For weekend warriors and suburban athletes there are many options for staying fit through out the week that don't rely on shelling out big dollars at a local fitness club. Neither is cumbersome home fitness equipment always convenient for people trying to maintain their physiques in the comfort of their urban residences or college dormitories.

Fortunately there are a few simple home systems and practices that can be employed to maintain upper body endurance that don't occupy much space in the home nor do they need to be moved about frequently while still allowing the athlete to retain their stamina.

To maintain the physique and even gain muscle mass within the arms and upper body push ups are absolutely indispensable. They require little more than personal effort and a space of floor.

To maintain stamina repeat approximately 20 push ups twice daily (give or take five to 10 push ups depending upon your present personal status). If you want to increase your muscle bulk simply increase the number of push up repetitions on a bi-weekly basis until a personal maximum or 'max' out point is attained.

In addition to push ups, and ultimately more central for maintaining upper body strength, is the pull up bar. Finding a reasonable pull up bar online or at a sporting goods store is not that difficult. They can run anywhere in cost from around $60 upwards to about $120.

Some are more convenient because they are more removable as available door frames to use may be minimal. A healthy regimen of inside and outside pull ups will result in a finely shaped and very tight core section of the upper body. Simply change the grip on the bar with respect to the direction your hands are facing to attain inside and outside pull ups.

Use of the push up and the pull up in the home will vastly improve total upper body strength and looks over time. A personal regimen is not hard to stick by once results are observed.