The Only 5 Exercises You Need To Get A Complete Upper Body Workout

Sign In

TOI

TOI

• lifestyle
• relationship
• Health+
• style
• visual stories
• trending
• parenting
• soul search
• beauty
• books
• recipes
• food news
• travel
• home & garden
• events
• spotlight

• health news
• fitness
• diet
• mental health
• coronavirus
• alternative therapies
• weight loss
• videos
• diseases
• yoga

• News
• lifestyle
• health-fitness
• fitness
• Weight loss: The only 5 exercises you need to get a complete upper body workout

TrendingKuno National ParkPlato QuoteAncient Fish SpeciesImmanuel Kant QuoteSaree Shopping IndiaDelhi MetroBaby NamesFyodor Dostoevsky QuoteSocrates QuoteAnne FrankKuno National ParkPlato QuoteAncient Fish SpeciesImmanuel Kant QuoteSaree Shopping IndiaDelhi MetroBaby NamesFyodor Dostoevsky QuoteSocrates QuoteAnne FrankKuno National ParkPlato QuoteAncient Fish SpeciesImmanuel Kant QuoteSaree Shopping IndiaDelhi MetroBaby NamesFyodor Dostoevsky QuoteSocrates QuoteAnne FrankWeight loss: The only 5 exercises you need to get a complete upper body workoutTIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Sep 8, 2021, 7:22 ISTShareAA+Text Size

• Small
• Medium
• Large

Follow us

1/8

5 exercises for upper body

Adding strength training exercises to your daily routine is essential for two reasons - building muscles and burning fat. Indeed, target fat loss is not possible, but with the help of strength training, you can tone the muscles to make them look slimmer. Strength training also makes your muscles stronger to carry out day to day activities easily without getting yourself injured.

2/8

These exercises are all you need to tone your upper body

Strengthening your upper body helps to tone your shoulders and arms. These groups of muscles together are responsible for lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling activities. Working on these group of muscles reduce your risk of injury and make your upper body look more proportionate. While there are several upper body exercises for you to choose from, we have listed 5 that can give you a complete upper body workout. These exercises are shared by celebrity fitness expert Yasmin Karachiwala on her Instagram handle and you need to perform each for them for 20 repetitions.

3/8

​Dumbbell upright row to T-position

Step 1: Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart and grasp a dumbbell in each of your hands.

Step 2: Bring your hands in front of you in a way that the palms are facing your body. This is the starting point.

Step 3: Bend your elbows and push your shoulder blades back to lift the dumbbells and bring them to the level of your chin.

Step 4: Pause, take your hand outwards to bring them in line your shoulders and parallel to the floor.

Step 5: Again bend your elbows to bring your hand close to your chin, then lower the dumbbell to complete one repetition.

4/8

​Dumbbell bent over the semi-circle

Step 1: Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in each hand.

Step 2: Stretch your hands overhead, keeping your spine straight and neck neutral. It is your starting point.

Step 3: Move your hands sideways in a semi-circle to bring your hands down, perpendicular to the floor. At the same time squat down.

Step 4: Pause, stand up and take your hands overhead from sideways making a semi-circle pattern to complete one repetition.

5/8

​Dumbbell bent over the semi-circle

Step 1: Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in each hand.

Step 2: Stretch your hands overhead, keeping your spine straight and neck neutral. It is your starting point.

Step 3: Move your hands sideways in a semi-circle to bring your hands down, perpendicular to the floor. At the same time squat down.

Step 4: Pause, stand up and take your hands overhead from sideways making a semi-circle pattern to complete one repetition.

6/8

​Biceps curl to reverse shoulder press

Step 1: Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and keep your arms straight.

Step 2: Keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the weights to bring them at your shoulder level while contracting your biceps.

Step 3: Bring the weights as high as possible without moving your elbows.

Step 4: Hold this position, and then slowly extend your arms overhead

Step 5: Again bring them down to complete one repetition.

7/8

​Dumbbell chest fly with pullover

Step 1: Lie down on your back with your knee bend and feet lying flat on the ground. Hold a dumbbell in both hands.

Step 2: Lift your feet to bring your shins parallel to the ground.

Step 3: Bring your hands above your chest and extend your arms upwards. Your palms should be facing each other.

Step 4: Slowly lower the weights to the sides to bring them in line with your chest.

Step 4: Pause, bring them back up above your chest, then stretch your hands over your head.

Step 5: Pause and bring your hands above your chest to complete one repetition.

8/8

​Superwoman/man

Step 1: Lie down on your stomach with your arms stretched above your head and legs extended behind you. (just like Superman)

Step 2: Engage your glutes and lower back to lift your arms, legs, and chest off the floor.

