You don’t need a lot of time – or a lot of equipment – to complete a great upper body workout.
Maria Eleftheriou, head of barre at Psycle, has created a quick routine that targets your shoulders, chest, biceps and triceps in just five minutes.
“With limited time on your hands, when you feel like you can’t fit in a full workout, this sequence can be a great way to add in some effective movement – perfect for when you might need a break away from your desk!” Eleftheriou tells HuffPost UK.
“People often think you need lots of equipment for an upper body workout, but the beauty of these movements is that you only need your own body weight.”
1. Press ups
Start in a in a high plank position, hands shoulder-width apart, and make sure your shoulders are stacked over your wrists. Legs are extended behind you (or come down to the fleshy part of your knees to modify, as in the picture) and make sure your core and glutes are engaged.
Bend your elbows, and lower your chest to the floor. To lift push through the palms of your hands and straighten your arms.
Take a single push up 10 times and then hold at the bottom range and take 10 small tiny pulses. Relax for 20 seconds and repeat the whole set again.
2. Tricep dips
Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet and hands on the floor behind you, with fingers pointing toward body.
To begin, lift your hips off the floor. Slowly and gently bend your elbows and lower your body close to the floor. Keep your abdominal muscles tight and chest and eye line lifted.
Bend your elbows and stretch in single counts 15 times, making sure the hips don’t drop too much. Lift the left leg in the air and pulse elbows 10 times. Repeat right leg in the air and pulse 10 times. Relax for 20 seconds and repeat the whole set again.
3. One arm tricep push ups
- Lie down on one side stacking your shoulders, hips, and feet. To make it harder you can bend both feet into the body.
Bring your top hand to the mat directly in front of your bottom shoulder. The bottom hand will be wrapped around your waist below your chest.
The top arm does all the work as you press yourself up and lower yourself to the mat to your starting position.
Take two counts down and two counts up, 10 times. Then, take 10 singles making the range of motion smaller. Hold the lowest range of motion and pulse small for 10 reps. Repeat side two.
4. Shoulder and bicep extensions
On your knees, core tight and neutral spine bring your arms to a cactus position (as in the picture).
Tense your biceps and squeeze your back muscles as if you were holding weights.
Then, keeping the tension in the arms for the whole set, pulse arms very small up and down for 30 reps.
Extend arms out to side and back in – bicep curl – never releasing the muscle, 20 times.
Repeat pulses in cactus position for 30 seconds and then lift arms over head into a shoulder press and back to the cactus 20 times.
Finish with 30 more pulses in cactus position.