22 Bodyweight Arm Exercises Ranked Worst to Best

If you are unable to go to the gym or don’t have access to any equipment but still want to work out your arms, check out this list of 22 bodyweight arm exercises. They have been ranked worst to best so you can choose wisely next time you want to train.

The exercises mentioned below are typical bodyweight exercises people choose to do. Ranked worst to best are the ones that can hit both your biceps and triceps. The better the potential to build muscle and strength, the higher the exercise is ranked.

In the video below, sports teacher and YouTube fitness guru Alex Lorenz lists 22 bodyweight arm exercises and he ranked them worst to best. He is the co-founder of Calisthenic Movement and has trained Calisthenics since 2012, uploading videos regularly for those people interested in getting in shape using only their bodyweight.

“Exercises on the lower ranks are not ineffective in general,” Lorenz explains. They can be used to train your arms in general, but are not as optimised as the ones ranked higher in the list below.

Bodyweight Arm Exercises Ranked

Worst

• Plank up
• Crab walk
• Reverse planchet lean
• Frontlever raise
• Backlever
• Biceps push-up
• Korean dip
• Muscle-up
• Headbanger chin-up

These exercises are in the “worst” category because they simply do not target primarily your arms, but rather your abs, shoulders, or back.

Mediocre

• Bench dip
• Cobra push-uo
• Frog push-up

These exercises do not use the full range of motion of the arm muscles or put pressure on other joints, making them not good for building muscle in your arms.

Good

• Reverse bodyweight triceps extension
• Triceps dip

Read More: How to Build Bigger Arms Quickly (Sets and Reps Included)

Great

• Chin-up
• Rope climb
• Curl row
• Reverse bodyweight biceps curl
• Diamond push-up

Best

• Bodyweight triceps extension
• Sphinx push-up
• Bodyweight biceps curl

“You can’t go wrong with doing these exercises,” Lorenz affirms.

If you want more information on each exercise, check out the video below.

Bodyweight Arm Exercises Ranked Worst to Best

Read More: 22 Bodyweight Ab Exercises Ranked Worst to Best