50 Exercises for a Bodyweight Workout You Can Do Anywhere


Who needs a gym when there’s the living room floor?
Bodyweight exercises are simple, effective ways to improve balance, flexibility, and strength without gym machines or equipment. You can do all these bodyweight exercises at home.


Manuel De Los Reyes Rubio/Getty Images

From legs and shoulders to chest and abs, we’ve covered every part of your body that can get stronger with body resistance alone.
We’ve also provided some basic bodyweight exercises for beginners and compared bodyweight workout results to those of weighted, gym, and cardio routines.

Lift yourself: What is a bodyweight workout?


Bodyweight workouts are exercise routines that use a person’s own bodyweight to create resistance and improve strength, flexibility, and endurance, as well as coordination.
You’ve probably done a push-up before — well done. You’ve already met bodyweight exercises. On occasion, you can use a wand or resistance band to support an exercise.
While there are bodyweight exercises you can do in a gym (pull-ups, anyone?), having a calisthenics or plyometrics routine means you can stay in shape without the need for a gym membership or expensive equipment.


Benefits of bodyweight exercises


You might be thinking, why not go to the gym? If you’re paying all that money, it must be better than simply using your own bodyweight.
But here’s why bodyweight exercises can make all the difference to your routine:


  • They’re efficient. You can get impressive results from short workouts alone, and they can work alongside other types of exercises to boost performance.
  • They’re both strength and cardio. Keep your heart pumping while building muscle and flexibility.Trusted Source
  • They’re crazy good for burning fat. The burn continues looooong after the workout. For example, one study found that a 45-minute workout increases how fast your body burns fat for 14 hours.Trusted Source
  • You can switch up with ease. No wiping down and changing machines, and no restrictions on how to exercise based on your ability level. You’re unlikely to get bored during a bodyweight workout — the challenge stays.
  • You have zero excuses not to exercise. In the immortal words of Shakira: Whenever. Wherever. You don’t need to be in a gym — you just need enough space to move around a bit.
  • The results. Bodyweight exercises may help you get results. They use compound movements that engage several joints and muscles with each move. This makes exercises like push-ups and lunges super effective for improved strength and performance.

For more on the benefits of bodyweight exercises, check out our rundown of reasons to start.


Bodyweight exercises vs. other workouts


We compared bodyweight exercises to other modes of working out. They compared pretty favorably.


Pros


  • You can do them anywhere, anytime, removing the “excuses” barrier from your workout routine.
  • Bodyweight workouts are free, so they’re accessible to anyone.
  • Some gym equipment reduces the resistance of certain motions, meaning that you might see less benefit when using a machine.
  • Some gym equipment reduces the resistance of certain motions, meaning that you might see less benefit when using a machine.
  • In a post-COVID-19 world, there may be times when the use of a gym becomes unsafe or impossible — meaning that if you focus on bodyweight exercises, it’s guaranteed that you’ll be able to carry on your routine anywhere.

Cons


  • While beginners can start with full-body exercise, the reduced resistance of some gym machines may be a simpler entry point.
  • A gym’s pricing can be a barrier for some, but may still motivate others.
  • You might benefit from the trainers and staff that a gym provides, as well as the communal feel of an exercise class or group training session. But many group sessions are also available for bodyweight exercises (although they might be limited because of the pandemic).

Bodyweight vs. cardio


Pros


  • Bodyweight exercises continue the burn after a workout, enhancing the metabolic advantages of the exercise. With cardio, like running, you’re only burning while you’re working out.
  • Bodyweight exercises give you cardio benefits while you’re working anyway, alongside the strength boost that comes from a hearty push- or pull-up.
  • An intense circuit of bodyweight exercises will get your heart going as much as any run.

Cons


  • Switching it up is important to get the widest range of benefits from exercise. So, go on a run from time to time, as research has shown that combining cardio and weight-based exercises is the best way to shift body mass for adults with overweight or obesity.

Bodyweight vs. free weights


Pros


  • You don’t need access to a gym.
  • While you still need to be careful, you can’t drop a weight on yourself if you’re not holding one.
  • You can switch between moves more quickly because you’re not dealing with equipment. So, bodyweight exercises may be better for cardio.
  • Bodyweight exercise are also better for flexibility as opposed to pure bulk.

