If you are into working out and exercising on a regular basis, then you must be hella confused right now. Biceps and arm muscles are the last thing you could expect to gain and hone with body weight exercises only. It is totally normal to be dubious of the very concept of body weight bicep exercises, especially if you are used to seeing heavy equipment and machines at the gym.
The truth is, there is nothing you cannot do with your body with body weight exercises. Sometimes, the hype around machines and exercise equipment is overrated, because you can have a very effective workout routine at home itself, by using just your body weight.
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The biceps are a part of the body that everyone wants to train. Everyone wants muscles in their arms, and no one likes loose flabby skin and fat in that area. Whether you are a man or a woman, having strong arms can not only look super good, but also give you greater upper body strength and stamina, which is why you need to train your biceps well. The good news is, there are a ton of super effective body weight bicep exercises that you can do wherever you want, and for which you don’t have to travel to the gym or sweet it out on heavyweight machines.
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Here are the best body weight exercises that you an do to get killer biceps.
1. Pull ups
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Possibly the best exercise ever for great biceps are pull ups. They are designed to solely train your biceps and your arm muscles, so when you are able to pull ups the right way, you will know that your arms are getting stronger. Standard pulls ups consist of a rod that you need to have above your head, grab them with both your hands and pull your body up till your elbows form an L-shape.
However, for beginners, doing proper pull ups at the first try is nearly impossible. You can do a pull-row, where you get hold of a sturdy rod at chest level when you are standing. Lie down under the rod, and hold the bar with your hands. Use your arm muscles to pull your body weight up from the ground, while your feet remain firmly planted on the ground, so that your body forms an inclined plane. Keep doing this, till you able to life your body completely of the ground.
2. Towel chin-ups
Towel chin-ups are considered even more effective than chin-ups. For this exercise, you need a towel, and a steady bar that you can tie the towel around. In fact, it is best if you fling the towel around the bar so that equal parts of the towel are hanging from either side of the bar. Twist the towel so that it looks like a rope, and the tension in the towel also increases. Wrap the two ends of the towel around each of your arms and pull yourself up using your arm muscles.
This puts immense pressure on your arms, especially your triceps, and you will be able to see a marked difference in the way that your arms appear, if you are able to do this exercise regularly and properly for a couple of weeks.
3. Chin-ups
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Chins ups are like pull-ups but they also train your shoulders and are ideal for getting that model-like V-shaped back that makes your body look fabulous. For chin ups too, you need a stable bar that is placed at a height just above your head, so that you can easily grab it with your hands.
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While in pull ups, you hold the bar with your palms facing away from your body, chin ups require you to hold the bar in an underhand grip so that before closing, your palms face your body. Hold the bar and life your body up till your arms form an L-shape, and your chin is relatively level with the bar. Use your shoulder muscles to lift your body up and back down to complete one rep.
4. Towel curls for biceps
Apart from the highly effective towel chin-ups, you can also do another exercise, which is the towel curls. For this, you need a wall (which is literally every vertical surface in your house, duh) and a towel and the rest of the work is done by your own body weight, which is the great thing about body weight workouts.
For this, you have to stand against a wall, and make sure your spine is straight. Take two ends of the towel and grab them with both your hands, so that it forms a sling close the ground. Put your foot in the sling, to create your starting position. To do the exercise, lift your arms till they form an L-shape against your body. Do this, while your foot poses an opposite resistance against the towel, but don’t push your leg too much. Do this 10 times on each leg to complete a set. This exercise not only tones your biceps but your shoulders, your calf muscles, and your arms as well.
5. Dive bomber push-ups
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Even though standard push-ups are also great for building your biceps, they also concentrate quite a bit on your shoulders and your pecs, because your use your shoulders to bring your body weight up and down. However, if you want a body weight exercise which focuses only your biceps, then you should try the dive bomber pushup which is easy, but highly effective.
Your starting position should be your waist lifted off the ground, and your arms lying on the ground, palms down. Make sure your feet are planted firmly on the ground as well. Use your arms to slowly bring your body down to the ground, without letting go of your full body weight. Then, again use your arms to bring your body back up, so that you are back in the arched position. One full rep consists of going down then up again, and ideally, you should be doing 2 sets of 20 reps when you are working out.
6. Doorway curls
Another excellent exercise for you if you are into building your biceps at home, without having to go the gym, is doorway curls. For this, you need a doorway with a frame that is jutting out enough for you to hold on to. Put your legs on either side of the door frame, so that you are nose to nose with the door frame. Make sure your feet are parallel to your shoulders, but if your legs are wider, then the exercise not only becomes more difficult but also ineffective.
To start the exercise, place your hands at chest level, and hold the door frame tightly. Your body will now be at an angle to the door, and you can use your arms as a level to pull yourself closer and then again, lean away from the door. Make sure that your spine is straight, and you are using your upper arm muscles to do the exercise. This is going to give you a major boost to your biceps.
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7. Plank
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The plank is one of the more popular and feared exercises because even though everyone should do it, few people are actually able to do it right. While doing the plank can promote fat loss and muscle building in most parts of your body, along with building core strength, it can especially hone your biceps. This is because you are using your arms, particularly, your upper arm strength to hold your entire body in the right posture and position, which works your bicep muscles like no other.
Lie on the floor with your body in the push-up position. However, instead of placing your palms faced down on the floor to support your upper body weight, use your entire arm- from your elbow to your wrists, to support your body weight. Make sure your elbows are tucked in and parallel to your shoulders when on the ground. Your toes should be on the ground, and your spine should be straight.
Hold this position for at least a minute to a minute and a half before you collapse, and start another round of holding your body in the plank position.
All the exercises that I have mentioned above require the simplest of household items or nothing at all. All you need is the right guidance when you are checking out body weight bicep exercises so that you can emerge with killer arms. The point of body weight exercises is not only to lose fat and make your arms look great but also to build your core strength and stamina.
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