10 Upper Body Warm-Up Exercises For A Better Workout
In this post I’ll share with you 10 of my favourite upper body warm up exercises!
If you are unsure how to warm-up for your upper body workout days, don’t worry, I’ve got you!
The movements in this blog post are specifically really beneficial if you are going to be performing any shoulder, chest, arm or back focused exercises! (*essentially any upper body dumbbell, barbell or bodyweight exercises!*)
However, you can also incorporate them into your full-body warm up as well too, which is what I like to do!
Note: whilst most of the exercises are just using your own bodyweight, a few of them will require a *very light* band – if you don’t have one already, here’s the one I use if you are interested! (It’s a super affordable piece of equipment for your home workouts & it’s just really handy to have a light band like this, as it can be used for so many different exercises!)
Okay, enough chatting Jane!
Here’s the list of 10 warm-up exercises that will get your body ready for your next upper body lifting session!
1. Band Shoulder Dislocates
How-To:
- Grab each end of a long resistance band
- Bring the band back & forth from the front of the body to the small of the back.
- 1 rep is back & forth.
- Repeat for 5-10 reps (or as desired!)
(Note: this movement can also be done with any sort of dowel or broomstick too!)
2. Band Pull-Aparts
How-To:
- Grab near the ends of a long resistance band (to make this harder, hold in closer!)
- Relax the shoulders away from your ears
- Hold the band straight out in front of your chest, palms facing down – then *pull the band apart* (like you are stretching it out), & as you do so retract/squeeze the shoulder blades.
- Perform 10-20 reps!
3. Lateral Arm-Swings
How-To:
- No equipment needed
- Simply swing the arms side to side, crossing over in the middle each time.
- Aim for around 10-20 reps!
4. Arm Circles
How-To:
- Again, no equipment needed!
- Simply draw big circles with the arms forward & back!
- Try for 5-10 one way, then 5 to 10 the other way
- You can also do one arm at a time & alternate!
5. Band Overhead Press
How-To:
- You’ll need a long resistance band for this one!
- Simply hold the band outside shoulder width
- Keeping a slight bit of tension on the band, just press it up over your head, then bring it back down to the top of the chest
- Shoot for about 5-10 reps
(Note: this movement can also be done with any sort of dowel or broomstick too!)
6. Band Behind-The-Neck Press
How-to:
- Grab your long resistance band, & hold it anywhere outside shoulder width
- Bring it round to the back of your neck & simply press it overhead, then return to starting position
- Make sure to really extend those arms right to the ceiling!
- 5-10 reps is usually my go-to on these!
(Note: this movement can also be done with any sort of dowel or broomstick too!)
7. Band Pulldowns
How-To:
- Again you’ll a need long resistance band for this movement, & something high to anchor it to!
- With a slight hinge forward of the torso, grab onto each side of the band
- Then using your lats (back muscles), pull the band down to the thighs, then control it back up!
- I usually go for about 10-15 reps on these 🙂
8. Quadruped Thoracic Rotations
How-To:
- Start by getting in a quadruped or *on all fours* position on the floor
- Take one hand and place it at your ear, then starting at your inner elbow, think about reaching your other elbow up to the sky, opening up the chest & back, then return to starting.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Perform around 5-10 reps each side
9. Walk-Out With Push Up
How-To:
- Starting in a stand position, bend down to the ground & start walking out with the hands into a plank position
- Once into a high plank position, you can either reverse the movement & come back up, or you can add a push up to make it more challenging!
- Tip: to make this a bit easier, feel free to bend your legs on the walk-out & back up. To make it harder or to feel more of a stretch in the hamstrings, keep them straight!
- Aim for about 5-10 reps, depending how you feel!
Note: this is actually an awesome movement for your full-body or lower-body days too!
10. Plank Shoulder Taps
How-To:
- Start in a *high plank position* on the hands.
- Lift one hand off the floor, & tap the opposite shoulder.
- Alternate sides – you can aim for about 6-10 on these!
- Throughout the movement try not to swing the hips too much, I suggest keeping the bum squeezed a bit too!
Conclusion
I hope has given you some inspiration on how-to warm up for your upper body home workouts or gym sessions!
Keep an eye out on my blog for regular weekly posts on my blog starting 15/01/2024!
I really want to make this your go-to space for all your beginner & body-neutral workout advice 🙂
Jane XOXO
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