The Upper Body Wedding Workout Kayla Itsines Had On Repeat

In the lead-up to Kayla Itsines’ wedding to husband Jae Woodroffe, there was one workout Sweat’s founder and owner had on repeat. A quick, effective upper-body session that helped her feel strong, capable and confident on her big day. 

This upper-body strength session can be done anywhere, anytime, making it a perfect 25-minute session for brides-to-be looking to sneak a quick workout in at home.

Your upper body wedding workout

Warm up with five to ten minutes of light cardio or movement first. Then, grab a set of dumbbells you can comfortably hold for every rep. You'll work through five exercises, four times through:

• 12 x shoulder press

• 12 x bent-over row

• 10 x bent-over reverse fly

• 15 x bicep curl

• 15 x tricep kickback

Rest for one minute at the end of each round, then go again until you've completed the circuit four times.

How to do each exercise

Shoulder press

Stand with your feet planted hip-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, palms facing inward and elbows bent. Brace your core so you're not arching your back, then press the dumbbells straight up until your arms are fully extended and lined up with your ears. Pause for a beat at the top, then bend your elbows to lower the weights back to shoulder height with control. That's one rep. This one lights up your shoulders fast, so don't be afraid to go a little lighter than you think you need.

Bent-over row 

Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a slight bend in your knees, then hinge forward from your hips until your torso is close to parallel with the floor. Let the dumbbells hang directly below your chest with your palms facing in. From here, drive your elbows up and back towards the ceiling, keeping them close to your body, until you feel a small squeeze between your shoulder blades. Slowly extend your arms to lower the weights back down. This move is great for building a strong back, but focus on moving with control rather than momentum.

Bent-over reverse fly 

Stay in that same hinged position from your row, dumbbells hanging below your chest with a slight bend in your elbows. Keeping that bend fixed throughout, sweep the dumbbells out and up and out to the sides until they reach shoulder height, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top. Then, lower back down with control and repeat the movement. If you find you need to use significantly lighter weights for this exercise, that's normal!

Bicep curl

Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, arms extended by your sides and palms facing forward. Keeping your elbows pinned to your sides the whole time (no swinging them forward with momentum), curl the dumbbells up towards your chest, squeezing your biceps at the top. Lower the weights back down slowly, resisting gravity on the way rather than letting your arms flop. You want every rep to feel slow and controlled, rather than driven by momentum.

Tricep kickback

Hinge forward from your hips with your knees slightly bent, elbows bent so the dumbbells sit by your chest with your upper arms close to your body. Keeping your upper arms still, extend your forearms straight back behind you until your arms are fully straight, squeezing your triceps at the top. Bend your elbows to bring the weights back to your chest and repeat. It's a small movement, but it's brilliant for strengthening the backs of your arms.

Find your next workout in the Sweat app

Looking for more fast and effective workouts you can add to your routine in the lead-up to your wedding? Strength in 30 with Kayla is one of the most popular programs in the app, or you can find plenty of quick workouts in the On Demand section of the app.

Planning a wedding is hectic enough. Let us take care of your workout schedule so you can focus on everything else.