Possessing adequate upper body strength is important not just in the fitness aesthetic sense but also to develop and maintain strength in muscles such as in the chest, back, shoulders, mid back, biceps, and triceps. The exercises will have a bearing on posture, movement, strength to perform tasks and household chores and general ease of living and quality of life.
Though this holds true for both men and women, in fitness circles, it is emphasised more on the former. However, upper body strength is more important in women as it has a bearing on many things including many physiological aspects from bone density to weight management.
Importance of upper body strength in women
Lopamudra Das, a fitness coach and nutritionist from Pune, lists out the various aspects which make training the upper body and building strength important for women.
- Balanced physique: Focusing solely on lower body exercises can lead to muscular imbalances and lack of physical aesthetics. Strengthening the upper body helps create a balanced physique and improves posture.
- Bone health: Upper body strength exercises help build bone density and prevent conditions like osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercises stimulate bone growth.
- Metabolism and weight management: Strength training boosts metabolism by increasing lean muscle mass. This helps weight management and maintaining a healthy body composition as more muscles can contribute to a higher metabolic rate.
- Injury prevention: Strengthening the upper body helps stabilise joints, improve joint mobility and enhances overall body stability. This reduces the risk of common injuries, such as shoulder strains, back pain and postural issues.
- Functional longevity: Developing and maintaining upper body strength is important for maintaining functional independence as people age. It allows women to maintain their ability to perform daily activities and tasks, ensuring a higher quality of life as they age.
- Physical activities and sports: Upper body strength exercises enhances endurance performance of activities such as swimming, rock climbing, tennis or yoga.
- Self-defense: Upper body strength can be advantageous in crisis or conflict situations, providing women with the ability to resist or escape physical aggression. It helps create a sense of personal security and confidence.
Wanitha Ashok, a Fit India ambassador and fitness expert from Bengaluru, explains how the rate of muscle loss tends to be higher in women, speeding up after menopause.
“With age there is a loss of muscles, the body starts caving in and women attain menopause. The metabolism also slows down making it difficult to lose weight,” says Ashok. “All these factors may bring in difficulties in performing everyday activities with ease. Hence, it is important to work on the upper body.”
Why it takes time to build upper body strength in women
Das explains the factors which have a bearing on upper body strength in women.
- Hormonal differences: As women have lower levels of testosterone, it can take longer for them to build muscle mass and strength. Testosterone promotes protein synthesis, muscle hypertrophy and contributes to building muscle.
- Muscle fiber composition: Women tend to have a higher proportion of type I muscle fibers (slow twitch), which are more suited for endurance activities, compared to type II muscle fibers (fast twitch), adept for generating power and strength. Type II muscle fibers have a greater potential for hypertrophy and strength gain. Therefore, women may need to employ specific training strategies such as heavier resistance training to target and stimulate type II muscle fibers.
- Training history and experience: If a woman is new to strength training or has limited experience with upper body exercises, it may take time to develop the neuromuscular coordination necessary for proper technique and muscle recruitment (optimal activation of all muscles fibers involved). Building strength is a progressive process that requires consistent training and gradual progression in intensity and resistance.
How can women build upper body strength?
The formula is the same for both men and women. One can build upper body strength by including external resistance and body weight exercises into the workout routine. But the proportion or intensity and training schedules should vary, says Ashok, emphasising on providing adequate rest for a worked muscle to enable repairing and building while customising exercises based on individual requirements.
“48 hours of rest for the muscle group worked out is essential,” says Ashok. “Additionally, it is important to consume the right amount of nutrition for the muscles to repair and rebuild,” says Ashok.
Body weight exercises include push-ups and its variations, shoulder press, bicep curls, overhead shoulder press, lateral raises, planks and its variations and exercise routines like animal flow.
External resistance exercises include dumbbell curls and presses, barbell workouts, stability balls and workouts with resistance bands.
Experts recommend women to aim for at least two to three days of focused upper body strength exercises sessions per week.
“Upper body exercises can be combined with lower body and core exercises to create a well-rounded training program,” adds Das. “This way, you can incorporate full-body workouts for balanced muscle development.”
Takeaways
- Incorporating upper body strengthening exercises like push-ups, bicep curls, etc. helps create a balanced physique and improves posture.
- Women can build upper body strength by including external resistance and body weight exercises at least thrice a week in workout routines.
- It is important to note that while it may take time and effort to build upper body strength, women can achieve significant improvement with consistent training, proper nutrition and patience.
