10-Minute Upper Body Workout for Beginners

Hello everybody, my name is Chris Freytag and I am so excited to be here with you for a 10 minute workout. This is our 10 minute upper body for beginners. By the way, we do have a 10 minute lower body for beginners. So definitely check that out. But I'm going to help all of you beginners get started on your upper body strength which is so important for healthy aging, for everyday movement.

I've got to set up five and eight pound weights here. If you feel like you need three pounders, grab them. If you think that maybe you could use some 10 pounders use them. I want you to work to muscle fatigue, which is all the way I can barely do another repetition. Muscle pain is ouch that hurts.

Muscle fatigue is all, man I can feel this in my muscles. You've got to break them down to build them up. So let's get started. Quick little warm up, take a nice big deep breath. Feel about shoulder width wider apart.

One more big deep breath. And let's just roll those shoulders back at the tension out of your neck. We're going to really work on not scrunching our shoulders when we lift the weights. We're going to peddle those arms back and get some movement in the shoulders which are a ball and socket joint. Little more complicated than our hinge joints.

Come the other direction this way and warm it up. Big deep breaths. We want to remember not to hold our breath when we're lifting weights. You got to get oxygen to the working muscles. Let's go ahead and give ourselves a couple of big hugs.

Just waking up that upper body. We're going to do a couple of standing cat cow movements. So I'll turn sideways so you can see me. So we're going to go cat where we round and then cow where we open, cat where we round. You can put your hands to your knees if you need to.

Cow, where we open. Cat, you can also do this on the floor. But we're just getting some movement through that spine which is also a series of joints, all right. And then let's just reach up and over a couple of times wake up your whole core right there. Good, and then let's just swing those arms really big right there.

Okay, let's get right into this. So we're going to start with the bigger muscles the back and the chest and then we'll move into shoulders, biceps, triceps. Starting with our back, we'll go from mid-back rows. I'm going to pick up the eights. You decide, can you use eights?

Do you want five? Do you want threes? Do you want to go heavier? I'm going to stand sideways so you can see me. And by the way, you could sit in a chair if you need to.

But I'm going to have my feet about hip width apart and I'm going to hinge over with a nice long spine hinge over from my hip flexors. Now you have to keep your spine long. Please don't do this. Don't let go of the strength in your back extensors. Puff your chest out and come right here.

You're going to pull it back like you're rowing something and squeeze your shoulder blades together with like there's a pencil back there, let's go. Now you can move at your own pace. Notice I'm breathing. You can definitely sit down in a chair. Five, come on, let's go six.

We're going to try to go eight, nine. All right, we're going to try to go to 15. Are you ready? Here we go. Five, four make sure you're slowing down or speeding up that's okay.

And one, that is awesome. Now we're going to take it down to the mat for renegade rows, a little bit more of an advanced back exercise but see what you can do. You are welcome to stay on your knees right here and we're going to row in this position. But if you can come to your toes, take your feet wide. And here we go.

You're going to row on one side row on the other, again drop to your knees or sit in a chair. That would be no problem. I'm breathing as I pull these up. I want to say we're nearing number 10 right here. This might be eight.

Here's your option on your knees right here. Let's do four more. Yes we can, roll it up. Feel those back muscles, a strong back, better posture, better movement throughout your day, excellent job. We're going to do some beginner push-ups now.

You can do your push-ups into a wall right here. We're working chestnap. We're going from back to chest. You can do your push-ups into a chair or something elevated like a coffee table or you can do them on the floor on your knees. So I'm going to come here.

The longer you get your spine the more body weight you're pressing into those push-ups. If you're a beginner maybe you have your butt more in the air. This is up to you. Now you're going to drop down. Let those elbows fall behind you and push back up.

I want you to avoid this movement and get those elbows pushing back behind you. The most important thing is that your chest comes towards the floor. So this is not a push-up my friends, that's not a push-up. You want to drop your chest down, hold back up. Do the best you can.

You can put your button there, you go against the wall. There is no shame in the modify game, whoa, okay. Now maybe you're going in a different pace than I am, let's go. We're trying to get at least a dozen push-ups in here. I think I have about five more to go.

Doesn't have to be perfect. Strive for progress not perfection. I'm going to go for three more, three, come on, two. Yes you pan and one, excellent job. So we've done some back, we've done some chest.

