This Efficient Workout Strengthens So Many Muscles In Your Upper Body

Welcome to mbg moves! We’ve been working out at home more than ever lately—and we know our readers are, too. To help keep your fitness routine feeling fresh, we’re releasing a new at-home workout every Monday to start your week off strong. Each month will feature routines from a different incredible trainer we adore. Now, let’s get moving with our spotlight trainer: BB Arrington.

So far with my mbg moves series, we’ve discussed eccentric exercises and the concept of shortening and lengthening. Now, I want to highlight another important aspect of fitness: pushing and pulling. Pushing movements are when you bring the weight away from your body, and pulling movements are when you bring the weight towards your body.

To put this concept into practice, I’ve put together an efficient upper body strength workout that takes you through various pushing- and pulling-focused exercises.

What I love about pushing and pulling is they require different muscle groups. So in theory you could do all pushing one day, and do all pulling the next day, and your workout wouldn’t be compromised. You can also manipulate a push movement to have more pull by changing the placement of the weight, and we’re going to explore that during this workout, as well.

You’re going to need one medium dumbbell and a chair (or other elevated surface) for a bit of stability. This push-pull upper body workout would be great to do two or three times total, if you’re up for it!

Your 4-week challenge: For the next couple weeks, I’ll be sharing a different strength-training workout that focuses on a specific exercise principle—so we’ll be strengthening our minds and bodies all at once. I challenge you to make it a goal to incorporate these routines two to three times per week.