Beginner Bodyweight Exercises – Upper Body

Downward Dog to Upward Dog

Start in a triangle position with your hips pointed up to the sky. Press evenly through both hands, straightening through the triceps. Press evenly through both feet, pushing your heels down towards the floor.

Keeping your core tight to protect the lower back, begin to move more weight into your hands as you drop your hips toward the ground. Keep your quads squeezing tightly and bring your shoulders in line with your wrists. Then reverse this movement to complete one rep.

Alternating Superman

Begin by laying on your stomach, arms and legs stretched out in opposite directions. Tighten your core by sucking your belly button in.

Begin to lift through opposite arm and leg while keeping your core tight. Stretch through your fingers and toes as you arch through the lower back. Lower down and alternate sides.

Shoulder Taps

Start in a high plank position, tucking the tail bone under and pushing up through the shoulder blades while tightening your core.

Shift weight into one hand and lift the other hand up to tap that shoulder. Lower that hand down and switch sides.

Supermans

Begin by laying on your stomach, arms and legs stretched out in opposite directions. Tighten your core by sucking your belly button in.

At the same time, lift both arms and both legs off of the ground and reach through your fingers and toes in opposite directions. Keep your ore tight as you squeeze through the glutes and lower back. Lower down to complete one rep.

Walk Outs

Start in a forward fold, weight in your feet, letting your fingers brush the ground. Your knees can be bent to do this. Core is tight.

One hand at a time, begin to walk yourself forward, keeping your core engaged.

 

Finally, stop once you have reached high plank position, and reverse this movement to complete one rep.

Spiderman Lunges

Start in a high plank position with your core engaged, pushing up through the shoulders and tucking the tailbone under.

Lunge one foot forward, trying to get your toes as close to your wrist as possible to open up the hip flexor. Knee should be at a ninety degree angle. Reverse that movement to complete one rep, then alternate sides.

Side Push Ups

Lay on the side of your body, extending the bottom leg long and bend the top leg bringing it in front. The bottom arm wraps around your stomach to stay out of the way. Top arm bends ninety degrees at the elbow and the palm plants in front of the resting shoulder.

 

Now push through your palm, extending your arm to work the tricep. You weight will also shift into the bottom hip and top knee. Reverse the movement to complete 1 rep.

Modified Push Ups

On hands and knees, create a sloping line from your shoulders to your knees, ankles are crossed and off the floor. Hands should be placed wider than shoulder width apart. Quads and core engaged.

Lower yourself until there is a straight line across from elbow to elbow, pinching through the shoulder blades. Push through your palms, extending the triceps to return to starting position.

Bench Dip

Start with your palms on the bench, fingers facing forward. Extend your legs out, squeezing through the quads and place the weight on your heels (an easier version is to place your feet flat on the ground and bend through the knees).

  

Lower yourself until your elbows are at ninety degrees, feeling a stretch through the chest and shoulder. Push into your palms to straighten your tricep and return to starting position.