You are probably here because you are looking for the best way to build upper body muscle at home. Working out from home has long been considered an inferior form of exercise, and many people prefer to go to the gym so they can gain access to a variety of exercise equipment and the guidance of a fitness professional. It is important to note that people work out to achieve different results.

Some have the desire to lose weight, others work out to tone up and others, like you, are interested in building muscle. However, you cannot build muscle without ridding your body of excess fat and obtaining a good muscular structure.

Before delving into some of the exercise techniques necessary for building upper body muscle, here are some tips that will ensure that all factors in your general lifestyle enable you to achieve your goals.

Diet – A killer workout routine will do very little for you if you fail to eat a well-balanced diet. Eat foods that boost your body functions and go slow on high sugar and fatty foods. Protein rich diets are of great benefit in muscle building. They are broken down into amino acids that are essential building blocks for muscles.

Proteins are also helpful in repairing torn and worn out muscles, helping to maintain your structural integrity. Carbohydrates, in the right quantities, provide you with the energy you need to function and train. Vitamins and minerals support the working of your organs and general body wellness.

Hydrating – This cannot be stressed enough. Water is a key necessity for proper body functioning. A good diet without sufficient amounts of water will not help you much as the water is necessary to transport the nutrients to your entire body. Water also regulates body temperature and helps in lubricating your joints.

Rest – Do not stay long periods without rest or sleep. These practices ensure that your body operates at its best without straining. Avoiding burnout will help you stay consistent and you will be able to achieve your desired results.

Avoid overindulgence – Copious amounts of just about anything are bad for you. Excess alcohol, caffeine and nicotine intake will impede your progress and you will find yourself straining to achieve. Go slow, and maintain a healthy balance.

So what is it that you can do to build your upper body muscles from home?

Key Exercises for Upper Body Muscle Build from Home

1.     Planking

A good old plank will help you build upper body structure. You will be able to work your chest, biceps, triceps, legs and back. This exercise may seem simple, but it comes with a lot of perks. You can tweak your plank to focus on the upper body. A good plank exercise is the Fore arm reach-out.

• Begin by assuming the standard plank position, with elbows perpendicular to your shoulders. Forearms should be parallel, with palms touching the ground.
• Have your legs extended behind you and support your lower body with your toes.
• After attaining this position, extend one of your arms forward and touch the floor in front while supporting the rest of the body with the other. Withdraw the extended arm back into the plank position and repeat the exercise with the other arm.
• Try and keep your hips and lower body steady as you alternate the arms. If you find this exercise too challenging, keep your feet at a distance and let them extend beyond the width of your hips. You will find this exercise easier to do.

 2.     Press-ups

While this may sound exaggerated,a workout routine without a press-up feels incomplete. This way of exercising is widely used for its ability to work many parts of your body at the same time. There are several ways of doing a press-up that will help you build muscle mass in your upper body.

      Narrow Press-up

• Lie down horizontally on the floor. Lift your upper body off the ground to the full length of your arms.
• Support your lower body using your toes and ensure that your knees are not bent.
• Instead of maintaining the usual distance between your arms, make sure they stay together by making sure your thumbs are touching.
• Push your body up and down, ensuring that your chest and knees do not touch the floor. Do this repeatedly for as many times as you like, but make sure to do at least 20 of these for results.

   Clap Press-up

This type of press-up calls for more energy and thrust.

• Once you get to the standard press-up position, push your body down and leap off your arms on your way up.
• Quickly clap your hands mid-air and resume the press-up position.
• Repeat this exercise for at least five minutes.

   Decline Press-up

A bench or chair will come in handy for this press-up.

• Instead of supporting your lower body on the floor, place your legs on the bench or chair.
• Push your body as far down as possible, allowing your chest to come as close to the floor as possible without letting it touch the ground.
• Push your body back up into position while squeezing your chest muscles at the same time. Pause for a brief moment before doing the next press-up.
• Repeat this cycle for up to 50 press-ups if you can.

3. Lateral to Front Raise using weights

A good raise will see to it that your upper body is worked out properly. When home, it is unlikely that you will have gym weights or dumbbells. If you do not have the conventional weights used at the gym, do not worry.

You can always improvise. Grab two empty bottles of milk (1 gallon capacity) and fill them halfway with pebbles. Add in water to the top and cap the bottles. Try and use concise amounts of pebbles for each as you do not want to have one heavier weight than the other.

When this is done, do the lateral to front raise.

• Hold the filled up milk bottles, one in each hand, bending your knees slightly.
• Lift the weights laterally until your arms are at the same height as your shoulders.
• Bring your arms back down into position and lift the weights this time to the front to your body.
• Alternate these positions for at least three sets, ten reps each.

4. The Chin-up Pull-up

This is also an incredibly effective way of exercising your upper body. Look for a place within your house or compound that has a strong horizontal bar that you can grab and lift your body with. If you have a door frame that has an allowance for your hands to steadily grab, it will work just fine.

• Grab the bar using the supinated grip where your hands face you.
• Pull your whole body weight from the ground, and cross your feet when suspended. Lift yourself up until your chin is above the level of your arms’ grip then let your body down, but do not let your feet ouch the ground.
• Repeat these motions a least 30 times. Be careful not to use a lot of momentum, let the lift be as natural as possible.

5.     The Shrug

This is an exercise routine that incorporates the use of weights. Remember those weights we improvised? They will come in handy for this workout.

• Standing with your feet at shoulder-length apart, grab the weights with each hand, keeping them lateral to your body.
• Push your hips backwards and bend your knees to squat, bringing the weight to the same level as your knees. Thrust yourself upwards with a burst of energy and raise your shoulders as high up as possible, as in a shrug.
• Repeat this sequence.

Conclusion

Maintaining a good body form can be a daunting task, especially when working out from home. Keeping your schedule and eating right food is very important, especially now when people are locked in their houses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It calls for discipline and a lot of self-will to achieve your workout milestones under such circumstances.

The good news is that the internet can offer ideas and instructions on various routines that you can easily do from home. Also, your house will almost never run out of things you can use to improvise so that you can use them as workout equipment. All you need is a little creativity and a bit of space to exercise.

Do not forget to stay hydrated and get enough sleep. Also, maintain a consistent schedule. Avoid skipping days unless it is absolutely necessary that you do.