Calisthenics Arm Exercises and Workout – Ultimate Guide
Calisthenics arm exercises and workout helps in building your arm muscles and at the same time, improve your cardiovascular system. It is arm training that helps in toning up your arms, increasing the size of the biceps, and giving you the shape you always wanted.
In this day and age, everyone wants to have strong arms. It is a part of the body which shows your physical fitness and strength. Most people want to have toned arms and bigger biceps. But the question is how to get these.
There are lots of ways to get fit and tone your arms. You can do weightlifting, you can work out with a trainer at the gym, or you can get an arm exercise machine.
I have a great plan to get you bigger and stronger arms without the use of equipment. And this article will show you how!
Calisthenics Arm Exercises and Workout: Are They Beneficial?
To understand why you can build bigger arm muscles with calisthenics exercise, we first have to understand what muscle is.
Muscles are made up of tissue that surrounds a cell in your body. Muscle tissue is the basis of your muscles. When you exercise, you use your muscles to lift weights, push things, or even walk.
So, when you work out, your muscles are growing stronger because they are building new muscle tissue. Your muscles can grow more if you lift heavier weights.
But You can also build bigger muscles with calisthenics exercises as long as you do them properly!
To get even further with calisthenics arm exercise I am going to show you 3 benefits that they are providing.
1. Better Circulation
The first benefit is called circulation. Your arms are made of many muscles, and the muscle is made up of cells which are made of blood vessels, and blood vessels are made of blood. The blood vessels are there to transport blood to where it needs to go.
When doing calisthenics arm exercises you are increasing the amount of blood circulating through your arms. When your blood gets to the right places it can do some of its jobs such as warming your body, helping your body fight off infections, and keeping your organs functioning.
2. Better Oxygen
The human body has millions of calories burning through it all day long. There is an endless amount of energy being used to keep our bodies going.
But every cell needs the energy to live. And the cells need to be oxygenated. The more oxygenated the cells, the better they function.
3. Better Tension
When you use your muscle to do calisthenics arm exercise you are creating tension in the muscle.
When this tension is held for a few seconds it allows the muscle to stretch. Stretching is the key to getting stronger muscle.
To understand more about how can you build muscle with bodyweight training routines, check out this article below:
Building Back Muscles in Calisthenics
The Most Beneficial Calisthenics Arm Exercises:
To provide some calisthenics arm exercises we first have to divide them into compound and isolation movements
If you want to get big arms you have to combine compound exercises with some isolation exercises.
Compound Calisthenics Arm Exercises
Compound movements involve several muscles working simultaneously. This is one of the reasons why calisthenics is good for toning and strengthening your arms.
The compound movement calisthenics arm exercises are a great way to build muscle and tone your arms.
1. Push-ups
Different types of exercises help build the upper chest and shoulders to make the arms look bigger and stronger. One of them is called push-ups.
Not only that, but it can also develop the front of your shoulders which make your arms look even bigger. For push-ups to be effective, you must be able to perform the proper form
When you’re getting ready to do a push-up, bend your elbows and pull them close to your sides, then tuck your elbows close to your sides as you drop down. Then push yourself back up to the starting position.
Hard version:
Diamond Push-ups
These exercises are harder than normal push-ups and will put more focus on the triceps than normal push-ups. You can perform them by resting your palms on a flat surface and pushing your body down as far as you can, like a push-up.
Sphinx Push-ups
They concentrate on your triceps and remember to keep your arms close to your body as you perform these movements. You can also do them on your knees.
2. Dips
Dips are one of the most versatile exercises you can do. While doing a dip, you should keep your shoulders pulled back and avoid letting your elbows drop to your sides.
Keep your chest up. When you’re performing a dip, don’t allow your chest to sink. When you’re performing dips correctly, you should be able to feel a burn in your upper arms, and your lower back
This is because you’re working out your shoulder and triceps muscles while simultaneously burning fat in your chest and arms. The result is more toned arms.
Easy version:
Bench Dips
A bench is an amazing training tool because it allows you to get a better and more stable upper body workout than if you were to do the same number of reps on the floor.
When performing bench dips, your forearms should be parallel to the ground with your palms facing down. Your chest should be slightly higher than your shoulders. Your elbows should be slightly bent. Then, lower yourself slowly down to a full squat. As you rise back up, drive your elbows back to the starting position.
Hard version:
Ring Dips
The ring dip is performed by standing with feet shoulder-width apart and holding a dumbbell in front of your thighs. Then, bend forward at the hips and dip the dumbbell so that it passes behind your legs and back up to your thighs.
3. Chin-ups/Pull-ups
The main problem people have with this exercise is the lack of upper arm strength. As you get stronger, your range of motion will naturally increase and you’ll be able to do more chin-ups.
To perform a chin-up, grab a bar or ring with an overhand grip. Bring the bar up to your body and pull your elbows and body up.
You can perform this exercise by doing each rep slowly and controlled, and then speeding up towards the end.
Pull Ups
Pull-ups require a wide range of movement and a high degree of core strength, but they are generally considered easy and can be done by virtually anyone.
4. Bodyweight Rows
It is a very powerful exercise for your arms, shoulders, and core. It is a great full-body workout, as it targets the whole body.
To perform bodyweight rows, you simply grab an object that is high enough to allow you to rest on the floor and perform a pull-up. In this case, we have rings.
