V-Shape Upper Body Gym Workout

1. Position yourself with your back down on a flat bench placing the hands up on the bar using an underhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
2. After taking a deep breath in, extend the elbows and lift the bar up off the rack until elbows are extended but not locked. Pause for a brief movement as you fully extend your breath.
3. Lower the weight directly down to the chest as you breath inwards, keeping the movement pattern slow and steady.
4. Once just above the chest, pause, and then press directly up again, exhaling your breath.
5. Continue until all reps are completed and then re-rack the barbell.

1. Lie on a flat bench holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip.
2. Start by holding the dumbbells slightly wider than shoulder width apart above your shoulders. Your palms should be facing forward.
3. Slowly bend your elbows until they are at a 90 degree angle and your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
4. Push the weights up by straightening your arms.
5. As you push the weights up, move your arms in an arc to bring the dumbbells together, until they meet over the center of your chest. Hold for a count of one.
6. Lower the dumbbells by slowly bending your elbows back to 90 degrees.
7. Continue lowering your arms until they are a little lower than parallel to the floor. (Your elbows should be pointing slightly towards the floor and you should feel a stretch in your chest muscles and shoulders.)
8. Repeat

Be sure to concentrate on a balanced movement when lifting the dumbbells. Use both arms equally spaced and moving at the same speed.

1. Place a pair of dumbbells on the floor. Lie on your back in between the dumbbells. Bend your knees and move your feet towards your butt.
2. Grab the dumbbells and hold them above you. Allow your upper arms to remain on the floor. Begin the movement by pushing the dumbbells over your chest. Pause at the top and squeeze your chest muscles.
3. Slowly bring the weights down to the starting position, allowing your arms to rest for a brief moment before beginning the next repetition.

1. Sit on the seat with your upper chest just above the horizontal handles.
2. Push the foot lever until you are able to grasp the lever.
3. Gras the handles using a wide overhand grip and place your elbows out to the sides just below your shoulders.
4. Release the foot lever and press the hand lever out until your arms are fully extended.
5. Return the weight until your chest muscles are slightly stretched.

1. Get into position by placing your hands flat on the floor, directly below your shoulders.
2. Extend your legs out behind you, with only your toes and balls of your feet touching the floor.
3. Hold your body up and keep your back straight by tightening your abdominal muscles.
4. Your neck and head should be bent slightly back.
5. Lower your chest towards the ground by bending your elbows until your chest is just above the ground or you feel a stretching of your chest and shoulders. Hold for a count of one.
6. Press upwards from your chest and shoulders, straightening your arms as you return to the starting position. Hold for a count of one.
7. Repeat.

1. Lie on a flat bench, holding a barbell on your chest with an overhand grip. (Your hands should be shoulder width apart)
2. Get into starting position, raising the bar above your chest by extending your arms, but do NOT lock your elbows.
3. Keeping your arms slightly bent, slower lower the weight in a smooth arc to a position behind your head by rotating your shoulders. (as if putting your hands in the air)
4. Keep moving the barbell behind your head until you feel a slight stretch in your chest. Hold for a count of one.
5. Return to the start position in a smooth revers arc.
6. Continue holding the weight above your chest, then repeat.

1. Lie with your upper back perpendicular on a bench.
2. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor and flex your hips so that your body is in line.
3. Grasp a dumbbell between your hands under the inner plate, palms facing up.
4. Position the weight over your chest with your elbows slightly bent.
5. Keep your elbows bent as you lower the dumbbell over your head until your upper arms are in line with your torso.
6. To return to the starting position, pull the dumbbell up and over your chest.

Try to avoid raising your hips and maintain a small bend in your elbows throughout the movement.

1. Set up an incline bench at about 30 degrees.
2. Lie on the bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip.
3. Make sure you keep your back flat and your shoulders pushed back
4. Turn your hands in so that your palms are facing each other, holding the dumbbells over your chest with your elbows slightly bent and pointing outwards. (As if you are hugging someone)
5. Lower the dumbbells out to the side of your shoulders, while keeping your elbows slightly bent in a smooth arcing motion.
6. Continue lowering them until you feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders. Pause for a count of one.
7. Bring the dumbbells back to the starting position in the same smooth arc with your elbows slightly bent until the dumbbells are nearly touching.
8. Repeat

• Holding a pair of dumbbells, sit on a flat bench and slowly lower yourself back.
• Keep a tight core as you push the dumbbells above your chest. The dumbbells will be facing one another and held together.
• With a slight bend in the elbow, open up your chest and slowly lower the dumbbells to the sides.
• When the dumbbells are parallel with the ground, pause, and return to the starting position.

