Arm Circles, Wall Push-ups,Push-ups,Floor Dips, Inchworm,Triceps Dips,Plank Up-Downs,Plank Taps,Step Climbers, Lateral Plank Walks,Half-Cobra Push-up

15 Effective Exercises For Toned Arms Without Weights

1. Arm Circles

This is an easy warm-up exercise. Here’s how to do it.

Steps To Do Arm Circles

1. Stand straight with your arms by your sides.
2. Lift your arms laterally to the shoulder level, with the palms facing away.
3. Start circling your arms in the forward direction without bending or flexing your elbows.
4. Complete 10 reps and then circle your arms in the opposite direction for 10 reps.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

2. Wall Push-ups

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Wall push-ups are great arm toners. They work on the shoulders, lats, biceps, and triceps. Here’s how to do them.

Steps To Do Wall Push-ups

1. Stand in front of a wall, about 1-2 feet away.
2. Raise your arms and place your palms on the wall, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Your fingertips should point up.
3. Keeping your legs stationary, bend your elbows and bring your chest and chin close to the wall. This is your starting position.
4. Take a deep breath, exhale and push the wall until your elbows are slightly bent and your chest and chin are away from the wall.
5. Inhale and go back to the starting position.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

3. Push-ups

These are slightly more challenging because you will need to balance your body on your palms and toes. Here are the steps.

Steps To Do Push-ups

1. Lie down on the mat, facing the floor.
2. Place your palms flat on the floor, beside your chest, arms shoulder-width apart, elbows bent and pointed toward your feet, and fingertips pointing forward.
3. Keep your feet together, flex your toes, keep your chin on the floor, and look ahead.
4. Count 3, 2, 1 and raise yourself by straightening your elbows. Look down at the mat. Keep your core engaged and your head in a straight line with your heels. Basically, you will be on an arm plank.
5. Exhale, flex your elbows, and lower your chest and chin back to the starting position.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

Variations

You can do wide arm push-ups or diamond push-ups to strengthen your arms, chest, and shoulders.

4. Floor Dips

These target your triceps or the muscles present at the back of your upper arms. Toning these muscles will prevent flabby arms. Here’s how to do floor dips.

Steps To Do Floor Dips

1. Sit on the mat. Keep your knees flexed, legs close to each other, feet flat on the mat, arms behind you, elbows slightly flexed, and fingers pointing toward your body.
2. Lift your body until your arms are fully extended.
3. Hold this pose for a moment and again bend your elbows and bring your body back to the starting position. Do not allow your hips to touch the floor before completing one set.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

5. Inchworm

This is a great exercise to do after doing a few arm exercises, especially floor dips. It will help stretch your whole body. Here’s how to do it.

Steps To Do Inchworm

1. Stand straight, and keep your feet close together. Bend over and place your hands near your feet. Keep your legs straight.
2. Start walking forward with your hands. Keep your legs straight.
3. Stop when you are in an arm plank or push-up position.
4. Start taking small steps forward with your legs. Stop when your feet are near your hands.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets 12 reps

6. Triceps Dips

Tricep dips are advanced versions of floor dips. You need a stationary bench, a box, or a sturdy sofa to do them. They help tone your triceps, shoulders, and wrist flexors. Here are the steps.

1. Sit on the bench, keep your spine straight, and grab the edge of the bench with your palms facing down.
2. Take a step forward with each foot, and supporting your body on your palms and feet, lift your hips off the bench.
3. Flex your elbows and lower your hips. Do not let your hips touch the floor.
4. Lift your hips back until they are at the same height as the bench.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

7. Plank Up-Downs

Planks help build your core strength. And plank up-downs help improve the shape and strength of your arms. They target the biceps, triceps, shoulders, and core.

Steps To Do Plank Up-Downs

1. Assume the Dog Pose by placing your palms flat on the mat, knees flexed, spine straight, and neck in a neutral pose.
2. Extend your legs behind, one at a time. Keep your arms extended, and the head, spine, and hips in a straight line. This is your starting position.
3. Supporting your upper body on your left palm, fist your right palm, flex your right elbow, and place your right forearm on the floor (like elbow plank). Bend your left elbow a little to support this move.
4. Fist your left palm, flex the left elbow, and place the left forearm on the floor. You are in the elbow plank position now.
5. Place your right palm flat on the floor followed by the left palm.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

[ Read: 10 Best Home Exercises To Get Rid Of Flabby Arms ]

8. Plank Taps

These are excellent for building arm strength. Here’s how to do them.

Steps To Do Plank Taps

1. Assume an arm plank position.
2. Keep your core engaged, neck in a neutral position, and look at the mat.
3. Tap your left shoulder with your right palm and place it back on the mat.
4. Tap your right shoulder with your left palm and place it back on the mat.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

9. Step Climbers

These amazing exercises help in strengthening and toning your biceps and triceps and help shed fat from your shoulders. Here’s how to do them.

