Man flexing his back and bicep muscles
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Performing Effective Back and Bicep Exercises at Home With No Equipment: Your Ultimate Guide

  • Workout enthusiasts don’t necessarily need to invest in a full home gym to exercise their backs and biceps.
  • They can perform back and bicep exercises with no equipment and achieve positive results.
  • However, they should consider purchasing equipment to get the best possible at-home back and bicep workout.

Would you like to build bigger back muscles while also making your biceps look significantly stronger? You might think you need to sign up for a gym membership or invest in home gym equipment to get the job done. You will be happy to hear that you can perform effective back and bicep exercises at home without equipment.

You may want to add equipment to an at-home back and bicep workout to make it even more effective in the long run. But for now, you can pull off many exercises from the comfort of your own home without it.

Man showing off strong back muscles


Breaking Down the Best Exercises for the Back Without Equipment

Your back contains about 40 muscles. They include the trapezius, rhomboids, erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, and levator scapulae.

These muscles are responsible for maintaining the spine's stability. They also enhance your posture.

Focus on exercises that involve pulling movements to target back muscles during workouts. Performing back and bicep exercises with no equipment can create enough resistance to produce real results.

We recommend these exercises for workout warriors interested in significantly strengthening their back muscles.

Reverse Snow Angels

Performing reverse snow angels might seem like child's play. However, it will provide your back muscles with a challenging workout. Find out what we mean by taking these steps:

  1. Lie face down on the floor.
  2. Extend your arms above your head.
  3. Make circular motions with your arms as if you’re making a snow angel while keeping them off the ground.

You should feel the burn in your upper back muscles.

Superman

If you wish to target your lower back muscles, the Superman exercise might be more your speed. Look at the steps you should take to perform it successfully:

  1. Lie face down on the floor.
  2. Lift your arms and legs off the ground simultaneously.
  3. Hold this pose for a few seconds before lowering your arms and legs.

You should experience the burn after holding this pose several times.

Good Mornings

Despite what the first two back and bicep exercises with no equipment might suggest, you won’t have to get down onto the floor to get in a good at-home workout. Good mornings are a great example of this. Discover how to perform them:

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
  2. Put your hands behind your head.
  3. Bend at the waist and lower your body until it is parallel to the floor.
  4. Stand back up, returning your body to its starting position.

Good mornings target both upper and lower back muscles.

Man showing off strong back muscles


Analyzing the Top Exercises for the Biceps Without Equipment

Now that you’re familiar with how to do a few of the leading exercises for the back without equipment, let’s turn our attention to workouts you can perform to target the biceps with no equipment. We recommend starting with the following exercises.

Inverted Rows

Inverted rows will require you to find a bar or another object to hang from. You can use something as simple as a sturdy table to perform this exercise. This is how to do it:

  1. Lie underneath a bar or another object capable of holding your body weight.
  2. Use an overhand grip to hold the bar or other object.
  3. Pull your body up while keeping your body straight.
  4. Lower your body back down to the ground.

Inverted rows will target your biceps while also engaging key upper back muscles.

Bicep Curls With Towels

When you think about performing bicep curls, you likely imagine yourself holding dumbbells, barbells, or even cables. Curls are also one of the bicep exercises you can do with no equipment. You can utilize towels to do bicep curls by taking these steps:

  1. Take a towel and place it under your right leg, then grab each end of it.
  2. Curl the towel while keeping your palms up, contracting your biceps when they reach the top.
  3. Lower the towel back down and repeat, pulling against the towel’s resistance.

This is one of the most difficult exercises to do during a back and biceps workout at home without equipment.

Push-Ups With a Narrow Grip

Push-ups are arguably the best exercises you can perform when you want to get a full-body workout at home. They are especially effective for those looking for bicep exercises that can be done with no equipment. Here are the steps to take when doing them:

  1. Get on the ground and assume the push-up position while placing your hands closer together than you usually would.
  2. Lower your body until your chest touches the ground.
  3. Push your body back up to its starting position and repeat this process.

By keeping your hands closer together, you should notice that these push-ups will work out your biceps more than usual.

Man flexing his bicep muscles


How to Combine Back and Biceps Exercises Without Using Equipment

Many of the best back and bicep exercises that require no equipment can be done on the same day. This is an example of how you can combine these exercises:

  • Reverse snow angels: 3 sets of 15 reps
  • Superman: 3 sets of 20-second holds
  • Good mornings: 3 sets of 12 reps
  • Inverted rows: 3 sets of 10 reps
  • Narrow-grip push-ups: 3 sets of 10 reps

Once you start doing these exercises, you’ll get a better understanding of how easy or difficult each is for you and you can adjust the reps accordingly. 

The Benefits of an At-Home Back and Bicep Workout Without Equipment

Creating an at-home back and bicep workout without relying on equipment will come with its fair share of benefits. These are a few of the biggest advantages:

  • Cost-effective: Helps you avoid spending money on gym memberships or equipment. Especially if you’re just starting your fitness journey.
  • Convenient: Allows you to work out anytime, anywhere.
  • Flexible: Enables you to switch back and forth between exercises easily.

Bodyweight exercises are also exceptionally efficient for beginners, as they help build foundational strength without putting too much strain on joints.

Women performing back and bicep exercises

When to Consider Incorporating Equipment Into a Home Back and Biceps Workout

While you can perform numerous back and bicep exercises with no equipment, you may want to consider adding equipment to your at-home workouts at some point. Consider investing in high-quality home gym equipment if you spot these signs:

  • You have hit a plateau and aren’t seeing results anymore.
  • You want to increase the intensity of your at-home workouts.
  • You wish to incorporate more variety into your exercise routine.

Adding equipment to an at-home back and bicep workout is also an excellent idea for those with specific fitness goals. For example, dumbbells and barbells with weights are great for anyone seeking to build more strength.

Learn How Our Equipment Can Elevate Your Back and Bicep Workouts

Performing back and bicep exercises with no equipment is possible, but it could leave much to be desired if you’re an experienced workout enthusiast. Major Fitness can supply you with the power racks, Smith machines, and other accessories you need to take your workouts to the next level. Shop for our high-end equipment, and contact us if you have any questions.

Alan Wang

About the Author

Alan Wang is a certified personal trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CPT) and has a Corrective Exercise Specialization from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM-CES). As a former commercial gym owner, Alan has experience working with several clients, from people beginning their fitness journeys to those developing specific routines for competitions. With that passion, Alan has joined the Major Fitness team to share his expert tips and tricks for creating your dream home gym and getting the results you want.


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