The Ultimate Upper Body Bodyweight Workout

You cannot skip leg day, right? True. But you also cannot pretend your upper body will magically train itself. If you cannot make it to the gym or you just prefer bodyweight-only workouts, this is your go-to upper body bodyweight workout (try to say that 5 times fast).

No equipment is required. That said, seeing as pull ups are in the plan (and a truly complete upper body day usually needs a vertical pull), a pull up bar is ideal. If you do not have one, you are still good. We list alternatives for every movement so you can match your current fitness level, train around limitations, and keep things fresh workout-to-workout.

And do not let “bodyweight-only” fool you. If you use smart progressions, good tempo, and honest effort, this workout can build strength, muscle, and endurance while burning a surprising amount of calories.

Now, let's look at the contents of this post:

• Benefits of having a strong upper body
• The anatomy of the upper body, and how that translates to functional activity
• Best upper body bodyweight exercises (and alternatives for each)
• Training variables to employ (that way you can continue progressing with this workout!)
• The Ultimate Upper Body Bodyweight Workout

Benefits of a Solid Upper Body Workout

Training the upper body is not just about looking good in a t-shirt. A strong upper body supports posture, helps you move better, and makes everyday tasks feel easier.

Improved posture: Your chest and back play major roles in posture. With desk jobs and screen time, hunching forward is common. The back can get weak and underused while the chest tightens up. Smart upper body training helps balance those patterns and can support better breathing, energy, and confidence.

Decrease in injuries: Strong shoulders, upper back, and core help you handle real-life lifting and carrying. From picking up a child to hoisting groceries to moving awkward objects, upper body strength can reduce the chance that you compensate with the wrong muscles and tweak something.

Increased strength and endurance: The shoulder is a very mobile joint, which also makes it less stable by default. Building strength and endurance around the shoulder girdle and core helps you push, pull, stabilize, and move with control. That carries over to grip strength, coordination, and balance too.

Improved performance: Sports like basketball, tennis, football, and swimming rely on upper body strength, mobility, and endurance. If you are not into sports, the same is true for life: lifting, carrying, yard work, playing with your kids, and yes, sex. Upper body strength shows up everywhere.

Increased metabolism: Strength training supports calorie burn and can elevate your metabolic rate as your body recovers and rebuilds. Your workout does not end when you stop moving.

Bottom line: upper body strength, endurance, and mobility matter just as much as lower body training. Train both and you will feel the difference.

Anatomy of the Upper Body

When we talk about the upper body here, we are also including your core. Your core supports upper and lower body training, so it lives in the middle. If recovery allows, you can train the core on both upper and lower days.

Besides your core, your upper body includes your back, chest, shoulders, and arms. Here are the main muscles this workout targets:

• Pectoralis major: Aids in shoulder flexion and horizontal pushing.
• Pectoralis minor: Deep chest muscle that helps control the shoulder blades.
• Trapezius: Upper, middle, and lower portions help move and stabilize the shoulder blades.
• Lats: Large back muscle that extends, rotates, and adducts the arms.
• Rhomboids: Help retract and stabilize the shoulder blades.
• Teres major: Works with the lats for arm extension and adduction.
• Serratus anterior: Key for scapular control and protraction.
• Deltoids: Anterior, middle, and posterior heads support pressing, raising, and stabilizing.
• Rotator cuff: Stabilizes the shoulder and supports rotation and control.
• Triceps brachii: Main elbow extensor, assists with pressing.
• Biceps brachii: Elbow flexion and forearm supination, supports pulling.

There are also many muscles in the forearms and hands that support grip and stability during pulling, planks, and pushing.

As for your core, you have:

• Rectus Abdominis
• Transverse Abdominis
• External Obliques
• Internal Obliques
• Quadratus Lumborum
• Multifidus
• Erector Spinae

This workout strengthens both the front and back side of the core. You will not be doing dedicated core isolation moves, but the compound exercises here will light up your trunk if you do them with intention.

Best Exercises for Upper Body Strength

Now that you know the main muscles, let’s get into the best bodyweight moves to train them. These exercises build strength, muscle, stability, and endurance with nothing but your body and some creativity.

The list generally goes from bigger compound movements to smaller or more technique-focused movements. If you are building your own session, hit the hardest moves first while you are fresh.

Here are the exercises that are best for developing strength and endurance in the upper body:

1. Pushups

A pushup is a powerhouse. It trains the pecs, shoulders, and triceps while demanding serious core tension (basically a moving plank). It is also easy to scale up or down, which makes it perfect for bodyweight programming.

Main muscles targeted: Pecs, Delts, Triceps, Core

How to do pushups:

1. Begin by kneeling on the floor, getting yourself into a high plank position with shoulders directly over wrists and legs extended straight with weight on toes.
2. From the side, you should be in a straight line from your head to your toes, with core engaged and glutes squeezed.
3. With shoulder blades down and back, bend at the elbows to slowly bring your entire body down toward the floor as one unit.
4. Once your chest touches the floor, press firmly through the heels of both hands to bring yourself back up into the initial high plank position.