Let's move into our shoulders. I'm going to grab my five pounders for this. Now your shoulder has three heads. So we have the front shoulder which is our anterior deltoid right here. We have our medial deltoid which is used for side and overhead movements.

And we have our rear deltoid. So we're going to work all three heads of the shoulder today. We're going to lift forward. This is our front raise for the anterior front shoulder. I call it the Tank Top Muscle, that little flap of skin that hangs over the tank top right there.

Now, if the fives are too heavy, drop down. If you think you can go heavier, go heavier. But notice I am not scrunching my neck and my shoulders are relaxed away from my ears and I'm making my front shoulder do the work right here. Come on just a few more. Keep breathing, no momentum.

Don't swing your body. Make it really steady. Ooh, and you know, I tend to lift a little heavier weights but I got to tell you what these shoulder raises five pounds challenge me. So maybe you are down to the three pounders. So maybe drop the weights altogether.

That would be fine. Give me two more, come on. Oh yeah, and one more right there going into our medial deltoid, all right. So I'm going to grab my eights. You tell me, do you want to stay with those fives or threes?

Whatever feels good. We're going to come and draw a half circle this way. Draw, draw, draw it all the way up. Bring it halfway down, bring it all the way down. So you come up and up and down and down.

Now make sure you are not arching through your lower back. You slightly soften your knees to lower your center of gravity. You could certainly sit in a chair if that would feel better. All right, these shoulder presses, whoa baby, come on. You want to be able to lift your arms overhead you know to old age.

I want to be able to put things in the top shelf of the cabinets by myself, pick up my grandchildren. You know, pick up boxes and move them in my house. That's what you want to be able to do. Keep that range of motion in your shoulders. Okay, here we go.

I'm thinking five. That's what I'm thinking. What are you thinking at home? I'm thinking four, push it up there yes you can, three. Let's go.

Keep those shoulders away from your ears. No scrunching two. You got one more in you. Yes.Let's go right there. And if you are feeling fatigue, congratulations that is our goal.

Now we're going to go to those rear-delts rear flyes. Instead of rowing like we did earlier, we're going to flap our wings big and wide which is why I've gone to a little bit lighter weight. We're going to do the same thing Hinge over from our hip flexors, nice long spine, slightly softened knees. Abs have to be tight. If you would like to sit in a chair, please do.

But we're just going to flap our wings. You just flap right there using some of those back muscles and the rear deltoid the back of your shoulder right there. Breathe, oh yeah. Keep your shoulders away from your ears. You can do it, oh yeah.

If you're going slower or faster than me that's okay but good for matters. Nice long spine. All right, let's go five, come on, four. Oh yeah, three, two and one. You got it, okay.

Let's hit those biceps and triceps and we will call it an upper body workout biceps. I want your elbows in right at your sides. Okay, palms face up, lift with the bicep muscle no momentum or swinging of the body, lower down. You want to lift and slowly lower, don't drop the weights control them and lift and lower and choose a weight where you will fatigue after about 10 to 15 repetitions. Right there, slow on the lower no swinging the body.

Squeeze, you got it. You want those arms toned? You got to lift weights. There is no magic pill that turns the arms. We're almost there, come on.

Let's do four more together. Let's go four, right there, three, you got it, two. All right, here comes some tricep press the back of the arm right here and release. We're are to take those weights above the head now. Do not scrunch through the neck.

Relax your neck all the way down behind your head. All the way up, all the way down, all the way up. You're using the long head of the tricep, power it. If this is painful in your neck I'm going to show you an option. So keep going If you're right here, if this is not working for you you can hinge over from your hip flexors and kick back from your elbows right there.

That is up to you. Finished it up for me. Here we go. Whoa, excellent job. We've used the back, the chest, the shoulders, the biceps and the triceps.

You can be really proud of yourself. Three, two and one. Whoa, now, if you are new to strength training your arms might feel a little shaky, that's okay. As a matter of fact just go ahead and give yourself a couple of big hugs right here. And then let's go ahead and reach up over right there.

Just a nice side, stretch this side body and the other side. So that was a quick 10 minutes of upper body for beginners. If that felt good for you maybe you want to try out the lower body for beginners or the indoor walking for beginners. Those are all 10 minute workouts that we have for you. I am super proud of you for pressing play today.

Thanks for working out with me and I hope we'll see you again real soon.