1. Sit on a pec deck machine with your back flat against the back rest.
2. Grip the handles and make sure your arms are parallel to the floor. If not parallel,adjust the seat or handles accordingly. This is the start position.
3. Exhale and slowly push the handles together  squeezing your chest to the middle as you do so. Hold for a count of one.
4. Inhale as you return to the starting position in a controlled movement.
5. Repeat.

This exercise can be performed using an exercise band or pulleys. There are a variety of  different machines with different placement of your forearms. With these,  place your forearms on the pad, with your elbow bent to 90 degrees. Perform the exercise by squeezing your elbows together.

1. Stand between two cable stations with the dumbbell grip handles attached to the high pulleys on each side of you.
2. Hold the handles with an overhand grip. Your arms should be outstretched.
3. Bend your knees and hips slightly so that you are leaning forward, but not too far.
4. Bend your elbows slightly and rotate your shoulders in towards the centre of your chest a little. Your elbows should be slightly behind you.
5. Use a hugging motion, keeping your elbows in a fixed, bent position to bring the grip attachments together in front of your chest.
6. Slowly return to the starting position until you feel a slight stretch in your chest muscles.
7. Repeat.

1. Standing between the bars of a dip station, grip the bars with an overhand grip,keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body.
2. Allow your body weigh to hang so it is being supported by your arms and shoulders. Keep your hips straight.
3. Push down through your palms with your arms, lifting your body up until your arms are almost straight. (Do not lock your elbows)
4. Lower your body by slowly bending your elbows and continue down until you feel a slight stretch in your shoulders.
5. Pause, then push yourself back to the starting position.
6. Repeat.

By keeping your back straight and not leaning forward, you will work your triceps harder.If you wish to work on your chest leaning forward puts more emphasis on your pecs. As your strength increases, you can add weight by using a dip belt.

1. Begin by using the weight stack to offset your bodyweight on an Assisted Dip machine. Now, position your knees securely on the padded surface while holding on to the bars on either side of you.
2. Before lowering yourself, make sure that your core is tight and that your elbows are pointing directly behind you. Slowly, lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel with the floor.
3. Push yourself back to the starting position and squeeze your triceps at the top. Lower yourself again slowly for the next repetition.

1. Sit at the Triceps Dip machine but make sure to brace your core throughout the movement. Place your hands on the bar with your elbows pointing behind you. Your arms will make a 90 degree angle.
2. Slowly push down on the bars, focusing all the movement in your triceps.
3. When you reach the bottom, pause and do not lock out your elbows. Slowly return to the starting position but do not let the weight touch the stack.

1. Sit on a chair with your hands either next to your hips or slightly under the hips.
2. Lift up onto your hands and bring your hips forward.
3. Bend your elbows and lower your hips down, keeping shoulders down and hips close to the chair.
4. Push back up but don’t lock your elbows and repeat.

1. Place your feet shoulder width apart and using an overhand grip at a little more than shoulder width, hold a barbell in front of you.
2. Your arms should be fully extended towards the floor, palms facing in towards your thighs. This is the start position.
3. Exhale and raise or shrug your shoulders up in a slow controlled movement. Do not use your biceps to assist in lifting the barbell.
4. Continue as high as possible then hold for a count of one.
5. Return to the start position in a smooth movement, inhaling as you do so.
6. Pause then repeat.

You can rotate your shoulders when performing this exercise. However this is not recommended for people with shoulder problems.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Keep your arms extended and by your sides and with your palms facing in.
3. Relax your shoulders so they hang as low as possible.
4. Raise the dumbbells by slowly lifting your shoulders in a shrugging motion. Hold for a count of one.
5. Slowly relax your shoulders to return to the start position.
6. Repeat.

You can also rotate your shoulders in a circular movement during this exercise. One direction on the lift, the opposite direction when lowering to the start position.

1. Stand in front of a cable pulley. Feet are shoulder-width. Your core is tight and lower back is flat. Hold the cable bar and let it hang in front of you. Keep the weight close to your body.
2. Without using your arms, exhale and bring your shoulders towards your ears.
3. Hold the movement at the top then slowly bring the weight back down.