Cons


  • While there are some beginner bodyweight exercises, you can scale up the difficulty of free weights in a more controlled and gradual way than with bodyweight exercises.

Bodyweight moves for beginners


We’ve got several moves you can try, but you might also want to check out these full beginner’s bodyweight workouts.


1. Arm circles


  1. Stand with your arms extended by your sides, perpendicular to your torso.
  2. Slowly make clockwise circles about 1 foot in diameter for 20—30 seconds.
  3. Then reverse the movement, going counterclockwise.



2. Standard push-up


  1. With your hands shoulder-width apart, keep your feet flexed at hip distance and tighten your core.
  2. Bend your elbows until your chest reaches the floor, then push back up.
  3. Be sure to keep your elbows tucked close to your body.

3. Plank


  1. Lie facedown with your forearms on the floor and your hands clasped.
  2. Extend your legs behind you and rise up onto your toes.
  3. Keeping your back straight, tighten your core and hold the position for 30—60 seconds (or as long as you can hang).

4. Squat




  1. Stand with your feet parallel or turned out 15 degrees — whatever is most comfortable.
  2. Slowly start to crouch by bending your hips and knees until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
  3. Make sure your heels do not rise off the floor.
  4. Press through your heels to return to a standing position.

5. Lunge


  1. Stand with your hands on your hips and your feet hip-width apart. floor and bent at least 90 degrees.
  2. Step your right leg forward and slowly lower your body until your left (back) knee is close to or touching the
  3. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
  4. For a variation, try stepping backward into the lunge.



Bodyweight workout: Arms


No equipment? No prob. You can do these effective and fun (and difficult!) arm workouts without a single weight.


Do the following 4 moves for 1 minute each, followed by 1 minute of rest. Aim for 3 rounds — but pay attention to how your body feels so you don’t push it too far too soon.


Uppercut


  1. Stand in a split stance with right foot 1 step ahead of left foot and hips squared (facing forward).
  2. With your right hand, punch up and to the left in a scooping motion.
  3. Quickly repeat on the other side.
  4. Continue to alternate as quickly as possible while maintaining loose knees and a tight core.
  5. Halfway through, switch your stance to the other side

Diver’s push-up




If you’ve done yoga, you’ll recognize that this is like a Chaturanga but a little faster.


  1. Start in Downward-Facing Dog with hands on the floor, hips high, and feet on the floor so you form a triangle.
  2. fluid motion, dive your head toward the floor, coming into a low push-up position, and then swoop chest forward and up so you end in Upward-Facing Dog.
  3. From there, push hips up and back to return to the starting position.

Punch


  1. Start in the same split stance you used for uppercuts, with right foot 1 step ahead of left foot.
  2. Raise both fists, keeping elbows pulled in toward your rib cage.
  3. Punch forward with left hand, slightly rotating torso as you do.
  4. Punch as quickly as possible for half your time.
  5. Switch your stance and punch on the other side.

Triceps push-up with mountain climbers


You may want to do this move on a mat or towel for padding.


  1. Start in a high plank position with core tight.
  2. Lower onto both forearms at the same time, maintaining a tight core and level hips.
  3. Push back up onto hands at the same time to return to the starting position.
  4. Finish by drawing right knee into chest, then left knee into chest, doing a mountain climber.

Make it easier: Power and push back up on one arm at a time, rather than both arms at once. You could also do a push-up on your knees and then lift your knees to do the mountain climber.




Strengthen your Arm




In conclusion


One of the greatest things about calisthenics is that it can form your entire fitness regimen or just one part of it. Just because you do calisthenics doesn’t mean you can’t also lift weights, swim, or ride your bike.


In that sense, calisthenics is the perfect form of exercise. It’s safe, effective, flexible, and inexpensive. Anyone can do it anytime and anywhere. Not even broccoli can claim to be that good.



-- 4 Sources


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    2478/hukin-2014-0040
  • Rodriguez-Rosell D, et al. (2015). Effects of 6 weeks resistance training combined with plyometric and speed exercises on physical performance of pre-peak-height-velocity soccer players. DOI:
    1123/ijspp.2015-0176
  • Slimani M, et al. (2016). Effects of plyometric training on physical fitness in team sport athletes: A systematic review. DOI:
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