They (whoever the heck “they” are) say that the only piece of workout equipment you really need is your own body. OK, I’ve actually said that before. I’m they. Nice to meet you.
“All I need is ‘me'” sounds pretty nice, but when it comes time to work your upper body, it’s never long before you are calling bullshit. OK, yes, push-ups are a given in most any upper body workout without equipment, but are you just supposed to do every push-up variation ever created and call it a really muscularly imbalanced day?
And what if you’re still working on nailing your first set of really solid push-ups? Because, yes, contrary to what a lot of articles and social media workouts would lead you to believe, push-ups (at least done right) are freaking hard.
OK, so where does that leave us and our desire to rock a great upper body workout without equipment? Here’s one workout, comprised of some of my favorite upper body strength exercises without equipment, to get you going and arms pumping. Yes, you’ll see a push-up variation in there, but it’s a good one and will push your strength whether you’re working on your first push-up reps or have been crushing them for years. It’s also balanced out with plenty of pulling movements to develop that back of yours.
Upper-Body Workout without Equipment
Before digging into full exercise instructions, here’s an outline of the bodyweight workout:
1a. Isometric Superman with Y Raise 15-20 reps
1b. Eccentric Push-Up 8-12 reps
Do 3-4 rounds
2. Chair-Seat Inverted Row
Do 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps
3a. Inverted Shoulder Press 8-12 reps
3b. Incline Triceps Extensions 12-15 reps
Do 3-4 rounds
You see reps those reps listed for each upper-body exercise? Well, here’s the thing: When using your body for resistance, no two people are going to be moving the exact same loads. So as opposed to getting seriously hung up on rep counts, pay attention to how you feel.
Try to get to that glorious place of fatigue; where you don’t have another single, respectable rep left, but you know that you’ve ended your set strong. Your technique was on point, and you ended things before they got ugly.
So how do you get there within the range of reps listed for that upper body exercise? Play with the variables you can control:
Setup: Adjusting the exact angles on each of these exercises will change up how much weight you’re actually moving. For instance, with the shoulder presses, if you put your feet on the couch behind you, woah, buddy!
Tempo: Slowing down the eccentric, lowering, phase of each exercise (or adding a dead stop/pause halfway through) will make it that much harder and increase time under tension.
Focus on moving through the whole workout with as little rest as possible while still maintaining controlled and proper form.
Upper-Body Strength Exercises without Equipment
1a. Isometric Superman with Y Raise
RELATED: 5 Bodyweight Exercises to Fix Posture
Lie facedown on the floor, then contract through your back to lift your shoulders from the floor. Hold your arms down in front of you in a Y shape with your thumbs facing up. (You don’t have to actually extend your thumbs, but I do for some reason.) Holding this position, squeeze your shoulder blades together to raise your arms up and behind you as far as your mobility allows. Pause, then lower your arms back to start. Repeat all reps, maintaining a raised torso. Focus on lifting through your upper back as opposed to simply dumping your weight into your lower back.
1b. Eccentric Push-Up
Set up in a push-up position with your hands beneath your shoulder blades. Squeeze your glutes and lats, pulling your shoulders down and away from your ears. From here, slowly row your body to the floor. Focus on keeping your elbows at or close to a 90-degree angle. (If your elbows are at a super acute angle, your hands are likely up by your neck and your shoulders are likely scrunched.) Focus on lowering slowly and with control. Drop your knees to the floor and set back up for your next rep. I like to do a little child’s pose before going into the next rep.
2. Chair-Seat Inverted Row
Shimmy your torso under a chair and grab the sides of the chair seat with both hands. Brace your core. Pull through your back and biceps to raise your chest as close as possible to the chair seat. Pause, and then slowly lower your torso without resting fully on the floor. Note: You can totally do this holding a really sturdy dining table or desk, I just don’t have either!
3a. Pike Shoulder Press
Get on the floor in an upside V with your hands turned in just slightly. Bend your shoulders and elbows to lower the crown of your head toward the floor. Pause, then press to return your arms to full extension. Like I mentioned up top, if I put my feet on the couch behind me, I would have upped the challenge on your shoulders.
3b. Incline Triceps Extension
Place your hands on the edge of a countertop and step your feet back behind you so that your arms are outstretched. Squeeze your glutes and core; notice how I look like I have zero butt? That’s actually the goal here. Bend your arms to drop your elbows straight down to the floor. Pause, then drive through your hands to return to start.