Upper Body Strengtheners for the Common Man/Woman

“I have no strength. I’m a weakling.”

I’m ashamed of how often those words used to spill out of my mouth. The silly giggle that accompanied them belied the pain associated with the fact that I believed this was true about more than just my muscles.

Before I decided to become a yoga teacher, I would purposefully skip poses that required upper body strength. I always opted for the alternatives offered by my teachers. I was terrified of failing, and I was convinced I was too weak to succeed.

Slowly, I began to see my mat as the safe haven it truly is. And, in a bold act of confidence after class one day, I signed up for a three-hour workshop on Chaturanga, a pose I had previously avoided.

During that workshop I discovered that I have the power to develop strength. And you do, too! Skipping upper body strengtheners entirely robs us of an opportunity to discover and develop both physical and mental strength.

The Support System

It’s easy to forget that our muscles don’t function in isolation. So, sing a couple of rounds of “Dem Bones” and remember that your body is one interconnected unit. When we are building upper body strength, it is important to use the large muscles of our body (like the muscles of the legs and abdominals), to help support the work load for the smaller muscles in our body (like the biceps and triceps).

For upper body strengtheners where we are bearing weight on our arms (like the two poses included below), we need to do three things to actively recruit the support system:

1. Pay meticulous attention to the position of the shoulder blades (scapula). As we bear weight on our arms, the scapula should be drawn down and slightly together. We use and strengthen the rhomboids and the trapezius to do this work.
2. After stabilizing the scapula against the rib cage in these poses, we need to contract the abdominals. The core muscles need to stabilize the spine, ribs and pelvis when we are moving our arms and legs. If we want to be effective in our use of the arm muscles, we have to actively recruit the abdominals to contract (slight forward bend). This will hold the rib cage stable and support the shoulder blades to stabilize against it in the back.
3. Finally, we can’t forget to use the legs in these poses. The adductor muscles can easily help hold the pelvis stable, which makes it easier to contract the abs, and in turn helps to stabilize the scapula. For both poses below, actively squeeze the legs together and press the feet into the ground.

These simple strengtheners are accessible to most people. But, don’t be fooled – simple and easy are NOT the same thing.

The Let Down

Begin in high plank. Drop your knees to the mat, while keeping the body in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Lower yourself all the way to the mat as slowly as you can, trying to move at a constant speed the whole way down. Engage your legs and abs and draw the shoulders down and slightly together as you resist gravity. (See this post for a video demonstration.)

When you reach the mat, press back to Balasana (child’s pose) before returning to high plank and repeating. Practice 3 – 10 consecutive “let downs” three to five times a week.

Moving Dolphin

From table, lower your forearms to the floor and bring the elbows under the shoulders. Tuck the toes under. Exhale and round the back as you lift the knees a few inches from the floor. On an inhale, lift the pelvis and lengthen the legs into dolphin pose.

Adjust the distance between your elbows and feet before you begin the moving dolphin. Take a wider stance in the beginning. As your upper body strength increases, step the feet closer to the elbows to increase the intensity.

(Hopefully, it goes without saying, but I feel compelled to mention that I was nine months pregnant when I filmed this video!)

When you are ready, lower into dolphin plank. On the out breath, draw the shoulder blades down and slightly together, contract the abs and tuck the tailbone slightly under as you move the head toward the hands and work toward bringing the body parallel to the floor. On the inhale, move back up to dolphin. Do 3 – 10 rounds before releasing to Balasana (child’s pose). Practice 2 – 4 rounds of this series several times a week, and you will have increased upper body strength in no time at all!

A full yoga class focused on upper body strengtheners is available now in the Every Breath I Take Virtual Yoga Studio. You can view this class on your computer or mobile device as many times as you like until February 28, 2013, when you register for the Three Class Upper Body Series here.

What are your favorite upper body strengtheners? I’d love to hear!