Bodyweight Moves for the Upper Body

As you probably know, bodyweight exercises allow you to workout anywhere and usually with no equipment or weights, toning and strengthening your entire body. For some people, they really want to focus on their upper body, which is where the following moves benefit you the most.

Pull-Ups and Push-Ups

Two bodyweight exercises that are fantastic for your upper body are the pull-ups and push-ups. If you don’t have a bar at home, you will need to go to a nearby playground or park for the pull-ups, or you can do them in your local gym. However, it is highly recommended to add them to your routine if you are working on your upper body. All you need to do is put your hands on the bar and try to pull yourself up until your chest meets the bar. Don’t worry if you can’t do one – the stronger you get, the easier they become.

At home, you can do push-ups as well. If you know how to do a plank, you know the first move of a push-up. Instead of holding the plank, you will bend your elbows and move your body down to the ground, then lift your body back up into the plank position.

Star Plank

Are you looking for a harder plank to do? When you feel like you have gotten used to standard and elbow planks, and want to work your arms as well as your core, try a star plank. For this move, you are doing a full plank, but your hands and legs are stretched out with more space in between them, creating a four-pointed star with your body.

Diamond Push-Up

Another version of the push-up is one where you simply move where your hands are. The benefit of this is that you work different arm and shoulder muscles, further increasing your bodyweight upper body workout. Instead of just putting your hands shoulder width apart, you will touch your hands together in a diamond formation. This really works on your shoulders and arms. Do the push-ups like you normally would. As with pull-ups, don’t worry if you can only do one or two right now. When you get stronger, you will be able to do more of them.

Many bodyweight exercises work your entire body, including your upper body, so mixing up your routine is great for a full-body workout.

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