Upper Body Calisthenics Workout: 20 Exercises with Terrance Miller
Upper-body calisthenics exercises focus on developing strength and form. Let’s look at 20 of Terrance Miller’s best upper-body calisthenic exercises—all done with the Fit! Home Gym.
Prefer to follow along with the video? Awesome, we got you. Get the full video where Terrance demonstrates each exercise on the Fit! Home Gym YouTube Channel.
You’ll need:
Fit! Home Gym or pullup bar and horizontal bar
Support band
Weighted vest or weighted belt
Box or couch
Explosive Pull-Ups
Explosive pull-ups work your lats, biceps, upper back, and shoulders. Aim to have the bar level with your stomach.
Do 5-8 reps
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Start with a dead hang position.
Keep your body tight and engage your core.
Pull up as fast as you can and as high as you can.
Chest to Bar Pull-Up
Chest-to-bar pull-ups build your lats, rhomboids, real deltoids, and bicep muscles. Keep your body tight with your core engaged while performing each rep.
Do 6-10 reps
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Start in a dead-hang position.
Pull up high enough for your chest to contact the bar.
Control the descent.
Archer Pull-Up
Archer pull-ups target lat muscles, biceps, forearms, and shoulders. How you execute the movement also improves the shoulders’ range of motion.
Do 5-8 reps per side
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Spread your arms as wide as possible.
Grip with the thumb over the bar to improve wrist mobility.
Throw shoulders up and over the bar for each side.
This exercise helps build unilateral strength, improves grip, and enhances core stability.
L-Sit Chin-Up
You can do any L-sit progression with a chin-up. We recommend doing bent knees or straight leg progressions first. This exercise focuses on your biceps, brachialis, lats, and core.
Do 6-10 reps
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Have arms about shoulder-width apart with palms facing you.
Position your body with any L-sit progression.
Lift your body enough so your chin goes above the bar.
The L-sit chin-up is one of the best exercises for building your core, especially with more challenging L-sit progressions.
Band Explosive Pull-Up
This exercise uses a band to support our knee and foot during a pull-up. The explosive movements help build your lats, biceps, upper back, and shoulder muscles.
Do 6-10 reps
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Place your knee or foot on the band.
Go down to a dead-hang position .
Pull up your body as fast and keep your body tight.
Single Arm Hang
The single-arm hang improves grip, forearm, and shoulder stabilizer muscles. It also stretches lats and shoulders, making it a great cool-down exercise after your pull-ups.
Hold for 10-20 seconds per arm
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Grab the bar with one arm. Have the other close to the body.
Keep shoulders elevated at the same level.
Engage your scapula as you hang.
One-Armed Pull-Up and Assisted-One Armed Pull-Up
One-armed pull-ups grow your lats, biceps, shoulders, and core. Don’t pull straight up like you do with regular pull-ups. Instead, pull with your opposite shoulder to the bar.
Work toward 3-5 reps (6-10 for assisted pull-ups)
3 sets
2-3 minute rest between sets
Movement:
Grab the bar with one arm.
Pull up with the opposite shoulder.
Control the descent.
You can do assisted, one-armed pull-ups with a band or by placing two fingers on the bar.
Explosive Chin-Up
Explosive chin-ups follow the same principles as regular chin-ups, except that you’re exploding as fast as you can when you pull up. The exercise targets your biceps, lats, upper back, and shoulders.
Do 6-10 reps
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Grab the bar with arms shoulder-width apart.
Pull your shoulder blades down and back.
Go down and lift your body as fast as you can.
Pull-Up and Weighted Pull-up
A pull-up is the foundation for several upper body calisthenic exercises. It helps improve your lats, biceps, rhomboids, traps, and forearms.
Do 6-10 reps (4-6 reps for weighted pull-ups)
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets (2-3 minutes for weighted pull-ups)
Movement:
Go into a dead-hang position.
Engage scapula.
Pull up with your chin above the bar.
Add a weighted vest or a belt with a weight to perform a weighted pull-up. Increase the weight as you progress. Weighted pull-ups also help ease the transition into a one-armed pull-up.
Weighted Chin-Up
Adding weights to your chin-ups improves muscle fiber recruitment and growth. Weighted chin-ups target your lats, upper back, and shoulders.
Do 4-6 reps (adjust the weight accordingly)
3 sets
Rest for 2-3 minutes between sets
Movement:
Grab the bar shoulder-width apart with palms facing you.
Engage your core and pinch your shoulder blades back and down.
Pull your body up until your chin is above the bar.
Tuck Front Lever Row and Advanced Tuck Front Lever Row
Tuck front lever rows target lats, rhomboids, and rear deltoids. The movement also engages your core and biceps.
Do 6-10 reps (4-8 for advanced tuck lever rows)
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Start with a tuck front lever position.
Engage scapula.
Row to your knees.
Pull up to your waistline if you want to do the advanced variation.
Band-Assisted Tuck Front Lever Row
You can use a band to help you with your tuck front-lever rows. Place the band on your glutes to make the movements easier or the lower back to make it harder.
Do 6-10 reps
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Place the band on your hands.
Place the band on the glutes or lower back.
Execute a standard or advanced tuck front lever.
Scapula Pull-Up
Scapula pull-ups work the upper back, rear delts, biceps, and scapular stabilizers. It also improves overall shoulder health and posture.
Do 8-12 reps
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Grab the bar.
Lower your body parallel to the floor with bent legs.
Retract the scapula, then protract.
Squeeze and hold the position at the top.
Australian Pull-Up
Australian pull-ups, or the bodyweight row, grow your lats, rhomboids, biceps, and rear delts. This exercise helps you progress toward a full pull-up and improves scapular retraction.
Do 8-12 reps
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Grab the bar and go down with your feet on the floor, bent or straight.
Row your chest to the bar.
Horizontal Australian Pull-Up
You can use a box or couch for the horizontal Australian pull-up. This exercise targets the same muscles as a regular Australian pull-up but emphasizes horizontal pulling.
Do 8-12 reps
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Start with an Australian pull-up position.
Put your foot on a couch or a box.
Row your chest to the bar.
Horizontal Scapula Row
Horizontal scapula rows grow the muscles responsible for shoulder blade movement. It targets your scapular stabilizers, rhomboids, rear deltoids, and biceps.
Do 8-12 reps
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Grab the bar and put your feet on a box or couch.
Straighten your arms.
Retract and protract the scapula.
Incline Australian Row
Incline Australian rows target your lats, rhomboids, biceps, and rear deltoids. You’ll need a box, couch, or wall to do the movement.
Do 8-12 reps
3 sets
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets
Movement:
Grab the bar.
Place your feet on top of a box, couch, or wall higher than your bar.
Row your chest to the bar.
Mission Complete!
Upper body calisthenics helps you create a defined torso and improve functional strength, all while targeting multiple muscle groups with one exercise.
You’d need strong and stable calisthenic equipment to ensure you’re progressing efficiently with proper form. That’s where the Fit! App Home Gym comes in!
TikTok
Youtube