13 Best Chest And Triceps Workouts Without Equipment

If you are unable to go to the gym, get equipment, or simply do not like weight exercises, etc., this does not mean that you will say goodbye to building muscles, that is not a problem! You can still get a strong chest and triceps workouts without the need for any equipment.

Bodyweight exercises have always been among the secrets of brilliance for some athletes. If you deal with them properly and professionally, they will help you build the muscles you desire. 

That is why we dedicated this post to reveal the best chest and triceps exercises without equipment. You will also learn how to do them correctly, safely and I will provide coaches advice on each exercise to avoid mistakes and improve performance.

Let’s continue together!

What are the best chest and tricep workouts that you can do without equipment

Here are the most effective exercises to target the triceps muscles, as well as the chest muscles, without relying on any kind of equipment, so that these exercises can be sufficient to train your muscles permanently, and you can target the muscles differently, and also some exercises can be more challenging if you increase the intensity .

Best triceps exercises without equipment

• Bent over triceps kickbacks

• Triceps extensions

• Triceps dips

• Triceps push-ups

• Triceps press

• Assisted arm push up

Best chest exercises without equipment

• Plyometric push ups

• Diamond push ups

• Chest dips

• Push ups in a circle

• Wide push ups

• Incline push ups

• Decline push ups

Chest and triceps workouts routine from beginner to advanced

Fitness Level	Sets	Reps	Rest	Days a week
Beginner	3 +	12 +	60 sec between sets	3
Intermediate	4 +	15 +	60 sec between sets	4
Advanced	5 +	20 +	60 sec between sets	5

Chest and triceps workout (Demo)

• 15 – 30 Jumping jacks

• Incline push ups

• Triceps extensions

• Wide Push ups

• Triceps dips

• Chest dips

• Regular push ups

Beginner : 3 sets / 10 – 12 reps / 60 sec rest

Intermediate : 4 sets / 12 – 15 reps / 50 sec rest
Advanced : 5 sets / 15 – 20 reps / 45 sec rest

6 Triceps workouts without equipment at home

Now here are all the exercises that I mentioned above and the correct way to do each of them with the advice of a specialized trainer to improve performance and benefit more from the exercises. You must prepare well to do these exercises and you need to stay focused and use your body weight to create some intensity and The challenge, in order to get positive results, you must be committed and work hard to achieve your goals.

So let’s start with the most effective triceps first : 

1 – Bent over triceps kickbacks (Tricep exercise)

Bent Over Triceps Kickbacks is an exercise that targets the triceps muscles in the first place and focuses more on targeting the long head, which makes it a great option for people who want to develop the long head of the triceps muscles so that it keeps the muscles under pressure throughout the exercise and stretches the muscles well.

How to do bent over triceps kickbacks:

• First, stand up straight, with your feet shoulder-width apart.

• Bend your back straight, until your torso is almost parallel to the ground.

• Bend your knees slightly (about 10 degrees).

• Keep your arms back close to your lats.

• Then start pulling the forearms back slowly without moving the arms.

• Rely on keeping your arms tense and steady on your sides, as if you would like to pull something heavy with your hands and push it backwards.

Edit: If you want to add some challenge, you can practice with anything you have. A water bottle or two will be an effective addition.

Pro tip:

Try to keep the triceps muscles tense throughout the exercise and try to pull your forearms back from the triceps muscles. It is also important to add some weight in order to raise the intensity of the exercise. You can hold a water bottle in the palm of your hand and think of it as if you are holding a dumbbell. It works with the same idea. And you will get the same exercise and similar results.

Avoid any kind of swaying and try to remain as stable as possible, as well as keep the movement slow. For the forearm path, it is only by rotating the elbow. Keep your arms steady throughout the exercise.

2 – Triceps extensions (Triceps exercise)

This is yet another triceps exercise that is probably among the most powerful bodyweight exercises that target the triceps muscles hard and make them rip well. This exercise can help you to develop the triceps muscles strongly and also allows you to build enough strength to improve performance with similar exercises.

