Welcome to day 1 of the SELF New Year’s Challenge! We can’t wait for you to see what we have in store, starting with this upper-body strength workout. Over the next four weeks, you’ll complete 20 transformational workouts designed by Christa Sgobba, C.P.T., an ACE-certified trainer and SELF’s associate director of fitness and food, along with a few workouts created by Justin and Taylor Norris, founders of the LIT Method. All of these workouts are aimed at helping you build your strength while improving your cardiovascular fitness.
Each week you’ll be tasked with five workouts: three strength routines (one upper-body, one lower-body, and one full-body) that use external resistance (we’ll show exercises with dumbbells here) and two cardio-based workouts that require just your bodyweight. You’ll cap off each session with an optional finisher; in weeks 1 and 2, it’ll be a 60-second burnout, consisting of a single exercise, and in weeks 3 and 4, it will be a 4-minute EMOM (every minute on the minute) with two moves. The goal of this challenge is to master basic movement patterns and refine them as the month goes on so you can keep challenging your muscles. These exercise routines won’t be easy, but in the end they’ll definitely be worth it.
Today we’ll begin laying the foundation for your fitness journey with a four-move, upper-body strength workout that will introduce you to some seriously fundamental movement patterns: a vertical and horizontal push, and a vertical and horizontal pull. Expect to hit your chest, back, shoulders, triceps, and biceps. These straightforward upper-body exercises will serve as a foundation for more advanced versions of the same exercises that you’ll see later in the challenge.
And you’ll only need one training tool to get started: the dumbbell.
While you may have heard the phrase “never skip leg day,” the same actually applies to your upper body, too. That’s because a strong upper body sets you up for success in everyday activities, from lowering a heavy carry-on from the plane’s overhead compartment to carrying your toddler around the house to pushing a cart of groceries at the supermarket. It can also help you perk up a lackluster posture caused by slouching.
One thing to keep in mind before you get started with this workout—especially if you’re new to strength training with dumbbells—is that it’s important to choose the correct weight for each move: You want to make sure to choose a weight that’s not too heavy and not too light. A good rule of thumb is to pick one that allows you to maintain correct form throughout each exercise, where the last two reps feel challenging but not completely impossible. If you go too heavy before you’re ready, you can risk injury. If you go too light, you might not be challenging your muscles enough to achieve the primary purpose of this session: to build strength and muscle.
In general, you can choose heavier weight for moves that work larger muscles (like rows, deadlifts, and squats), and lighter weights for isolation moves that work smaller muscles like your biceps, triceps, and shoulders. You may want to use 10–20 pound weights as a testing point for moves that work larger muscles, and 5–8 pounds for moves that work smaller muscles. If you’re struggling by the time you reach the lowest part of the rep range listed below, you probably should go down in weight; if you can easily tack on a few extra reps above the highest part of the rep range listed, you may want to try heavier weight. Remember, the most important part is choosing a weight that allows you to complete the moves with good form while still challenging your muscles!
Before you get started, don’t forget to warm up first. (Here’s a great one to try.) Priming your body prior to your workout session will take it from a resting state to one that’s ready to move by increasing your blood flow and getting you into the mental space to perform. The big payoff: It helps reduce your risk of injury, positions your body to maximize results, and boosts your overall performance.
Keep scrolling to get the details on how to do today’s upper-body strength workout. Let’s go #TeamSELF!
The workout below is for day 1 of the SELF New Year’s Challenge. Check out the full four-week workout program right here. Or go to the workout calendar here. If you’d like to sign up to receive daily emails for this challenge, you can do that here.
WORKOUT DIRECTIONS
Aim for 8–12 reps of each exercise. Rest for up to 30 seconds between exercises. Rest 1–2 minutes after each round. Complete 2–5 rounds total.
EXERCISES
- Chest Press
- Bent-Over Row
- Overhead Press
- Pullover
BONUS MOVE
After your last circuit, try the bonus move for 60 seconds.
- Triceps Overhead Extension
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Katie Thompson1 Chest Press
- Lie faceup with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your legs and your elbows on the floor bent at about 90 degrees so that the weights are in the air. This is the starting position.
- Press the dumbbells toward the ceiling, straightening your elbows completely and keeping your palms facing your legs. Pause here for a second.
- Slowly bend your elbows and lower them back down to the floor. This is 1 rep.
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Katie Thompson2 Bent-Over Row
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides.
- With your core engaged, hinge forward at the hips, pushing your butt back. Bend your knees and make sure you don’t round your shoulders. (Your hip mobility and hamstring flexibility will dictate how far you can bend over.)
- Gaze at the ground a few inches in front of your feet to keep your neck in a comfortable position.
- Do a row by pulling the weights up toward your chest, keeping your elbows hugged close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades for two seconds at the top of the movement. Your elbows should go past your back as you bring the weight toward your chest.
- Slowly lower the weights by extending your arms toward the floor. That’s 1 rep.
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Katie Thompson3 Overhead Press
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your shoulders with your palms facing out and your elbows bent. This is the starting position.
- Press the dumbbells overhead, straightening your elbows completely. Make sure to keep your core engaged and hips tucked to avoid arching your lower back as you lift your arms.
- Slowly bend your elbows to lower the weight back down to the starting position. This is 1 rep.
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Katie Thompson4 Pullover
- Lie on your side on a mat with a dumbbell in front of you. Grab the weight with both hands, hold it to your chest, and turn flat on your back. Keep your feet hip-width apart.
- Grip the dumbbell securely at both ends with each hand. (If your dumbbell is larger, it might feel safer to hold it vertically, with both hands around one end as pictured.) Lift it into the air directly above your chest, keeping your arms straight.
- Slowly bring the dumbbell over your head and gently touch it to the floor.
- Bring the weight back to the starting position, engaging your core as you move the weight. This is 1 rep.
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Katie Thompson5 Triceps Overhead Extension
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell behind your neck, elbows bent and pointing toward the ceiling. Pull your elbows in as close to your head as you can. This is the starting position.
- Without moving your upper arms, straighten your elbows and extend the weight directly overhead. Keep your shoulders down, your core tight, and your arms as close to your head as possible.
- Pause for a second, and then slowly lower the weight back down behind your head. This is 1 rep.
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