This HIIT bodyweight arm workout will challenge you to build upper body strength and burn fat at home using zero equipment! This no equipment workout pairs powerful HIIT exercises with upper body strength exercises, targeting the back, biceps, chest, shoulders and triceps!
I’m here to tell you that arm exercises without weights are a solid way to work your upper body — enter this HIIT bodyweight arm workout at home! Pair bodyweight exercises that will test your strength with powerful HIIT cardio exercises to raise your heart rate and you’ve got the perfect combination for your next arm day.
You CAN build muscle and burn fat at home with an upper body bodyweight workout.
Bodyweight Arm Workout FAQs
What are the Best Upper Body Bodyweight Exercises?
The best bodyweight arm exercises involve multiple muscle groups (including your core muscles)! They should be complex exercises that challenge you to actively think about contracting the muscles during each repetition. This will increase muscle activation and make the bodyweight workout more effective!
Why Pair HIIT with Upper Body Strength Training?
Combining high intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training is effective for building muscle, increasing endurance and burning fat. This workout alternates a strength exercise with a powerful HIIT exercise so you can focus on the muscles worked during the strength training and put your all into the HIIT exercises, pushing your cardio endurance to the max!
Which Arm Exercises Without Weights Can You Do at Home?
There are a lot of really effective arm exercises without weights (think variations of planks, push-ups, pull ups and tricep dips). These exercises engage your core and can be effective strength training with just your bodyweight. You can also do back flys and tricep extensions with just your bodyweight.
HIIT Bodyweight Arm Workout (Zero 30, Day 2)
Tone your arms and raise your heart rate at home using just your bodyweight! You need zero equipment and just 30 minutes to complete this workout at home!
This is a timed interval workout – meaning you do as many reps as possible in the ‘work’ period. Your pace, your tempo (rep ranges will vary from person to person). Note that this is done in a time drop format, so your work time decreases while your rest time increase each circuit!
Workout Equipment:
None! Just your bodyweight.
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Timed Drop Format (Circuit 1 is 45 seconds of work, 15 seconds of rest. Circuit 2 is 40 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest. Circuit 3 is 30 seconds of work, 30 seconds of rest.)
Repeat Each Circuit x 2 Sets
Workout Outline
CIRCUIT ONE 1. Down Dog and Push Up
2. Reverse Burpee
3. Lateral Raise Shoulder Circles
4. Seal Jacks
CIRCUIT TWO 1. Lateral Pull and Bicep Curl
2. Four Hooks and Floor Tap
3. Prone Rear Back Flys
4. Jab, Cross, Jack and Switch
CIRCUIT THREE 1. Side Lying Tricep Press, Right
2. Army Crawl and Jack
3. Side Lying Tricep Press, Left
4. Burpees
Start in a table top position (quadruped) on all fours; shoulders stacked over wrists and hips stacked over knees.
Actively press your hands into the mat as you tuck your toes under.
As you exhale, lift your knees off the mat straightening your legs as you press your hips up towards the ceiling to find downward facing dog.
Hold down dog, pressing your chest towards your thighs.
Then shift your weight forward into a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, weight evenly distributed amongst all 10 fingers. Pull your kneecaps up towards your belly, feet hip-width apart.
Hold this plank position, maintaining a straight line with your body, gaze slightly in front of you.
Slowly lower your chest down towards the ground as your elbows fall back towards your hips (not out to the sides).
Once at the bottom of your push up, exhale as you push back up into high plank position. Repeat.
Modification: Option to drop to your knees for modified push ups.
Reverse Burpee
Targets: EVERY muscle in your body with an emphasis on the abs and core.
How To Do A Reverse Burpee
Begin standing tall, then walk your hands out to find a high plank position.
Hold high plank for a second, then walk your hands back in to meet your feet.
As you stand tall, explode up, jumping and reaching your arms overhead.
Modification: Option to stand tall rather than explode up.
Lateral Raise Shoulder Circles
Targets: Arms and shoulders.
How To Do Lateral Raise Shoulder Circles
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, soft bend in the knees. Extend your arms out to a lateral raise, arms straight out at shoulder height and parallel to the floor. Engage your core.
Circle your arms forward using small controlled motions. Don’t let the arms dip down throughout the entirety of the set — keep them at shoulder level!
Keep this forward circle direction for the entire set, reversing the direction of the circles on the next set.
Seal Jacks
Targets: Chest, shoulders, back, glutes, hips, quads, hamstrings and calves.