How to do triceps extensions:

• The exercise proceeds from the normal push-up position.

• Keep your muscles tight, keep your feet close together.

• Now lower into a plank position, that is, place your elbows on the floor in a position where the elbows are approximately under the shoulders.

• Keep your palms together to provide enough force to push your body up.

• Engage the triceps muscles well, then start pressing the palms of your hands, raise your elbows on the ground until you are in a push-up position.

• Lower your elbows again until your forearms are straight with your palms on the floor again, and so on.

Pro tip:

In this exercise, the elbows go backwards, the situation is not like a normal push-up exercise, the movement appears to be squeezing the palms of your hands, simplifying the elbows, then slowly lowering until the forearms rest on the ground.

So, in order to improve performance, you must keep your core and leg muscles well taut, and take advantage of the space available to you to stretch and squeeze the triceps muscles well and keep them tense throughout the exercise.

3 – Triceps dips (Triceps exercise)

This is another exercise for the triceps muscles that helps to strengthen the muscles and keep them tense throughout the exercise. This exercise is intended for serious people because it is very advanced and requires some skill, but you can master it easily, especially if you are interested in developing and strengthening the triceps muscles.

How to do triceps dips (exercise for professionals):

• Standing between parallel bars, place your fists out to the sides on each bar, palms facing down.

• Press the palms of your hands and raise your body a little higher.

• Pull your feet back and keep your body tilted slightly forward.

• You should keep your elbows back the entire time.

• Start by lowering your body down and extending your elbows back well.

• Squeeze your hands, squeeze your triceps muscles, and raise your body again until your arms are straight.

Beginner modification (how to do triceps dips):

• Bring a plyometric box or chair.

• Stand with your back to the chair, lower down and put your palms on the chair.

• Extend your feet forward and keep your elbows back.

• Start by lowering your body toward the ground until your elbow is at a 90-degree angle.

• Squeeze your muscles and lift your body again.

Note: Try to take advantage of your bodyweight in order to press the triceps muscles well, that is, stay dependent on your hands to carry your body throughout the exercise without the interference of other muscles or limbs.

Pro tip:

Try to have your body tilted forward when you climb the parallel bar, so that your targeting of the triceps muscles is proper, and keep the muscles well taut, and try to use the space available to you to reduce and stretch the triceps muscles well.

4 – Triceps push ups

This is another bodyweight exercise to really target your triceps. It requires no equipment and focuses on putting more pressure on the muscles. It isolates the muscles well, which is what makes it a must-do exercise if you want to develop and strengthen your triceps.

How to do a triceps push-up exercise:

• It’s simple and just like a regular push-up, but it’s a little different.

• Get into a push-up position, placing your palms next to your armpits.

• Keep your elbows back and close to your lats.

• Then start lowering your chest towards the floor and let the elbows go back.

• Press into your palms and lift your chest until your elbows are fully extended.

Pro tip:

In order to improve your performance with this exercise, you must first adjust the movement and master it well, then you must focus on the triceps muscles. If you do not feel their tension during this exercise, then you are definitely doing something wrong.

So keep your back straight, keep your muscles tight, and try to stretch your triceps well every time you go down to the ground.

5 – Triceps press

This is another exercise for the triceps muscles without equipment and is very effective. It can develop your muscles and make them strong. It is also one of the exercises that help sculpt the triceps muscles and give them that athletic appearance and take their shape beautifully behind the arm.

How to do a triceps press:

• Bring a bench or firm seat.

• Place your palms on the bench close together, but not too narrow (keep some distance).

• Stretch your body back well until it becomes like an inclined plank.

• Try to have the palms of your hands in front of you, that is, your head will be behind as well, and keep your eyes on the ground.

• Now you have to do the Triceps extension, that is, wrap the elbows and let your body drop down.

• Squeeze your palms and extend your arms until your elbows are relaxed.

Pro tip:

You must keep the ball muscles tight with this exercise because you also target the abdominal muscles, but keep your palms steady on the bench and try to stretch the triceps well and try to lower your body well.

