Training at home doesn’t need to derail your training. Here are 5 awesome upper body exercises you can do from home. These exercises require minimal equipment.
#1) Archer Push-Ups
This advanced push-up variation strengthens the chest, shoulders and triceps, improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability.
This exercise is a great progression if you have the goal of being able to do one arm push-ups. While one arm is performing the majority of the work, the other arm is providing some assistance.
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a plank position from your hands and feet. Set your body so it is in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels, tuck your chin, and keep your neck in a neutral position.
- Adopt your preferred foot width. You may place your feet so they are together, shoulder width apart, or somewhere in between.
- Position your hands so they are significantly wider than shoulder width apart. Figure out what hand width and positioning works and feels best for you.
- At the top of the push-up, on the side that is performing the push-up, your shoulder, elbow and wrist should be in a relatively stacked position.
- On the side that is performing the push-up, your weight should be evenly distributed throughout your full hand and fingers, not just at the base of your hand/wrist. Pretend you are trying to spread your full hand and fingers to the floor.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and squeeze your glutes.
- Descend into the push-up by bending one elbow as you would during regular push-ups, and straightening the other elbow.
- On the side where your elbow is bending, retract your shoulder blade. Think about lightly drawing your shoulder blade towards your spine as you are performing the eccentric component, but do not overdo this movement.
- In the bottom position, your elbow on the side that is performing the push-up should be positioned over your wrist, and forearm in a vertical position. Do not allow your elbow to flare out.
- Your other elbow should be fully extended (but not hyperextended).
- On the side that is performing the push-up, once your upper arm is approximately parallel (or slightly closer) to the floor, press up and return to the starting position.
- On the side that is performing the push-up, when you are pressing your body away from the floor and are returning to the top position, protract your shoulder blade. Think about moving your shoulder blade away from your spine and around your ribcage. Do not keep it pinned.
- Exhale after you have pressed away from the floor and as your body is returning to the top position of the push-up.
- For the duration of the exercise, your body should remain in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels.
#2) Body Saws From Bear Crawl
This unique exercise improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular controlled mobility.
Coaching Tips:
- Place each foot on a slider pad. You may also use towels or socks.
- Get into a bear crawl position on your hands and toes. Keep your knees bent, and thighs in a vertical position. Your knees should be an inch or two above the floor.
- Spread your fingers and hands, and pretend you are suctioning them to the floor.
- Press your body away from the floor and protract your shoulder blades (move your shoulder blades away from your spine and around your ribcage). Now using the muscles in your shoulders and around your shoulder blades, push your body backwards, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form.
- Once you hit your end range, perform the reverse movements pull your body forward so your shoulders are roughly above your hands.
- To be clear, aside from your upper body, the rest of your body should remain in a relatively fixed position for the duration of the exercise. This exercise is NOT a knee tuck movement.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend or excessively round, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, weight to shift from foot to foot, or hips to pike or collapse.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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#3) Prone I-T’s
This exercise improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility.
Start out by performing the exercise without ANY weight. If this goes well you may use higher yoga blocks, and/or may add a very light weight. I’m using 2.5 lbs per hand, and this was more than enough. The main objective of this exercise is to develop shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, NOT to lift heavy weights.
Coaching Tips:
- Place two yoga blocks so they are parallel, and are approximately just outside of shoulder width apart. Figure out what block width works and feels best for you.
- Fully extend your arms, and elevate them so they are an inch or so above the ground. In this position your arms and body should resemble an ‘’I.’’
- While keeping your wrists and elbows in a fixed position, use the muscles in your shoulders and around your shoulder blade area to lift your arms over the blocks, and so your arms and body form a ‘’T.’’
- Pause for a count in the ‘’T position,’’ and return your arms to the starting position.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your arms or hands to come into contact with the yoga blocks. You may lightly touch your hands to the floor in the ‘’I’’ and ‘’T’’ positions.
- Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not compensate and perform the movements by hyperextending your lower back, flaring your ribcage, lifting your chest or head off the ground, or excessively shrugging the shoulders.
- Use a range of motion (block height) that allows YOU to maintain proper form.
- For the duration of the exercise, be mindful of your breathing, bracing, rib positioning, and glute engagement.
#4) Bodyweight Skullcrushers
This exercise strengthens the triceps, and improves lumbo-pelvic stability.
The more parallel to the ground your body is, the more challenging this exercise will be. Start out very conservatively as this exercise is WAY tougher than it looks.
Coaching Tips:
- Adopt your preferred hand width and positioning.
- Set your body so it is in a straight line from your head to heels, tuck your chin, and keep your neck a in neutral position.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and squeeze your glutes.
- Now bend your elbows to a range where you are able to maintain proper form. Once you hit your end range, contract your triceps, extend your elbows and press up to the starting position.
- In the bottom position, do not allow your elbows to flare out.
- Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend or round, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, hips to collapse or pike, or neck to collapse.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#5) Forearms To Hands Presses
This exercise improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility (and stability on the planted side), lumbo-pelvic stability, and upper body strength.
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a plank position from your forearms and feet.
- Set your body so it is in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels, tuck your chin, and keep your neck in a neutral position.
- Adopt your preferred foot width. You may place your feet so they are together, shoulder width apart, or somewhere in between. The farther apart your feet are, the more stable your base will be.
- Position your forearms so they are shoulder width apart. Your shoulders and elbows should be in a stacked position.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and squeeze your glutes.
- Lightly press your tongue against the roof of your mouth (behind your upper front teeth). This subtle trick can make keeping your head and neck from collapsing much easier.
- Using one arm at a time, press up so you are on your hands, and so your elbows are fully extended. Do not allow your elbows to flare out.
- As you are performing the pressing movement, and while you are in the top position, your weight should be evenly distributed throughout your full hands and fingers, not just at the base of your hands/wrists. Pretend you are trying to spread your full hands and fingers to the floor.
- In the top position, your shoulders, elbows and wrists should be in a stacked position.
- When you are pressing your body away from the floor, protract your shoulder blades. Think about spreading your shoulder blades apart and moving them away from your spine and around your ribcage. Do not keep them pinned.
- Exhale after you have pressed away from the floor and as your body is approaching the top position.
- For the duration of the exercise, aside from your arms the rest of your body should remain in a relatively fixed position.
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