Upper body strength training...where to start?

jepo27
jepo27 Posts: 56 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys

I've decided to start working on toning/strengthening my upper body, partly to aid weight loss but also to get flabby arms and back fat to reduce. I have a couple of 1.5kg dumbbells and am planning to do sets of reps to each exercise (like bent over rowing/fly) How many sets and reps should I do? I've never done strength training before.

Replies

  • Thehardmakesitworthit
    Thehardmakesitworthit Posts: 838 Member
    Good for you! I would suggest that you find a program to follow. I started with reading articles on bodybuilding.com which led me to Strong Lifts..and then on to others. Bodybuilding.com has great "plans" to follow under training on their website. Check it out! and You will NOT regret doing resistance training.
  • cecekay19
    cecekay19 Posts: 89 Member
    I'm old school. I'd start with push-ups (on the knees if you can't do a full military style push-up). Walk with your dumbbells, use them as part of a push-up or plank routine (picking your arms up with the dumbbell). Dead lifts are also great, but you will need more weight to make that more effective.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    darebee has a lot of exercise options
  • jepo27
    jepo27 Posts: 56 Member
    Thanks for the tips so far! I can't really do press ups as my wrists are weak (early onset arthritis, my body weight causes my wrists to give way during press-ups)...so I have to go for exercises that don't put too much strain ony wrists.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    jepo27 wrote: »
    Thanks for the tips so far! I can't really do press ups as my wrists are weak (early onset arthritis, my body weight causes my wrists to give way during press-ups)...so I have to go for exercises that don't put too much strain ony wrists.

    Try doing them on your fists(or holding the dumbells) Also try different hand positions. fingers forward is how most people were taught, but it's not the only way.

    regarding the arthritis, what other joints are currently affected? -Advice for someone with an injury is not the same as for a fully healthy person.
  • cecekay19
    cecekay19 Posts: 89 Member
    Consider swimming, then. As cwolfman13 said, you can't target a place to lose fat, only to tone and add muscle. A survival backstroke is like doing jumping jacks in the water. Good workout and the water will provide resistance. Resistance bands may also be something you should try.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    cecekay19 wrote: »
    Consider swimming, then. As cwolfman13 said, you can't target a place to lose fat, only to tone and add muscle. A survival backstroke is like doing jumping jacks in the water. Good workout and the water will provide resistance. Resistance bands may also be something you should try.

    A good set of bands will definitely be beneficial and can be had for less than a set of dumbbells. they're not as good as actual weights, because the resistance depends on how far the band has been pre-stretched, but they're a good compromise and provide quite a bit of flexibility in use.
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
    jepo27 wrote: »
    Thanks for the tips so far! I can't really do press ups as my wrists are weak (early onset arthritis, my body weight causes my wrists to give way during press-ups)...so I have to go for exercises that don't put too much strain ony wrists.

    Have you tried doing the press ups against a wall instead of on the floor? Have you worked with either an occupational therapist or physical therapist on your wrists? If you haven’t, I would start there. Then take on a body weight program. I recommend the body weight program by Nia Shanks.

    http://www.niashanks.com/the-beautiful-badass-bodyweight-guide2/

    It’s not free, but it’s a good program and she is good about getting back to you if you have questions.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    jepo27 wrote: »
    Hi guys

    I've decided to start working on toning/strengthening my upper body, partly to aid weight loss but also to get flabby arms and back fat to reduce. I have a couple of 1.5kg dumbbells and am planning to do sets of reps to each exercise (like bent over rowing/fly) How many sets and reps should I do? I've never done strength training before.

    I would suggest you dump the toy weights and get something that's actually going to provide meaningful benefit in improving strength 10-15 kilos is a good starting weight.

    dont say that. The amt of weight someone uses is very specific to their level what they are doing. Some people can't even lift their own body weight and just going through the motions with a light weight dumbbell will get them started . I would not put a 10KG weight in the hands of someone just starting out. Odds are as a beginner she wont be able to do much besides deadlift that much . The 1.5kg can get her learning some exercises very safely and it may not seem like a lot to you or me but it may be a lot to her. She can dump the "toy weights" once she gets going but they are great to start, but i would suggest keeping the toy weights anyways, because try and do a set of reverse flys with a 10Kg dbs.

    A beginner should not be doing reverse flies.

    And a healthy adult female should be able to press and row as well as squat With a 10 kilo bell.