6 – Assisted arm push up

What makes this exercise powerful for targeting the triceps muscles is that it allows you to throw your entire body weight on the triceps muscles, and this helps the muscle to grow and keep it under strong pressure throughout the exercise, so if you get used to this type of exercise, you will notice strong improvements and get amazing results.

How to do an assisted arm push up.

• First, bring a chair or bench. The height of the bench should be the same as the length of your hand when extended to the maximum.

• Place the chair on your side and lower into a push-up position.

• Put your hand on the chair, keep your other hand clenched and straight down.

• Tighten your muscles well, then start doing a push up exercise by relying on one hand.

Pro tip:

First, start relying even on the arm that you place on the bench, it will help you to complete the repetitions easily, but with the passage of time you will start building strength and you will begin to give up or reduce dependence on your hand that you place on the bench gradually.

The exercise will be difficult for you during the first attempts, so if it is very difficult, try to put your hand on something a little low, then try to go down well, as if you were doing a normal push-up exercise, and try to feel the tension of your muscles well with each repetition.

7 Chest workouts without equipment at home

Here are the most effective body weight exercises to target the chest muscles, with proper form and good use of your body weight, you will definitely start to notice some improvements in the level of the chest muscles, also it is necessary to be committed to the exercises and make enough effort to achieve satisfactory results.

1 – Plyometric push ups

Plyo push-up is one of the most powerful body weight exercises that targets the chest muscles as well as the triceps muscles. This exercise allows you to focus on your muscles and squeeze them well with each repetition. This exercise is more challenging if you raise the intensity so that it helps you tear and sculpt the chest muscles well.

How to do a plyometric push-up:

• First, you will start from a normal push-up position.

• Spread your palms as wide as your shoulders or a little more.

• Try to take a plank position, you must keep your body taut and your back straight.

• Slowly lower to the ground until your chest is close to the ground, then press your palms and explode quickly up.

• With each repetition, try to explode upwards until the palms of your hands are lifted off the ground.

• Settle into a plank position, then slowly lower again, and so on.

Pro tip:

Beginners should pay attention to this type of exercise because it puts more pressure on the elbows during the explosion, so try to start slowly while lowering and then lift at a moderate speed according to your capabilities.

With the passage of time and after gaining some fitness, start gradually increasing your speed during the explosion. It is important that your elbow remains intact from injury, so try to be smart and do what you can bear.

2 – Diamond push ups (inner chest)

The diamond push-up is one of the variants of the traditional push-ups, which primarily targets the inner chest muscles as well as the triceps muscles. It is an advanced type of push-ups and is more challenging for the targeted muscles and works to strengthen them well. This type of exercise cannot be skipped, especially if you are focusing on building upper body muscles.

How to do a diamond push up:

• Well first, get into a normal push-up position.

• Get into a plank position, then place your palms just below the center of your chest muscles.

• Try to form a triangle using the index finger and thumb of the right hand and the index finger and thumb of the left hand.

• In this position, your elbows will be facing outward.

• Keep your muscles tight and your back straight with your leg muscles.

• Start lowering in the direction of the triangle you form with your hand.

Beginner mods:

The diamond push-up may be more challenging for beginners. Many may not be able to complete one repetition successfully, but to improve your performance:

Try to do a diamond push-up on the wall and work with the same technique.

Start by gradually lowering the height until you are able to complete the repetitions on the ground.

Pro tip:

Diamond push-ups are more challenging for the chest muscles, as well as the triceps, so it is important to keep these muscles under pressure throughout the exercise. Also, your movement must be sound in order to benefit from the exercise more, as well as avoid injury.

If you want to reduce the intensity of the exercise, try doing it on an elevated surface, then start lowering the height of the surface gradually until you build the strength needed to do it without assistance.

