How to build my upper body strength?

crafty30

Ok so I want to build up my upper body strength because quite frankly its pathetic!
I can’t afford the gym so I do exercises at home. I use Dumbells and I’m currently using 3kg (Pathetic I know!). I also do push ups and tricep dips. I use kettlebells as well and I’m using between a 4kg and 6kg weight.
So anyway Ive been doing this since May and my upper body strength just does not seem to be getting any better. I still cant do proper press ups. Not even 1!
With the weights and Kettlebells I usually do a half hour routine and with the weights its normally sets of 24 for each exercise.
Should I perhaps being doing less reps with more weight? I know 3kg is pathetic but I struggle with that at the mo!! And it just doesn’t seem to be improving so I guess I must be doing something wrong?! Because surely in 6 months I should be getting stronger?

Hendrix7

With the weights and Kettlebells I usually do a half hour routine and with the weights its normally sets of 24 for each exercise.
Should I perhaps being doing less reps with more weight?

Yes.

Basics of upper body strength are

Vertical pressing - so this could be overhead press with dumbell or kettlebell
horizontal pressing - push ups
horizontal pulling - rowing variations such as bent over rows, again you could do this with dumbells or a kettlebell
vertical pulling - pull ups and chin ups - might be a bit more diffucult unless you have a chin up bar or something to hang from!

In order to get stronger you really need to be in the 3-8 rep range for most of the time, so you might need to invest in some heavier weight. An adjustable dumbell is probably a good idea.

crafty30

Thanks Hendrix, that’s really helpful. My kettlebell set only goes up to 8KG so maybe an adjustable dumbell set will be the way to go..Damn they had one on Amazon black Friday yesterday, I should have got that!!
So I just do the exercises with a certain weight for a while then when that starts to get comfortable increase the weight?
How about with push ups, I have read that doing them on an elevated surface is better than doing the box press-ups?

tabi26

If you can do sets of 24, it's time to up the weights. For building strength/muscle you should only be able to do 10 reps MAX. As in, you cannot physically even do another rep with proper form. If money is super tight, maybe try to get some adjustable weights. If you want a whole body workout, without a gym, look into P90X. You do need some dumbells and a pull up bar or the bands, but if you stick to it you'll see great results and be alot stronger!

LexyDB

Anything above 15 reps in a set builds endurance not hypertrophy. As tabi26 pointed out, up the weight and aim for six, no more than eight with heavy weights; you'll get your increase in strength.

crafty30

Thanks all, that is definitely where I am going wrong then! I'll have to invest in some adjustable dumbells then so i can increase the weight.
I have looked at P90x and Chalean Extreme but they both scare me a bit!!

tabi26

Thanks all, that is definitely where I am going wrong then! I'll have to invest in some adjustable dumbells then so i can increase the weight.
I have looked at P90x and Chalean Extreme but they both scare me a bit!!

Don't let them scare you! You can modify every exercise to suit what you can do now, and eventually you'll find that you can do alot more than you thought you could! The best part? It's at home! No ones watching! So if you have to modify, or can't do a specific exercise at all...no one knows but you! . Lol.

kuntry_navy

keep lifting, it will come

agggie550

Dont forget your legs... not sure how true it is, but they say that becuase your legs are some of the biggest muscles in your body, when you work them it helps increase testosterone, which helps build muscle faster. Dont worry your not gooing to grow a mustache from working out your legs, but just something to think about when wanting to building muslce, its all about balance and recovery.

crafty30

Thanks all, that is definitely where I am going wrong then! I'll have to invest in some adjustable dumbells then so i can increase the weight.
I have looked at P90x and Chalean Extreme but they both scare me a bit!!

Don't let them scare you! You can modify every exercise to suit what you can do now, and eventually you'll find that you can do alot more than you thought you could! The best part? It's at home! No ones watching! So if you have to modify, or can't do a specific exercise at all...no one knows but you! . Lol.

Ha this is very true! I currently do home DVD's which are starting to get easier so maybe I should push myself to try these! I'll see how I go with the heavier weights first and maybe look at these in the New Year!

crafty30

Dont forget your legs... not sure how true it is, but they say that becuase your legs are some of the biggest muscles in your body, when you work them it helps increase testosterone, which helps build muscle faster. Dont worry your not gooing to grow a mustache from working out your legs, but just something to think about when wanting to building muslce, its all about balance and recovery.

Oh yes thank you, my legs aren't too bad strength wise, I do squats and lunges several times a week and I run so I have built up fairly good muscles in my legs, Its just my upper body that is a bit feeble!!