    Fooling around with toy weights and accessory lifts is bad advice for a beginner who isn’t otherwise injured

    while she isn't injured, she has bad wrists. small weights are fine, more reps are needed.

    op: it depends on how you want to do it and how much you want to do.
    lifting and such is very popular on mfp
    there are others who do body weight work.
    push ups, pull ups, planks, etc.
    my wrists were pretty weak when i started getting fitter. i did planks on my forearms, wall push ups. now they are stronger. however, i'm not sure how much early onset arthritis would come into play. not a dr. :wink:
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    @jepo27 one nice thing is there is often many paths to the final location of being fitter :smile:
  • jseams1234
    jseams1234 Posts: 1,219 Member
    1.5kg = 3.3 pounds. I've eaten burritos that are heavier than that. That's lighter than most purses. Significantly lighter than a bag of groceries and a few pounds lighter than a small newborn child... I agree that you shouldn't start with a weight that is too heavy or dangerous - but c'mon.
  • jepo27
    jepo27 Posts: 56 Member
    Well...I must be a lot weaker than I thought then as some of you find my tiny weights laughable. I have done 3 to 5 sets of 30 reps the past few days and I ache all over my upper body, so I must be doing something right.
  • annaskiski
    annaskiski Posts: 1,212 Member
    I'm surprised no one has posted this yet:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
  • jseams1234
    jseams1234 Posts: 1,219 Member
    jepo27 wrote: »
    Well...I must be a lot weaker than I thought then as some of you find my tiny weights laughable. I have done 3 to 5 sets of 30 reps the past few days and I ache all over my upper body, so I must be doing something right.

    Nobody is "laughing" at the weight you are able to lift. We all start somewhere and when I look back at where I started I can see a lot of dudes rolling their eyes at my pitiful little lifts. ;)

    However, your stated interest is strength training... I'd hazard to say that if you are able to knock out sets of 30 with the current weights you are using you need to bump them up a tad. Most people strength train in the 5-8 rep range and start what we call hypertrophy training in the 8-15 rep range. Once you get strong enough to reach the top end of those ranges the general rule of thumb is that is when you increase the intensity (weight).

    Anyhow, sorry if we and if especially I came off as snarky. It was not my intention. I hope you stick with it and you are able to reach your strength and health goals. :)
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
    I was reading this thread because it’s something im interested in too as a beginner. And I’ll just add, as an inexperienced and fairly weak person I had the unfortunate experience of getting a pair of 10lb dumbbells and being unable to do anything much with them lol. Sure my backpack might weigh that much but I don’t do reps with it. And it also hurts me :p the amount of times I try to make my bag as light as possible and still end up with bad shoulder pain while I’m out is hilarious.

    Luckily I can go to a gym, (using machines - not hand held stuff because I don’t know how to do anything & I’m definitely not “healthy” by the definition above) but it’s still pretty sad to just see them just sitting there :p I paid for them years ago and I really thought that was the right call because I can pick them up. But I really can’t safely use them.
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,205 Member
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    jepo27 wrote: »
    Hi guys

    I've decided to start working on toning/strengthening my upper body, partly to aid weight loss but also to get flabby arms and back fat to reduce. I have a couple of 1.5kg dumbbells and am planning to do sets of reps to each exercise (like bent over rowing/fly) How many sets and reps should I do? I've never done strength training before.

    I would suggest you dump the toy weights and get something that's actually going to provide meaningful benefit in improving strength 10-15 kilos is a good starting weight.

    dont say that. The amt of weight someone uses is very specific to their level what they are doing. Some people can't even lift their own body weight and just going through the motions with a light weight dumbbell will get them started . I would not put a 10KG weight in the hands of someone just starting out. Odds are as a beginner she wont be able to do much besides deadlift that much . The 1.5kg can get her learning some exercises very safely and it may not seem like a lot to you or me but it may be a lot to her. She can dump the "toy weights" once she gets going but they are great to start, but i would suggest keeping the toy weights anyways, because try and do a set of reverse flys with a 10Kg dbs.

    A beginner should not be doing reverse flies.

    And a healthy adult female should be able to press and row as well as squat With a 10 kilo bell.

