Ditch the dumbbells – a Pilates instructor shares four bodyweight exercises to strengthen your arms

It’s no secret that we’re a big fan of dumbbell workouts here at T3. After all, using a pair of dumbbells is one of the best ways to strengthen and sculpt your arms. However, if don’t own any home gym equipment, rest assured it’s not the only way. This four-move bodyweight workout from Pilates Instructor, Hannah Stewart, only requires yourself and a mat, but it’ll leave your arms aching (in a good way) afterwards. 

It focuses predominantly on the triceps as this muscle makes up the overall majority of our arm, two-thirds in fact, so if strong, sculpted arms are what you desire, then training them is essential. However, as well as helping you carry out day-to-day tasks and bending your arm at the elbow joint, this back arm muscle can also improve shoulder health. This is because the long head of the triceps attaches to the shoulder blade, aiding movement and strength. 

Make sure you have something comfortable beneath you before you begin this workout, whether that be a towel, yoga mat, or exercise mat. Aim to complete 10-12 repetitions of each exercise and take a 20-30-second rest between each one. Once you've completed one round, rest for a minute, then try and do two more. If you find you can hit 12 reps pretty easily with your body weight, try slowing down the exercise, aiming for a 3-1-1 tempo (lowering for three seconds, holding for one, and returning to the start for one). This will place your muscles under more tension, so you may want to aim for 10 reps if you try this. Here's the exercises:

• Kneeling push-ups
• Commando plank
• Single-arm tricep push-up
• Tricep dips (use either a chair or perform on the floor)

If you're feeling like you've still got some more steam left in the tank, then this five-minute bodyweight workout is a good finisher to add to the end of your session – it will leave your triceps on fire. Alternatively, here's another Pilates-style workout, this time for your legs, glutes, and core, so that you build a balanced physique. Better still, it's only 20 minutes.