Going to the gym will always provide you with access to a wide range of weights and equipment to help you get a more varied workout but if you’re looking to build bigger muscles without weights then there are certainly a lot of different methods you can try. Whether you prefer to train at home, outdoors or the gym is just extremely busy with nothing free to use, there are many different exercises you can do to get a good arm workout in without having to use weights.
PUSH-UPS
A go-to exercise that can be done anywhere, push-ups are an excellent exercise that work all of the arm muscles as well as most upper body muscles with it being a compound exercise. You can choose from a variety of push-ups to challenge yourself such as standard, close grip, narrow, diamond, explosive, side-to-side and clap. All of these will range in difficulty and keep you challenged. You can also add weight on your back to make them even harder.
DIPS / TRICEP DIPS
You’re probably very familiar with weighted dips in the gym using a dip station or suspended bars so it will come as no surprise that this exercise can be done almost anywhere that you can replicate the same movement. A lot of parks nowadays have areas where you can do these outside and they can also be done at home with two chairs, although make sure they’re weighed down to bear your weight for safety. Tricep dips are a great exercise to isolate your triceps and can be done using any elevated surface. You can also add some weight on your legs to challenger yourself further.
PULL-UPS
One of the best compound exercises is also great for your arm muscles as the arms are primarily responsible for pulling your whole body up. It’s also great for building arm strength due to the same reason. Try different variations of grips such as wide, close and hammer (neutral). Pronated and supinated grips can also be varied as well as weight added so that the exercise is always challenging.
DOWNWARD DOG PUSH-UPS
Usually a yoga move, the downward dog puts a lot of tension on the arms and recruits a lot of muscle fibres. It’s mainly been used as stretch and core move in yoga but with the added push up at the end it challenges the body further and works the arm muscles harder as it also puts them under tension for longer.
PLANKS
You may be thinking that this is mainly an ab and core exercise and you would be correct, but similar to the downward dog, a plank recruits a lot of muscle fibres. Apart from working the core, a plank recruits a lot of arm muscles, mainly the triceps, and adding a few sets of planks to your arm workout can work as a great finisher to get those arm muscles firing.
HANDSTANDS
Although this is a full body workout, your arm muscles are worked to maximum capacity as they work to support the rest of your body and keep it elevated and stable. Once mastered, or even if not, you can also add some handstand presses against a wall to really challenge and work your arms further.
