Upper body?

[rousseau]

Yeah, I know...who cares, right? Thing is, as much as I'm loving this terrific spring weather and getting in as much distance as I can, I'd like to stop neglecting the upper half of this machine.

I need something dumbed down and simple to do a couple times a week, as I don't have the aptitude or motivation to come up with a set of exercises for myself. Is there a basic go-to routine for cyclists out there? Curls, planks, that kind of thing?

[Hilltopperny]

I like good old fashioned pull ups and push ups for the upper body. Simple and great for upper body workouts.

[Dead Man]

Originally Posted by Hilltopperny

I like good old fashioned pull ups and push ups for the upper body. Simple and great for upper body workouts.

Yep..

I do basic calisthenics/semi calisthenics to maintain functional fitness - pushups and aussie pullups one day, dips and pullups the next day. opposing muscle groups.

Keeps my upper body strong enough for my needs, but without adding useless weight

[Bentley]

Originally Posted by Hilltopperny

I like good old fashioned pull ups and push ups for the upper body. Simple and great for upper body workouts.

Best plan. I do about 20 pull-ups and 75 push ups every day. Pull ups are tough, use good form. No kipping

[ceolwulf]

Or a kettlebell and do swings and presses.

[Matthew]

Yup, just the basics will work well. Push ups, pull ups, curls, and maybe a dumbbell press for the shoulders. Should be all you need. I do these year round to keep my upper body and core in good shape.

[rousseau]

Sounds good, thanks for the suggestions.

[Chris]

Yup. I did the full gym thing and found that the torque of moving weights really exacerbated my shoulder problem, but I can rip off 50-100 push ups without much if any pain. Then I do some pull ups, band pull aparts and some core stuff. The things that's great about it is it's simple, works really well for me and is convenient.

[bigbill]

I do 4 sets of 15 pushups and four sets of curls five days a week year round. I also do 75 swiss ball situps each day. Pushups and pullups are the best whole body exercises. My back objects to pullups.

[doomridesout]

Planks are good to throw in as well, both front plank and side planks.

[David Tollefson]

Easy workouts:

Day 1: Deadlifts, push-ups (or bench press), rows, core work.
Day 2: Squats, pull-ups, dips, core work.

At least one non-lifting day between each.

[Fatty]

Originally Posted by doomridesout

Planks are good to throw in as well, both front plank and side planks.

Yep. Get your planks in between sets of push ups.

[adrien]

TRX or something similar is great for this. Straps that use your own body weight. You can work everything, while keeping your core engaged in every exercise. And they are cheap and take no room.

Some upper body strength will help cycling, IMO. A strong core and back will help a lot.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by adrien

TRX or something similar is great for this. Straps that use your own body weight. You can work everything, while keeping your core engaged in every exercise. And they are cheap and take no room.

Some upper body strength will help cycling, IMO. A strong core and back will help a lot.

I made a set of DIY TRX type straps for about $25.

[kingpin75s]

I find mountain biking to be a pretty good full body workout that gives more attention to core and upper body strength.

That said, I also do push ups and pull ups and play around on the American Ninja Warrior gym I built for my daughter.