You don’t always need to spend a lot of money on gym fees or fancy tools to start working out. Bodyweight workouts are a quick, easy, and convenient way for newbies to get stronger, more flexible, and more able to handle stress.
You can do these workouts no matter how fit you are because they only use your body weight as support. The good news is that you can do these moves anywhere: at home, in a park, or while traveling. Here are seven of the best exercises you can do with your own body to get started living a healthier, more active life.
1. Air Squat
An important bodyweight exercise for strengthening the lower body, the air squat works the quads, hamstrings, and hips. It also works the core, which makes you more stable and balanced. If you want to do an air squat right, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes turned out just a bit.
Like you’re sitting in a chair, bend your knees and push your hips back to lower your body. During the whole move, keep your back straight and chest up. To get back to the starting position, push through your heels once your legs are straight out from your body.
This move makes your legs stronger and also makes your hips and knees more flexible. For starters, try for two to three sets of ten to fifteen reps each. Over time, you can add more reps or try more difficult versions, such as jump squats, to make the workout harder.
2. Lunge
Lunges are a great way to make your legs stronger and your balance better. They help fix muscle weaknesses because you only work out one leg at a time. They work the quads, hamstrings, hips, and calves. To do a good lunge, stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart.
Take a step forward with one leg and bend both knees so that they are about 90 degrees apart. Make sure that your front knee doesn’t go past your toes and stays right above your ankle. To get back to the starting position, push through the bottom of your front foot. Do this again with the other leg.
For beginners, it’s more important to stay in control and use good form than to rush through the reps. You can start with lunges using only your own body weight and work up to walking lunges or weights once you’re ready.
3. Alternating Side Lunge
The alternating side lunge is a great way to work out your hips, hamstrings, and the muscles on the inside and outside of your legs. This side-to-side movement also improves balance and hip mobility, two things that standard front-and-back workouts don’t always focus on.
Stand with your feet farther apart than shoulder-width apart to start. Bend one knee and push your hips back while keeping the other leg straight. This will move your weight to one side. Keep your chin up and make sure your bent knee doesn’t go past your toes.
To get back to the middle, push off the bent leg and do it again on the other side. This move is great for improving balance because it stretches and improves the lower body. Start with two to three sets of eight to ten reps on each side. For the best results, move slowly and carefully.
4. Push-Up
Push-ups are one of the best workouts you can do with your own body to strengthen your core and upper body. The chest, shoulders, biceps, and abs are worked out. Start in a standing position with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. This is how you do a normal push-up.
Bend your arms and bring your body down toward the ground. Make sure your body is straight from head to feet. Do not let your hips hang down or stand up. In order to get back to the starting position, push through your hands. If regular push-ups are too hard for you to do at first, try knee push-ups or wall push-ups instead.
Start with two to three sets of six to twelve reps. You can work up to full push-ups and try harder versions like diamond push-ups and drop push-ups as your strength grows.
5. Single-Leg Deadlift
The single-leg deadlift is a great way to work out your hamstrings, hips, and lower back with just your body weight. It also improves your balance and agility. Stand on one leg and bend the other leg slightly behind you to do it. Lean forward at the hips and straighten out the leg that you are lifting.
Keep your back flat and slightly bend the knee that you are standing on. Lower your body until it’s almost straight down to the ground. Then, use your hips and legs to get back to the starting position. To keep your balance and stop shaking, keep your core tight the whole time.
This exercise is great for fixing uneven power and making movement more useful. Beginners should start by using their own body weight and do 6–10 reps on each leg for 2–3 sets. They should focus on form and stability over depth or speed.
6. Mountain Climber
Mountain climbers are an active, all-body exercise that makes your heart and lungs stronger and strengthens your core, hips, and legs. Do a high plank with your hands lined up under your shoulders to start. To make it look like you’re running, tighten your core and bring one knee to your chest.
Then, quickly switch legs. Don’t bounce your hips and keep your back flat. Mountain climbs are a great way to get in shape and burn calories. When you first start, do them slowly for 20 to 30 seconds. As your strength grows, add more time or speed.
You don’t need any tools to do this exercise, which is great for speed training and can be easily added to any workout plan to improve cardio.
7. Plank Up and Down
Plank ups and downs, which are sometimes called “commando planks,” are a tough but effective way to strengthen your core and shoulders. As you begin, keep your body straight and do a wrist plank. To get into a high plank, press up on one hand and then the other.
Lower one arm at a time back to the forearm plank position to do the action the other way around. For each rep, switch which arm is leading to make the work more evenly distributed. Don’t rock back and forth; instead, keep your hips as steady as you can.
This move makes your chest, shoulders, and arms stronger as well as your abs and obliques. For beginners, aim for 30 seconds of steady movement or 8–10 reps, making sure to keep a steady pace and good form the whole time.
