Exercises for Upper Body Strength

[Bunny]

I am really weak in my upper body strength and was wondering if you all could suggest some exercises that would increase my upper body strength. thing is though is that i have lower back problems with 3 of my vertebrae.

so i would need exercises that can strengthen my arms and chest area without irritating my back. the ones I've found are to rough on my back.

suggestions anyone?

[srijantje]

http://fit450.com/HTML/5BX_chart1.html

sit ups you have to do with bend knees,to make it easy on your back

[Spud17]

I've watched this vid all the way through and think it may help you @Bunny

The exercises are executed correctly, and cover the basics in upper body strength building. The first exercise, one of the best, is the push-up. This version though is the 'ladies' version,' which is a waste of time. If you're going to do half push-ups, protect your knees with some padding, or rest them on a cushion or something similar. If you can't manage a full push-up, keep trying until you can. Even if you just do 2 or 3 a day, persevere until you can do more. You will start to find it easier after a few days. This vid includes a stretch and cool-down at the end. It's a little repetitive but at least none of the exercises taught here are dangerous.

If any of the exercises hurt your back in any way (they shouldn't) stop training and let us know about it. Good luck Bunny.

[System Folder]

If you're going to do pushups, do yourself a favor and get a set of Perfect Pushup handles. It makes the arm movement much more natural.
https://www.perfectonline.com/product/pushup

Here's a review

and here's part of an exercise routine using them

[Bunny]

Thanks for the links and tips everybody.

the sit ups hurt my back nearly every way i tried them. also push ups were a lil rough but then my sister suggested wall push ups. Google that if yet don't know about them. And they are really helping.

i am also lifting smaller size weights. and moving to heavier ones every 2 weeks. I'm growing some muscles wow lol

[srijantje]

lie flat on your back,pull up your legs[legs bend in other words]put your hands behind your head and just bend forward enough to tighten your stomach and belly muscles,let go and repeat as many times as you can,this should not hurt your back,as you don't put pressure on it that way.

[Wildcard]

Yeah a lot of people end up pulling on the back of their neck with their hands or some other odd maneuvers-- the rule is if you can't do the next rep without resorting to another muscle then just take a break and go for another set later. You will do more harm than good by pushing through and doing the exercises incorrectly.

[Spud17]

Bunny, the only piece of equipment I recommend anyone invests in, is an ab-roller like this one:



Resting your head on the main pad prevents you pulling on the back of the neck, which can lead to sprains in the back and neck, and due to the smooth rolling motion, you can do more ab crunches on one of these than you could freely on your own. They retail between about $30-$50.

[sporkium]

sit-up's are dead... leg lift's work the same muscle groups without the risk of hurting your back or neck.

[Stanley]

I am doing cardio and abs these are good for me to improve the upper body strength.
I do push ups, pull ups, crunches, swimming, and yoga workout to improve the upper body strength.
These workouts give me real benefits to improve my body strength and overall fitness level.