Top 4 Bodyweight Exercises for Biceps

Bodyweight workouts are a great way to maintain your physique if your local gym is closed. It is one of the easiest ways to exercise and be active. It can make working out at home or at your local park a pleasant experience for anyone. 

Everyone can exercise and keep fit with a few bodyweight exercises. It is enough to exercise for around 30 minutes a day to be in good shape and enjoy good health. Bodyweight exercises make this even easier.

Without further ado, here are our top bodyweight bicep exercises to help you create your own arms workouts.

Chaturanga

You may be wondering: what is a Chaturanga? 

The Chaturanga dandasana is a popular yoga exercise. In yoga, quality is preferred over quantity. And this exercise is one that you will surely not be able to hold for very long, as it is very intense on the biceps. Here is how you should perform this exotic yoga exercise.

1. Stand in a planking position whilst keeping your shoulders above your wrists and your palms shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
2. Then, lower your knees to the floor. They should be further back from the pelvis, not below it. This will take some of the weight off your upper body and allow you to focus on your shoulders and abdominal stability.
3. Pressing palms into the floor will engage the serratus anterior muscles. This is important because stabilizing the shoulders will help the shoulder joint stay in the correct position under your body weight. Keep the muscles in the lower abdomen engage to help you stabilize.

The main goal of this exercise is to maintain the position for a certain amount of time. If you want to make the exercise harder, you can maintain a straight line with your body, just like in a real plank. This will put an even bigger load onto your biceps and shoulders.

Commando Pull-ups

The start position of this pull up variation is a little bit different. 

1. Standing under the bar, with your body turned to the side. With the arms together place your hands on the pull-up bar next to each other. This puts additional strain on the arms – biceps, triceps and shoulders.
2. When you pull yourself up, keep the body tight and engage your core. In the upper part of the movement, you move your head to one side of the bar, alternating between reps. Pull up until your shoulder touches the bar. 
3. After a moment, relax and descend smoothly. 

After performing the specified number of repetitions, swap the position of the hands. Do not let your body shake during the exercise. Do not kick with your feet to help yourself gain momentum. 

Chin Ups

Chin-ups are an excellent exercise for both muscle mass and back development. Performing a chin-up activates the biceps more than any other variation, as the elbows are close to the body and the range of motion is greater. The movement loads the middle part of the back, the rhomboid muscles, the lower part of the broad back muscle as well as the trapezius muscles.

1. Grip the bar so that your palms point upwards, with your arms shoulder-width apart. The exercise can be performed with freely relaxed legs or with bent legs crossed at the ankles. It is debatable whether the different position of the legs changes the load. If your bar is not high enough, you will need to deal with your legs staying bent. 
2. When you pull up, keep the body tight, trying to engage your back muscles even more. Continue pulling up until your chin is above the lever. In the upper phase of the movement, you bend your spine back to shorten the distance as much as possible. If you want to load more biceps, do not lean back. 
3. When you reach the top of the bar, descend downwards in a controlled manner. 

Try to keep your body straight and move your elbows close to your body. 

Low Bar Pull-up

The low bar pull up is a light option suitable for beginners. It affects the same muscle used in a proper pull up, although to a lesser extent. 

1. To perform the exercise, you need to lie down parallel under the bar. With your feet firmly placed on the ground, position your arms shoulder apart in an overhand pull-up grip. The further up your legs, the harder the exercise. 
2. You perform this exercise the same way you would a pull up. Make sure that your chin is touching, 
3. Then descend in a controlled manner.

You can perform this exercise even at home, between to chair, under a stable table, etc. Make sure that the object you are using is sturdy if you are going to perform this exercise with your furniture. 

Bonus Exercise: Biceps Curls with Resistance Bands and dumbells

While technically not a bodyweight exercise. This variation of a biceps curl has soared in popularity as resistance bands have become more popular. Here is how you perform one:

1. Use the end of the rubber band with your foot and wrap the other end around the dumbbell handle. Do this for each hand. This will give the biceps flexion against the weight of the dumbbell plus the resistance of the elastic. Choose a weight with which you can do 15-20 repetitions.
2. Start by doing the exercise with perfect technique and as many repetitions as possible. Do not bend slowly, but instead apply a little tempo and force against the resistance band. You will begin to feel your hands burn. 

This exercise can be used as a sort of “finisher” at the end of your arms workout, as it will really help you tire out your biceps.

Conclusion 

Whatever one of these bodyweight biceps exercises you chose, they are bound to be a great addition to your workout. We also have a more detailed article on the best bodyweight exercises for biceps for you should you want to know more.