Best gym-free exercises for arms and shoulders?

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caretheaton
caretheaton Posts: 90 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello all!

I have a goal to get a-maz-ing arms and shoulders by New Years. I'm currently looking to lose 15-20 lbs of fat by then too, but want to get my guns in order while I'm at it. I don't have a gym membership, and don't plan to get one either, but I do have free weights and bands. Does anyone have some great at home exercises for upper bodies? I've got wide hips so I'm looking to build a little bulk up top to even out my porportions.

Thanks!

Replies

  • alliecore
    alliecore Posts: 446 Member
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    Start hitting the pushups and pullups HARD! They do amazing things to the body :)
  • RJSuperMan
    RJSuperMan Posts: 52 Member
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    Start hitting the pushups and pullups HARD! They do amazing things to the body :)

    Unfortunately, these won't do much for your arms and shoulders (they're for chest and back). If you've got bands and dumbells, you've got it made! Front raises, lateral raises, shoulder presses, DB uppercuts, curls, hammer curls, reverse curls, skull crushers, dips, tricep extensions, DIAMOND push ups, kick-backs, and probably 50 more.
  • snkeller24
    snkeller24 Posts: 459
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    www.bodybuilding.com (go into the supersite then exercises or something. should be able to select a specific muscle)

    When working the shoulders, work all 3 angles.

    Research super sets

    *Examples*
    Rear dumbbell lateral raises
    Tricep extensions
    One arm dumbbell rows (use a heavy weight)
    Preacher curls
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    Start hitting the pushups and pullups HARD! They do amazing things to the body :)

    Plus you can do bodyweight miltary press by piking your body so your head and torso is upside down, hands beneath, while you do press ups
  • Jamazurunner
    Jamazurunner Posts: 132
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    Anyone have any more shoulder and perhaps back exercise ideas? I too do not workout at a specific gym at this time. Trying to work on my shoulders especially!
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    Start hitting the pushups and pullups HARD! They do amazing things to the body :)

    Unfortunately, these won't do much for your arms and shoulders (they're for chest and back). If you've got bands and dumbells, you've got it made! Front raises, lateral raises, shoulder presses, DB uppercuts, curls, hammer curls, reverse curls, skull crushers, dips, tricep extensions, DIAMOND push ups, kick-backs, and probably 50 more.

    whoa. Thought you were taking the piss. Pushups and pullups are some of the best bodyweight upper body exercises you can do. So many variations of pullups that can hit a whole heap of different muscles. Once you can do a heap of pullups, try muscle ups. Trust me, I would prefer to do a few sets of these rather than a million isolation movements.

    Pushup variations:
    regular
    hindu
    on one leg
    decline
    one arm

    Pullup:
    underhand
    overhand
    one arm assisted
    clap pullups
    one hand under, one over. alternate sides
    one arm
    muscle ups
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    Anyone have any more shoulder and perhaps back exercise ideas? I too do not workout at a specific gym at this time. Trying to work on my shoulders especially!

    Pullups!

    You don't need to do one exercise for each muscle. Compound movements hit more than one muscle, are a lot more time effective and in the case of pullups/pushups you can't cheat the movement ie. no momentum bicep curls :smile:
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,668 Member
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    Start hitting the pushups and pullups HARD! They do amazing things to the body :)
    This. Just being able to do those correctly alone will make those arms harder. Not to mention pullups will work your back and help to burn many more calories.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,668 Member
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    Start hitting the pushups and pullups HARD! They do amazing things to the body :)

    Unfortunately, these won't do much for your arms and shoulders (they're for chest and back). If you've got bands and dumbells, you've got it made! Front raises, lateral raises, shoulder presses, DB uppercuts, curls, hammer curls, reverse curls, skull crushers, dips, tricep extensions, DIAMOND push ups, kick-backs, and probably 50 more.
    Well that's not entirely true. Both are compound movements and are harder to do than isolation movements. Muscle under time and tension will condition it.
  • snkeller24
    snkeller24 Posts: 459
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    Anyone have any more shoulder and perhaps back exercise ideas? I too do not workout at a specific gym at this time. Trying to work on my shoulders especially!

    Pullups!

    You don't need to do one exercise for each muscle. Compound movements hit more than one muscle, are a lot more time effective and in the case of pullups/pushups you can't cheat the movement ie. no momentum bicep curls :smile:


    Agree - Compound movements are great. I always suggest bodybuilding.com to look up some exercises. Maybe they should start paying me ...
  • caretheaton
    caretheaton Posts: 90 Member
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    Thanks everyone!

    I googled supersets and found this fantastic workout http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/l/blsupersetupper.htm Did it is this morning, and I can already feel the burn!

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