If you want to build muscle or increase strength, bodyweight exercises are very useful.
If you want to exercise at home and don’t have any fitness equipment, the best way is to do some bodyweight exercises. Bodyweight exercises are not something you can try when you lack equipment. For many fitness enthusiasts, simple training is far from a last resort. Smart bodyweight exercises can help you build muscle, even physical strength, and athletic ability. You can use the equipment around you, such as pull-up bars, parallel bars, etc. as a simple gym.
Bodyweight exercises have another benefit: they will teach you various weight management methods, which may be more important than lifting dumbbells in the gym. Some people may be able to lift heavy weights, but they can’t do exercises like archer push-ups.
Whether you choose to exercise for convenience or choose to exercise without any equipment, bodyweight exercises are effective, and fun, and can be gradually challenging as long as you are willing to try different movements. And bodyweight exercises should also have a place in fitness training. Fact.
Anyone who has done bodyweight exercises knows that bodyweight exercises are not only convenient but also can build muscle and physical strength without going to the gym. You don’t need anyone to guide you, you can exercise a variety of stable muscles, making your fitness plan more effective.
Below are 11 bodyweight exercises that are very practical for beginners and veterans, so you can start exercising directly. Anytime, anywhere.
Related: 10 Bodybuilding Poses — What They Are and How to Do Them
The Benefits of Bodyweight Exercises
Maybe it takes some convincing to get a lot of people to give up dumbbells or barbells and do bodyweight exercises. Okay, I got it. Here we introduce the many benefits of adding bodyweight exercises to your daily exercise:
Convenience and Accessibility
No Equipment Needed: You can perform bodyweight exercises anywhere—at home, in a park, or even in a hotel room—making them highly accessible and convenient.
Cost-Effective: No need to invest in expensive equipment or gym memberships, making them a budget-friendly option.
Functional Strength and Balance
Real-Life Movements: Bodyweight exercises often mimic natural movements, enhancing functional strength and improving balance and coordination, which can translate to better performance in daily activities.
Scalability and Progression
Adaptable to Any Fitness Level: Exercises can be modified to match your fitness level, from basic versions for beginners to advanced variations for experienced athletes.
Progressive Overload: You can increase the intensity by adjusting the exercise angle, adding repetitions, or incorporating advanced variations, allowing for continuous improvement.
Core Engagement and Stability
Integrated Core Activation: Many bodyweight exercises engage the core muscles as stabilizers, helping to build core strength and improve overall stability, which is crucial for overall functional fitness and injury prevention.
Do Bodyweight Exercises Build Muscle?
The main benefit of bodyweight exercises is that they not only build muscle strength but also cardiopulmonary function. You can try high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or running as bodyweight exercises. So next time you do some bodyweight exercises before your daily exercise, warm up your body first.
Muscle Activation
Varied Movements: Exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and lunges engage multiple muscle groups, stimulating muscle growth through consistent tension and resistance.
Bodyweight Resistance: Your body weight provides resistance that, when progressively challenged, promotes muscle hypertrophy.
Progressive Overload
Advanced Variations: You can increase the difficulty of bodyweight exercises by modifying angles, adding explosive movements, or incorporating single-leg or one-arm variations to continually challenge your muscles.
High Intensity
Compound Exercises: Many bodyweight exercises are compound movements that work for several muscle groups at once, leading to efficient muscle stimulation and growth.
Frequency and Consistency
Regular Workouts: Consistent bodyweight training, when combined with proper nutrition and recovery, can lead to noticeable muscle development over time.
The Best Bodyweight Exercises for Building Muscle
Press-ups
How to do the exercise
1. Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the floor.
2. Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels, with your feet close together.
3. Extend your arms fully, engaging your core.
Why
Press-ups, commonly known as push-ups, are popular bodyweight exercises that target multiple muscle groups. Incorporating push-ups into your workout routine can be highly effective for building upper body strength and endurance.
Sets: 3
Reps: 20
Rest: 30 secs
Overhead Crunch
How to do the exercise
1. Start by lying on your back on a mat or comfortable surface.
2. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
3. Hold a weight (like a dumbbell or medicine ball) with both hands extended overhead. If you’re using no weight, extend your arms overhead.
Why
The overhead crunch bodyweight exercises target the abdominal muscles, particularly the upper abs. It can be performed with or without additional weight. Incorporating overhead crunches into your routine can be a valuable addition to enhancing core strength and abdominal muscle definition.
Sets: 3
Reps: 15
Rest: 30 secs
Pistol Squat
How to do the exercise
1. Extend one leg straight out in front of you, keeping it elevated off the ground.
2. Extend your arms straight out in front of you to help with balance.
3. Start by pushing your hips back and bending the knee of the supporting leg.
4. Lower yourself slowly and steadily while keeping the extended leg straight and off the ground.
5. Aim to lower yourself until your thigh is parallel to the ground or as low as your flexibility allows.
Why
The pistol squat are advanced bodyweight exercises that target the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core, while also improving balance, stability, and flexibility.
