6 BODYWEIGHT BICEP EXERCISES TO TRY AT HOME

While we all love a fancy machine that targets different muscle groups, there’s no need to use sophisticated equipment to work out your biceps. Need help finding bodyweight bicep exercises you can do? These 6 exercises can be done anywhere.

6 great bodyweight bicep exercises to build your arm strength

As all of us athletes know, strength training can involve weightlifting as well as equipment. But did you know you can also use your body to do bicep workouts without weights to strengthen your arm muscles?

Arm exercises without equipment are easy and include things like press-ups, planks and tabletops. They can be a very efficient addition to your daily workout routine. Let’s take a closer look at some bodyweight exercises for biceps and triceps. Ready?

1. Decline pushup

If you’re already a press-up expert and want to step up the intensity of your workout and experience better results, try a decline press-up. A pretty good workout to make you sweaty!

Your support should be sturdy and not too high so that your body is almost vertical when your chest touches it.

Assume a standard press-up position with your hands resting on the support. Keep your shoulders locked, your body aligned and your core firm. Do this exercise patiently and carefully. When your body touches the support, hold for a few seconds before carrying on. You are getting there… can you feel it in your arm muscles?

2. Planks

The plank is an exercise that looks easy, but for those of us who already went there we know it actually requires a lot of arm, leg and core strength. The back and core muscles help stabilise the body. If the core isn’t strong, then other surrounding muscles will have to compensate. So, you get the picture: over time, those muscles can become tense or painful, or worse, you could hurt yourself. And that’s definitely not what we are looking for!

To do a proper plank, assume a press-up position on a yoga or exercise mat. Bend your elbows 90 degrees and rest your weight on your forearms for a forearm plank or press onto your hands for a full plank. Keep your trunk straight and rigid and your body aligned — from your ears to your toes!

Keep your head and neck relaxed and look down at the floor. Don’t forget to breathe! Maintain the position for as long as you can. No worries if you can’t hold it very long at first, it’s difficult for everyone!

3. Single-leg triceps dip

We all want strong, defined arm muscles. But did you know that to make that happen you need to work on your triceps too, not just the biceps that will give you impressive guns? So if you thought weight-lifting was the only way to work your arms, well...we have some workouts for you to add to your repertoire.

As the name suggests, the triceps are muscles made up of three parts, all located on the inside of the arm. Ever felt like you’ve got ‘bingo wings’? Working on your triceps can help make that area more defined.

The exercise is simple: sit with your back to a sturdy bench. Place your hands on the bench and either extend or bend your legs. Use the strength in your arms and legs to raise and lower your body. Trust us, if you’re doing it right, you’ll feel it right away!

4. Arm rotations

Arm rotations are another simple bodyweight bicep exercise. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and extend your arms out at 90 degrees from your body. Then slowly move your arms in small circles.

If you want to challenge your body a little more, you can hold small weights as you do this. Who knew such a small movement could be so effective?

5. Tabletops

If you’re looking for more ways to work on your biceps, well read on! Tabletops are great for strengthening your biceps using just your bodyweight. The focus here is on the thighs and glutes, but tabletops also strengthen other muscles like the biceps.

If you’re not familiar with that, we’re covering the basics for you to start doing tabletop. To do it, get down on your knees and rest your hands or forearms on the ground. Kick your feet up behind you one at a time. Keep your abdomen and arms strong whilst you do this. Pretty simple isn’t it?

6. Side plank pulse

Since we already know you love to challenge yourself, if a regular plank isn’t enough for you, challenge yourself with a side plank pulse. What’s different about it? In this version of the exercise, your bodyweight is supported by one forearm and your feet with the body turned to face one side. Then you just have to slowly lift and lower your hips. What’s great about it is that it isolates your obliques and also strengthens your back. Let’s be honest, that’s a pretty killer workout exercise.

All in all, bodyweight bicep exercises without equipment should be part of your workout routine and practised alongside other activities such as cardio or flexibility training. Of course, don’t forget to stretch when you’re done – you pro-ams know how important this last step is.

So, ready to strengthen your biceps?

Written by: Green Park Content

Any medical advice and views expressed are those of the author; readers should obtain medical advice to ensure these exercises are appropriate for them.

 REFERENCES

[1] Healthline. 8 Weight-Free Exercises to Tone Every Muscle in Your Arms

[2] Web Medical Team. Tank Top Workout: Upper-Body Exercises

[3] Prefeitura Municipal de Belém. Equipamento Triceps

[4] Harvard Health Publishing - Harvard Medical School. Straight talk on planking. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/straight-talk-on-planking-2019111318304