To build muscle mass in your upper body, you need to make sure you get enough weights and the right exercises. In fact, not all workouts for this part of the body help you increase muscle size. Some exercises are great for building strength, while others are great for building more mass. Usually, you will be able to achieve a larger upper body with a combination of various types of weight lifting exercises.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Develop Muscle Mass in the Upper Body
Step 1. Do more reps
There are two main types of exercises you can do in weightlifting: low repetition or higher. Studies have shown that with more repetitions, you can develop more muscle mass. To get bigger muscles, try three to six sets of 6-12 repetitions.
- As you start training to get a bigger upper body, focus on more repetitions for each exercise.
- More repetitions help build strength, but not as much as low-rep exercises. If you want to develop mass and strength at the same time, include a combination of high and low rep sets in your program.
Step 2. Include more composite exercises in your program than in isolation
Usually, the former will help you achieve your bulking goal more effectively than the others.
- Usually, composite exercises are those that make use of free weights or body weight, working more joints and muscles. Exercises of this type are best for building mass.
- Deadlifts and squats are examples of composite exercises.
- Exercises in isolation are those that only work a small group of muscles, such as bicep curls. They are ideal for definition and toning, but not for mass development.
Step 3. Train your upper body once every two days
When exercising, it is important to rest. This is especially true if you are targeting a specific muscle group.
- It is during rest that the muscles become stronger and larger. This process does not happen in the course of the activity itself.
- Take rest days throughout the week as well as make sure you don't work your upper body every day. Try to train once every two days or 2-3 days a week.
- If you don't rest properly and don't give your muscles time to recover, you can experience muscle fatigue, decreased performance and results.
Step 4. Include cardiovascular activities
While these exercises do not allow you to increase the size of the upper body, they are still an essential activity in any training program.
- It is usually a good idea to include about 150 minutes of medium-intensity cardiovascular activity in your schedule.
- Many activities fall under the definition of "medium intensity" including aerobics and running. However, you can consider exercises such as rowing which can increase your heart rate but also work many muscles in your upper body.
Part 2 of 3: Integrating Specific Exercises for Muscle Mass Gaining in the Upper Body
Step 1. Do the pull-ups
This is a great composite exercise that engages many back, arm and shoulder muscles.
- Hold a pull-up bar with both hands. Hold them slightly beyond shoulder distance, with your palms facing away from you.
- Pull yourself up, until your chin is just above the bar. Slowly bring your body back down until your arms are almost fully extended. Repeat the exercise as many times as you like.
Step 2. Add pushups to your schedule
The biggest advantage of pushups is that they are bodyweight exercises, so you can do them anywhere. You can also try a lot of variations in order to increase the difficulty.
- Start with your hands on the ground, directly under your shoulders, with your legs stretched out behind you. Keep your back straight, your core tight and tense.
- Lower the body, keeping the back straight and the elbows in contact with the body; do not take them outwards. You can do this by pulling your shoulder blades back and down. Go down until your chest touches the floor.
- Push to return to the starting position. Make sure you always keep the core contract.
- Repeat 10-20 times.
Step 3. Integrate the dip
Again, this is a compound exercise that works many muscles, including the back and arms. It specifically targets the triceps and shoulders.
- To get the most out of this exercise, use parallel bars. Place your hands on each bar and hold them firmly. Stay suspended by lifting your feet off the ground; to do this, you will need to contract the muscles in your arms and back.
- Slowly lower yourself by bending your elbows. Do this so that they are facing backwards, while the arms remain parallel to the body.
- Lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Push to return to the starting position. Return down to begin another repetition.
Step 4. Try the incline bench presses
This exercise is ideal for building strength and mass. It works the chest and arms.
- Lie down on an adjustable bench at an angle of 30-45 °. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your palms facing away from you.
- Lower the dumbbells to chest height, then slowly push to bring them up, until your arms are straight.
- Return the dumbbells to your chest to start a new rep.
Step 5. Do rowing with dumbbells
This exercise helps work the upper back, especially the lats and trapezius.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Bending your knees slightly, bring your chest forward at waist level while keeping your back straight.
- Extend your arms out in front of you, so they stay down.
- Bend your arms and raise the dumbbells to the side of your body. Always keep your arms close to your chest for the duration of the exercise.
- Slowly bring the dumbbells back down in front of your chest. Lift them up again to begin another repetition.
Step 6. Try inverted flys
This is an exercise that targets the back of the shoulders and the upper back.
- Lie prone on an incline bench. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing inward.
- To begin, extend your arms out in front of you. Slowly lift them outward, until they are perpendicular to your body. Stop and hold the position when they reach chest height.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades to hold the position and get the best results from the exercise.
- Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat as needed.
Step 7. Integrate bicep curls
While not considered a composite exercise, they are useful for specifically toning the front of the arms, an area where almost everyone wants to have more definition.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides. Make sure you keep your palms away from your body.
- Keeping your upper arms firm and close to your body, raise the dumbbells towards your shoulders. Keep lifting them until you reach your shoulders with your hands.
- Slowly return the dumbbell down to the starting position. Repeat as many times as necessary.
Part 3 of 3: Follow a Diet That Promotes Muscle Mass Gain
Step 1. Increase your calorie intake
To achieve significant gains in muscle mass, you need to ingest more calories. By eating very light meals or on a low calorie diet it is very difficult to increase the size of the muscles.
- You don't have to ingest large amounts of calories every day, but try to maintain a slight surplus, around 150-250 calories.
- The excess calories will be used to give you the energy to perform the exercises, to regenerate and repair the muscles.
- Get these extra calories from nutritious and healthy foods. Choose lean proteins, whole grains, fruits or vegetables. Try to avoid sugars, fats, and processed foods.
Step 2. Get adequate amounts of protein
To build muscle and support your intense training program, you need to make sure you are eating enough protein every day.
- It is usually recommended to take about 0.8g of protein per kg of weight. However, if you are looking to gain muscle mass, you will need more protein, around 2g per kg of weight.
- To calculate the amount of protein you eat per day, check the nutritional information of the foods you use in your diet.
- Choose a good variety of lean protein sources, such as: eggs, poultry, lean beef, tofu, seafood, nuts, or low-fat dairy.
Step 3. Replenish your energies appropriately
An important aspect of your path to gaining muscle mass is to recover energy after a workout. If you don't feed properly after lifting weights, you may not get the results you hope to achieve.
- Within an hour of finishing a workout, you need to replenish your energy. It is not recommended to wait any longer. The best recovery interval is 30-45 minutes after a session.
- Recuperate your energy with lots of carbohydrates and a good amount of protein. You need to replenish the energy used during training, as well as take in the proteins that can help your body repair and regenerate tired muscles.
- Eat a protein shake, a protein bar with a fruit, a light meal (such as roast chicken and potatoes), chocolate milk, or pretzels.
Advice
- It's a good idea to start with bodyweight exercises like push-ups and pull-ups. Once you've learned how to do them perfectly, you can move on to weights.
- To prevent your muscles from stalling, vary the number of sets and reps with each workout.
Warnings
- To gain muscle mass you have to use heavy weights and this can be dangerous. Minimize the risks by learning the correct techniques from an expert and always having the help of an attentive person.
- Always talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program.