Steps To Do Step Climbers

1. Assume the plank pose in front of a low raise stool, and place your palms on its edge.
2. Put your right palm down on the floor and then the left.
3. Again, put your right palm up on the stool and follow it up with the left palm.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

10. Lateral Plank Walks

Just like step climbers, lateral plank walks require you to be in a plank position and walk laterally. Here are the steps to do them.

Steps To Do Lateral Plank Walks

1. Assume an arm plank position.
2. Keep your core engaged and place your right palm and foot about 15-20 cm to your right.
3. Bring your left foot and palm to the position where your right palm and foot were initially.
4. Do the same on your left, i.e., move from your right to your left.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

11. Half-Cobra Push-up

This is an amazing exercise that will get rid of all that flab in no time. Here’s how to do it.

Steps To Do Half Cobra Push-up

1. Lie down on your stomach with your elbows arched back and close to your body and hands on either side of your chest.
2. Push yourself up (engaging your triceps muscles) into a half-cobra position, by lifting your chest off the ground. Make sure your bellybutton is still touching the ground.
3. When you push yourself up, use your arms and not the torso and hips.
4. Hold the position for 2 seconds and then return to the starting position.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

12. Single-leg Triceps Dips

Single-leg tricep dips are one of the best things you can do for your arms. They are simple and effective. Here’s how to do them.

Steps To Do Single-leg Triceps Dips

1. Get into the tabletop position with your hands and feet on the ground and body lifted high in the air.
2. Lift one leg and straighten it. Keep your ankle pointing outward.
3. Lower your booty to the ground, bending at your elbows and lifting the leg in the air.
4. Do 10 reps and then lower the leg. Repeat with the other leg.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

13. Inverse Plank Leg Lift

This arm exercise without weights works on the arms, glutes, and abs. Here are the steps to do it.

Steps To Do Inverse Plank Leg Lift

1. Get into the inverse plank position. Your body must be raised in a straight line, with only the palms and feet on the floor.
2. Make sure your arms are locked into position. Balance your weight on your arms. Engage the abdominal muscles all the time.
3. Lift one leg high in the air, depending on your flexibility, and then lower it. Do it with the other leg.
4. Alternate the move on each side and repeat at least 10 times with each leg.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

14. Plank Rotation

Planks are great for your core, shoulders, and arms. Plank rotation is an advanced plank pose, and you must start with slow plank rotations before proceeding to the fast version. Here’s how to do it.

Steps To Do Plank Rotation

1. Assume the plank position – body in a straight line, abs and arms tight, and elbows locked.
2. Lift your body into a side plank – heel on heel, one arm reaching to the sky and the other locked tight into position.
3. Return to the plank and do it on the other side.

Plank rotation can be done in two ways – slow and fast.

• When you do it slowly, you get to hold that position for minimum 8 seconds and feel the stretch. Try reaching as far back as you can, expanding, opening up the chest, and squeezing those shoulder muscles. The slow version tones up the muscles and makes you stronger, burns off the fat, and boosts your metabolism.
• While doing it fast, you are turning the rotations into a cardio move. End the reps in the fast version by holding the pose for 5 seconds on each side for one rep.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

15. Spiderman Push-up

This move works on your biceps and triceps along with the glutes. Here are the steps.

Steps To Do Spider-man Push-up

1. Start in the plank/push-up position. Keep your abs tight and involved.
2. Extend one hand out to the side, reaching as far as you comfortably can, and then lift your leg.
3. Bending your elbows, go down in a push-up, bending that leg and touching that knee to the elbow at the same time.
4. Beginners, or those who cannot balance while lifting their leg completely, should bend that knee and put that foot near the hand and do the push-up.
5. Return to the original position and do it on the other side.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps

These are 15 arm workouts without using weights you can do. Here’s what you should keep in mind when you do these exercises.

Points To Remember

• Remember to breathe right through every move. Inhale every time you start doing an exercise and then keep alternating throughout.

•  Warming up and stretching exercises are important. Make sure you start any routine with a nice warm-up. Do the following:
  (a) Arm circles
  (b) Shoulder rotation
  (c) Forearm circles – rotate the elbows clockwise and anticlockwise
  (d) Wrist rotation – make mini golf-ball size circles in both directions.
  (e) End with a nice stretch like Gomukhasana.

• Spot reduction doesn’t happen. You have to work out your entire body to get the desired results. These body-weight exercises are important because they help tone, sculpt, and strengthen your target spots. At the same time, they work on other minor muscles.

• Keep all the moves progressive. What I suggested above are the beginners’ reps. You can increase the reps or time limit according to your level of fitness and stamina. The idea is to challenge your body constantly. So, it is okay if you cannot lift your leg straight. Do as much as you can and push your limits slowly but steadily.

• In all the above arm exercises without weights, holding the position continuously is important. So, if you get tired while doing the spiderman push-ups, don’t just lie down flat on the ground. Make plank your rest position, i.e., take a breath for a couple of minutes, holding the plank, and then start being the spiderman again.

Now that you have all the required information, go get your mat and start doing these exercises and shed the flab in your arms. Take care.

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