Fix your T-rex arms!

All of my favorite sports seem to require strong legs, but not so much focus on arms. This sometimes leaves me feeling like a T-Rex – strong legs, but wimpy arms. If you have ever felt this way, this post is for you! I’ll share four simple exercises that you can do at home to help build up the strength in your arms and upper back so that you can tackle whatever life throws at you.

The first exercise I’ll share is a face pull. This exercise targets your rotator cuff as well as the muscles that stabilize your shoulder blade (scapula). Our shoulder is a ball and socket joint. The ball is on our arm bone and the socket sits on the edge of our shoulder blade. This is why shoulder blade stabilizing exercises are so important to help your shoulders and your whole arm feel strong. Here is a link to how to do a face pull: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1s-0WtJMsu8 

The next exercise is a bicep curl. This simple, straightforward exercise can be very important to help you be able to hold and carry things, whether they’re heavy or it’s something you have to carry for a long time, this will help your body be up to the task! Add in this simple exercise and you’ll be surprised how much stronger your arms feel: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2jpteC44QKg 

The next exercise is a front and side raise with a weight. These both target your deltoid, which is the triangle shaped muscle that covers your shoulder joint. These will help you feel stronger lifting things in front of you and and out to the side. Be sure to watch yourself in a mirror to ensure you are not shrugging your shoulders up to your ears while you’re doing it: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/g-tMq_BQ2i8 

For the final exercise, here is a link to do an overhead press. This is an important exercise, but it’s easy to overdo. Start with a light weight and watch yourself in the mirror to be sure you’re not shrugging your shoulders up towards your ears while doing the exercise. Sitting down to do an overhead press helps prevent arching your back which helps target your shoulders AND avoid a back ache. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/k6tzKisR3NY 

The simple exercises are effective to help strengthen your shoulders, arms, and upper back. This will help you carry things more comfortably, lift things overhead more effectively, and will probably help any nagging upper back pain you have. Start with two sets of 10 at a weight you can easily do then build from there. If you need more guidance on how to build a great upper body strengthening program specifically for you, reach out to me and I’d be happy to help you!