Upper Body Strength... With A Catch
 

I want to build upper body strength so that I have a decently large, well-toned torso/arms (yes, this is as much for my own vanity as it is for my health). The thing is, I LOATHE using weights, and I've been trying (quite fruitlessly) to find another way to do this. I can't do pushups much because they hurt my wrist before they actually really work my arms/chest (doctor says I don't have tendonitis or carpal tunnel. bullshit). I looked into tai chi, and it builds mostly lower body strength. Same goes for yoga. Anyone got any ideas or sources? They'd be much appreciated.

you could do resistence stuff, but that will tone you more then give you any size.

I really think it would behoove you to get rid of that hate weights mindset because gaining your ideal body is something you earn through hard work, like the cliche says "If it was easy, then everyone would look hard and chiselled".

if you want to build big muscles, you're going to either need to start pumping the iron or finding some sort of hobby that takes a lot of hard upper body strength (mining, chopping down trees, quary work, etc). martial arts won't do a whole lot to develop strength, and won't really do anything to your size, but it will help with other aspects of fitness.

maybe start listening to music while you lift, or get a friend to lift with you.

What is it about weights that you hate so much anyway?

They're so boring. I don't mind working hard though, and I did just get a job as a mover so hopefully that can do something. Well thanks for destroying my hopes and dreams guys. :D (seriously, thanks :) )

i agree w/ you suave. but i dont hate weights. i just dont have the drive to constantly work out every day or every other day

heh Suave like I said before do resistence, which means things like Swimming and stuff.

Try doing breast strokes, free style, and stuff like that. Swimming eventually will help build the mass you want.

Oh yeah, swimming. Thanks dude. I'm definitely going to try to get into that if the moving job doesn't do much (and if I don't manage to convince myself to start weight training again).

Swimming's great, but as far as I know doesn't make you real big. I go at least twice a week but still weight lift. Try going with a friend to lift, it's a lot more enjoyable. Another really good option is indoor climbing. It's an amazing upper body workout and gets you a little bigger and very well toned. Plus it's a blast.

do a 3 day split of push, pull, and legs. thats 3 hrs a week out of a possible 168 hrs.

the old saying.. no pain no gain.. start with cardio and some lighter stuff.. so your muscles get used to working with weights.. then it may not hurt as much.. also.. if you find weight lifting boring.. bring a cd/mp3 player to the gym with you.. have some music going.. it usually takes my mind off it when im running or whatnot.. just some ideas..

i have a couple pdf's that you might wanna read thru.. ones the navy seals manual (15MB filesize).. goes really indepth with things.. and another has a bunch of pointers for weight lifting(5MB's).. if you (or anyone else who reads this) wants them just msg me on aim hauntedp0et or msn krimzonskies@hotmail.com

Hah nah I don't mind the pain. In fact, it's the only part of weightlifting that I truly enjoy. I'll take you up on those pdfs though.

in regards to the 2 pdf's i have.. would anyone be able to host them for the people of the tfp?.. one is 15mb's and the other is 5mb's.. just curious if anyone would be willing to host them..

I could host them for the TFP'ers, but if all of a sudden wrong accounts from madagascar hit my website because their locals want to start benchpressing quarter ton legs of ham, I may have to take them off :)

Blast! My plan has been foiled!

I know swimming will really trim off any excess fat, not that I'm implying you have any...swimming just improves the definition of your muscles as well as giving you good stamina and cardio.

Swimming won't trim off excess fat. A caloric defecit will.

Progressively increasing resistance and low-medium rep range will result in the best size gains. Use a low rep range for strength gains. Power is a different story.

while true, swimming does 'seem' to trim off excess fat. (due to the fact that you never see a fat comepetative swimmer, but that's due to training and nutrition, not just swimming). it's a good cario exercise.

i wonder if the temperature difference between the water and the body has any effect on burning calories... like does it help your body burn more or no?

Yeah it would, but considering how warm pools normally are, it would be very slight.

