Bodyweight exercises are a great way to get a full-body workout while still allowing you to move freely without the use of any equipment. Their advantage is that they’re often much cheaper than going to the gym, and you can do them anywhere.
They can also be just as effective as weightlifting, with the added benefit that bodyweight training doesn’t put a strain on your back and other joints.
In a friendly tone: It’s no secret that the best way to build muscle is to lift heavy things. But what if you don’t have access to a gym, or you’re strapped for time? There’s good news: you can get your heart pumping and your muscles burning at home—without equipment—and it won’t take long at all.
When it comes to building muscle with bodyweight exercises, the key is focusing on compound movements, which target multiple muscle groups at once and get your heart rate up while they work.
By incorporating these moves into your routine, you’ll be doing a lot more than just getting in shape; you’ll be strengthening your bones and joints while also getting rid of excess fat. Many of these exercises target secondary muscles as well, including your abs, glutes, and back. They’re also a great way to improve balance and flexibility!
In addition to being very good for developing strength in general, the biceps and triceps are used in a wide variety of everyday activities, so exercises that focus on these muscles will help you develop functional strength which will aid you in everything from household chores to sports.
If we use the muscles of the legs more often, so we train them more easily, either by brisk walking, running, or kneeling, the muscles of the arms are put to work much less often, possibly when we go to the store and return with full nets and a few bottles. of five liters of plain water. But this does not have to be the only training we do.
Even during periods when, due to lack of time, we cannot get to the gym, we can continue our biceps and triceps training at home, through these 7 simple exercises.
1) Overhead Single-Arm Triceps Extension
2) Single-Arm Doorway Rows
3) Loaded Backpack Bicep Curl
4) Plank Up Down
5) Water Gallon Jugs Hammer Curls
6) Overhead Triceps Extension
7) Table Inverted Row
3 sets x 10 reps, 15 seconds rest between each exercise, 1-minute between sets.
Let’s see the 7 best bodyweight moves to build lean strength in your biceps and triceps:
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1. Overhead Single-Arm Triceps Extension
Photo Source: Deccan Chronicle
For this exercise, you’ll need a backpack filled with books. This exercise is performed at a slightly different angle than the tricep extension with both hands, so it will help your triceps differently.
The triceps brachii is the large muscle that makes up the bulk of the back of your upper arm, extending from just below your shoulder to your elbow. It’s made up of three different heads—long, medial, and lateral—and each one can be targeted individually with specific exercises.
This overhead single-arm extension is a great way to work on building up your long head.
This exercise can be performed standing or lying down.
This is an excellent exercise for building muscle mass and in the backs of the arms.
How to do it:
• Stand straight, grab both straps of the backpack and swing your backpack behind your head.
• Instead of the backpack hanging behind you as in the case of the triceps extension with both hands, it’s going to be angled towards your opposite shoulder.
• From there, you’re going to extend your elbow until your arm it’s almost locked out over your head and then lower the backpack back down behind your head in the direction of your opposite shoulder until your form is a little lower than parallel and then extend and repeat.
2. Single-Arm Doorway Rows
GIF Source: Dasantosh
This exercise is the equivalent of the TRX rows.
Single-arm doorway rows are a great exercise to build your biceps, but they can also help you build a greater sense of balance in your routine. The single-arm row can be practiced in the doorway of your home or office and is a great way to squeeze a workout into a tight schedule.
Words of advice: make sure that you focus on the muscles in your back; make sure that you don’t hunch your back forward; rest with your arm fully extended at the end of each repetition.
How to do it:
• Stand in front of the doorway with the door open and the feet close to the frame of the door.
• Then, with one hand grab the frame and slowly lean back until your elbow is fully extended. You want to keep your hips and head in a straight line with your feet.
• Once you are in position, you are going to pull up your body towards the frame with one arm, then slowly lower back down and repeat.
• The further you walk your feet forward around the frame, the more you’ll be leaning back and the more challenging this exercise will become.
3. Loaded Backpack Bicep Curl
Photo Source: YouTube
For this exercise, you’ll need a backpack. As you know, it’s difficult to target the biceps without weights. So a backpack filled with books can hit your biceps and can be almost as effective just like regular curls in the gym.
The bodyweight bicep curl is one of the most basic compound exercises that you can do to build muscle. It’s a great beginner exercise for those looking to build muscle, or for someone looking to work on the form before moving onto heavier weights.
Bodyweight exercises like this are great for when you need a quick workout that will build strength and burn some calories without making you miss your bus stop or pause your movie.
The bicep curl has a reputation for being one of the easiest exercises to do, which is great news if you’re looking for a quick way to get that upper body strength up.
It’s also one of the most common bodyweight exercises, so it’s a good place to start learning the technique. You’ll need just your body weight and a book-loaded backpack.
How to do it:
• Load your backpack with books or some heavy objects that will weigh it down, then grab your hand strap at the top of the backpack and stand straight up with your elbow extended and the weight hanging straight down.
• You wanna lean slightly forward so that your legs don’t get in the way of the backpack.
•     While keeping your elbows tight to your ribs, curl the backpack up toward your shoulder. As you come up you wanna try to turn your pinky up towards the ceiling to increase the bicep activation, then slowly lower back down the backpack and repeat.
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4. Plank Up Down
This is one of the best triceps workouts.
The plank has been a go-to exercise for strengthening the core and upper body for years, but the humble planks can be improved upon! Plank Up-Down is a great way to add variation to your planks and give yourself a new challenge.
