Hello, workoutfrolics!
The weather is getting progressively colder and with that the desire to go out and commute/walk to the gym and do a 20 min Zero Equipment Upper Body Workout proportionally drops.
In a perfect world, we would have warm weather all year round and workouts in the park would be the usual go-to (or at least the walks to the gym would be much more enjoyable).
But since I don’t believe that for the majority of us this is going to happen any time soon, I here present to you a quick and sweaty upper body workout that requires zero equipment.
Sounds good, no?
In general, I like to stick with no more than 4 or 5 movements per workout, so that I can be fully focused on their form and engage the right muscles.
This workout is no different.
It’s a relatively short one, so you can always combine it with another workout after it.
For example, try my 15 minutes abs workout – it’d be a great combination.
Just rest as needed between the two!
Warm-Up
Before we start, I want to remind you to never skip your warm-up!
It’s just as important as your actual workout.
Just to give you a few important facts on why you should warm-up:
- Increases blood flow
- Reduces the chance of injury
- Increases range of motion
- Improves performance
I could go on and keep rambling about the importance of warming up but I already did that in a different article. (click below to learn more)
If you feel a little more stiffness in your body after a long day of work, use this warm-up routine:
20 min Zero Equipment Upper Body Workout
The workout itself consists of only 4 exercises and it’s in a form of a 20-minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible).
Start with doing 2 reps of each movement and add 2 more reps with each following round – so 2, 4, 6, and so on – as far as you can get in 20 minutes.
Keep in mind that the point of an AMRAP workout is to keep moving as much as possible and not take super long breaks.
So, if you get to a point where you can keep adding reps to one exercise, but you’re stuck at a certain number of reps with another one, just do as many repetitions as you can and keep going.
Related Read to The Zero Equipment Upper Body Workout:
10 AMRAP Workouts To Improve Your Endurance
Pike Push-Up
Starting position is very much like the Downward-facing dog yoga pose, although you are only at your toes.
Bend your arms and try to keep your elbows close to your body, rather than them going sideways (like a T-form).
Keep your spine straight and your neck neutral. Follow the same pathway and return to the starting position.
You are gonna feel the exercise mostly in your shoulders and triceps.
It’s an extremely challenging exercise!
If you’re still not there yet, you can always substitute it
with a regular push-up.
Chair Dips
I’m sure you know this one!
Keep your torso as close to the chair as possible and don’t let your elbows flare out to the sides – point them directly behind you.
The further you stretch your legs forward, the more challenging the exercise (because you have to push more of your weight up).
You’re definitely gonna feel the burn at the back of your arms!
Related Read to The Zero Equipment Upper Body Workout:
20 EMOM workouts to test your strength and conditioning
Push-ups and Plank Walks
The starting point is the plank position and from there you do a push-up.
Keep your core engaged and elbows close to your body. Don’t let your hips or shoulders sag.
When you come up, keep your core tight and make 2 “steps” on your hands and toes sideways (I just used the length of the mat as a distance parameter).
Then you do another push-up and “walk” back to the starting point.
Related Read to The Zero Equipment Upper Body Workout:
Top 10 toughest bodyweight CrossFit Workouts
Shoulder taps
Yet another exercise starting with a plank position and yet another time I will remind you to keep your core tight.
From there on it’s pretty straightforward – you just tap your shoulders with the opposite hand.
Don’t let your shoulders or hips sag!
Related Read to The Zero Equipment Upper Body Workout:
20 Bodyweight Crossfit workouts to do anywhere
Cooldown
After a long workout like that make sure to have a proper cool-down to avoid injuries and give your body time to recover:
Related Read to The Zero Equipment Upper Body Workout:
5 At-home Dumbbell workouts to get stronger and leaner
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best upper body exercise?
It is hard to nail it down to one best upper body exercises but you should mention pull-ups, push-ups, bench press, strict press, and bent over row.
What are the 5 best upper body exercises?
Pull-Ups
Push-Ups
Strict Press
Dips
Inverted Row
Related Read to The Zero Equipment Upper Body Workout:
Top 20 Dumbbell Crossfit Workouts to boost your endurance and strength
Don’t forget to pin it for later! 🙂
Let’s get sweaty, friends! Are we doing this?!