Pull-ups, chin-ups, and dips. They are the only upper body exercises I used to do. I eventually was dragged into a gym, and the the first time I ever tried to bench press I was able to do sets at 235. Plus, workouts were limited to about 20 minutes a day, and that included core work too. The initial barrier is the basic ability to do enough to make a work-out out of them.

the only way you are going to grwo your upper body is through resistance training (ie: weights)......its based on continuity and increasing resistance over time (ie: gradually adding more weight)....by chopping trees or moving etc...you're body will gain slight initially but quickly stop as you aren't adding any more resistance. Unfortuanately if you want to look good and hard you have to apply the same amount of work!

i think your gonna have to bite the bullet and train with weights or a soloflex type of machine.......

im prolly the strongest i have ever been in my life decent size arms and up body but im not in the best shape i have ever been.....

when i was in better shape i could do tons of pushups and run for days...but i didnt get any noticably bigger

If weights are so bad because they are boring...find ways to keep it new. Workout with fun people. Listen to music. Find other heavy things to lift, jugs of water, pieces of rock, or wood? Pushups, Pullups, etc. Stick with it for a few weeks and you might even start liking it!

I had periods where I lifted for about 6 months straight (almost no missed workout days; mom would be proud). Unless lifting weights gives me some sort of amazing endorphin release, I don't think I'm going to start enjoying it any time soon.

Dude, just start with a curcuit of machines three times a weeks with two sets each. Before you know it, you'll like the feeling and want to do more, especially to move into free weights. And then you'll begin to love the feeling.

Most workouts are boring inthe beginning because you can't do anything. You need to get your mind right, to quote th warden in Cool Hand Luke.

I started going to the gym on a regular basis a couple of months ago, and I'm noticing the difference (I've actually been gaining weight since going to the gym),

If you want a hobby that promotes upper body strength, motorcross riding is a good start! Or the slightly cheaper, more environmentally friendly alternative is mountain biking.

The moving job will help, to a degree. One year I spent several months receiving and shipping 40-pound boxes of stoneware out of a warehouse. I lifted maybe 20 tons of weight a day, 40 pounds at a time. At the end of the job I'd built a lot of endurance, leaned down, and gained some muscle -- maybe a net gain of ~10 pounds of muscle. When I was strong enough to do the job, though, muscle growth stopped. And I would say I gained in body density more than size.

So I think it'll help, but eventually you'll need to do some weight training on top of it for additional size. Instead of going for a huge long workout, though, I'd go for relatively few and short sets with heavy weights. That'd help with the boredom factor, and, with all the exercise you're getting, you don't really need a long weight training workout -- just an intense one, to challenge your body more once it's adapted to the moving job.

I posted this in a different thread, but get a speed bag & double-ended bag (Everlast). You can buy both for under a hundred bucks. Once you get the feel of the speed bag (don't forget bag gloves or your knuckles will be wrecked), do three or four sets of 4-5 minutes (turn on the mp3 player for 1 good song). Shoulders, triceps, biceps, back, etc. Best & most fun exercises around. The double ended bag is better for your back if you use a boxing stance where you are 90 degrees to the bag. It will hit back if you get your head too close, so mind the rebounds. I have faithfully used these two for about 15 years. Awesome after a long day, go beat the shit out of something that won't care.

You can also get going on a heavy bag, but you can easily dick up your shoulders with one if you don't know what you are doing.

I think only one other person mentioned nutrition here. From my own experience, and Im sure others will agree, it doesnt matter what the hell you do if you dont eat correctly. If I were you Id first consider a low sodium, high protein diet and then figure out what type of training is best for you.

And if all else fails, order that stupid Boflex video. That 25 year old....errr 60 year old grandma sure got ripped from it, why couldnt you?? haha

Why not try the butterfly machine at the gym, you can work arms, shoulders and chest the same time?

Do you really want your upper body to be stronger than your hands can handle? Pushups hurt your wrists/lower arms first, because that is your weakest link, build them up, then you won't have trouble with the exersizes that will more likely effect your chest and shoulders.

That being said, do whatever exersize YOU like and will stick with. If you get into any kind of shape, people will notice the healthy glow, or whatever you want ot call it. Most chicks (wow, I really said chicks) wouldn't know the difference between real size and 'defined' anyway, so just getting in shape will be the thing for "the look".

Personally I like lifting really heavy stuff, so I'm biased towards those exersizes.

We had a heavy bag, 'till it broke from the ceiling. :D I do thoroughly enjoy boxing though (well against a bag anyway).

Ya gotta hit the heavy weights to get big. No real way around it. The thing is you don't have to do it everyday, in fact you should allow 24-48 rest, that is when the muscle actually grows. It shouldn't be boring then. Bring your ipod with you to work out. Thats what we do. Don't forget to keep packin in the protein too.

Suave, it's been almost a month: how's the moving job working for you? Having any of the physical effects you hoped for?

Just wondering: did the PDFs ever get posted?