Alternative options (easiest to hardest):

• Kneeling Push Ups (lower resistance, less core demand)
• Incline Push Ups (easier, great for quality reps)
• Decline Push Ups (harder, more upper chest/shoulder demand)
• Pike Push Ups (more shoulder emphasis)

Hand positions:

• Wide Grip (more chest emphasis)
• Close Grip (more tricep emphasis)

You can also add resistance to push ups by using resistance bands or putting a weight plate on your back.

Related: Best Bodyweight Chest Exercises

2. Pull Ups

Pull ups can feel advanced, but you can scale them. And they are worth chasing. A strong vertical pull builds the back, biceps, grip, and core in one shot. If you do not have a pull up bar, use the alternatives below so you still get a pulling stimulus.

Main muscles targeted: Lats, Traps, Biceps, Rhomboids, Core, Deltoids

How to do a pullup:

1. Stand near your pullup bar and extend your arms overhead, with palms facing away from you. Step up or jump up to the bar with a firm grip, hanging so that your legs are off of the floor and arms are extended.
2. Engage your core and draw your shoulder blades down and back.
3. Pull yourself up by bending your elbows toward your sides, aiming to keep yourself straight up and down as you pull your chin toward the top of the bar.
4. Pause at the top of the movement, then slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position with arms extended.

Alternative options:

• Towel Pulldowns
• Towel Rows
• Inverted Row
• Negative Pull Ups
• Banded Pull Ups
• Chin Ups
• Weighted Chin Ups
• Weighted Pull Ups

If you have a set of bands, there's so much you can do for back exercises with bands.

This video shows you how to use the towels for back exercises.

3. Supermans

The superman exercise strengthens your lower back and hits the upper back, shoulders, and anterior core. Think of it as simple, sneaky, and effective when done with control.

Main muscles targeted: Erector Spinae, Traps, Deltoids, Abs

How to do supermans:

1. To begin, lay prone on the floor with legs extended straight and toes pointed, with arms extended overhead and head in line with your spine.
2. Engage your core and squeeze your glutes. Raise your arms and legs off the floor at the same time.
3. Pause briefly, then lower back down under control.

This exercise works for most fitness levels. Use an easier option if needed, or progress it if it becomes too easy.

Alternative options:

• Bodyweight Good Mornings
• Banded Good Mornings
• Bench Back Extensions
• Bench Reverse Hyperextensions
• Stability Ball Back Extensions & Reverse Hyperextensions
• Resistance Band Deadlifts

Related: Best Back Extension Exercises

4. Wall Slides

Wall slides look easy until you do them slowly with clean form. They say a lot about your shoulder mobility and scapular control. Done correctly, they train the serratus anterior and support healthier overhead motion.

Main muscles targeted: Serratus Anterior, Traps, Deltoids

How to do a wall slide:

1. Although the motion can be smoother with a foam roller, it’s not necessary.
2. Stand facing a wall. Place forearms against the wall so arms are bent at about 90 degrees.
3. Slowly slide your forearms up the wall until arms are extended.
4. Pause, then return to the start under control.

Alternative options:

• Wall Walks
• Handstands
• Pike Push Ups
• Elevated Pike Push Ups
• Resistance Band Shoulder Presses

Related: Best Bodyweight Shoulder Exercises

5. Plank Shoulder Taps

This is a core movement that also challenges the shoulders, triceps, pecs, and upper back isometrically. The rule is simple: keep your torso quiet. If your hips are doing the salsa, slow down.

Main muscles targeted: Core, Deltoids, Triceps, Pecs, Traps, Rhomboids

How to do plank shoulder taps:

1. Begin in a high plank position, with legs extended and shoulders directly over wrists.
2. Engage your core and keep head in line with your spine.
3. Raise your right hand and tap your left shoulder without shifting your hips.
4. Repeat on the opposite side.

Alternative options:

• Low Plank
• High Plank
• Plank To Alternative Pike
• Bear Crawls

6. I/Y/T

I/Y/Ts build the small but important muscles that keep the shoulders healthy and the upper back “online.” They can be humbling in the best way, especially if you slow down and own each position.

Main muscles targeted: Deltoids, Traps, Infraspinatus, Teres major

How to do I/Y/T’s:

1. Begin prone on the floor, arms extended overhead with palms facing each other and legs extended straight.
2. Engage your core and squeeze your glutes. Pull shoulder blades down and back.
3. Raise your arms (I), pause, move to Y, pause, then move to T, pause.
4. Lower back down. All positions count as one rep.

Alternative options:

• Scapula PUs
• Reverse Planks
• Standing IYTs
• Suspension Trainer IYTs
• Banded IYTs
• Weighted IYTs (dumbbells, or even water bottles)

Check out these other great scapula stabilization exercises.

