Muscle Group
Triceps
Two-thirds of your arm and all of your push-back-up-off-the-floor strength. Don't skip them.
Build it
Exercise
Diamond Push-Up
Bring your hands together and the humble push-up becomes a triceps crusher. It builds the lockout strength behind every push, press, and get-up-off-the-floor-with-a-toddler moment - no equipment needed.
Exercise
Bench Dip
All you need is a sturdy chair, bench, or the edge of the couch. Bench dips load the triceps hard with just bodyweight, making them a perfect living-room finisher after the kids are down.
Exercise
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension
Working the triceps with your arms overhead stretches the long head of the muscle - the biggest chunk of your arm. One dumbbell, both hands, three quick sets, and your arms have been paid.
Also works the triceps
Exercise
Push-Up
The classic no-excuses chest builder you can do beside the crib or between meetings. It builds pressing strength for everything from moving furniture to wrestling with the kids, and it costs you zero equipment and zero commute.
Exercise
Incline Dumbbell Press
Pressing on an incline shifts the work to your upper chest and shoulders - the area that makes a shirt fit better. Dumbbells also let each arm work independently, so your stronger side can't quietly carry the weaker one.
Exercise
Pike Push-Up
A bodyweight press that shifts the load onto your shoulders - the closest thing to an overhead press without weights. Great for building the strength to hoist kids onto your shoulders without a twinge.
Exercise
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
The bread-and-butter shoulder builder. Sitting down takes your lower back mostly out of the equation, so you can focus on pressing strength you'll actually use - lifting bags into overhead bins, kids onto shoulders, boxes onto shelves.