The Best Bodyweight Arm Exercises + Core & More Challenge Help
By admin
Happy Monday! It’s official: The holidays are over.
Back to normal scheduling! While normally I am not a huge fan of Mondays, today is different. Today is the start of our very own fitness studio. I’ll try to take some pictures this week to show. The first class kicks off at 6:00am. Not thrilled about that, but stoked to meet all of our new awesome clients and help them to achieve their goals.
When you have awesome things like that going on, Mondays aren’t so bad! Bring it!
I’ve mentioned the new studio before, but it’s not official. Having our own space 24 hours, opens up so many doors. Not just for our local business but for Lifting Revolution and Fit Womens Weekly. Dan and I are thrilled to be able to do more videos, pictures, and tutorials, etc.
Speaking of videos, I decided it was important to show you guys tips on planking and push-ups.
Since kicking off the Core & More Challenge (It’s not too late to join in), I’ve had a bunch of you tell me you’re doing it but not quite sure if you’re doing it right. So the first minute or so of the show today is to help you verify your technique. Fix it now and the rest of the month will be goal driven!
But that’s not all that is on the show today…
The Best Bodyweight Arm Exercises
When you think of working your arms, do you automatically think of dumbbells, barbells, and other pieces of fitness equipment? You know I am all about bodyweight moves and that goes for upper body too.
How can you get killer arms without owning a single piece of equipment? That’s what we’re talking about on the show today! Check it out, and remember… when it comes to bodyweight moves, think outside the box! Experiment with yourself to see what creative moves you can come up with!
Push-ups.
Of course you can’t talk about arm exercises without bringing up push-ups. But did you know that by changing subtle things, like the way your hands are turned can affect the muscles used? While close grip push-ups focus on the triceps, hands turned in focus more on the delts and shoulders. Try changing it up to really get a complete arm workout.
- Regular
- Close Grip
- Fingers Facing In
- Fingers Facing Out
- Uneven Push-ups (demonstrated by Dan)
What the heck is what the date push-ups? Here’s a previous post I did on them: Date Push-Ups Explained.
(Fit Women’s Weekly used to be called The Art Of Weight Lifting)
Plank Moves & Holds.
Have you ever tried to hold your muscles in a contracted state? It’s hard but extremely efficient at building strength and adding definition!
Though the first move isn’t a “hold” it’s still a plank variation so I thought it best to categorize here.
- Plank Up-Downs are killer! And I love them because of it! Try this bad boys out if you haven’t done them before!
Plank Push-Up Holds
- Middle push-ups. Hold the middle of a push-ups (playing around with hand positioning to target different muscles).
- Tom Cruise Holds. These are so tough! And will have your core shaking like crazy!
Chin-Ups
Chin-ups are killer for the biceps! Having the hands turned towards you places emphasis on your arms and will help you build strength and definition in no time at all… seriously these are top notch! So much so, chin-ups are my #1 goal… 30 on my 30th birthday!
Can’t do them? Modify by using a chair, block, etc to place your feet. Work your way up and continue to practice! You’ll get there!
- Chin-up holds are great too!
- Chin-up negatives are a great way to increase strength and help to work your way up to doing the complete move.
TRX/Rings
If you have access to a TRX or rings, do you use them? You should! We have one that I definitely don’t use often enough. They’re great for sneaking in reps throughout the day. Put it on the door and each time you enter your bedroom, do 5 or 10 reps. By the end of the day you might surprise yourself!
What can you do for your arms?
- Bicep curls
- Tricep Extensions
- Flys
The sky is the limit! If you really want a challenge, try doing push-ups! Wowza.
How To Use These Exercises?
Now you know what to do, but what the heck does it all mean? How can you put these moves into action?
Good question, glad you asked! 
Pick just 2-3 of these moves and add them into your routine 2-4 times per week. My favorite rep count? Set a timer for a minute and see how many you can do. Repeat 1-2 more times!
The only way to get better arms is to work your arms. So get working! And of course the Core & More Challenge can help too! Click the image to join the challenge!
–>What’s your favorite arm exercise?<–
Personally, I love (and hate) any tricep exercise. I love the burn and how humbled they make me since my triceps are in need of some serious strength conditioning!