Today, more and more of us have extremely busy lives.
Staying in shape when there is no access to a gym or much by the way of equipment can be challenging.
We will look today at some of the best forearm exercises without weights along with some other full bodyweight routines.
Wherever you are, you can always take advantage of your own body to get a great workout…
Make your body the gym!
It’s All About The Guns
Pretty much everyone wants to hone the look of their arms…
Most guys want to pack on some serious size while most women are after a toned, slender look.
The driving reason that people obsess about their arms is based on the same rationale as hankering after a six-pack: vanity. We all like to look our best and a well maintained pair of arms looks undeniably impressive. Also, unlike calves (which are often the result of genetics), serious arms take serious work in the gym.
Best Forearm Exercises Without Weights
There are many standard arm exercises which also give your forearms a working over but here are 5 great ways to specifically target the lower arms…
1. Knuckle pushups:
Remember the old movie Karate Kid and the kids performing pushups on their knuckles? Great for the forearms. Simply adopt a standard pushup stance but rest on your knuckles rather than palms. As you work out with your hand clenched in a fist, your forearm muscles will go into overdrive
2. Making Fists:
Often the simplest exercises are the most effective. By opening and closing your fists 10-12 times and clenching a little when the fist is closed, you can fully prime your muscles for a further workout. Making fists like this serves as an excellent warm-up
3. Circling:
With your elbows at 90 degrees, extend your hands in front of you facing down. Use your wrists and move your hands in complete circles. This will work all the forearm muscles nicely. Clenching a fist and squeezing will make this even more intense
4. Wrist Curls:
Try sitting down and resting one forearm on your thigh. Make sure to keep your back straight and lean forward slightly. Keep your palms upwards. Clench a fist and let your hand go down. Bend it at the wrist but ensure the rest of your arm stays still. Repeat with the opposite arm
5. Stretching:
Warming up before working out is essential. Try getting down on all fours, reversing your hands so that the fingers are backwards. Sit backwards slightly towards your feet and give your forearms a gentle stretch
We will move on now to take a look at some of the many advantages of full bodyweight exercises…
Why Perform Full Bodyweight Exercises?
There are many reasons why putting yourself through your paces with full bodyweight exercises makes sense…
Cardio and Strength Training Combined
Different types of bodyweight exercises can be alternated to give you the best of both worlds.
Try some quick cardio moves like burpees or knee raises interspersed with strength movements like lunges or push-ups. This will keep your heart rate boosted while also improving your strength.
Highly Efficient Workout
If you are looking for great gains in double-quick time, plyometrics or High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) could be just what the doctor ordered.
The lack of equipment means that you can move very swiftly from one exercise to the next maxing out your workout routine.
Challenging For All Fitness Levels
There are many ways you can ramp up the intensity of your training if you want to push yourself harder…
- Increase the reps
- Take shorter breaks
- Perform the exercises much faster
- Dial it back and go ultra-slow focusing on form
- Throw in some ballistic movements
Whatever level of fitness you’re at, bodyweight exercises are incredibly adaptable.
Burn Fat Faster
If you are looking to torch some body fat, even a short session of circuit training using the weight of your body can work miracles.
Flexibility
By making sure that you go through a full range of motion with your bodyweight exercises, it’s possible to improve your flexibility along with adding strength.
The associated improvement in posture can also lessen your chance of injury while working out.
Core Strength
With nearly 30 muscles making up the trunk, your core is about more than just a six-pack.
Many bodyweight exercises can bring all of these various muscles into play meaning you can rip your midsection without the need for expensive equipment.
No Excuses
“Stop saying you can’t. You can. You just choose not to.”
Say goodbye to the usual excuses like being too busy or not being able to get to the gym. With bodyweight exercises, you can snatch a quick workout even if your schedule is relentless.
If you are a frequent traveler, you can also stay in shape on the road without needing to keep buying weights or joining a local gym.
Prevent Boredom Setting In
Anyone who trains on a regular basis knows how easy it is to get bored with curl after curl or endless bench presses.
You have an endless selection of bodyweight exercises at your disposal so no more dull routines or plateauing. Whenever you are finding that training is tedious, switch it up and do something different.
Get Results Quickly
When you use full bodyweight exercises, you use several joints and muscles at the same time. These are called compound movements.
Compound moves like lunges and push-ups are a wonderful way to get stronger, heighten your performance and build up your core in one fell swoop.
If you want swift results, bodyweight routines can help you to achieve them.
Help Yourself Recover From Injuries
Injury is perhaps the leading cause of people quitting their exercise regime.
As everyone knows, prevention is better than cure. Bodyweight exercises are perfectly safe for all ages and fitness levels so rather than risking injury, get all the benefits of working out without the danger.
When it comes to recovering from injuries, many bodyweight exercises can be extremely helpful even if you have hurt yourself pretty badly.
6 Of The Best Fully Bodyweight Exercises
1) Push-Ups
The classic push-up is less demanding than a bench press and as such an awesome starting point for beginners. The drawback is that push-ups rapidly become too easy. If you find that you are banging out 30 reps without breaking a sweat, make it tougher. Go for diamond push-ups, use one arm or go for broke with handstand push-ups
2.Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups
If you’re hoping for big arms and a nicely toned back, pull-ups and chin-ups are a surefire route to making this happen. With pull-ups, your palms face away which puts less strain on the biceps. Placing your palms toward you for chin-ups works those biceps more fully. Both are wonderful ways to tone up and put on some size too
3. Planks
If you can hold a plank for sixty seconds, it’s a great benchmark of being in shape. You will need a winning combination of strength and stability. From abs and back through to shoulders, arms and legs, the plank is the fitness gift that keeps on giving
4. Burpees
For fat burning, burpees really take some beating. These explosive actions are superb for both cardio and co-ordination so if you want a shredded physique, start incorporating some burpees into your workout
5. Dips
Dips nail your triceps but also give your chest and shoulders a good blast. You’ll need plenty of core strength to perform dips. If you want to pack some size onto your chest and drastically improve your upper body strength, get busy with some dips
6. Swiss Ball Rollout
Tension leads to muscle and using a Swiss ball is perhaps one of the best ways to provide this. As you move forwards, you can hit your abs while your shoulders will need to work hard to stabilize your body. This move will target several muscle groups and joints which can release hormones and speed up the development of muscles
Wrap-Up
We hope that you now have a good idea on what to do if you want forearm exercises without weights or needed some more information on full bodyweight routines.
Please get in touch if you have any questions at all. We are always delighted to help and welcome any feedback.
Now how about some push-ups?!