I’ve been a longtime fan of push-ups, but I started to notice that I was getting bored with my routine. After doing the same exercise for over a year, my muscles stopped getting a workout from it. Luckily, there’s an easy solution: change your hand position!
This exercise is just one of many bodyweight exercises that are great for building muscle for your triceps. It’s simple and easy to do, but it can be very effective if you’re consistent with it.
How to do it:
• Get down into a push-up position and keep your core tight.
• Then, lift one hand off the floor, bend your arm and lower yourself down on that forearm.
• From there, repeat the same process on the other side, so that now you are on both elbows, in a traditional plank position.
• Then, alternate sides, by extending the elbow that you originally lowered to the ground, pressing yourself up, and plating your hand in place of your forearm.
• Repeat the same thing on the other side.
5. Water Gallon Jugs Hammer Curls
Photo Source: Don’t Change Much
For this exercise, you’ll need some heavy objects, preferably with handles (laundry detergent jugs, gallon jugs filled with water). You will also need something to pass through the handles, like a towel or a belt. This exercise can be very effective if executed correctly.
If you want to get strong, you’re going to have to lift a lot of weights. But if you don’t have access to a gym or a home set up for lifting weights, or if your schedule doesn’t allow for the luxury of regular training sessions, then bodyweight exercises can be an excellent way to build your biceps—without any equipment at all.
A water jug is the perfect size and shapes for building your biceps without weights. The heavier the water jug, the greater the challenge. A gallon of water weighs almost 10 pounds; if you can curl that, you’ve got some serious biceps strength!
How to do it:
• If you are using water gallons, you’ll want to pass your towel/ belt through the handles and then grab both ends in one hand, then stand straight back up and let your arm and the gallon jugs hang straight down.
• From there, lean slightly forward to allow for a full range of motion and curl the belt, or towel up toward your shoulder with your hand in a neutral position, so your thumb is facing up.
• Then, slowly back down and repeat.
• Keep in mind that you will need more gallon jugs if you want to fatigue your biceps. If you have enough gallon jugs, you can use both arms at the same time and alternate sides.
6. Overhead Triceps Extension
Photo Source: YouTube
For this exercise, you’ll need a backpack. A backpack filled with books can hit your triceps and can be almost as effective just like a regular dumbbell triceps extension in the gym.
The overhead triceps extension is a bodyweight exercise that can be done anywhere. It’s also a compound exercise, meaning that it works several different muscles at once.
This exercise is a classic for a reason: it’s simple, and it works. A single overhead extension targets the entire length of the triceps, from the long head that runs down along the back of the arm to the medial head that connects to the shoulder.
How to do it:
• Load your backpack with books or some heavy objects that will weigh it down, then you will grab the left shoulder strap with your right hand, and the right shoulder strap with your left hand.
• From there swing your backpack behind your head so that your elbows are bent, and your forearms are parallel with the floor, or even a little lower.
• Then, extend your elbows and raise the backpack over your head until your arms are locked out.
• As you’re doing this, you wanna make sure your elbows are staying nice and tight together, rather than flaring out.
• Then, once you are almost locked out, slowly lower the backpack back down until your hands are slightly lower than your elbows, and repeat.
7. Table Inverted Row
Photo Source: Just Skating
The table inverted row is a great bodyweight exercise for building your back and biceps. It keeps you from using your legs for leverage and will help you build strength throughout your entire body.
You can do this exercise at home without any equipment, but I recommend using a sturdy table or bench.
The inverted row is a great exercise for the biceps. It’s also a good alternative to using weights, which can be a hassle to get to if you’re working out at home. This exercise is a great way to switch up your routine and keep your muscles guessing, as well as work for different muscle groups.
How to do it:
• Get down under the table with the hands holding on the edge, your arms extended, and your body in a relatively straight line from your feet on the ground up to your upper back.
• Then, you’ll simply pull your chest up to the table by retracting your shoulders and driving your elbows back as you flex your biceps.
• Once you raise yourself to the table, slowly lower back down and repeat.
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Last Thoughts:
The best kind of training is the kind you can do anywhere. That’s why bodyweight exercises are ideal for anyone who wants to get stronger but doesn’t have access to a gym or can’t get there during limited hours (like working adults).
They’re also great if you’re on vacation and have limited time to work out, don’t want to lug big weights around while traveling or don’t want to pay for a membership at a local gym.
It’s common for people to think that the best way to get fit is with weights, and free weights indeed have some benefits over bodyweight exercises. But for a lot of people, a free-weight routine just isn’t practical—maybe you’re a beginner to exercise or aren’t ready for the heavy lifting yet, and even if you are, there might not be a place at home or at the gym to keep all the weight-lifting equipment you’d need.
The great thing about bodyweight exercises is that they can give you exactly what you need without any extra gear or special circumstances.
A lot of people choose to work their arms with weights because they see the arm muscles as “show muscles”—the part of their bodies they want others to see and admire. But in reality, arm muscles help us in so many ways that it’s hard to find a workout routine without them.
When you’re working your arms with bodyweight moves, you’re building strength in your back as well—the muscles in your back and shoulders help support your arm movements and prevent strain on your joints.
While doing a pullup, for example, your back muscles are working hard to prevent your shoulders from arching too much and straining the joint
All exercises must be performed correctly to avoid injuries. Performing arm exercises too quickly can cause the muscles to not go through all the phases of the movement correctly, which is not desirable.
Breaks should also be taken so that the arm muscles have a chance to recover.
Nutrition is also very important, and the body must receive enough nutrients to grow and recover optimally.
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