Step 3: Pause for 2-3 seconds and then go back to the starting position to complete one repetition.

Follow Us On Social Media

Photostories

• 1
• 2
• 3

lifestyle videos

32:03

32:03

27:30

13:05

16:34

04:34

06:37

03:19

04:48

07:18

08:08

06:47

03:20

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

More Videos

Featured In lifestyle

MORE FROM ETIMES

life & styleMorgan FreemanAnne FrankPlato Parenting QuoteSocratesAncient Fish SpeciesLiving and entertainmentETimesTravel DestinationsCricbuzz.comTVLifestyleNewspaper SubscriptionFood NewsTimes PrimeWhats HotServicesCouponDuniaTechGigTimesJobsBollywood NewsTimes MobileGadgetsWork with UsColombiaHot on the WebToxic TeaserRajpal YadavSalim Khan Health UpdateDelhi MetroAssi ReviewSalim KhanJana NayaganFunky OTT RelesaeVijay HouseVijay DeverakondaRaj KundraThe 50 WinnerKani KusrutiKiku ShardaHouse Of The Dragon 3 TeaserHoli 2026Neena Gupta'O'Romeo' Box Office CollectionFyodor Dostoevsky QuoteRajinikanth HouseSocrates QuoteAllu Arjun HouseRanveer SinghThe Kerala Story 2M. M. Baig Death NewsEnid BlytonThe 50Border 2 Movie ReviewSaree Shopping In IndiaTu Yaa Main Movie ReviewToday Gold Rate in ChennaiDelhi Weather TodayDelhi AQI TodayMumbai AQI TodayMaharashtra Public Holidays 2026Julie SweetsPax SilicaSam AltmanFemale King CobraMark ZuckerbergTata Punch Ev FaceliftTrending TopicsLatest MoviesBollywood MoviesHollywood MoviesTamil Movies 2026Telugu Movies 2026Malayalam Movies 2026Kannada MoviesMarathi MoviesBengali Movies 2026Top Rated Movies 2026Best Hindi MoviesBest English MoviesBest Telugu MoviesBest Tamil MoviesBest Malayalam MoviesBest Kannada MoviesBest Bengali MoviesUpcoming Hindi MoviesBest Movies Of All TimeBest Hindi Movies of All TimeLatest English MoviesLatest Malayalam MoviesEnglish TV NewsTamil TV NewsTelugu TV NewsMalayalam TV NewsKannada TV NewsMovie ReviewsBhojpuri Cinema NewsGujarati Cinema NewsPopular CategoriesViral NewsK Pop NewsWeb Series NewsAnime NewsUpcoming English MoviesUpcoming Tamil MoviesUpcoming Telugu MoviesUpcoming Malayalam MoviesUpcoming Kannada MoviesFashion TipsTravel NewsEntertainment NewsBollywood NewsTollywood NewsKollywood NewsMollywood NewsFood NewsLatest Hindi MoviesLatest Tamil MoviesParenting TipsHome RemediesWeight LossBeauty TipsParenting TipsHindi VideosHindi Video SongsBhojpuri Music VideosLatest Telugu MoviesBhojpuri Music VideoHindi TV NewsLatest NewsMumbai records Feb's fifth worst AQI at 130; 'moderate' as per CPCB's SAMEER appIn a world of excess, Deepika Padukone chooses restraint, and wins in a subtle kurta with sparkling diamondsNavel - our second brainQuote of the day by Cillian Murphy: ‘You can change what you do, but you can’t change what you want’Columbia and other universities at risk as court lifts block on DEI orders: Legal battle shifts to remanded proceedingsHina Khan encourages fans to have a 'healthy and balanced diet' during RamadanUS Supreme Court ruling: Top court's decision impacts some, but not all of Trump's tariffsLower tariffs, revenue setback & more: What SC ruling means for Trump’s economic agendaCleveland Cavaliers vs. Charlotte Hornets (02-20-2026) game preview: When and where to watch, expected lineup, injury report, prediction, and moreNagaland University honours 5 chemists with Lifetime Achievement AwardsMeet the 'New Nostradamus' who predicted Queen Elizabeth's death and COVID-19: What does he have to say on Trump?Sudip Sharma says he has ‘no interest’ in working with Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan: 'I came here to tell my own story'Are Elon Musk and Sam Altman not ‘human’? Internet erupts after podcaster’s claim goes viral as Donald Trump teases UFO filesAbhishek Sharma to get dropped? India coach makes fresh admission amid poor T20 World Cup formCopyright © 2026 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication ServiceFollow us on