Start with your hands gripping the rings. Then lift your body with the rings up to your chest. Then lower your body back to the ground and repeat. Make sure you focus on pulling the weight upwards and don’t use momentum alone to do so.
Isolation Calisthenics Exercises
Then when you feel strong enough, move to the isolation exercises.
Isolation exercises isolate only one muscle group at a time. It is very important to make sure you focus on these calisthenics arm exercises because you can injure yourself if you do not follow the proper form.
1. Bicep Rows
They are great for building arm size. They can help you increase your strength, improve your range of motion, and make it easier to lift heavier weights.
To perform bicep rows, Start with your hands gripping the rings. Then lift your body using only your arms up to your forehead. Then lower your body back to the ground and repeat.
2. Pelican Curls
Pelican Curls are performed with the elbow flexed to 90 degrees and the hands in a pronated position. This is called the “pronated position” as it puts the palms facing forward, with the fingers pointed straight ahead.
3. Triceps Extensions
This is the simplest and most effective exercise for building the size of your arms.
Lie down on your stomach with your legs up and your hands on the floor. Slowly lift your arm by bending at your elbow, while keeping your elbow close to the floor.
4. Overhead Triceps Extensions
Hold onto a sturdy object such as a pole or bench. You want to make sure your hands are shoulder width apart and your feet are in line with your hips.
Bend your arms at the elbows so that your palms face upwards. This position should feel natural for your wrists.
Lean forward slightly and pull your elbows towards your sides. Use a moderate amount of force to accomplish this, as you want to see how far you can reach.
How To Choose The Correct Progression?
You should choose an exercise progression based on your current strength and your goal. The more you increase in weight, the faster your arms should grow. But don’t just add weights and expect to magically grow your biceps.
This is not about the number of sets or repetitions you perform in a training. It’s about how many reps are performed with a particular exercise.
It’s very easy to get caught up in the amount of weight you use, but the amount of weight doesn’t matter as much as the reps you perform with that weight.
In the beginning, you’ll want to progress in the range of 5-7 reps.
It’s best to do so in the first week of a workout program, as that’s when most people are starting.
After that, you can progress to 10-12 reps.
If you’re having trouble performing more than 12 reps, then your program is too advanced for you. You should not continue beyond this point.
How To Choose The Right Volume?
As a beginner, it is important to learn to select the right volume. This is not easy, because you may be confused between the types of moves and the amount of weight used.
In the case of the biceps exercises it is best to perform sets of ten repetitions (10 x 10 = 100) five times (5 x 5 = 25), to achieve maximum results.
It is advisable to use a weight that allows you to perform about 10-12 repetitions (12-14 repetitions are not very difficult to perform, even for beginners).
Once the right repetition is achieved, you can increase the weight to increase the workload, up to your limit. It is important to note that if you want to increase your training time or your workout intensity, then it is better to do more reps, rather than increase the weight.
As you progress, the training becomes increasingly complex and it is important to train at high intensity.
The best workouts in this sense are the workouts that we perform daily, such as walking, swimming, and running. In these moves, the resistance is given by the muscles and bones of the body, but as our body ages, the strength declines.
Calisthenics Arm Workout
Now that we have covered what arm exercises are, let’s see some calisthenics arm workout examples.
I have separated them into 3 levels: Beginner; Intermediate and Advanced.
I recommend picking up one that you can handle and doing it with a good amount of rest.
Beginner Calisthenics Arm Workout
Push-ups – 3 sets; 10-15 reps (You can do them on your knees)
Diamond Push-ups – 3 sets; 10-15 reps (You can do them on your knees)
Pull-ups – 3 sets; 5-10 reps
Bench Dip – 3 sets; 10-15 reps
Intermediate Calisthenics Arm Workout
Diamond Push-up – 3 sets; 15-20 reps
Sphinx Push-up – 3 sets; 15-20 reps
Chin-ups – 3 sets; 10-12 reps
Dips – 3 sets; 10-12 reps
Advanced Calisthenics Arm Workout
Ring Dips – 3 sets; 10-15 reps
Handstand Push-ups – 3 sets; 10-15 reps
Sphinx Push-ups – 3 sets; 25-30 reps
Overhead Triceps Extension – 3 sets; 10-15 reps
If you want to find out more about – How to build huge triceps? and more workouts and exercises check the following article:
Triceps Extension Calisthenics: Workout And Exercises
Final Thoughts:
Calisthenics arm exercises and workouts are effective ways to build up the arm muscles. These exercises can be done without any equipment and in the comfort of your own home.
it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not about how much you lift, but how much you move. So, if you are looking to get bigger arms, it’s important to push your body to the limits.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do you train your arms for calisthenics?
You can use a barbell or dumbbells and a set of dumbbells. The dumbbells will provide resistance to your movement. You will need to move them up and down and back and forth.
What are 3 calisthenic exercises?
The three calisthenic exercises are as follows: Push-ups, Planks, and Squats.
How can I build my arms without weights?
To build your arms without weights, you need to do some kind of resistance exercise like pushups, pullups, chin-ups, etc. Doing these exercises helps to build muscles and gives your arms more strength and power.
How do you hit forearms with calisthenics?
To hit forearms with calisthenics you have to raise your arms in front of you, and then bend down at the elbows, bringing your arms together while keeping them close to your sides.
