While abs and glutes workouts may get a bit more attention on social media these days, it's equally important to show your upper body some love. That's because building upper-body strength can help improve your posture, support mobility , reduce injury risk, allow you to more easily tackle everyday tasks (think: carrying groceries to lifting something heavy off a high shelf), and generally support your health and well-being. Keep in mind, "upper body" is a pretty broad category, which includes all the muscles in your chest, back, and shoulders.
We're talking muscles like your trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids, latissimus dorsi, pectorals, rotator cuff, biceps, triceps , and more. A solid upper- body workout will include exercises that work a wide range of those muscle groups. Or, breaking up your upper- body days to focus on chest and back, then arms and shoulders , is another great way to make sure you're hitting all the important muscles.
And, while we love a good bodyweight routine, adding a dumbbell to the mix can be a great way to build strength and muscle. To help you get started, we've rounded up the nine best dumbbell upper- body exercises. Our recommendation: choose five exercises below, then complete three sets of eight to 12 reps of each.
Bicep Curl Muscle Area: Arms Chest Press Muscle Area: Chest, Shoulders, Arms Front-Lateral Raise Muscle Area: Shoulder Reverse Fly Muscle Area: Back, Shoulder Shoulder Press Muscle Area: Shoulder, Chest, Back Single-Arm Row Muscle Area: Back, Shoulders, Arm Tricep Extension Muscle Area: Arms The Best Hiking Clothes, Shoes and Gear For Summer Treks Tricep Kickback Muscle Area: Arms Upright Row Muscle Area: Shoulders, Back Kristine Thomason is a lifestyle writer and editor based in Southern California. Previously, she was the health and fitness director at Mindbodygreen and the fitness and wellness editor at Women's Health. Kristine's work has also appeared in PS, Travel + Leisure, Men's Health, Health, and Refinery29, among others.
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