Presenter Jenni Falconer is a long-time runner who’s shared updates on her running endeavours via social media for years. Recently, she’s been highlighting the importance of strength training for runners by demonstrating some of her workouts in the lead-up to the London Marathon later this month.
Lower-body strength exercises are often the priority for runners, but Jenni, 50, said in a recent Instagram post that she’s “really keen to get the upper body strength back and help my arms have some better definition”. She’s been working out with personal trainer Izzy Lukec to build strength in her arms, shoulders, and back.
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Jenni Falconer’s upper-body workout1. Chest press
At the gym, Jenni uses a Smith machine for this exercise, but it can be done with a barbell and a bench, or with a basic dumbbell in each hand. Her bench is slightly raised to target muscles in the chest, shoulders, and arms.
Here’s how to do it:
Set yourself up with a barbell and raised bench, lying down so you eyes look directly up at the bar. If you’re doing it on a Smith machine, you’ll want the bar to sit directly in line with your chest.Bring your shoulder blades back and down and push your upper back into the bench.Lift the bar from the rack, bringing it down in line with your bra strap.Push back up to the starting position.2. Lateral raises
Lateral raises are done with dumbbells or resistance bands. As the weight is held away from your body, you’ll likely need lighter weights than you’d typically use – some people will feel the burn with as little as 0.5kg. It works your shoulders and arms, but you’ll want to keep your core engaged, too.
How to do lateral raises:
Grab two dumbbells or a resistance band.Stabilise your core and bring your shoulder blades back and down.Lift the dumbbells or resistance bands to the sides of your body until they come in line with your shoulders.Slowly lower them back down and repeat the movement.
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2x8kg Rubber Hex Dumbbell Set
Hex dumbbells store well as they can stack on top of each other and don’t roll away when you put them down on the floor. These come in pairs from Amazon.
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Resistance Bands with Door Anchor
A door anchor attaches to the resistance bands and does just that – anchors them between the door and the frame. This fixes them above your head, so you’ll be able to do exercises like lateral and tricep pull-downs.
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Adjustable Barbell Weights Set, 30kg
This unique weight set-up consists of a barbell and removable weights that you can also use as dumbbells, giving you options for your upper-body workout. It goes up to 20kg or 30kg.
3. Dumbbell chest press
This chest press movement is a little different from the first one. Using dumbbells rather than a Smith machine, this would force Jenni to stabilise her upper body more before lifting, boosting stability and upper-body balance.
Her hands face each other (known as a ‘neutral’ grip), and this can help reduce shoulder strain. Doing this as part of a dumbbell workout at home builds muscle in the middle of the chest, triceps (back of the upper arms), and the shoulders.
Here’s how to do it:
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Set yourself up on a incline bench with two dumbbells.Stabilise yourself by bringing your shoulder blades back and down, and push into the bench behind you.Bringing the dumbbells above your chest, turn your hands so your palms face each other.Lower them down until they reach chest height, then push up.Repeat the exercise.4. Bicep curl with hammer curl
This exercise is technically two different bicep-strengthening movements, targeting the entire muscle at the front of the upper arm. Try not to swing your arms when you do these, and keep your elbows close to your ribcage, if you can.
Here’s how to do it:
Perform a hammer curl, starting with your hands facing inwards.As you reach chest height, twist your hands so your palms face up and complete the movement.Reverse the movement and come back down.5. Seated shoulder press
The shoulder press is another exercise that requires a stable core as you raise the dumbbells. It works the muscles at the front of the shoulder (deltoids) and sides, as well as the triceps and muscles in the upper back (trapezius).
Here’s how to do it:
Set up a bench so you’re sat down at 90 degrees, feet planted on the floor.Take two dumbbells and bring them up to shoulder height, turning your elbows slightly towards the front of the room by about 45 degrees.Push up towards the ceiling, making sure the dumbbells don’t touch at the top.Lower back down and repeat the movement.6. Wide grip pull-down
You’d typically do a lateral pull-down at the gym, since it involves pulling down on a bar to raise the load on a machine. However, if you’re new to strength training, you can make progress with this back exercise using resistance bands hooked between a door and frame with a stop to create the same movement.
You’ll feel this one in the back of your shoulders, trapezius, and biceps, as well as your back.
Here’s how to do it:
Set yourself up on a lat pull down machine at the gym or with a set of resistance bands.Bring your shoulder blades back and down, then pull the bar down until it passes your chin. Squeeze at the bottom.Reverse the movement and return the bar or the resistance bands to the top.7. Narrow grip pull down
This lateral pull-down variation works the muscles in the middle of the upper back, rather than the latissimus dorsi (or lats), which are muscles sitting just below the armpit on your back.
Here’s how to do it:
This movement works in the same way, except you hold the bar or the bands with your hands closer together and in the reverse position, with your palms facing you.Pull the bar down to under your chin.Reverse the movement and return to the starting position before repeating.8. Tricep extension
You’ll really feel the burn in your triceps with this exercise. Jenni keeps her whole body stable as she uses her forearms to pull the rope forward over her head.
If you can’t do this exercise in a gym, you could try it as part of a full-body resistance band workout at home.
Here’s how to do it:
Facing away from your cable machine or resistance bands, stand slightly leaning over, one leg in front of the other, bracing yourself.Bring your cable or resistance bands over the back of your head, using your triceps to push them forward.Return to the starting position and repeat the movement.9. Tricep push down
Together, these two exercises target the two muscles that make up the triceps, which sit in the back of your arm. Much like the extension, the push-down can be done just as easily with resistance bands.
Here’s how to do it:
Stand facing your cable machine or resistance bands, holding them with both hands. Your grips should sit just below chest height.Keeping your elbows by your sides as much as possible, pull the cable or bands down towards your waist.Return to the starting position slowly and repeat the movement.How many repetitions?
PT Izzy recommends doing 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise. This range “lets me train close to failure with good form and consistency. It means I’ve got a bit left in the tank to increase the weight,” she wrote.
“If you fatigue too early on lighter weights and high reps, it’s hard to progress once the muscle is already tired.”
How heavy should the weight be?
You’ll need different weights for most of these exercises, which is why doing in the gym will be the best way forward. However, Jenni replied to a comment revealing the exact weights she used.
“It varied for each exercise,” she wrote, confirming that she used 5kg for the lateral raises, 8kg for the dumbbell chest press, 7kg for bicep curls, and up to 9kg for the shoulder press.
“Not super heavy (but heavy for me),” she wrote.