exercising. Exercising and fitness takes thirty years off your life according to the experts.

A fit person of seventy is equal in health to a sedentary person of forty.

A person just getting into training should ease into a program, depending upon their age. The younger you are the faster your recovery rate from exercising.

Also, how quickly you become fit is a matter of age; younger = faster.

You need resistance training to build strength and tone muscle tissue. Increased muscularity will speed up your metabolism and you will burn more fat. As your fitness increases, so will the amount of weight you use.

Cardiovascular exercises; aerobics, running, sports walking, martial arts and other activities that get your blood pumping and your sweat flowing; are very necessary to improve your blood circulation and respiratory system.

Herein is a list of the major muscle groups in your upper body and exercises you will use on your road to fitness and good health.

* Chest - the chest muscles are large and require a lot of exercise. While working the chest, other muscle groups are worked as well, so it is best to start your resistance training routine with chest exercises.

o Bench Press - free weights or machine

o Flies - with dumbbells or a "pec-deck" machine

o Incline Press - for the upper pectoral area

o Decline Press - for the lower pectoral area

o Push-Ups - with hands close for inner pecs, hands spread for out pecs and pec-deltoid tie-in.

o Parallel Bar Dips - for outer pecs and pec-delt tie-in. Also works the delts and triceps (back of arm)

* Shoulders - the deltoid muscles get worked while performing chest workout exercises, so they are well warmed up when your routine moves to shoulder-specific sets.

o Military Press - both in front and behind the neck, either seated or standing.

o Alternate Dumbbell Press - either seated or standing

o Lateral Raises - with dumbbells, both to the sides and to the front.

o Bent-Over Dumbbell Extensions - works the rear deltoids

o Upright Rowing - Standing with your back straight, hands close together on the weight bar, either free-weight or cable- pulley machine.

o Barbell Shrugs - upright, hands spread, beginning with bar at arms length, make a shrugging motion while rotating the shoulders forward. Works trapezious group that ties the shoulders and neck.

* Back - your arms and shoulders will be involved in exercises for the latissimus dorsi or broad muscles of the back.

o Lat Machine Pull-Downs - seated

o Seated Rowing - replicate a rowing motion using a cable- pulley machine for resistance.

o Bent Over Rowing - with a barbell with your body bent at a ninety degree angle, hands placed wide on the bar.

o Alternate Dumbbell Rowing - with your knee on a bench, alternate one arm rowing with a dumbbell.

o Pull-Ups - on a chinning bar, hands spread more than shoulder width, pull-up smoothly until chest hits the bar.

* Arms - the frontal muscles on the arm, biceps (a two-part muscle group) are for pulling, the rear muscles, triceps (a three-part muscle group) are for pushing. The arm muscles get worked in nearly every other muscle group exercise.

o Biceps Curls - with a bar or easy-curl bar

o Biceps Preacher Bench Curls - seated

o Biceps Dumbbell Curls - alternating curls, right and left, while seated or standing

o Biceps Close-Grip Curls - on the chinning bar or with a lat-pull- down machine.

o Triceps Press-Down - cable-pulley machine, movement is from the elbow down, isolating the triceps, mostly the outer head of the muscle.

o Triceps French Press - supine with a barbell or easy-curl bar. Movement is from the elbow down from straight overhead to the forehead or chest.

o Triceps Dumbbell Press - With a single dumbbell and both hands, standing, beginning behind the head to straight overhead.

If you are looking for a proven method for keeping your body in peak condition, I highly recommend yoga. It is the ultimate solution for maintaining your musculoskeletal system, increasing flexibility and balance, and improving your overall energy levels and well being.

For the ultimate yoga system for aging body builders, go here:

http://learnhowtobuildmuscle.com/BrilliantYoga.html

I hope that you have benefited from this information. We will deal with the lower body, core and cardiovascular exercises in subsequent newsletters.