How to begin building upper-body strength at home without equipment

For beginners, bodyweight is the best place to start

You do not need a stack of weights or a gym membership to start developing upper-body strength. For people who are new to exercise, using your own bodyweight is often one of the most effective ways to begin.

“For beginners, the biggest bang-for-your-buck upper-body exercises are going to involve mostly weight-bearing [moves],” says physical therapist and strength and conditioning specialist Nicholas Rolnick, founder of The Human Performance Mechanic in Manhattan.

“This is because bodyweight exercises require strong co-contraction and stability, which can produce a significant stimulus to improve muscle strength,” he says.

Below are Rolnick’s three recommended moves to help you get started.

1. Plank

Sets: 1 Time: 1min

How to do it:

• Start on your hands and knees with your wrists stacked directly under your shoulders.
• Step your legs back so you are supported on your hands and the balls of your feet, with your feet hip-width apart and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Tighten your core and squeeze your glutes.
• Press the floor away while keeping your back flat and your neck neutral.
• Breathe steadily and try to hold the position for one minute.

Trainer tip: If you cannot hold a full plank yet, keep your knees down and work up to a one-minute hold before moving to the full version.

2. Knee push-up

Sets: 3 Reps: 3-5

How to do it:

• Begin on your hands and knees, placing your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, then walk them forward until your body makes a straight line from head to knees.
• Put a yoga block or rolled-up towel under your chest as a target.
• Engage your core and tuck your pelvis.
• Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the target, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
• Pause for two to three seconds, then press back up while keeping your elbows tucked.

Trainer tip: If you are not ready to push back up yet, lower slowly and focus first on building strength during the lowering phase, or return to this modified version.

3. Prone swimmers

Sets: 3 Reps: 5

How to do it:

• Lie face down with your arms at your sides, palms facing up, and your forehead resting on your exercise mat.
• Lift your arms as high as you can off the floor, sweeping them out to the sides in line with your shoulders and rotating them so your thumbs point straight up.
• Keep sweeping your arms forward until they are straight in front of you, palms facing each other, then rest them on the floor.
• Lift your arms again and reverse the movement back to your sides, keeping your hands off the floor the entire time.

Trainer tip: If the full motion is difficult, break it into five to 10 lifts in each position, beginning with your arms at your sides, then out to the side, and finally reaching forward.