7. Tricep Dips

Tricep dips hammer the triceps and also recruit chest and shoulders. One caution: dips place the shoulder into deep extension, which can irritate cranky shoulders. If you have shoulder pain or limited mobility, choose one of the alternatives.

Main muscles targeted: Triceps, Deltoids, Chest

How to do a tricep dip:

1. Find a stable bench, chair, box, or step.
2. Sit and place hands beside hips, fingers forward. Engage core and pull shoulder blades down and back.
3. Walk feet out and slide hips off the bench.
4. Bend elbows straight back as hips lower. No need to go lower than triceps parallel to the floor.
5. Pause, then press through hands back to the top. Bend knees to make it easier.

Alternative options:

• Tricep Floor Dips
• Knees Bent Triceps Bench Dips
• Plank Up Downs
• Bodyweight Tricep Extensions
• Parallel Dips

Related: Best Bodyweight Triceps Exercises

Training Variables for the Upper Body

Now that you have the exercises, the next question is: see how do you progress without weights? Easy. You still have levers to pull. Use them and this workout will keep working.

Progression: Start with clean reps and full range of motion. From there, progress by slowing tempo (more time under tension), adding reps, adding sets, or choosing a harder variation. Some movements can also be loaded with weight (weighted pull ups) or bands (banded push ups). If you cannot do an exercise yet, use regressions like kneeling push ups and build up. For pushups, you can progress through different variations of push ups like close grip, decline, and more.

Reps and sets: For most people, 2-4 sets in the 12-20 rep range works well for bodyweight upper body training. Stronger or more advanced lifters may need harder variations to stay in that range. If the plan calls for 12 reps and you can only do 8 with good form, do 8. Next session aim for 9-10. Same idea with sets. This is progressive overload in action. For more: progressive overload.

Frequency: Upper body does not need to be trained every day. Most people do great with 2-3 upper sessions per week. If you are doing an upper/lower split, aim for at least 2 upper workouts weekly so each muscle group gets trained twice per week. A solid target for many lifters is roughly 10 hard sets per muscle group per week (remember, compound movements count for multiple muscles).

Quick safety note: If you have shoulder pain, scale dips, overhead work, and high-volume pushups. Use regressions and focus on control. If pain persists, consult a qualified clinician.

The Ultimate Upper Body Bodyweight Workout

There are several ways to run this workout. You can do classic sets x reps, run a circuit, or mix supersets and tri-sets. Your goal and available time should decide the format.

Generally speaking, these are the best options based on different goals:

• Calorie Burn, Endurance & Hypertrophy: Circuits, Supersets
• Strength & Hypertrophy: Sets x Reps
• Well-rounded: Sets x Reps with some Supersets

We are going with the well-rounded option, which is best for most people. This means you will be doing sets x reps with some of the exercises done as supersets.

Warm up first. You will move better, perform better, and lower your injury risk.

A warmup can include exercises such as:

• Inchworms: 2 sets, 4-6 reps
• Arm circles: 2 sets, 15 seconds each direction (front and back)
• Mountain climbers: 2 sets, 30 seconds each

WORKOUT

Notes:

• Use an alternative exercise if you cannot do one of these (refer back to the exercise section).
• Adjust rest time as needed.
• Adjust reps and sets based on your fitness level.
• Use progression: if this week you did 2 sets for 10 reps, next week aim for 2 sets for 12-15 reps, then 3 sets for 10-15 reps, and so on.

If you wanted to do a circuit style, you could make one large circuit or two mini circuits, as follows:

Large Upper Body Circuit Workout:

• Push Ups x 10 reps
• Pull Ups x 5-8 reps
• Plank Shoulder Taps x 12 reps
• Supermans x 10 reps
• IYTs x 8 reps
• Tricep Dips x 10 reps

Rest as needed between exercises. Rest 1-3 minutes between rounds. Complete 2-4 rounds.

Two Mini Upper Body Circuit Workout:

Circuit 1:

• Pull Ups x 6-10 reps
• Tricep Dips x 12-15 reps
• IYTs x 10-12 reps

Circuit 2:

• Push ups x 12-20 reps
• Supermans x 10-12 reps
• Plank Shoulder Taps x 30 seconds

Complete 3 rounds for each circuit. Finish Circuit 1 before moving to Circuit 2. Rest as needed between rounds.

FINAL NOTE:

Now that you know the benefits, anatomy, and best exercises, it is time to get after it. Focus on clean reps, full range of motion, and steady progression. If you run this routine consistently for a month or two, twice per week, you should notice real changes in upper body strength, endurance, and shoulder control.

And yes, still do leg workouts too. Here are the best bodyweight leg exercises you can do.

And if you want a complete bodyweight workout plan to follow, try our 8-Week Bodyweight Workout Program (it's an upper lower split).