Having strength in your upper body is important for more than just opening the jar of olives. It can be hard work to get these muscles strong, but your chest, back and shoulder muscles are what attach your arm to your trunk, and they are all used when you reach, push and pull. They tie in directly with your core muscles, as you move your body around through space.

Here are 4 reasons to keep these muscles working, then a video to show you some upper body work to start:

• building strength helps your bones: as we get older, our bones start to lose density. Resistance training can help, because muscles/ tendons pull on bones and makes them stronger
• it can help prevent injuries: research shows that strengthening through your pecs, lats and rotator cuff muscles can help prevent injuries through your upper body
• it can improve your overall posture: strengthening through your back muscles and upper body is never a bad thing, even if it just gives you confidence to know what you can do physically. It can give you energy to better hold yourself upright, and it can train your brain to better connect with these muscles
• it just feels good: getting strong feels good in the body and the mind. It doesn’t have to be push ups and pull ups, it can be tennis, rock climbing, throwing a frisbee or ball.

See our You Tube Channel “Elevation Physiotherapy and Wellness” to see various One Minute Wellness videos on building upper body strength at home.