Upper body workout for men at home

You can train your whole upper body at home with seven moves and almost no kit. Do push-ups, table rows, pike push-ups, Y-T raises, chair dips, backpack curls and shoulder taps, two days a week, in about 30 to 40 minutes.

Below is the full session with sets and reps, how to do each move, a weekly plan and how to make it harder as you get stronger.

Can you train your upper body at home with no equipment?

Yes. Pushing is easy at home, because push-ups and dips only need the floor and a chair. Pulling is the hard part. Without a bar, it is easy to end up doing all push and no pull.

The fix is a sturdy table and a backpack. Lie under the table and you can do rows. Fill the backpack with books and you have a weight for rows and curls. With those two things, you can train your chest, back, shoulders and arms in one session.

A pull-up bar makes the pulling side easier still. You do not need one to start. If you have one, our pull-up and push-up workout shows you how to build a plan around it.

What is the best upper body workout for men at home?

The best one trains every part of your upper body and is simple enough to do for months. This session does it in pairs. Do one set of the first move, then one set of the second, then rest. Do three rounds of each pair before you move on.

Rest 30 seconds between the two moves in a pair and about 90 seconds after each round. Stop every set two reps before you have to. Write down what you did, so next time you can try to beat it by one rep.

Short on time? Do pairs A and B only. That still trains your chest, back and shoulders in about 20 minutes.

How do you warm up your upper body?

Take five minutes to warm your shoulders and arms before the first set:

• Ten big arm circles forward, then ten back.
• Ten shoulder rolls.
• Ten push-ups against a wall.
• Ten slow table rows with your knees bent.
• Twenty seconds of plank.

How do you train your chest and shoulders at home?

With push-ups, pike push-ups and shoulder taps. All three need only the floor.

Push-ups

Hands a little wider than your shoulders. Keep your body in one straight line from head to heels. Lower your chest to just above the floor, then push back up. Too hard? Put your hands on a sturdy table. Our chest workout for men at home has every push-up step from easy to hard.

Pike push-ups

Start at the top of a push-up. Walk your feet in so your hips go up high and your body makes an upside-down V. Bend your elbows and lower the top of your head toward the floor, just in front of your hands. Push back up. The higher your hips, the more your shoulders work.

Shoulder taps

Start at the top of a push-up with your feet a little wider than your hips. Lift one hand and tap the other shoulder, then put it down and switch. Keep your hips still. If they rock from side to side, widen your feet or go slower.

How do you train your back at home without a bar?

With table rows, backpack rows and Y-T raises. These are the easiest moves to leave out at home, so do not skip them.

Table rows

Lie on your back under a sturdy table. Grab the edge with both hands, about shoulder width apart. Keep your body straight from head to heels and pull your chest up to the table. Lower slowly. Before your first set, lean on the table with part of your weight and make sure it will not tip or slide. To make it easier, bend your knees and keep your feet flat.

Backpack rows

No safe table? Fill a backpack with books or water bottles. Put one hand and one knee on a chair, with your back flat. Hold the bag by its top handle and pull it up to your hip, then lower it slowly. Do all your reps, then switch sides. Use this in place of table rows in pair A.

Y-T raises

Lie face down with your arms stretched past your head in a Y, thumbs up. Lift your arms off the floor, hold for two seconds and lower. Do eight. Then put your arms straight out to the sides in a T and do eight more. Keep your neck long and look at the floor.

How do you train your arms at home?

With chair dips for the backs of your arms and backpack curls for the fronts. Push-ups and rows train your arms too, so two arm moves are plenty.

Chair dips

Push a sturdy chair against a wall so it cannot slide. Sit on the edge with your hands next to your hips, fingers facing forward. Slide your hips off the front. Bend your elbows to lower yourself until your upper arms are about level with the floor, then push back up. Keep your shoulders down, away from your ears. To make it easier, bend your knees and bring your feet closer.

Backpack curls

Hold the loaded backpack by its top handle, palm up, arm straight. Keep your elbow tucked at your side and curl the bag up to your shoulder. Lower it slowly. Do all your reps, then switch hands. If you have a pull-up bar, chin-ups (palms facing you) work well here instead.

How often should you do an upper body workout at home?

Two days a week, with at least two days between them. Train your legs and core on two other days, and walk or rest on the rest.

For leg days, squats, lunges and glute bridges are a good start. If you only have three days a week, one full body plan fits better than this split. Our home workout for men is built for exactly that.

How do you make an upper body workout harder?

First add reps, then slow down, then move to a harder version. Change one move at a time. When you can do three rounds at the top of the rep range with good form, it is time to step up.

Slowing down is the easiest change of all. Take three seconds to lower on every rep, and the same moves get a lot harder with no new kit.

Stop any move that causes sharp pain. If you have an injury or a health condition, talk to a doctor before you start a new workout.

A strong upper body pairs well with a strong middle. When you are ready to add core work to your leg days, try our ab workout for men at home, or see all our body guides.