You guys know by now that upper body workouts are my absolute favorite but I know this opinion is not shared by everyone. I’ve heard from so many people throughout the years who find strength training – and specifically upper body strength training – incredibly boring. I think today’s workout is fast-paced enough to bust through boredom and the format is different from typical rep-counting strength workouts.
The workout is actually inspired by a Burn Boot Camp leg workout I did last week that paired 30 seconds of a strength exercise with 15 seconds of a pulse or isometric hold. It was HARD but FUN and the workout absolutely flew by. I figured I could apply a similar format to an upper body workout and really hope you guys enjoy it!
So let’s lace up our sneakers and work out, shall we!?
Upper Body Strength Pulse Hold Workout
To complete this workout, you’ll perform four rounds of four different supersets. All four rounds of each superset should be completed in its entirety before moving onto the next one to maximize the burn and fully fatigue the muscle.
The initial 30 seconds of the workout will likely not feel too challenging, but after the first 15 second pulse or isometric hold, I think you’ll begin to feel the challenge kick in! Try not to rest before moving right into the next 30 second strength exercise but if you need to shake out your arms a bit, listen to your body and give it a brief rest before continuing with the workout.
Please see below for more detailed descriptions of each exercise!
Workout Apparel for Less Details
Now let’s chat about the workout apparel I’m sportin’ in today’s post. It’s all secondhand but I swear you’d never know it! The top, sports bra and capris are all from thredUP, the largest online resale shop, and arrived looking brand new on my doorstep!
I’ve been using thredUP to shop for everything from workout apparel and summery rompers to pretty dresses and children’s clothing for years and am always so incredibly impressed with the quality of clothing I find on the site, the amazing savings and the selection.
Here’s a breakdown of the apparel I’m wearing in this post:
- Lululemon Racerback Tank (thredUP price: $30.99 // Retail price: $58) I LOVE using thredUP to find my favorite tops in different colors, especially those they may not make the same way anymore! Lululemon recently changed the fabric and cut of my beloved racerback tank and I’ve since purchased three of the tanks in the old style on thredUP so I have more for my collection! This tank also had some beautiful feminine ruffles around the edges which I absolutely love. thredUP to the rescue!
- Nike Pro Capris (thredUP price: $16.99 // Retail price: $54) The color of these capris instantly caught my eye on thredUP’s website and the lightweight fabric and bright color are absolutely perfect for summer!
- Athleta Sports Bra (thredUP price: $19.99 // Retail price: $54) I love a high-quality strappy sports bra and nabbed a black, strappy Athleta sports bra from thredUP that is both supportive and functional. I would bet money on the fact that this sports bra was not worn more than a couple of times in the past (if at all) and it truly looked (and smelled) like new!
Thanks so much to thredUP for these comfy and trendy additions to my workout wardrobe! thredUP also gave me a special discount for PBF readers! The first 100 people to visit thredUP and use code PBF40 will get an extra 40% off their order! (Note: This offer applies to new US customers only with a max of $50 off.)
Exercise Descriptions
Bicep Hammer Curls: Begin by standing with your arms at your side, each hand grasping a dumbbell, with your palms facing in toward your legs. Bend the elbow of both arms and, with palms still facing in, raise arms to shoulder height, flexing the bicep and lowering back down to the starting position.
Bicep Hold: Begin with your arms at your sides, each hand grasping a dumbbell, with your palms facing out. Curl up like a traditional bicep curl but stop halfway when your forearms are parallel to the floor. Hold.
Triceps Extension: Begin by standing with feet hip-distance apart. Hold one dumbbell with both hands and bend at the elbow so the dumbbell is behind your head. Straighten your elbows to lift the dumbbell into the air and then slowly bend arms to the lower the dumbbell back down behind the head.
Triceps Dip Pulses: Begin with your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor and your knees bent in front of you with your weight in your heels. Push up as though you are going to straighten your arms and bring your bottom off the ground. (Do not fully extend your arms… Keep a little bend in the elbow to keep pressure off your joints!) Slowly bend your elbows to lower your body back toward the floor but right before your bottom hits the floor, repeat the extension/lowering motion in tiny little pulses.
Front Shoulder Raise: Begin in a standing position with your dumbbells in front of your thighs and your palms facing in. Brace the core and lift the dumbbells in front of your body until your arms are slightly above parallel to the floor. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Scaption Pulse: (Important: Select a very light weight for this exercise!) Begin in a standing position with light weight dumbbells in each hand and your arms at your sides. Fully extend your arms and raise your arms out in front of you, slightly wide and off center. Raise until arms are parallel to the ground and lightly pulse.
Push Up: Begin in a plank position with hands under and slightly outside of your shoulders. Bracing your core, lower your body until chest nearly touches the floor. Push up to return body to starting position.
Push Up Low Hold: Begin in a plank position with hands under and slightly outside of your shoulders. Bracing your core, lower your body until chest nearly touches the floor. Hold.
Additional Upper Body Workouts
- Jump Rope Upper Body Workout
- Everything One Minute Upper Body Workout
- Upper Body Tabata Workout
- Upper Body Dropset Workout
- Upper Body Superset Workout
You may also visit my Arm Workouts Pinterest Page for additional workouts!
