functional upper body workout

In order to burn as much fat as possible you must have a functional upper body with excellent shoulder stability that allows you to progress to more challenging pushing and pulling patterns.

Your upper body must also be in proper alignment and have good mobility in order to move through a full range of movement and your entire flexor chain (neck, upper abs, and hip flexors) must be functioning as a unit too.

If you are dealing with any type of neck, shoulder, elbow, upper back pain or tight hip flexors it's likely that your upper body and core are both dysfunctional which means less fatloss and an increased chance of serious injury.

The functional upper body workout is designed to correct these imbalances and will help boost fatloss results in just a few short weeks.



Functional Upper Body Workout Instructions: Perform 45 sec. of each exercise with 15 sec. rest between exercises and repeat 1-2 more times for 3 total circuits. You can also perform 8-12 reps of each exercise with minimal rest between exercises and try for 3-4 circuits.

You can do away with the rest period all together if you feel your body can handle that. You can also perform this workout twice a week for 2-3 weeks.

stability ball db pullover - use 2 light weights and leave a space between the weights

stability ball db fly - use light weights and focus on increasing mobility with every rep

plank scapular retraction - keep arms straight and squeeze shoulder blades to lower chest to floor, keep abs slightly contracted and no sagging hips!

resistance band chest opener fly

resistance band kneeling straight arm pulldown

rope incline row - optional

Workout Tips:
Use light weight, this is a rehab workout! Don't allow the ball to roll back and forth. Keep legs bent 90 degrees and hips up (no sagging hips). Breathe in any time you expand the chest and rib cage. Focus on scapular retraction and keep your shoulders away from your ears by squeezing shoulder blades down and together gently.

Got questions? Please post them below. Phase two of both functional lower and upper body workout coming in two weeks.