There are several different muscles located in your upper body, so you’ll hear people mention having days in the gym devoted solely to your chest and shoulders, or triceps and biceps and other upper body variations. However, not everyone has time to consider training splits or you may be new to strength training and need a one-size-fits-all workout in one short session.
This 25-minute resistance training routine targets the muscles in your shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest, and back. To safely target all the different muscles in your upper body, you’ll want to have access to some lighter and heavier weights. Some of the best adjustable dumbbells they are a good option; training with a pair of these means you can modify the weight you want to lift with a dial or lever.
Kaleigh Cohen (opens in a new tab), the NASM-certified personal trainer leading this workout uses three dumbbells of the following weights: 11lb/5kg, 16lb/7.5kg, and 22lb/10kg. But when it comes to selecting your own weights, choose loads that challenge your muscles without tarnishing your form.
Cohen says this 25-minute strength session is designed to “help you increase your strength and muscle definition. It also allows us to hit each muscle group more than once to really build it!”
Watch Kaleigh Cohen’s 25-Minute Upper Body Workout
Although this exercise is designed to build muscle, this does not mean that you will get big or bulky when training with weights. Especially not this being a high intensity resistance training routine, which is very similar to a typical HIIT workout for fat lossbut includes the addition of weight.
Cohen says, “Strength training with a heavy weight won’t make your muscles big and bulky, it will give you a lean, defined look! Rounded fitness regimen!”
You’ll train your muscles in short, intense bursts of active periods followed by minimal rest periods to trigger muscle-building results with just 25 minutes of physical activity.
In order for your muscles to continue to grow in strength and size, you’ll want to implement progressive overload in your resistance training. Progressive overload in strength training involves increasing the challenge of your workouts, either by increasing the load or number of reps you train over time.
You may find that you gain strength very quickly and feel anxious to move up to a heavier weight. If so, you should consider lifting a barbell and learning new moves like how to deadlift correctly. Or if you want to isolate a particular part of your upper body in your next strength session, give this dumbbell shoulder workout behind.