Sets: 3
Reps: 14
Rest: 30 secs
Forearm Plank
How to do the exercise
1. Keep your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
2. Tighten your abdominal muscles and maintain a neutral spine position. Your head should be in a neutral position, looking down at the floor.
3. Maintain this position for the desired amount of time, keeping your core engaged and body straight.
Why
The forearm plank is bodyweight exercises that target multiple muscle groups while also enhancing overall stability. Incorporating it into your fitness routine can significantly enhance your overall functional strength and posture.
Sets: 3
Reps: 15
Rest: 30 secs
Bodyweight Squats
How to do the exercise
1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Toes Point slightly outward.
2. Keep your chest up and shoulders back. Lower yourself, bend your knees, and push your hips back.
3. Go as low as your flexibility allows, ideally until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
4. When you’re done, push through your heels to return to the starting position.
Why
Bodyweight squats are bodyweight exercises that enhance lower body strength and overall fitness. Incorporate bodyweight squats into your routine to build strength and improve lower body functionality.
Sets: 3
Reps: 20
Rest: 30 secs
Inverted Bodyweight Row
How to do the exercise
1. Hang with your arms fully extended and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
2. Engage your back and arm muscles to pull your chest towards the bar or surface.
3. At the top of the movement, squeeze your shoulder blades together.
4. Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position with controlled movement.
Why
The inverted bodyweight row are bodyweight exercises for targeting the upper body, particularly the back, shoulders, and arms. It’s also known as the bodyweight row or horizontal row. Incorporating inverted bodyweight rows into your workout routine can significantly enhance upper body strength and improve overall muscular balance.
Sets: 3
Reps: 20
Rest: 30 secs
Burpee
How to do the exercise
1. Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides.
2. Place your hands on the floor and kick your feet back into a plank position.
3. Perform a push-up if you want an added challenge.
4. Jump your feet back to your hands to return to the squat position.
Why
The burpee are bodyweight exercises that combines strength and cardio for an efficient workout. Incorporating burpees into your workout can improve strength, endurance, and overall fitness.
Sets: 3
Reps: 20
Rest: 30 secs
Dips
How to do the exercise
1. Position your hands shoulder-width apart on the dip bars, keeping your arms fully extended.
2. Engage your core and lift your body off the ground so your arms are straight and your legs are hanging down.
3. Slowly lower your body by bending your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the ground. Keep your elbows close to your body for tricep emphasis or flared out slightly for chest emphasis.
4. Push yourself back up to the starting position by straightening your elbows, and engaging your triceps and chest throughout the movement.
Why
Dips are highly effective bodyweight exercises that primarily target the triceps, chest, and shoulders. They can be performed using parallel bars, a dip station, or even a sturdy surface like a bench or chair.
Sets: 3
Reps: 15
Rest: 60 secs
Groiners
How to do the exercise
1. Begin in a plank position with your hands placed directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
Your feet should be hip-width apart.
2. Drive one knee towards your chest, keeping your core engaged and your hips stable.
3. As you bring your knee forward, ensure that your back remains flat and avoid letting your hips sag or rise too high.
4. Quickly switch legs by extending the bent leg back to the starting position and bringing the opposite knee towards your chest.
Why
Groiners, also known as “Mountain Climbers,” are dynamic bodyweight exercises that combine cardiovascular and strength training. They effectively target the core, shoulders, and legs while also providing a great full-body workout.
Sets: 3
Reps: 15
Rest: 60 secs
Toe Touches
How to do the exercise
1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and arms extended straight in front of you.
2. Hinge at your hips and reach your arms towards your toes while keeping your legs straight.
3. Try to touch your toes or get as close as possible, keeping your back flat.
4. Slowly return to the standing position by engaging your hamstrings and glutes.
Why
Toe touches are bodyweight exercises that primarily target your hamstrings and lower back.
Sets: 3
Reps: 20
Rest: 30 secs
Good Mornings
How to do the exercise
1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and place a barbell across your upper back, resting it on your shoulders. Alternatively, you can do this exercise with no weight or with a dumbbell for a lighter variation.
2. Keep your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart to stabilize the barbell.
3. Slowly hinge forward at your hips, pushing your hips back and lowering your torso towards the ground.
4. Keep your knees slightly bent but do not let them move forward; your movement should come primarily from your hips.
5. Lower your torso until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings or until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor.
Why
Good Mornings are bodyweight exercises that target the lower back, hamstrings, and glutes. They are particularly useful for developing posterior chain strength and improving overall flexibility.
Sets: 3
Reps: 20
Rest: 30 secs
