11 best bodyweight exercises for adding muscle size and power to your upper body

Not all of us feel confident enough to waltz into a gym or have access to workout equipment at home. Does that mean your chances of building bigger arms, a powerful chest, and capped shoulders are nothing more than a pipe dream? Hell no.

You can absolutely carve out your upper body physique to fill your tee sleeves with no equipment, provided the right amount of stimulus is there. What we mean by that is that the exercise needs to challenge your muscles effectively in order to break down muscle tissue, so that they can grow back bigger and stronger.

‘How do I do that with no equipment?’ we hear you ask. Well, you can increase the amount of reps and sets that you do, reduce your rest periods, completely slow down the exercise, or even pause in certain portions of the movement. This is what's known as progressive overload.

Studies also support that your bodyweight can be more than enough, as long as you bear in mind what we've mentioned above and by taking an exercise through its full range of motion – no half rep push-ups, please! If the exercises still feel too easy once you've tried all these different techniques, then it's time to add more resistance and invest in a pair of dumbbells or resistance bands.

Here's the best exercises you can do at home kit-free...

1. Push ups

Why: The GOAT when it comes to building a bigger chest. Although not easy, push-ups are one of the most effective bodyweight exercises to strengthen your pecs, deltoids (shoulders) and triceps with minimal equipment.

To perform:

• Start in a high plank position, with your hands directly under shoulders, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your arms fully extended
• Keeping the elbows tucked at about a 45-degree angle (not flared out), lower your body so your chest is an inch off the ground
• Hold here for a second, then press through your palms to push back up to the starting position – that's one repetition.

2. Pull ups

Why: You’ll need to invest in a pull-up bar – however, they’re inexpensive and totally worth it. There’s a reason why pull-ups have a place in even the most advanced workout plans, because they can help seriously grow your biceps, back, upper pecs, shoulders and forearms. Plus, you can manipulate your hand positioning to hone in on particular muscles more.

To perform:

• Grab a chair or box, so you can reach your pull-up bar. Grip the bar with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you), with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart
• From here, take your feet off the chair or box so that you're fully hanging, then squeeze your shoulder blades together and drive your elbows down towards your pockets, until your chin meets the bar
• Pause briefly at the top, then reverse the movement and lower yourself back down with control to return to the fully extended hanging position – that’s one rep

3. The superman W

Why: Can’t do pull-ups? This is a great alternative, as you’re essentially performing the arm movement of a pull-up, but in the superman position (it’s demonstrated here on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pump Club YouTube channel). Great for the lower back muscles, but it will also leave your upper back and shoulders (surprisingly) on fire.

To perform:

• Lie on your stomach on the floor with your arms extended out in front of your and your legs behind you
• Lower your elbows down to your sides so that they become in line with your shoulders (this is your 'W' position)
• Lift your arms and chest off the ground, then extend your arms straight in front of your, then return them back to your 'W' position – that's one rep

4. Tricep dips

Why: The triceps make up two-thirds of the arm, and dips are one of the best ways to work them. You can perform them off a chair, box, weight bench, or even your stairs. A little tip from Strength Coach and Physical Therapist, Jeff Cavaliere, is to keep your hands turned out (rather than facing forwards) and chest high, to externally rotate the shoulders and reduce tension on them.

To perform:

• Place your hands on the back of a sturdy chair or coffee table at shoulder-width and extend your legs out in front of you
• Keeping your elbows tucked in and hands pointed out to the sides, lower yourself towards the floor so until you have a 90-degree angle at the elbow
• Hold here for a second, then push yourself back up and repeat

5. Diamond push-ups

Why: By placing your hands close together, the diamond push-up puts a lot more load on the arms, torching the triceps and taking emphasis away from the chest. Remember, if you can’t perform a full push-up, you can do these on your knees – they’ll still deliver an awesome pump.

To perform:

• Set up exactly as you would for a regular push-up, then bring your hands close together so the tip of your thumbs and index fingers are touching to create a triangle shape
• Bending the elbows, lower your chest all the way down so it's about an inch from the floor, pause for a second
• Reverse the movement, and extend your arms to push back to the starting position

6. Burpees

Although burpees may not pack on muscle like some of the exercises included in this roundup, they’re a great full-body exercise that will still most certainly light up your arms and shoulders. You’ll also get a great calorie burn too as they’ll leave your heart rate through the roof!

To perform:

• Squat down to the floor and place your hands on the ground in front of you
• Shoot your legs backwards whilst keeping your arms extended, then lower your body to the ground
• Extend your arms and lift your chest off the floor, then step in your right leg, then left leg to stand up and jump – that's one rep

7. Pike push up

Why: If boulder shoulders are the goal, then try adding the pike push-up into your routine. It’s unique, more vertical positioning seriously loads up the shoulders to develop strength and size.

To perform:

• From a standing position, reach down and touch your toes (a bend in the knee for this is fine)
• Walk your hands out in front of you until you can comfortably lay them flat on the floor (you also want your feet to remain flat too)
• Slowly bend at the elbows (keeping them tucked in, no flaring) lower your head towards the floor, making sure it touches the floor in front of your hands and you're looking towards your toes
• Extend the elbows and push back up into the start position

8. Plank

Why: Not just everyone’s go-to core exercise, the plank is an excellent exercise to smoke your upper body, particularly the shoulders, as well as your arms, back and chest. Of course, this full-body powerhouse is also great for your lower body too.

To perform:

• Start in a push up position, then lower your forearms to the floor (if you can't, then you can remain on your hands)
• Tilt your pelvis slightly to engage your core muscles and hold here for your set amount of time (we recommend starting at 20 seconds and building up from here)

9. Decline push up

Why: As we mentioned earlier, push-ups are great, but by elevating your feet off a chair or coffee moves the muscle focus from mid chest to upper chest, and target the front of the shoulders more too.

To perform:

• Elevate your feet on a raised surface, whether that be a box, chair or coffee table (the higher the surface, the harder it will be)
• Bending at the elbows, lower your chest towards the floor
• Pause here for a second, then push up explosively

10. Incline push up

Why: If you struggle with regular push-ups, then try placing your hands on an elevated surface – whether that be a chair or your countertop. You’ll still work your mid to lower pecs, arms and shoulders, but the exercise is easier as the more upright position means your lower body is supporting more of your weight.

To perform:

• Find an elevated surface – whether that be a box, wall or countertop – and get into a high plank position
• The more elevated your surface, the easier it will be
• Bend at the elbows and lower your chest towards the surface, holding here for a second
• Extend your arms to push back up to the starting position

11. Mountain climbers

Why: Although mountain climbers are another brilliant calorie cruncher and core burner, they also happen to leave your entire upper body on fire, particularly the arms and shoulders. They may not pack on a ton of muscle, but for upper body endurance, they’ve got you covered.

How to:

• Start in a high plank position, with your arms directly underneath your shoulders, shoulder-width apart and your arms extended
• Bend your right leg and bring your knee as close as you can in towards your chest
• Simultaneously, switch your feet position, so as you extend your right leg backwards, bring your left knee in towards your chest
• Keep doing this for your desired number of reps while remaining light on your feet