If you are a runner, I know you must have thanked your calves and quads to carry you through the finish line. While the significance of having strong legs cannot be denied, a well-toned upper body helps you in improving your running. When you have a strong upper body, it helps you power through stringent workout schedules. So, allow me to discuss top 7 exercises that help strengthen your upper body.

Chest Press 

In order to do this exercise effectively, you need to lie down on a flat bench carrying weight in each hand, your feet will be in the air, and your knees will be at a 90-degree angle. You need to exhale and raise each weight above the chest level, remember that you have to do it slowly. Keep the elbows straight, turn your palms inwards. As you inhale, the weights should be spread apart slowly and the palms should be rotated forward so that you return to the starting position. Ideally, you should perform 15 reps.

Arm Raise 

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Carrying a weight in each hand, stand in a comfortable position. Now, you have to raise both your arms until they are in-line with your shoulders. Slowly take your arms to the starting position. When you are done, you need to raise your arms towards the side while holding the weights, you will have to make a T shape. Ideally, you should perform 15 reps.

Pushup On Ball

In this exercise, you will be needing a medicinal ball. For this exercise, first of all, you need to lie on the floor with your face down and make sure your hands are 36 inches apart from each other. Rest both your toes on the medicinal ball, your body will be in an elevated position. Now, you need to lower yourself until your chest almost touches the surface as you inhale. With the help of pectoral muscles, you need to press your upper body back up to the starting position and squeeze your chest as well. When you perform this step, make sure you breathe out. Give yourself a pause of one second while you are in the contracted position. Ideally, you

should perform 15 reps.

Bench Dip

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This exercise will also include the medicinal ball. You need to rest your feet on the ball, place your palms on the bench, and fingers should face forward and your hips should be lifted off the bench. While you exhale, slowly bend your elbows and at the same time, you should lower your hips as well. The moment you feel resistance, inhale and straighten your arms and bring your hips to the starting position. During the whole exercise, ensure that you have kept the glutes and core tight. Ideally, you should perform 15 reps.

Bicep Curl

You will be surprised to know that you can do bicep curl in 10 different ways. For this exercise, you need to stand straight holding a dumbbell in each hand. Make sure your elbows are close to your torso. Rotate the palms until they are facing forward, this will be your position from where you have to start your exercise.

Now, keeping your arms stable, you need to exhale and curl the weights while you contract your biceps. You can continue to increase the weights until you feel that your biceps have fully contracted and the dumbbells are in-line with your shoulders. In the end, inhale and bring down the dumbbells back to the starting position.

As I have mentioned in the beginning of this paragraph, here are the ten ways in which you can do the bicep curl –

●    Fat Grip Bicep Curl

●    Cable Curl

●    TRX Bicep Curl

●    Preacher Curl

●    Band Curl

●    Spider Curl

●    Hammer Curl

●    Plate Curl.

●    Zottman Curl

●    Concentration Curl

Plank Row

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Hold the dumbbells in both hands and get down in a push-up position. When you are in this position, make sure your toes touch the floor and your hands should hold yourself up on the dumbbells. Align your body in a straight line i.e. plank position. Now, pull the right arm dumbbell up to your chest as you balance yourself on the left arm. Do the same exercise with your left arm and balancing on the right arm. In the end, you need to repeat this motion for 15 reps. 

Pullups

You can do this exercise anywhere such as park. You need to hold the bar about shoulder-width apart. Raise your feet off the ground by bending your knees, hang with straight arms. Now, you need to pull yourself up and you can do this by pulling your elbows down towards the floor, when you are doing this, make sure your elbows are close to each other. Push yourself up until your chin has crossed the bar. Take yourself down until your arms are straight and you are again in a hanging position. 

Author Bio

Emma Brown is an extensive and experienced web-writer. I help people to have the most informative and appealing online presence. Content writing is my passion and Scaling Expectations is my basic motto, I live up to. I am a Mass Communication post graduate and written several article for sites like meliopharm