1. Set up a cable station with a straight bar attached to the top pulley.
2. Sit on the seat facing the station. Keep your feet flat and planted firmly on the floor.
3. Using an overhand grip, hold the bar as wide as comfortable. (Your hands should be about 1 1/2 – 2 times body width apart.)
4. Lean back slightly without arching your back.
5. Pull the bar towards the top of your chest using your shoulders while arcing your elbows out to the sides of your body.
6. At the end of the movement squeeze you shoulders together slightly and hold for a count of one.
7. Return to the start position by arcing your elbows forward while relaxing your shoulders.
8. Repeat.

1. Standing under a pull-up bar, reach up and hold onto the bar with an overhand grip. Make sure your hands are about twice your shoulder width apart.
2. Keep your arms straight and hang from the bar so that your arms are taking all of your weight.
3. Keeping your body straight and not swinging your weight, pull your body up towards the bar by pulling your elbows down towards your torso at an angle.
4. Continue lifting until your chest is nearly touching the bar. You should feel a “squeeze” at the base of your lats (about midway down your back and to the side) as they contract.
5.  Once your lats have completely contracted at the top of the movement, slowly lower your body to the starting position.
6. Repeat.

By using a wide grip, your lats are doing most of the lift, rather than your biceps. It doesn't matter if you keep your legs straight or bent at the knees with your feet crossed. The important thing is that you do not use your legs to assist in lifting your body weight. As your strength increases, you can add weight by using a weight belt.

1. Set the bar to your waist height.
2. Lie on your back under the bar.
3. Reach up and grip the bar with an overhand grip with both hands.
4. Keeping your body straight,  pull yourself up towards the bar by pulling your elbows as far back as you can and trying to touch the bar with your chest.
5. Hold and squeeze your arm and back muscles.
6. Lower yourself back to the start position in a controlled motion.
7. Repeat.

For this exercise, you can use a Smith machine bar, an Olympic bar on a rack or any other straight, sturdy bar set to the right height. The lower the bar is to the floor, the more intense it will be due to the starting angles of your arms.

1. Stand straight holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip.
2. Hold the dumbbells in in front of your thighs with your palms of the facing your thighs. Keep your arms fully extended. This is the start position.
3. Raise the left dumbbell out and upwards, while keeping a slight bend in your elbow. Your palms must always face down for this exercise.
4. Continue raising the dumbbell until you arm is a little above parallel to the floor. Exhale as you are raising the dumbbell.
5. Pause for a count of one.
6. Inhale and slowly lower the dumbbell to the start position.
7. As you lower the left dumbbell, begin to lift the right dumbbell, duplicating the movement.
8. When both dumbbells have been raised and lowered in a cycle, that is one repetition.
9. Repeat.

This exercise can be performed using both arms at the same time and also by substituting a barbell for the two dumbbells.

1. Holding the handle of a resistance band in each hand, step on the middle of the band with both feet. Stand up straight with a tight core and flat back.
2. Begin by lifting your hands straight up in front of you with an overhand grip. Be sure to keep a slight bend in the elbows at all times.
3. Pause at the top to feel the contraction then slowly lower the bands to the starting position.

1. Place a light-weighted barbell in front of you at your shins.
2. Squat down into position, driving your hips back. Keep your chest and head up. Place your hands in an overhand grip on the barbell.
3. Stand up with a tight core and flat back. Keeping a slight bend in the elbows, raise the bar up and in front of you. Pause when your arms are parallel with the ground.
4. Slowly lower the barbell to your hip. Repeat the movement.

1. Sit on a bench/chair with your back straight and your arms straight along your sides with the dumbbells help in an overhand grip.
2. Bring both dumbbells up in front of your body, keeping only a slight bend at your elbow.
3. Raise the dumbbells until they are both at about eye level and be sure to brace your core and keep your back supported by the bench/chair.  
4. Lower the dumbbells back down to your sides, and prepare for that next rep!

1. Stand tall with a tight core and flat back. Hold a weight plate, dumbbell or kettlebell with both hands in front of your hips. Be sure to use an overhand grip. You can also use a resistance band secured under your feet. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
2. With a slight bend in the elbows, raise the weight plate up and in front of you. Pause and squeeze the shoulders when you reach chest level.
3. Slowly lower the plate to the starting position, immediately moving into the next repetition.