3 – Chest dips

When the parallel bars are available, you will definitely get a great chest exercise, as well as the triceps muscles, as we mentioned in the triceps dips exercise, because the parallel bar allows you to get enough range to stretch the chest muscles well. It is a great body weight exercise that stimulates the muscles to grow and gain strength.

How to do chest dips:

• Standing between a parallel bar, place your palms on the bar and keep your palms facing down.

• Press the palms of your hands and jump up, keeping your body perpendicular to the ground, unlike the triceps dips exercise.

• Bend your knees back if the ground is close. You should use your body weight to keep your muscles tense.

• Let your body slowly fall down to as deep as you can go.

• When you feel your chest muscles tearing there, press the palms of your hands and rise again to return to the previous position.

Pro tip:

It is necessary to do this exercise correctly in order to target the chest muscles properly and effectively, so keep your body perpendicular to the ground, do not make any swings, tighten your muscles well and keep your arms ready and ready, then try to feel your chest muscles tearing with each repetition because this is a clear signal You are doing the right thing.

4 – Push ups in a circle (major pecs)

A push-up exercise in a circle is also one of the exercises that targets the chest muscles with high strength and efficiency, especially if your movement is correct. The muscles will benefit from this type of exercise well. 

It is designed to target all the chest muscles, as well as the triceps muscles, because you kind of combine a diamond push-up and A normal push-up exercise and at the same time you move your hands to the sides. This is what puts the muscles under pressure from the beginning to the end of the exercise.

How to do a push up in a circle:

• First, get into a normal push-up position. It is best to do this exercise in a place that allows you to move around comfortably.

• Start with a plank position first, tighten your muscles well and try to stay steady and straight.

• Then start doing a normal push-up:

• First rep: do a push-up exercise, lower your chest towards the ground, and then rise again, Then pull your right hand towards the left hand as if you were going to do a diamond push-up.

• Second rep: in a diamond push-up position, lower your chest well towards the ground and rise again.

• Third rep: keep your right hand in the same place and move away with the left hand in order to return to a normal push-up position. Lower your chest well and raise it again, and so on, go in this manner in the form of a circle.

Pro tip:

Try to keep your movement steady and rely on a clean form all the time. With each repetition, press your muscles well. 

If you are unable to do a diamond push-up exercise, try not to get too close with your palms, but your circle will be slow. The important thing is to go with your hands in one direction and Complete the repetitions.

5 – Wide push ups (Side chest muslces)

A wide push-up exercise is one of the body weight exercises that help increase the size of the chest and target the lateral muscles of the chest, allowing these muscles to expand to the sides because the chest fibers are linked to the shoulder blades.

How to do a wide push-up:

• First, get down to a normal push-up position, your back straight, and tighten your muscles well.

• Spread your palms more than shoulder width apart (the wider the distance, the better the exercise).

• Then start doing push-ups and try to feel your chest muscles with each repetition.

• Beginner modification: A wide push-up exercise may be a bit difficult, so in order to reduce its intensity, put your knees on the ground and do the exercise in the same way.

Pro tip:

In this exercise, your focus should be on the external chest muscles, you will feel them tearing with each repetition, and this is a good thing. The more you can hold on, the more useful it is. If you are having a problem with this exercise, do not spread your palms too far, starting from the position you are comfortable with. Increase by a few centimeters in subsequent rounds.

6 – Incline push ups (pecs major)

When you do an Incline push-up exercise, you target the chest muscles as a primary targeted muscles (Pectoralis Major), this exercise can target the chest muscles more than a regular push-up exercise because it relaxes the arms muscles a little, but throws more weight on the chest muscles, and this is exactly what we want, it is a great bodyweight exercise to strengthen the chest muscles.

How to do an Incline push-up exercise:

• Bring a chair, bench, or anything high (about 50 or 60 centimeters it’s fine).

• Place your palms on the edge of the chair or bench (spread you hands shoulder-width apart).

• Extend your feet back, take a push-up position, but diagonally.

• Try to stay still and keep your back straight and neutral, as well as tighten the muscles of the legs well and keep your feet close to each other.

