Upper Body Strength for Total Body Fitness

by Teige West

Think back for a moment to your very first hurdling competition. Maybe it was 10 years ago, 2 years ago, or even last week. You were nervous. You looked at the other competitors, at their height, their leg muscles, their experience. The gun fired and you took off and you DID it. You made it to the end. It might not have been pretty, but you proved to yourself that you had the courage to be a competitor. Not only that, but you also had a crash course in the art and technique of hurdling. From that experience and all of your training, you drills and your meets, you have been improving on and modifying a technique for your body and for your abilities to create an ideal, efficient form. And if you have been practicing this sport for even a short amount of time, you know that your entire body is involved in evolving your performance, so in this article we are going to discuss ways to increase your upper body strength, and we will discuss why such strength is important.

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When we talk about the upper body, we’re talking about three areas of the body: the upper back, the chest and the arms.

The upper back consists of three main muscles and each performs an important function for efficient hurdling.  The trapezius is the top-most, large triangular muscle of the neck that extends to the middle back. This muscle controls your shoulder blades, pushing and pulling your shoulders up or down, all of which is important in both the running and clearing phases hurdling. The second muscle is the deltoid, the shoulder muscle. This muscle gives you strength and stability to correctly position your lead and trail arms when clearing a hurdle. The last back muscle is the latissimus dorsi, or the “lats,” which wrap around the back and side of your trunk. This muscle pulls your arm down towards your torso and also stabilizes your trunk which allows for more efficient movements, promotes balance, all of which is necessary to safely, quickly and successfully clearing a hurdle.

The chest area is the pectoral, the “pecs,” along with other smaller muscles. The upper core muscles are often considered part of the chest, but we covered those muscles as one article on core strengthening; so for our purposes, when we discuss the chest here, we mean the large pectoral muscle. The pecs cover a large amount of anatomical space, and perform several functions. The pecs draw the arm inward towards the trunk; stabilize the arm as it moves towards the body (or away); and help to pull the ribcage outward, allowing the lungs to expand (which means deeper breathing and more oxygen into the body).

The arms have two important muscles—the biceps and the triceps. The biceps allow you to move your arm at the elbow from side to side, while the triceps allow you to straighten your arm at the elbow. As you know, the positioning of your trail and lead arms is important to your balance and stability while clearing a hurdle, so you will be able to hold your arm position with less stress and effort when you develop the biceps and triceps.

Below are exercises that will target the various upper body muscles. Generally, do 3 x 10-15 reps for each exercise and for each arm where the exercise only targets one arm. As always, only lift with the weight level that allows you to comfortably complete your sets and reps. It’s always better to start with less weight and add on, than to ‘bite off more than you can chew’ as they say. Consult your trainer, coach or doctor to create an effective plan for your fitness and experience level to make sure you are working every muscle, and to also ensure you are not overworking your body. When using barbells, especially in press exercises, have a spotter with you to prevent injuries.

The Upper Back

Dumbbell Front Raise

Stand with your shoulders shoulder width apart. Take a dumbbell in each hand, resting the weight against your thigh with your palms facing your thigh. Keeping your arm straight, raise the dumbbell to your shoulder, keeping it straight in front of your body. Lower the dumbbells back to starting position. Make it harder: use a barbell instead of dumbbells, which will also work the chest. Works: Trapezius, deltoids, forearms.

Dumbbell Row

This can be done in two ways. The first way is to stand next to a bench and place your left knee and left hand on the bench. With your right leg braced on the floor, grasp a dumbbell in your right hand. Lean over, keeping your backs straight, rest your dumbbell on the floor, and then bring it up towards your chest. Return the dumbbell almost to the floor. This is one rep. Instead of this method, if you have access to a gym, you can lay stomach down on an inclined bench, so that both of your arms are suspended above the ground. Grasp your dumbbells in each hand, and, alternating, bring each weight towards your chest and back down.  Works: lats, deltoids.

Barbell Upright Row

Stand with feet shoulder length apart. Hold a barbell at your thighs, with your inner wrist facing your body. Bring the barbell upward to your chest, lifting your elbows to the side and keeping your wrists close to your body. Works: traps, deltoids.

Dumbbell Side Raise

These can done while standing, seated, or while leaning forward. Stand with feet shoulder length apart. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand, resting at your side. Bring both arms up at the same time until they are parallel with your shoulders. Return to starting position. Works: trapezius, deltoids, triceps.

Plank Row

Get into plank position while holding dumbbells in each hand. Stay in plank position and lift your right hand up to your chest. Return your dumbbell back to the floor. Repeat for the other side. Works: lats, trapezius, triceps, middle back, chest.

