A Neglected Metabolism-Boosting Move

By Craig Ballantyne
If you want to burn a lot of calories, you need to do a lot of resistance-training exercises for the back of your body, not just the front. Your entire upper back is one of your biggest muscle groups. By exercising this important area, you can burn more calories than if you just train your chest and stomach muscles.

A lot of folks have trouble training their upper backs at home because they don’t have a chin-up bar. But you can effectively train your back with a simple dumbbell exercise called the Dumbbell Row.

For the exercise, you need a dumbbell (between 7 and 50 pounds – depending on your level of fitness and strength) and an exercise bench. (A sturdy couch will do in a pinch.)

First, kneel on the bench with only your left knee. (Your right foot should be on the ground.) Bending at the waist, place your left hand on the front of the bench. Your right leg should be slightly bent, your foot flat. Hold the dumbbell in your right hand. Your right arm should be hanging from your shoulder. Your back should be flat and your abs braced.

Pull the dumbbell up and back, so your elbow is bent at a right angle and your upper arm is parallel with your back. Keep your elbow close to your side.

After each set, switch sides.

Do 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions per arm 2-3 times per week to boost your metabolism and burn belly fat. If you want to see this – and other upper-back exercises – in action, check out this video:

[Ed. Note: Resistance training is a MUCH more effective way of burning fat and getting fit than long, slow cardio. Learn more here.]
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This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2392, 06-26-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.