Sean_The_IT_Guy

Pushups and Pullups are the bread and butter of upper body strength. Pushups will work your chest and triceps, pullups will work back and biceps. There's various forms for each which will shift the focus around between their two muscle groups.

the higher your feet are in relation to your head, the more of your shoulders you will involve in your pushups. Taken to the extreme, vertical (handstand) pushups are mostly shoulder (and tricep).

Pullups can be done with various grips (overhand, underhand, staggered) and various grip widths to accentuate more bicep or more back, depending on what you want to do that particular day.

Couple this with weighted squats, and you're well on your way to upper body building with minimal need for an outlay of cash. If you want to do weighted squats, pullups or pushups you can just get a backpack and fill it with heavy stuff, like books or bottles of water or rocks, depending on your abilities.

crafty30

Pushups and Pullups are the bread and butter of upper body strength. Pushups will work your chest and triceps, pullups will work back and biceps. There's various forms for each which will shift the focus around between their two muscle groups.

the higher your feet are in relation to your head, the more of your shoulders you will involve in your pushups. Taken to the extreme, vertical (handstand) pushups are mostly shoulder (and tricep).

Pullups can be done with various grips (overhand, underhand, staggered) and various grip widths to accentuate more bicep or more back, depending on what you want to do that particular day.

Couple this with weighted squats, and you're well on your way to upper body building with minimal need for an outlay of cash. If you want to do weighted squats, pullups or pushups you can just get a backpack and fill it with heavy stuff, like books or bottles of water or rocks, depending on your abilities.

Thank you!
With weighted squats, could I do these with the dumbells or will this not have much of an effect?

Hendrix7

Dont forget your legs... not sure how true it is, but they say that becuase your legs are some of the biggest muscles in your body, when you work them it helps increase testosterone, which helps build muscle faster. Dont worry your not gooing to grow a mustache from working out your legs, but just something to think about when wanting to building muslce, its all about balance and recovery.

It's not true at all.

jenhelle

With the weights and Kettlebells I usually do a half hour routine and with the weights its normally sets of 24 for each exercise.
Should I perhaps being doing less reps with more weight?

Yes.

Basics of upper body strength are

Vertical pressing - so this could be overhead press with dumbell or kettlebell
horizontal pressing - push ups
horizontal pulling - rowing variations such as bent over rows, again you could do this with dumbells or a kettlebell
vertical pulling - pull ups and chin ups - might be a bit more diffucult unless you have a chin up bar or something to hang from!

In order to get stronger you really need to be in the 3-8 rep range for most of the time, so you might need to invest in some heavier weight. An adjustable dumbell is probably a good idea.

^ This. Get heavy enough weights that you can only do 5-10 reps with maximum effort. Do push-ups off a counter, bathtub, or steps. This makes you use your core muscles.

LanaeCarol

Bump - my upper body strrenth is pathetic too. Hoping this will give me more ideas.

Sean_The_IT_Guy

Thank you!
With weighted squats, could I do these with the dumbells or will this not have much of an effect?

Absolutely. It doesn't really matter where the weight is, as long as it's near your center of gravity (on your shoulders, hanging equally by your sides, etc) for doing weighted squats. The reason you usually see it on the shoulders with a barbell is because heavy squatters are doing hundreds of pounds, which is hard to keep anywhere else.

If you find your grip getting tired from holding dumb bells while doing squats, try making or buying some cheap wrist straps (essentially just strips of cloth with a loop on one end) to help your weight grip.

Yogi_Carl

You could hold the dumbbells up at your shoulders so you are not gripping them but holding them in a push positiion, or you could try squatting on one leg. Try rising to standing from a chair with only one leg - if you can do 10 on each leg then its time to squat lower until your butt hits your heel - pistol squats will build your legs for life without resorting to weights, though if you need you could still use a rucksac or dumbbells.

Have a look at an e-book or purchase a book called "You are your own gym" - all you need, plus a pullup bar and your kettlebell. It won't be long before your kettlebells will be too light and want a heavier one for some exercises.

dlegros

Thanks Hendrix, that’s really helpful. My kettlebell set only goes up to 8KG so maybe an adjustable dumbell set will be the way to go..Damn they had one on Amazon black Friday yesterday, I should have got that!!
So I just do the exercises with a certain weight for a while then when that starts to get comfortable increase the weight?
How about with push ups, I have read that doing them on an elevated surface is better than doing the box press-ups?

Don't worry about missing the black Friday deal - there's a york set on there that's only £2 than the one that was on offer.

There are some push-up progressions here - http://kevinlarrabee.com/its-all-about-progression-push-ups/

watcheronthewall

bump