I'm writing this the day after I filmed this workout & I kid you not, I am so incredibly sore. Arms, shoulders, upper back, abs, chest - all of it. This toasted me!
With this workout, I've built you an upper body workout that uses no equipment at all, meaning that you can take this with you anywhere. I've also weaved in bouts of cardio kickboxing in order to keep the calorie burn and cardiovascular benefit high.
Since this is an upper body workout with no equipment, we really have to get creative in order to target all of the muscles in a well balanced way. A lot of the exercises in this routine use antagonistic motions, in which case YOU are actually the one who is providing/creating the resistance. This means that this workout, as innocent as it looks without any dumbbells, can/should be difficult for even the fittest person on the planet. You are working against your own strength, which means that you're going to have to really tune in and sharpen your focus to keep pushing yourself the whole way through. If this workout feels too easy, you are highly likely doing it wrong.
Related: 4 Week Bodyweight Only Workout Program
Antagonistic exercises are a unique challenge but also a great way to learn how to contract and control your muscles and body. On the other hand, if you happen to have dumbbells lying around, feel free to substitute in for more traditional resistance, if you prefer.
There are no repeat exercises in this program, which makes it feel like it goes by a lot faster. It also means that you should aim to push yourself and treat each interval as a burnout round; you only have to do each once, so make sure you leave nothing behind!
About this workout
- Warm up & cool down both included
- No equipment
- Fat burning kickboxing cardio intervals combined with bodyweight only upper body exercises
- Low impact; apartment friendly workout
Warm Up: (25 seconds each)
Boxer Shuffle
Back/Chest Stretch
Toe Touch Circles
Torso Twist + Knee
Row + Lateral Step
Standing Pike Crunch
Slow Burpee
Squats
Toe Touch Twist
Big Arm Circles
Jumping Jacks
Cardio Kickboxing and Upper Body Workout (50 Seconds on, 10 Seconds Rest)
Traveling Push Up
Traveling Rows
Jab Cross Jab Knee (switch stances)
Pulldowns + Step - Targets: shoulders, core, glutes, thighs
Overhead Press
3 Hook Jumping Jacks
Wall Side Push Up - bicep, tricep, shoulder
Arm Circles - Targets: arms, upper back, shoulders
Knee (r) + Knee (r) + 3 Uppercuts
Water Break
Tricep Dips - Targets: triceps, shoulders, core
Plank + 3 Point Reach (Fwd, Back, & Fly)
Jab, Jab, Cross
Palm Press & Extension - Targets: chest, arms
Bentover Fly + Pulse - Targets: upper back
2 Hook + 2 Upper Cuts + Drop
Variable Bicep Curls
Bentover Tricep Extensions
2 Hooks + Duck
Backbow Pulls - Targets: upper back, lower back, shoulders, glutes, thighs
Walk Down + Up Down - Targets: arms, shoulders, core
Pivot Squats
Cool down & stretch
What did you guys think of this workout? Is it something that might be helpful to you if you don't have equipment, or while you're traveling? And, I wonder what you were thinking of while swinging away in those cardio kickboxing intervals? Hope you're feeling destressed and ready for the rest of your day!
Workout Complete!