    Fooling around with toy weights and accessory lifts is bad advice for a beginner who isn’t otherwise injured

    I've been doing weights etc for about 1.5 years now, granted I haven't been pushing because my goal is toning not gaining and I've had an injury in my shoulder the last 4 months thats prevented me liftng "heavy", and I can row about 6kg per hand (up from 3kg when I started). Same with flys. I can press about 8-10kg per hand. my deadlifts are around 12-14kg per hand depending on the day. I would be very surprised if someone starting out can row or fly more than 4-5kg because its not an action that gets done a lot day to day. Dont judge someone else on your expectations. Putting that on someone is a sure fire way to cause them injury, and then to give up because its too hard. Much better to start really light and build up than jump right in to something thats too hard.
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,205 Member
    jepo27 wrote: »
    Well...I must be a lot weaker than I thought then as some of you find my tiny weights laughable. I have done 3 to 5 sets of 30 reps the past few days and I ache all over my upper body, so I must be doing something right.

    yeah you really could bump things up then. Most reps for toning is around 10-12. 30 is really unusual, unless you are lifting light for rotator cuff (per my physiotherapist)

    You could probably go to at least 3-4kg and do 3 sets of 10 reps instead. You aren't going to get bulky doing this - most people bulking up will lift a LOT heavier and only do 6-8 reps.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    A great read on "toning" for women, with good discussion about "getting bulky" too (make sure to read the whole article, clear through to the end!):

    https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/toning-workout-for-women/
  • jepo27
    jepo27 Posts: 56 Member
    Maybe I explained what I'm wanting to do wrong? I'm not wanting to bulk up, I'm just wanting to tone up and have a bit more muscle definition and a bit less flabby looking arms etc... I'm not after sculpted mega defined upper body muscles.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    jepo27 wrote: »
    Maybe I explained what I'm wanting to do wrong? I'm not wanting to bulk up, I'm just wanting to tone up and have a bit more muscle definition and a bit less flabby looking arms etc... I'm not after sculpted mega defined upper body muscles.

    Did you read the article I linked?
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,205 Member
    jepo27 wrote: »
    Maybe I explained what I'm wanting to do wrong? I'm not wanting to bulk up, I'm just wanting to tone up and have a bit more muscle definition and a bit less flabby looking arms etc... I'm not after sculpted mega defined upper body muscles.

    You wont bulk up unless you participating in a bulking program, which requires lifting really heavy (over 20kg for bicep curls for example) and few reps - usually only 6-8 maximum, but often even fewer.

    Ive been lifting for over 1.5 years, less than or around 10kg for most upper body work, and only doing 2 sets of 8-10 reps and I am just nicely toned. I have definition in my shoulders, and arms, but am not bulky. To get bulky you also need to have proper protein intake as well.

    it is not a normal strength training routine to be doing 30 reps - unless is a specific program, like I am doing that at the moment with 1kg weights to strengthen the ligaments and tendons in my rotator cuff after an injury. But its not the sort of program to use to gain strength in general weightloss situations.


    Bahaha love the article, read the WHOLE thing (i read half got pissed off, but then read the rest and realised its humour) I lift as heavy as i can manage for around 10 reps, have done so for a year and am not bulky, and yes the "tone" definitly showed as I lost the weight.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited May 2018
    Avidkeo wrote: »
    ...Bahaha love the article, read the WHOLE thing (i read half got pissed off, but then read the rest and realised its humour)...

    Exactly why I include the admonition to read the whole article! :D He does a pretty masterful job of trolling in the beginning. I read/follow a lot of his stuff and couldn't believe my eyes as I was reading the beginning of that article, because normally he's right on with his advice. He wrote another similar article with less snark here: https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/muscle-tone/
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
    jepo27 wrote: »
    Maybe I explained what I'm wanting to do wrong? I'm not wanting to bulk up, I'm just wanting to tone up and have a bit more muscle definition and a bit less flabby looking arms etc... I'm not after sculpted mega defined upper body muscles.

    It is super hard for women to bulk up. If you are eating in at a caloric deficit you certainly will not bulk up. You may think that you are because strength training can cause you to retain some water at first, but the water retention eventually goes away. I lift fairly heavy on a regular basis and I do not look super jacked. If you want to strength train with weights, I’d suggest finding a progressive program like this one:
    https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html
    You’ll need more weights for this one. If you purchased an adjustable set that goes up to 16K you’d be in business:-) If you do not want to train with weights, the body weight program I mentioned earlier is awesome. Well worth the money.

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