How To Do Seal Jacks
Start in a star position with your feet wider than your hips, arms extended straight out at shoulder height.
“Jack” your feet in to meet each other. As you do so, pull your arms in so they’re straight out in front of you, still at shoulder height.
Then, “jack” your feet back out, sending the arms out wide to return to the starting position. Repeat.
Modification: Option to make this low impact by stepping your feet in and out rather than “jack” them in and out.
Lateral Pull and Bicep Curl
Targets: Back, lats and biceps.
How To Do A Lateral Pull and Curl
Start standing feet shoulder-width distance apart, arms extended straight overhead, palms facing out. Elbows are locked out and core is engaged.
Pull the arms down to find a “goalpost” position, elbows bent at 90-degrees and are parallel to shoulders.
Then drop the arms to straighten them, palms face up towards the ceiling.
Perform a bicep curl, pulling the arms back in to that “goalpost” position, palms now face your head.
Perform a “hook” with your left arm, flexing your bicep as you curl your left arm in a half circle towards the front of the room. Keep the fist at shoulder level.
Then, perform a “hook” with your right arm, flexing your bicep as you curl your right arm in a half circle towards the front of the room. Again, keep the fist at shoulder level.
Alternate back to performing a “hook” with the left arm, keeping the fist lower (about in front of your abdomen). Then, perform a “hook” with your right arm in the lower position.
After the four hooks, lower down into a squat and tap the floor with both hands.
Explode up, reaching the arms overhead and repeat the sequence.
Modification: Option to omit the jump and simply reach high.
Prone Rear Back Flys
Targets: Upper and lower back.
How To Do Prone Rear Back Flys
Start lying on the ground in a prone position, flat on your stomach. Raise your neck and shoulders off the ground. Quads are planted into the mat.
“Goalpost” your arms by turning the palms out so they’re facing away from your face; elbows at a 90-degree angle and parallel to shoulders.
Lift your arms off the mat as you squeeze your back. Think about pulling the shoulder blades together.
Then, slowly lower the arms back down to the ground. Think up on a 1 count, down slow and controlled on a 2 count.
Start standing, feet wider than hip-width apart, knees bent, core engaged. Turn to face the right side of the room (face is turned toward the right side of the room, left leg is forward if someone is looking at you straight on).
Bring hands or knuckles up to “defend” your face in a guard position.
Lower down into a loaded squat, knees soft and core engaged.
Perform a jab on the left arm, punching in front of your face.
Then, perform a cross by punching in front of your face with your back right arm.
Then, “jack” both legs in, bringing you to standing straight on before quickly “jacking” your legs back out to turn yourself 180 degrees. You’re now facing the left side of the room, right leg is forward.
Repeat, alternating the 180 jump after each jab and cross.
Modification: Option to omit the 180 jump and alternate the jab and cross repeatedly.
Side Lying Tricep Press
Targets: Triceps, chest, shoulders and back.
How To Do A Side Lying Tricep Press
Lay down on your left side stacking your shoulders, hips, and feet (like you would for a side plank).
Bring your right hand to the mat directly in front of your left shoulder. Then, wrap the left arm around the chest, placing the left hand on the right shoulder.
Push yourself off the ground using your right arm. Hold for a second, then lower back down to the mat with control.
Repeat, working the right tricep this entire set. You’ll switch sides, working the left tricep on the next exercise.
Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, weight evenly distributed amongst all 10 fingers. Pull your kneecaps up towards your belly, feet hip-width apart.
Hold this plank position, maintaining a straight line with your body, gaze slightly in front of you. As you hold this high plank position, “jack” your feet out and back in twice.
Then, lower down to the right forearm, then the left forearm to find a low plank position.
Hold this low plank position as you “jack” your feet out and back in twice.
Raise back up into a high plank and repeat this sequence, “jacking” your feet out twice at the top of each plank and at the bottom of each plank.
Modification: Option to omit the “jack” and instead tap your feet out.
Burpees
Targets: EVERY muscle in your body with an emphasis on the abs and core.
How To Do A Burpee
Start in an athletic stance, knees slightly bent and feet shoulder-width apart.
Lower your hands to the floor in front of you so they’re just inside your feet.
With your weight on your hands, jump your feet back to find a high plank position.
Option to do a push up here or lower your chest completely to the floor.
Then, jump your feet back to meet your hands and explode up, reaching your arms overhead. That’s one rep. Repeat.
Modification: Option to make this low impact by walking your feet in and out rather than jumping. You can also omit the push up or take the push up from your knees.
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HIIT Arms
HIIT Arms