• Start by doing a regular push-up and try to throw your weight on the chest with each repetition.

Pro tip:

Try to take the appropriate form and avoid doing any kind of swing, do not let the pelvis go down, try to keep your body straight like a board and focus on going with your elbows out and lowering your chest towards the edge of the bench well with each repetition.

7 – Decline push ups (Upper chest)

Decline push-up also is one of the variants of regular push-ups that tend to target the upper chest muscles, so in addition to other exercises, this exercise can be relied upon to strengthen that upper side of the chest in order to get more consistent muscles, and it can also incorporate other muscles for you secondary and This makes it an effective body weight exercise for the upper body muscles.

How to do Decline push-ups:

• First, get a bench, chair, or box (50 or 60 cm high would be fine).

• In the beginning, put your hands on the floor, put your feet on the surface of the chair or bench.

• Bring your hands forward until your body is stretched diagonally down.

• Keeping your back straight, lift your hips slightly up (do not let your pelvis fall down).

• Spread your palms about the size of your shoulders.

• Then start doing the exercise and press on your chest muscles with each repetition, the quality of which can be measured by how close your face is to the ground during the decline.

Pro tip:

This exercise is effective for targeting the upper chest muscles, so try to use your body weight to squeeze the chest muscles well with each repetition. Also, keep staying still all the time, and the intensity of the exercise can be increased by placing your feet on something higher, and to reduce its intensity, you can do the opposite.

Are bodyweight exercises enough for increasing muscle mass?

Yes, muscle mass can be increased by relying on bodyweight exercises only. Bodyweight exercises are an effective way to lose weight and build lean muscle mass, but you must follow a good bodyweight exercise plan in order to achieve your goals.

Randomness in performance can keep you limited in a certain fitness level, but if you know when to increase the intensity of exercises and increase the repetitions, this will inevitably be more challenging to stimulate your muscles to strength and gain mass.

When you do body weight exercises such as push-ups, squats, or lunges, you derive resistance from your own body weight and put your muscles under the pressure of that weight, and it is like weight training, but your muscles quickly get used to your body weight, and therefore you will need to add other challenges to your program.

To achieve your goals with body weight exercises, let’s put the “triceps and chest” muscles as an example. Try to add different exercises to your routine. Rely on the list of exercises that we have already mentioned to target your muscles differently. You can also raise the intensity of the exercises and add repetitions. 

Also you can control the speed of the repetitions. You can do some repetitions very slowly and put the muscles under a hard test. This also increases the intensity of the exercise effectively.

Also, when it comes to relying on bodyweight exercises to sculpt muscles or gain muscle mass, it is necessary to follow a healthy diet (if your diet fails, then your training program will also fail), so try to include all your meals on macronutrients (carbohydrates, healthy fats, proteins ).

Know the effect of bodyweight exercises on the muscles

4 Mistakes to avoid during chest and triceps workouts without equipment

Making mistakes during exercises or outside the circle of exercises is always one of the main reasons for delaying or not showing results, and making mistakes can raise the possibility of injury or improper muscle growth.

So try to avoid these mistakes:

1 – Adopting the wrong form and not learning the movements techniques.

In order to benefit from any exercise correctly, you must do it correctly, and you must also learn the techniques and basics of movement. This avoids injury and also stimulates muscles to grow and strength.

2 – Not allowing the muscles to recover.

This is also another mistake that may expose you to injury or may damage the muscles, so you must give the muscles enough time to rest and recover, especially after high-intensity sessions.

3 – Rely on specific exercises to target the chest muscles and triceps.

Avoid making this mistake because the muscles easily get used to the exercise and it becomes less useful, and therefore your muscles will not respond well to these exercises, so try to do a different set of exercises that target the triceps or chest muscles.

4 – Remain limited to a certain fitness level.

With the passage of time, you will start building strength and muscles, and it is necessary to increase the intensity of the exercises in a timely manner in order to be able to advance your level of fitness so that your muscles need new challenges constantly. This keeps them always on the right track and constantly evolving.

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