You don’t have to work out using weights to give your arms a good burn. There are countless ways to strengthen and condition your arm muscles. Amongst all them, the triceps is the largest muscle group in your arm, so you want to exercise them regularly if you want big, buff arms.
Exercises For Your Arms That Don’t Require Free Weights
Here are some simple bodyweight exercises that will help you to sculpt the arms of your dreams:
1) Dips
Dips are an effective way to isolate your tricep muscles. The exercise involves using only your body weight, but since your triceps are small compared to the rest of your body, you still get a tremendous muscle-building workout. To perform the exercise:
- Stand with your back next to a piece of furniture like a desk or table. Place your hands on the desk and keep them shoulder-width apart.
- Shift your pelvis forward and move your legs forward, so your arms are now supporting most of your weight.
- Gradually lower yourself towards the floor, moving only at your elbows. Use your triceps to push your body back into the starting position to complete a rep.
- Perform three sets of dips, with each set consisting of as many reps as you can do. You can make the exercise more challenging by elevating your feet off the floor with a small stool.
2) Diamond Push-Ups
Traditional push-ups give your triceps and forearms a good workout, but diamond push-ups make them the main focus of the exercise. The main difference between the two variations is the positioning of your hands. The closer your hands are to each other when performing the exercise, the more your triceps are engaged. To perform a diamond push-up:
- Get into the push-up position but instead of keeping your hands shoulder-width apart, bring them as close to each other as you can while comfortably performing the exercise.
- Drop down to the floor until your face almost touches the floor and push yourself back into the starting position by pushing against the ground with your triceps.
- Aim for three sets with each set consisting of as many reps as you can to get your triceps burning.
3) Chin-Ups
Here’s an excellent exercise for those looking to build bigger, more muscular biceps. It also works your back and shoulder muscles. You’ll need a pull-up bar or something you can hang from to perform the exercise. Here’s what it looks like:
- Stand under a pull-up bar and grab onto it with your hands about 10 centimeters apart and your palms facing you.
- Pull yourself up towards the bar, using mainly your biceps to do the work. Pause when your chin is over the bar and slowly return to the starting position to complete a rep.
- Perform three sets with each set consisting of max reps can give your biceps an incredible pump.
4) Shadowboxing, Pad Work, Or Heavy Bag Training
Throwing punches helps to sculpt your arms. Throwing punches involves muscles in your shoulders, back, arms, and forearms. Uppercuts target your biceps the most, while straight punches like jabs work your triceps.
Spend about 15 to 20 minutes shadowboxing or hitting a heavy bag a few times a week, and you’ll have well-defined arms in no time. Throwing punches on an object like a pair of focus mitts or a heavy bag tends to give you the most intense workout. You’ll also get an excellent cardiovascular workout.
5) Incline Push-Ups
This variation of the traditional push-up forces your body to do more work. Instead of getting into the push-up position while flat on the floor, you lean against an object like a piece of furniture. Here’s how you perform an incline push-up:
- Stand in front of a desk and place your hands on it as if you were getting ready to perform push-ups on the floor.
- Your body should be straight.
- Keeping your body straight, lower your chest towards the desk and use your triceps to push yourself back to the starting position. Perform as many reps as you can and aim for three sets
6) Arm Circles
Arm circles are a simple way to exercise your arm and shoulder muscles. You don’t need any equipment, and it only takes a few minutes. It gives your arms a good burn, and it can also serve as a warm-up for more intense exercises. Here’s how to perform arm circles:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms extended out to your sides. Your body and arms should form a “T”.
- Rotate your arms and shoulders to make forward circles with both arms simultaneously.
- Perform about 15 rotations, then reverse the direction for another 15 rotations. Aim to perform at least three sets of the exercise.
7) Inverted Rows
This is a creative exercise that targets your biceps, back, and shoulders. You don’t need any weights to perform it, just a knotted bedsheet and a door. To perform the exercise:
- Place the knotted end of the bedsheet over and outside the door of the room you will be exercising in.
- Close the door so the knot holds the bedsheet in place, and it can support your weight.
- Grab onto the bedsheet and get into an inclined standing position with your body tilted backward.
- Pull your body up with the bedsheet using mainly your biceps as if you were rowing a boat and return to the starting position to complete a rep.
- Perform about three sets of as many reps as you can.
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