When you start your fitness training, literally the very first thing you will notice in your gym is guys flexing their biceps. It is a very common trait that most guys share because they feel it makes them look good. In fact, if you look at the fitness poses among professionals, immatures, and Instagram fitness enthusiasts you will see that almost everyone likes to flex their biceps. This flex has been the cause of some of the weirdest fitness trends as well. When you start your workout you will see that instructors usually respond best to workouts for the upper body especially the core area, shoulder, and upper back muscles along with arms. However, when you work on your muscle building there are two major options that you will get to explore. Both options revolve around weight lifting however one is more extreme than the other and their impact is also different.
If you want to gain muscle that is thick or in other words you want to focus on the girth of your arm you have to work with a lot of weight. This can range from lifting external weight to progressively increasing the ratio of weight you will be lifting. Similarly, you will notice most of the professionals using this method where they lift external weights in the shape of dumbbells, kettlebells, and weight bars. However, if you are looking for strength and shaping up the biceps you will be relying more on the body weight. Lifting body weight is an art that was previously used by gymnasts and the idea of lifting body weight was coined by the Greeks. When you lift your own body weight, you are basically using the overall weight and concentrating it on one muscle group. Some of the common body weight lifting workouts include handstands, pull-ups, push-up stretches, etc.
Plank
Plank is a very good workout that most people use for training their body especially the chest muscles and biceps. You will get into the push up position and then stay in the same position while your back is straight and your abs are tight. Your weight will be supported by using your elbows, hands and feet so make sure you hold the weight for at least 1 minute. You can then increase the time as your become better and your arms are able to hold the weight.
Pull up
Pull up is also known as the chin up. For this workout you will start by hanging your body by using the grip of your hands. Then you will be pulling yourself up till you touch your chin to the upper side of the monkey bar. Technically this exercise offers you to lift your body weight by grip hanging.
Pushups
You will get into the plank position and the take a dip till your nose touches the ground. You then have to lift up your body again so it return back to the initial position. The goal is to maintain your posture as well as take a full dip. For better results you need to make sure you take full dip and focus on the technique rather than increasing the frequency.
Towel Curls
Towel curls are a great alternative to the dumbbell curls. You will start by using the towel to tuck it under your knee. After that you will grab both ends and lift it closer to your chest. The goal is to build a weight system with your knee resistance so you can maintain a simple weight based balance by using your body. In case you don’t want to use a towel. You can also use resistance bands for the curls.
Lay Hanging
Lay hanging is an exercise identical to the pull up. However you will be in a laying down position holding a weight bar for the support. The ideal is to lay down and hang yourself to the bar and then gradually bring your upper body towards the bar so that the chest touches the bar. This can also be seen as the reverse push up because rather than laying your stomach down you will be laying with your back against the floor and then taking the support of the bar to pull your body upwards.
Handstand Dip
A Handstand dip is an ideal workout for upper body strength and development. This will also help you to strengthen your chest muscles along with your abs. your focus should be on the definition of the muscles as well as the overall strength and this can be achieved when you lift up your whole body weight. As a beginner, you can start by taking support of the wall nearby. And then get to the dip. The goal is to lower your head to touch it to the floor and then rise again.
Swimming
Perfect full body workout that will help you strengthen your upper body mobility especially the mobility of your shoulders, arms, and upper back. It is also a very good cool-down workout that you can try. For the days when you need to take a rest for recovery, you can use swimming as your workout. Swimming is also great for managing chronic pains and recovering the body for each phase. It will also help in strengthening the muscles and facilitating the movement of your shoulder joint.
Bottom Line
To sum it all up, it all comes down to the way you execute the workout. Most people will offer you a simple plan that you can use for the progress however where lifting an external weight will offer you a clear weight-to-progress ratio, you might not be able to achieve the same when you are using your body weight. Since you are lifting your own weight you can increase or decrease the weight by just improving the intensity over time. Another important thing you can do for the customization is use resistance bands that can help you improve the intensity over time so you can get better results. Overall with the right techniques and the right workout plan you will not only be able to improve the width of your muscle but also your strength and overall shape.
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