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Thanks for the awesome workout! I always seem to neglect my upper body – I’d much rather work my legs :/ This workout seems like it would go by really quickly, which would make it way more bearable..I’ll have to give it a try.
I’m sharing my favorite running gear on my blog today – check it out!
Have a great day!
I am not a huge fan of upper body workouts but those isometric holds or pulses look tough! And loving the workout apparel you found. I need to check Thread Up more often to find things I like in my size. Anytime I just randomly look I don’t find much.
LOVE working my upper body! I don’t usually pulse for upper body but it’s a great idea and way to keep things moving. Thanks for sharing. I always love your workouts!
The pulsing/isometric movements reminds me a little bit of the burn I love from barre workouts!
I was just thinking this reminds me of a weighted barre class. Can’t wait to give it a try, I love barre!
I need your arms!
I like this idea! Upper body workouts are hardest for me. I would love to pair this with a run!
This sounds like an awesome workout! I’m going to try it soon for sure since I’m trying to add in more strength training.
https://maureengetsreal.wordpress.com/
Ah I’m already cringing when I read pulse and hold! This is going to be a killer workout, can wait to try it when I’m traveling this weekend!
I’m in need of some new sports bras — I should totally look into ThredUp! I always forget to check them out!
I have ordered a few different sports bras from thredUP over the years and the quality has always been fantastic! I think they are pretty choosy about what they select which is helpful for sports bras since they can get very worn-looking very fast!
I LOVE working upper body! It always shows the most for me too. LOVE those pink leggings!
Looks like a great workout, I like to incorporate holds and pulses in my workouts for that extra little burn.
Oh my goodness I can’t wait to get back to freaking gym!!! I love doing upper body workouts – they always feel extra satisfying! And on a sad note, the movers forgot to move our dumbbells from AR to TX waaahhh
Thanks for the awesome workout! I’m realizing that in my 30’s, I need to start paying attention to my arms a little more and get rid of the bat wing! sigh.
As mentioned before, upper body workouts are my least favorite – but I do LOVE working through an upper body workout that has variety and is easy to follow along! I will keep this in my back pocket for my next upper body day! Can’t wait to try this one out!
I’ve been intimidated by strength training for… ever. I just started using resistance bands for my upper body and I’m already seeing results! But you = major arm goals.
This looks like an awesome workout! While I’ve sold some workout gear to ThredUp, why do I always forget that I can SHOP too?! haha *face palm*
I love THRED UP! It’s great because I don’t know how people can afford all that Lulu stuff off the rack! Also, what size dumbells were you using? I try going heavy most times but the types of moves here seem like I’ll need to go a bit lighter!
I am going to do this workout tonight! Thank you for sharing.
By the way, the definition of your arms looks fabulous!
I LOVE working upper body, especially shoulders and tris! I’m also a huge fan of ThredUp. I order from their site constantly!
Tricep extensions always make my arms burn! I’ll be giving this workout a try this weekend.
Woah- great workout! I’ve had a hectic week but needed to get in an upper body workout and this fit the bill. This was quick and left me burning! Will definitely keep this in the rotation!
YES! I always admire your toned arms, and am excited to give this workout a try! I’ve lost a lot of motivation to keep up my upper body workouts since getting pregnant (I was worried about lifting heavier weights earlier on in my pregnancy) and could use a new routine.
Did you deliberately take out the sponsor name from this post for some reason?
“Thank you to for the workout apparel I’m wearing and for sponsoring this post!”
“I’ve been using to shop for everything from workout apparel and summery rompers to pretty dresses and children’s clothing for years and am always so incredibly impressed with the quality of clothing I find on the site, the amazing savings and the selection.”
“Thanks so much to for these comfy and trendy additions to my workout wardrobe! also gave me a special discount for PBF readers!”
I don’t get it…
thredUP is mentioned in all of those places! I’m not sure why it’s not showing up for you? The font is a lighter green when it’s hyperlinked so maybe it’s not showing up for you?
Thanks Julie, I am looking forward to attempting to crush this workout (thinking positive that it doesn’t crush me ;-). One note…I might be crazy but I had to hunt for a bit to find the name of the apparel brand you were discussing as it doesn’t appear in several of the sentences. Am I losing it or is something wrong with my computer that no one else mentioned this?
I did this workout yesterday and it was great…I’m certainly feeling it today!
I did this workout in the gym yesterday. Just woke up now and my arms are feeling the burn (in a good way)!! Thanks Julie, your workouts always give me a bit of extra motivation in the gym!
Yay! So glad you liked it!! <3
I’m always looking for a good arm workout. Definitely going to give this one a try. Thanks for sharing!
https://www.bluelabelsboutique.com
Wow this was killer in the best way! My baby is going to feel so heavy now haha thanks for the tough work out!
Tried this at the gym today, looks much easier than it is! Those pulses and isometrics are a killer. Gonna be sore tomorrow and I LOVE that! Thanks!!
Awesome! So glad to hear it. Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
I did this workout today and man, it’s harder than it looks!!! I was burning really early on.
I love this! Pulse/hold exercises are the WORST, but I love them! I’m also a Personal Trainer so I love seeing all the different workouts you come up with! Also, if you got peanut butter fingers from Friends, I think we would get along just fine haha!