Home workouts are the best way to keep fit and healthy at home. These exercises can be done anytime, anywhere, as long as you have a comfortable space with enough space to move around. Growing your biceps is one of the first things most people want when they start their fitness journey. Biceps, triceps, delts, core, there are a lot of workouts that focus on those parts of your body. But not many know that the key to building your body without an injury lies in strengthening your back muscles. In this article, we will discuss some basic and easy, at home back and biceps exercises to include into your workout, perfect for beginners. Just as you’re working out to enhance your physical presence, consider leveraging digital platforms to enhance your online presence. For those interested in building a strong online following, particularly on platforms like Twitch, gain streaming promotion by exploring targeted solutions to increase your visibility and engage a broader audience.
Standing Plank
The plank exercise is a great way to build strength in the arms and core, while also increasing balance. To perform this exercise, stand with feet parallel and hips squared over your heels. Place hands on either side of your head (or hold onto a wall or other stable object if you prefer). Keep your body straight from ankles to neck, shoulders down and back flat against floor. It’s important not to bend forward at any point during this move. Hold for 30 seconds or longer if possible. The more forceful you are about keeping yourself upright, the better results you get.
Rollout
The rollout is a great way to warm up and get your blood flowing before you start lifting weights. It’s also great for people who are new to crossfit, as it helps them learn how their body moves in space. Start by just doing bodyweight rollouts on the floor with a towel or mat under your hands if necessary. The goal here is just getting used to moving around and feeling what works best for you. Then use either barbells or dumbbells (you can also try using kettlebells), holding them in an overhead grip. They should be slightly out but still within reach when you drop down into position again.
Each rep should be slow enough that you can keep good form throughout the movement. This will help prevent injuries while also build strength. When eventually adding weight later, there won’t be any injury slowing down your progress. It’s also a great way to gradually solve the lack of mobility.
Dumbbell Chest Press
The dumbbell chest press is a great exercise for building muscle and strength. To perform this exercise, you’ll need two sets of dumbbells that are equal in weight. Lay straight down on the floor, legs folded at your knees (alternatively, you can fold them out, but it will be easier on your back if you fold them). Grab your pair of dumbbells and hold them at arm’s length in front of you with palms facing outward. Keeping your back flat on the floor and never arching it, move your dumbbells upwards and downwards. The rep range here depends on the weight of your dumbbells. If they are lighter, you can do higher reps, if they are heavier do 8-10 max.
Pullover
A pullover exercise is one in which you lie on your back and raise your arms over your head. The goal of this move is to strengthen your biceps and triceps, but it also helps with your back and core strength. Lie on the floor with your arms extended overhead, palms facing whatever direction feels more comfortable for you. You have to then move them backwards and inwards. When holding dumbbells, we advice to keep palms facing each other (like what you do during hammer curls). That way it’s easier to get the dumbbells to the starting position without injuring your triceps or straining your neck.
Bench Dips
This is a great workout for your triceps and chest, as well as your shoulders and back. It’s also one of the best ways to build up your grip strength, which can have positive effects on other parts of your body like wrists and forearms. To do these exercises properly, you need to set up with a bench or chair in front of you so that when you dip down and come up, you have a good support (hold your palms in an upside-down L position). You can keep your legs folded at your knees or keep them straight to the front. If you choose the latter, it’s going to be harder to come up. Again, don’t arch your back, keep your shoulders wide and just move your arms.
Single-Arm Row
This is a great exercise to do if you have a sore bicep. It’s simple and easy to do, but it can still challenge your muscles. Place a dumbbell in one hand, keeping your back straight and knees slightly bent as you pull the weight up past your side body. Make sure that your elbow stays close to your body throughout the movement so that no strain goes into other joints or ligaments in either arm. You could also do it on both sides at the same time, or on either sides while holding both dumbbells and switching arms.
One-Arm Dumbbell Row On The Floor
Use a weight that’s challenging but not too heavy. Keep your back flat and chest up, with both dumbbells on your mat. Pull the dumbbell upwards to the side of your body without moving your hips or back. Keep an even elbow width on each side. Don’t let your shoulder come forward or move away from your torso. Keep it tucked into place as much as possible during this exercise. And don’t forget about form: don’t lean too far forward or arch backward. The harder variation of this exercise is by placing one hand flat on the mat and doing higher reps with another, holding a dumbbell.
Back Extension
Lie on your stomach with your arms straight in front of you or by your side, palms facing down. Arrange your legs so that they are in line with the floor, and then lift them off the ground. Hold this position for 2 seconds, then lower yourself back down to the starting position. Repeat for 10 reps per set. Rest 1 minute between sets or as long as needed until you reach failure before moving on to another exercise. This exercise focuses on the muscle groups on your back and core. It could be harder than most dumbbell exercises because it’s an isolation work.
What to consider before exercising at home:
Whether it’s back and biceps, or anything else you want to workout, you need to consider a few basics. Home workouts are a great way to get in shape and burn fat, but it can be difficult to do the exercises correctly. Doesn’t matter if it’s a body weight or weighted workouts (mind you, bodyweight ones can be a lot harder, especially the isolation ones). Here are the most important things to have in mind to see the results and avoid injuries:
Choose the right exercises
The most important factor in choosing the right exercises is to make sure you work targeted muscle groups enough to create muscle mass but avoid injuries or being sore to the point you can’t do anything the next day. Fully-body workout or split days, arrange them according to your schedule and preferences/ There are a lot of exercise that don’t actually do anything. There are also those that may be too hard for beginners or those at an intermediate level. When working with equipment, you should always start light.
If you want to build up your biceps, try doing straight bar curls or dumbbell curls with an EZ Curl Bar (or similar equipment). These can be done at home using a cheap pair of dumbbells or resistance bands. If you’re looking to tone your muscles and improve flexibility, try performing seated rows on a stability or a medicine ball.
Perform the set at the right repetition range
Find out what your range is by testing different amount of timed reps. When working with equipment, higher weights mean less reps, lighter weights mean more reps. Repeating the same exercise for a few sets will really work the muscle that it targets. Eventually, you should start doing basic movements for 3-4 sets (depending on the exercise) for 8-10 or 6-8 reps each set. As boring as it might sound, this is what actually gives you results.
Higher reps means your heart rate goes up, so even if you are doing low impact workouts (no jumping), it can make them high intensity. High heart rate in turn, can count as a cardio. So even if you don’t want to jump (with or without dumbbells), doing high rep exercises for 10 minutes before a lift session is more than enough.
Do not rest too long between the sets
The optimal rest time between sets is different for everyone. Some people can push through 4-5 sets of biceps curls with a mere 30 second rest time in between and then take a longer break. When doing home workouts, most people resume to YouTube, where most workouts are timed. While that provides structure and is a great way to just follow along and focus on your form and performance, it’s also bad for overachievers. If you need longer than a 10, 15 or even 20 seconds break, pause the video and continue with the workout when you’re ready.
If you’re doing a lower rep set (1-5 reps), you should rest no more than 30 seconds between each set. For higher repetitions (6-10 reps), try to give yourself at least 60 seconds of rest between them—but don’t overdo it. All this, assuming you are lifting heavy for the low rep sets and light for the high one. Don’t get too tired before starting the next set because this will reduce your intensity level and make it harder for you to perform well overall.