Copyright Men's Journal
Whether you’re a constant gymgoer or prefer to do exercise in the comfort of your own home (or yard), there are workout options for everyone. However, one significant struggle that often arises for people is a lack of workout equipment when carving out time for home exercise. While taking this approach to working out while targeting some muscle groups with little or no equipment will be easier than others, two specific areas are more challenging than others—biceps and back. Thankfully, there are several great home workout options for both biceps and back, so we broke down a few of the most highly touted exercises. The list of home workouts for each muscle was narrowed down to find the best options to help accomplish strength and muscle-building goals. These exercises all require little or no equipment, and while their difficulty may vary by individual, there’s something for everyone looking for a quick workout. Best Home Bicep Workouts With Little to No Equipment Needed While pushups in general are a great home exercise that targets several different muscles, there’s a way to target them to put a heavy focus on biceps. The idea of “bicep pushups” is far from a new concept, but it’s excellent to utilize if working out from home without equipment. Home bicep workout No. 1: Bicep pushups In the video below, the second exercise provides a look at bicep pushups and how to approach them. The first exercise is a diamond pushup, which is an excellent option if you’re looking for a tricep workout at home. These can be tough right out of the gate, so if you want to utilize one of the options below to build up some initial strength so you can do more bicep pushups, that’s never a bad idea. Home Bicep Workout No. 2: Doorway Curls This is a great option for home workouts, but also for anyone who has to travel and wants to find a way to get a few exercises in during some downtime. Doorway curls are nearly as straightforward as they sound, but this exercise demo from OriGym can help give a better look at form and how to approach the exercise. Doorway curls will give multiple arm muscles and parts of the back (among other areas) a good workout, and can quickly become a go-to starting point for most people. Home Bicep Workout No. 3: Bicep Curls With No Equipment There are several ways to go about doing bicep curls without equipment, and it’s actually far easier than you may think. While you won’t have the option of moving up or down in weights, the primary focus on these curls will be focusing on form and putting in a set amount of time (in most cases). Here’s one of a few variations that can work for bicep curls, utilizing your own foot/leg as the weight to curl: Along with the above exercise, many people will use a towel or sheet to do bodyweight seated bicep curls, which can be seen here. Both options are great to use, and for many people it comes down to preference. Home Bicep Workout No. 4: Doorway Pelican Curls Pelican curls have been used frequently by gymgoers, but there are a few ways to do them at home, depending on what you have available. One easy way to do doorway curls is if you have rings/ropes available as seen in the video below. This is certainly the best approach to take for a home workout, but you can also do the pelican curls on the actual doorframe itself, creating a modified version of the popular workout. Taking the approach to using only the doorframe (if you don’t have rings/ropes) would look slightly different, but regardless, there are ways to utilize this bicep workout with little to no equipment. Additional home bicep workouts with little to no equipment required: Backpack bicep curls: Fill backpack with as much weight as you’d like, and curl with the straps. Bodyweight curls: You’ll need a bar or something set in place, but you can lay under it, and curl yourself up to the bar. Bicep curls in crunch position: You’ll want to use a towel to wrap under your legs (hamstrings) and lay back, then use your biceps to pull yourself up with both feet elevated and crossed. Chin-ups and pull-ups: This is one you may not have available at home, but if not, you can use a local park to do chin-ups, which put a good focus on your biceps. Best Back Workouts at Home With No Equipment There are a few back workouts that likely come to mind when you’re thinking of ways to exercise but don’t have much equipment. The obvious approach, which is also mentioned above, is to use a bar for pull-ups, which could mean going to a local park. Instead of putting that on the list, we’ll try to focus primarily on back workouts at home with no equipment. However, if you are just a huge fan of the concept of pull-ups, there are some home options that won’t involve a bar. You can do door pull-ups as one option, which is where we’ll start. Home Back Workout No. 1 Without Equipment: Door Pull-ups You’ll find a common theme from a few different home back exercises, which is that having an extra sheet, dish towel or regular towel can really come in handy. In this demonstration below, you’ll use two towels, tie a knot in both, toss them over the door and and close it. After that, you’ll be able to do door pull-ups while holding the towels. This is a great way to still get one of the most popular back/upper-body workouts in at home, even if you don’t have a pull-up bar to wrap on the doorframe. The towel approach above is one of the most common, but also popular and realistic ways to go about this. Home Back Workout No. 2 Without Equipment: Incline Rows Sticking with the trend of tying knots and maximizing the simplicity of a door, we’ll roll into incline rows which can be done with just a bed sheet. You’ll first tie a knot in the bedsheet, toss it over the top of the door and close it. From there, you have a homemade incline row with a focus on resistance and bodyweight training. Home Back Workout No. 3 Without Equipment: Back Widow As explained in the video below, courtesy of Brian Moyle Fitness, the back widow is on a shortlist of exercises targeting your upper back that require no equipment whatsoever. It’s a unique workout where you’ll start on your back with your elbows next to your ribs. From there, you’ll push your back up off the ground and do several reps and sets (as many as comfortable). The back widow is a perfect exercise for anyone who truly is looking for a no-equipment workout that targets your back. The same can be said for the next exercise, which targets the whole back to some extent and goes alongside well with the back widow. Home Back Workout No. 4 Without Equipment: Superman A great at-home back workout to mix in with the back widow is the popular superman exercise. As explained in the demonstration below from Brian Moyle Fitness, the superman exercise will put a solid emphasis on lower back, but will also help you build strength across several back muscles. You’ll lie on your stomach flat and then lift your arms and legs simultaneously and mix in brief pauses while you’re doing the workout at the of the lift. The above exercises are just a few ways to workout at home while targeting several back muscles. Below are a few other options to consider if you want to change things up or try some different exercises. One-armed doorway rows: These will work on several muscles, including the biceps and back if done correctly, but can be tough. Here’s a look at one walkthrough. Table rows: You’ll need a very, very secure table but can lay underneath it while holding the top and doing rows that way. Sliding pull-down: This requires a hardwood floor and a towel that’ll go underneath your knees. You’ll start with your upper-body in a push-up position and knees on the towel, but feet up in the air. You’ll then slide the towel backwards while keeping hands in place as seen here.
