Diet & Fitness 
ExpertsFit by FridayAbove-the-waist workout
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Above-the-waist workout

by Josh Salzmann
If you’re like most women, you probably ignore your upper body when you exercise. Here’s how to find the four most overlooked, but essential, muscles and whip them into shape

Over twenty years ago when I first entered the fitness business, most people had a pre-conceived idea about what body parts men and women should target. Generally speaking, men did upper body work but left their thighs and buttocks to fend for themselves. Women did the opposite, spending hours on leg lifts in every possible angle and position, but never doing anything for their upper body beyond bent leg press-ups. As an instructor, I remember having to cajole both sexes to work through the whole body during a weight training session because total body strength and proper alignment are necessary to prevent injury.

While cardiovascular exercise is an essential part of your routine, strengthening muscles through weight training protects you from injury and increases your metabolism, so you burn more calories both during and after your workouts. Most women fear that lifting weights will bulk them up, but this is a fallacy. Keep in mind it’s also not the amount of weight you lift but how you lift it that counts.

Today, my female clients still tend to give their upper body short shrift when working out. Here are the most crucial, but often ignored, muscles and some weight training exercises to tone them.

  1. The transverse abdominus (stomach)
    The deepest of all your abdominal muscles, the transverse abdominus functions like a thick band that holds in your vital organs and supports your back by joining it to your stomach and other core muscles that are crucial for body stability. A simple way to locate this muscle is to cough or laugh, and you will feel it tighten. You can give this muscle a great workout with the following move:

    The hover: Start on all fours with your arms slightly bent and your hips over your knees. Draw your pelvic floor up, pull your navel back into your spine and shift your weight forward to your arms so your torso is at an angle. If you are advanced, you can come up onto your toes instead of your knees. If you choose this position, you’ll need to walk your hands out until your body is in a straight line. Make sure your bum doesn’t drop down lower than your hips and try to deepen your ab contraction each time you exhale. Do this 10 times. It is essential to focus on the transverse abdominus throughout your entire workout as well as during everyday activities, in order to produce safer and more effective body movements and balance. Doing exercises on stability or balance balls is also excellent for conditioning the transverse abdominus.



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