17 Best Bodyweight Arm Exercises (No Weights Required)

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One of the great things about strengthening and toning your arms is that you don’t need fancy gym equipment to get them. All you need is the right movements and your bodyweight.

These exercises will work your shoulders, biceps, and triceps to sculpt and tone your arms. No equipment or weights needed. These exercises can be done anywhere and can be performed three to four times per week for maximum results.

High Plank | 30 sec

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This total-body exercise sculpts the shoulders, biceps, and triceps.

  1. Begin on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Stack your shoulders over your wrists and spread your fingers wide.
  2. One at a time, lift up your knees and step your feet back to come into your high plank position.
  3. Engage your abs and quadriceps, and press the ground away from you with your palms. Your hips should stay in line with your shoulders. Hold for 30 seconds. If you feel any strain in your lower back, tap your knees to the ground to modify.

Push Ups | 10 reps

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This exercise tones your chest, shoulders, and triceps.

  1. Start in a high plank position with your hands out a little bit wider than your shoulders. Tap your knees to the ground to modify and lower your hips so that there is a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Cross your ankles.
  2. Inhale to bend your elbows to 90 degrees, lowering your chest towards the ground.
  3. Exhale to straighten your arms and press back up. Repeat for 8-10 reps.

Climber Push Ups | 8 reps per side

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Make your shoulders and triceps pop with this push up variation.

  1. Begin in a modified high plank with your knees on the ground.
  2. Engage your abs, then inhale to lower to your right forearm and then your left forearm to come into a forearm plank.
  3. Exhale to place your right palm underneath your right shoulder, then place your left palm underneath your left shoulder to come back into a high plank.
  4. Continue lowering down and pressing up for 8 reps, leading with the right arm.
  5. End in your high plank, then switch sides leading with your left arm.

Shoulder Circles | 20 reps per side

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Tone your shoulders with this easy, but effective, exercise.

  1. Start kneeling on a mat. Reach your arms straight out to the sides.
  2. Make a small circle backwards with your arms. Repeat for 20 reps.
  3. Then, keep your arms lifted and circle your arms forward for 20 reps.

Curl Press | 15 reps

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Work your biceps and shoulders with nothing but your bodyweight.

  1. Kneel down and reach your arms straight out in front of you with your palms facing up.
  2. Bend your elbows and curl your palms towards your shoulders. Then, straighten your arms up towards the sky.
  3. Lower your arms back down and straighten your arms back to start. Repeat for 15 reps.

Forearm Plank | 30 sec

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This total body exercise will tone your shoulder muscles.

  1. Start in a tabletop position on your hands and knees.
  2. Lower down to your forearms. Then, step your feet back and straighten your legs to come into a forearm plank position.
  3. Engage your abs and press down firmly into the ground with your forearms. Hold for 30 seconds. If you feel your lower back strain, modify by tapping your knees down to the mat.

Bird Dog | 12 reps

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Tone your shoulders, biceps, and triceps with this exercise.

  1. Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Spread your fingers wide and flex your abs.
  2. Reach your right arm straight forward and your left leg straight back as you inhale. Flex your toes towards the ground. Pause here for a moment, feeling your glutes, shoulders, and arms work. Then, exhale to place them back down.
  3. Switch sides, reaching your left arm forward and your right leg back. Continue alternating for 12 reps.

Tricep Dips | 12 reps

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This bodyweight exercise strengthens your triceps and shoulders.

  1. Start seated with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Place your hands down behind you with your fingers pointing in the direction of your heels.
  2. Lean back into your palms and lift your hips off the ground an inch.
  3. Press into your palms and straighten your arms, feeling your triceps work.
  4. Inhale to bend your elbows to dip back down, then exhale to straighten your arms again. Repeat for 12 reps.

High Plank Shoulder Taps | 20 reps

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This plank variation tones your shoulders, biceps, and triceps.

  1. Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrist. Separate your feet slightly wider than hip-width distance.
  2. Shift your weight into your left hand, pick up your right hand, and bend the elbow to tap your right hand to your left shoulder. Try to keep your hips square to the ground.
  3. Place your right palm back down and switch arms. Continue alternating for 20 reps.

Downward Facing Dog | 30 sec

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This classic yoga pose sculpts the arms and shoulders.

  1. Start in a high plank position. Press firmly into your palms.
  2. Take an inhale, then exhale to pike your hips up towards the sky to come into an upside-down V-shape.
  3. Draw your navel up and in towards your spine and lift up through your tailbone. Breathe in and out of your nose and hold for 30 seconds.

Dolphin | 30 sec

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This yoga pose strengthens and tones the shoulders.

  1. Start in a forearm plank. Press into the ground with your forearms and slightly puff up the space between your shoulder blades.
  2. Take an inhale, then exhale to lift your hips up towards the sky and walk your feet towards your elbows.
  3. Engage your abs and lift up with your tailbone as you hold for 20-30 seconds.

Pike Ups | 10 reps

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This exercise works the shoulders, chest, and triceps.

  1. Start in a high plank position. Engage your abs and take an inhale.
  2. Exhale to pike your hips up to the sky coming into a downward dog.
  3. Inhale to lower your hips back down to your plank. Repeat for 10 reps.

Inch Worm | 10 reps

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This total body exercise sculpts the shoulders, biceps, and triceps.

  1. Start standing up with your feet hip-width distance apart.
  2. Bring a bend into your knees and exhale to fold forward, reaching your hands to the ground.
  3. Walk your hands forward until you come into a high plank position. Pause, then walk your hands back towards your feet.
  4. Bend your knees and stand all the way up with a straight back. Repeat for 10 reps.

Lateral Plank Walking | 8 reps per side

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Challenge your core and arms with this dynamic exercise.

  1. Start in a high plank position.
  2. Shift your weight into your left hand and foot. At the same time, lift your right hand and foot up and step them about half a foot to the right.
  3. Then, step your left hand and foot to the right to come back into a high plank position.
  4. Continue walking to the right for 8 paces, then repeat on the left.

Modified Diamond Push Ups | 10 reps

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This push up variation sculpts the shoulders and triceps.

  1. Begin in a tabletop position on your hands and knees. Walk your hands forward a palm print and lower your hips to create a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Bend your knees and cross your ankles.
  2. Bring your index fingers and thumbs to touch to create a diamond shape between your hands.
  3. Inhale to bend your elbows out and back to come into a push up. Keep the elbows in by your sides.
  4. Exhale to straighten them back out. Repeat for 10 reps.

Burpee Step Backs | 5 reps per side

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This total-body exercise is also a great arm sculptor.

  1. Start standing up with your feet hip-width distance apart. Engage your abs.
  2. Bend your knees and squat down to place your palms on the floor in front of your feet.
  3. Step your right foot back and then your left back to come into a high plank position. Pause for a moment.
  4. Then, step your right foot forward behind your right wrist, and then your left foot forward behind your left wrist.
  5. Exhale to stand all the way up with a straight back and squeeze your glutes at the top.
  6. Repeat for 5 reps leading with the right foot, then switch sides.

Triceps Press | 12 reps

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Tone your triceps and shoulders with this exercise.

  1. Begin in a forearm plank. Lower your knees to the ground to come into a modified version. Cross your ankles and spread your fingers wide.
  2. Exhale and press into your palms to lift your elbows up and straighten out your arms. Keep your elbows in line with your shoulders.
  3. Inhale to slowly lower back down to your forearms. Repeat for 12 reps.

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