Seated Row

This requires a machine, but it can also be performed with a resistance band. The band is a good starting place if you have weaker back muscles. Sit on the floor with your legs together. Loop the band around your feet, reach forward to grasp the handles and then pull the handles back towards your sides. If you are able to track down a cable row machine, sit on the bench. Choose the appropriate weight or resistance level, grasp the handle with both hands, lean slightly forward and then pull the handles back. For these two exercises, don’t lean all the way back as you pull on the handles. You want your upper body to do the work. Works: traps, deltoids, lats, biceps (Another note: a rowing machine is a good way to work almost your entire body, including your upper back muscles, while getting cardio benefits.)

Pull-ups

Pull-ups are a great way to work the upper back, chest and arms at one time; however, many athletes have to work up to a full hanging pull-up. An Australian pull-up is a good intermediate exercise; it is like a reverse bench press. Find a bar that is low to the ground, around three feet high. Position your body so that your body is straight and your heels are resting on the ground while your upper body hangs from the bar. Pull your chin up to the bar and lower yourself back to starting position. Once you are able to comfortably complete 3 sets of reps, you can try the tradition pull-up. Hang from the bar with your wrists facing your body and lift until your chin reaches the bar. Do as many as you can safely complete.

The Chest

Push-ups

These are the old standby, and there are many variations. The least difficult version is to use the knees instead of pivoting from the toes. Another less difficult version is to place your hands on a bench instead of the floor, creating less of a weight load. If you are able to do a traditional push-up, remember to keep your back straight, so as not to strain the lower back. Place your hands underneath your shoulders and lower yourself to the floor. The deeper the push-up, the more effective it will be. You can make it more difficult by putting your feet on a bench and pressing from the ground, allowing more weight to settle onto your upper body. Other variations include lifting one leg, using a medicine ball under one hand or even under both hands.  Works: pectorals, deltoids, triceps, abs.

Bench Press

Lay on an exercise bench with your feet flat on the ground. Grasp a weighted barbell, move it off of the resting hooks, bring it down to your chest and press upward until your arms are almost completely extended. Return the barbell to your chest. Be careful to keep the barbell straight. Always use a spotter for this one. If a barbell is too much weight, you can also dumbbells of lower weight and raise them at the same time. Works: pectorals, deltoids, triceps.

Inclined Bench Press

Sit down on the inclined bench. Grasp dumbbells in each hand and lower your elbows below your body so that the weights are lined up with your chest. Your thumbs should be next to your body, so that your wrists face outward. Press the weights up until you they are together and your arms are almost completely extended. Return the weights to starting position. Works: pectorals, deltoids and triceps.

Military Press

Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, hold a weighted barbell at collarbone level, wrists out. Press the barbell upward until your arms are mostly extended. Return to starting position. Works: pectorals, deltoids, biceps and triceps.

Arms

Hammer Curl/ Bicep Curls

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand, resting them at your thighs, with your wrists facing inward. Lift the weight up, bending at the elbow, stopping at your shoulders. Return to starting position. Another variation is the simple bicep curl. Begin in the same position, but when you raise the weight, twist the dumbbell so that your wrist faces your body and the weight almost touches your chest. For a more weighted version, this exercise can be performed with a barbell. Hold the barbell at your thighs and raise the weight, bending at the elbow until the barbell touches your chest. Works: biceps, triceps, forearms.

Bicep Cable Pulls

Stand in front of a cable pull machine. Choose the appropriate weight setting and grasp the handles at your thighs. Pull the cable up to your chest, bending your arm at the elbow. Return to starting position. These can also be done with a resistance band held underneath your feet. Works: biceps, deltoids.

Triceps Dips

These can be performed on a chair, a bench or on parallel bars. If you are using a bench, place your feet flat on the floor and your hands behind you on the bench. Move forward so that you are balanced between your hands and feet, your knees creating a right angle. Lower yourself until you almost sit on the floor, then press back up to starting position. Works: triceps, pectorals, lats.

Triceps Extensions

Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Grasp a dumbbell with both hands, raising the weight straight above your head. Bending your elbow, dip the weight behind your head, then return to starting position. Works: triceps, forearms.

A few other suggestions

1. Many of these exercises cover multiple muscle groups, so consider that when creating your weight training plan.
2. Your posture and form are the most important aspects of weight training. Focus on these when you begin a program. Speed, power and endurance will follow.
3. Be sure your muscles are doing the work. If you are trying to squeeze in an exercise session, don’t rush through. Not only could you risk injury, but you may be using momentum to lift, rather than your muscles. Count out a tempo to keep yourself from cutting corners towards the end of your set or reps.
4. The rep guideline is general. Do what you are able to do. Lower your weight limit if you find you aren’t completely reps and/or sets.
5. Pay attention to your breathing. Remember not to hold your breath, but steadily inhale and exhale.

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