New to fitness? No workout equipment at home? No time to hit the gym? Traveling? No matter your situation, don’t sweat it — you can still squeeze in an effective full-body workout using just your bodyweight.
How effective are workouts without weights?
Simply put: Workouts without equipment are absolutely effective, depending on your fitness goals. Thanks to gravity and resistance, bodyweight exercises are effective for:
- Building strength
- Improving stability
- Increasing cardiovascular endurance
- Weight management
- Supporting overall health and wellness
No-weight workouts are a great entry point for beginners, helping build confidence and strength to move on to more advanced exercises. If you’re recovering from an injury, bodyweight exercises can help you ease back into your usual training regimen. Plus, bodyweight exercises can be done anywhere — the gym, the park, or as a home workout, if that’s your style.
Here are three of our favorite workouts that require no equipment.
Workout 1: 20-minute core circuit
We love this no weights workout because it targets core — the foundation for all types of movement and training. These exercises not only target the rectus abdominis, but the deeper core muscles as well — specifically, the transverse abdominis.
Complete this circuit 3–4 times for a complete bodyweight workout.
Straight-Leg Dead Bug
How To:
- Start on your back with your legs extended straight, your hips at 90 degrees, and your feet off the floor.
- Extend your arms out in front of your shoulders.
- Brace your core.
- Simultaneously extend your right leg and left arm out and down toward the floor.
- Keep your other limbs still during each rep.
- Bring your limbs back up to the starting position and repeat using your left leg and right arm.
- Perform 16 reps.
Bear Hold Shoulder Tap
How To:
- Start in a tabletop position, with your hands directly below your shoulders and knees directly below your hips.
- Lift your knees about 2 inches off the floor for the bear hold position.
- Lift your right hand to tap your left shoulder, then return it to the ground.
- Do the same thing on the opposite side, lifting your left hand to tap your right shoulder.
- Keep your core stable to avoid movement in your hips.
- Perform 16 reps.
Flutter Kicks
How To:
- Lie on your back with legs straight out in front of you, slightly off the floor. Place your arms by your sides.
- Keeping your left leg straight and just a few inches off the ground, raise your right leg straight up, about 12 inches off the floor.
- Alternate on each side, raising one leg 12 inches off the floor while keeping the other leg slightly elevated.
- Perform 20 reps, or set a timer for 30 seconds.
Inchworm
How To:
- Stand upright with your arms by your sides.
- Bend forward at the waist and place your hands on the floor in front of your feet.
- Walk your hands out until your body is straight in the top position of a push-up.
- Walk your hands back in and return to the upright position.
- Perform 5 reps.
Alternating Heel Taps
How To:
- Lie on your back with your legs bent at 90 degrees and your arms by your sides.
- Lower your left leg down until your heel touches the ground lightly.
- Raise your left leg back up and lower the right leg down.
- Perform 8 reps per side.
Workout 2: High-intensity lower body power circuit
You’ll burn calories and get your heart rate up thanks to the fast, powerful reps that target large muscle groups.
There are three supersets in this workout. Complete each superset 2–3 times.
Superset A
Jump Squat
How To:
- Stand upright with your arms in the ready position.
- Bend at the hips and knees into a semi-squat position, leaning your torso slightly forward.
- Push off your feet and jump straight up, driving your arms up overhead.
- Land in a semi-squat position to absorb, reset, and repeat the jump.
- Complete 15 reps.
Plank Hop-Overs
How To:
- Start in a high plank position with your hips raised slightly.
- Hop your feet up and over to one side, keeping your hands on the floor.
- Hop back over to the opposite side and continue hopping over and back.
- Complete 20 reps.
Superset B
Burpee Hip Touch
How To:
- From a standing position, place your hands on the floor and jump your feet back into a high plank position.
- Raise your left hand, reaching back to tap your opposite hip, then lower your hand back to the ground.
- Repeat with your right hand.
- Return to the top of a push up and jump your feet in, bringing your knees to your chest while keeping your hands on the floor.
- Come to an upright position and jump into the air, raising your arms overhead.
- Land softly and squat down, placing your hands on the floor.
- Repeat the sequence for 10 reps.
Side-to-Side Mini Hops
How To:
- Stand with your hips and knees slightly bent and your arms down by your sides.
- Push off your toes and hop to one side.
- Land softly, bending your hips, knees, and ankles to absorb the impact.
- Alternate hopping side to side.
- Complete 40 hops, or set a timer for 30 seconds and do as many reps as you can.
Superset C
Alternating Jump Lunge
How To:
- Stand upright in a split stance with your arms at your sides.
- Bend at the hips and knees, leaning your torso slightly forward with your weight on the front leg.
- Push off your front foot, jumping off the floor.
- Switch your feet in midair.
- Land in a split squat with the opposite foot in front.
- Repeat the motion, switching your feet between each jump.
- Complete 20 reps.
Touchdown Squats
How To:
- Start upright with your feet hip-width apart.
- Hop out to a shoulder-width squat, lightly touching the ground between your legs with your hands.
- Complete the squat, then hop back into the starting position.
- Complete 15 reps.
Workout 3: Upper body strength and stability circuit
There are four exercises in this circuit. You’ll do each exercise for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds. At the top of each minute, start the next exercise on the list until you’ve done the entire circuit. Then, repeat the circuit 2–3 times.
Deadstop Push-Up
How To:
- Start in a high plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart. (Lower your knees to the ground if needed.)
- Lower your body to the floor to do a push-up.
- Using your chest to hold your body and head up, slide your arms out to the sides then return them to your chest.
- Press your hands into the floor and drive your body off the floor, returning to the high plank position.
- Keep your back flat and your hips in line with your shoulders throughout.
- Repeat until the 40-second timer is done.
Plank Around the World
How To:
- Start in the high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and core braced. (Lower your knees to the ground if needed.)
- Raise one hand, then the other, then raise one foot, then the other. Repeat until the 40-second timer is done.
- High plank
- Knee plank
- Forearm plank
- Plank with shoulder tap
- Reverse plank
Supermans
How To:
- Lie face-down on the floor with your legs straight and your arms stretched out overhead.
- Raise your upper body and legs about 6 inches off the floor as if you were flying like Superman.
- Hold this position briefly, then lower yourself back to the floor and repeat.
- Repeat until the 40-second timer is done.
Alternating Plank to T
How To:
- Start in a high plank position. (Lower your knees to the ground if needed.)
- Raise one hand up while rotating your body to look up at your hand.
- Hold, then lower yourself back to the floor and repeat, twisting up to the other side.
- Repeat until the 40-second timer is done.
Building strength with bodyweight workouts
That’s all! Remember: The most important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is finding an exercise routine that works for you. No-equipment workouts are a great way to build strength and endurance, work multiple muscle groups simultaneously, and encourage proper form and technique. Give one of these workouts a try!
Want more workout guidance and support? Talk to a Coach about your free fitness consultation.
