Many beginners do not have the luxury of gym equipment, let alone a gym membership. They want to jump into the fitness journey but are not able to do so because they think they cannot workout without equipment.
Good news! When you are new, you can build muscle to a certain level without any equipment. To build muscle, your body needs to train itself against some form of resistance. You can easily perform that resistance training at home with only your body weight.
In this article, I will discuss everything that you need to know about bodyweight training. From selecting exercises and how to perform them to selecting the optimal training routine, I will discuss everything so that you do not need to worry about all these factors. You can follow the advice I am going to provide in the article and start your fitness journey right away.
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What exercises can you perform with body weight?
There are many bodyweight exercises you can perform. However, only some exercises will provide bang for the buck. If you scroll social media, you will find a variety of secret exercises that will guarantee you to get muscle like pro bodybuilders within three months of doing bodyweight circuit exercises, which are total “BS”. The only thing they are guaranteeing is a waste of time. So do not fall for that; muscles are built through the basic exercises over time and not some fancy secret routine.
To save you valuable time, I will provide exercises to help you grow different body parts using your body weight. Let’s discuss the exercises.
Push-ups (Chest)
The good old push-ups are one of the most excellent chest-building exercises you can do without equipment. When you are a beginner, it will give you the much-needed resistance that your chest needs to develop strength and mass.
Pushups can be challenging initially, but you can do multiple without breaking a sweat over time. If you are a beginner struggling to do pushups, you can do knee pushups. When you build up some strength, you can start doing regular pushups.
How to Perform:
- Get on the knees in a crawling position.
- Put your hands slightly wider than the shoulder width.
- Straighten your legs so your knees are levitated and no longer touching the ground.
- Embrace the core and keep your back straight. Do not bend over throughout the movement.
- Slowly go down until you reach close to the floor.
- Push your body up with the power of your chest until you reach the starting position.
Diamond Pushups (Triceps)
Diamond pushups are a variation of regular pushups. However, they are more triceps-biased.
In this variation of pushups, you need to keep your hands close so that your triceps take most of the load. The process is very similar to regular pushups.
How to perform:
- Position yourself in the plank position.
- Form a triangular or diamond shape with your fingers (Both arms should be that close that the thumbs of each hand can touch each other)
- Embrace the core and keep a straight back. Do not bend your back.
- Your body weight should be held by your arm strength (Triceps)
- Slowly lower your body until it almost reaches parallel to the floor.
- Push back up by using the strength of your triceps.
Bench Dips (Triceps)
Bench Dips train your triceps from a different angle and are great triceps-building exercises using the body weight.
You do not need any equipment to perform them. Any stable bench, chair, or even your bed is enough to perform this exercise.
How to perform:
- Find a stable, flat surface at least 2 to 3 feet higher than the ground, such as a flat table, chair, or platform.
- Sit at the edge of the flat surface and place each hand on the side of the hips. Your hand will be fixed in that position.
- Extend your legs in front of the body.
- Move your glutes forward so your body weight gets shifted over your hands.
- Keep your back straight.
- Slowly go down until you reach a 75 to 90-degree angle.
- Use the force of your triceps to push your body up.
Pike Pushups (Shoulder)
Shoulders can be tricky to hit using only body weight. However, there is a solution. Pike pushups can effectively train the shoulders using only body weight.
The movement can be complex, but it will become straightforward if you keep practicing.
How to perform:
- Put your hands shoulders width apart on the floor.
- Straighten your legs. So that you go on a hunchback position.
- Push your shoulders down in front of the body.
- Slowly push back the shoulders to go back to the starting position.
Pull-ups (Back)
Pull-ups are great back muscle builders. They are one of the best compound exercises for developing back muscles.
If you do not have a pull-up bar at home, you can find one in the nearby parks. It will be hard for you initially, as lifting body weight is tough. However, start doing it, and slowly, you will see progress.
How to perform:
- Grab the pull-up bar that is more expansive than the shoulder width.
- Arch your back by pulling the shoulder blades down and tightening your core.
- Bend your legs for stabilization.
- Pull your body up to your chin height or chest height.
- Slowly go down by controlling the weight, and hold that position for a second.
Chin-ups (Back and Biceps)
Chin-ups will not only help you to grow your back but also assist in developing your biceps.
You will see that gymnasts have big biceps, and most of them are built up by doing chin-ups.
How to perform:
- Grab the bar to your shoulder width with a supinated grip (Palm facing towards the body).
- Arch your back by pulling the shoulder blades down and tightening your core.
- Bend your legs for stabilization.
- Pull your body up to your chin height.
- Slowly go down by controlling the weight, and hold that position for a second.
Situps (Abs)
Remember to train your core muscles, as they provide great assistance in almost every exercise. Situps are one of the best exercises you can perform at home to strengthen your abdominal muscles.
The best part of the exercise is you can do that anywhere.
How to perform:
- Lie on your back on any plain surface.
- Bend your knees. Your knees should be fixed throughout the exercise.
- Put your hands on the chest or in the temple.
- Push your body up till you reach a sitting position.
- Slowly go down by controlling your body weight.
Squats (Legs)
The king of leg exercises, squats, are very good exercises that emphasize growing the quads and glutes.
You can develop a ton of mass in the leg area by properly performing squats.
How to perform:
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Toes should be pointed outward.
- Arch your back and tighten your core.
- You can raise your arms in front of the body for more stability.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees while going down on the squat position.
- Push your body up with the power of your heels.
Bulgarian Split Squat (Legs)
One of the top exercises for legs contributes to developing quads, hamstrings, and glutes together.
Maintaining balance can be challenging at the beginning of this exercise, but it will become very easy after some time. It will also help you train the stabilizer muscles.
How to Perform:
- Put your hands on each side of the waist.
- Sit on the bench or a chair, stretch one leg in front of you, and place the other on the bench (Your toes should only be on the bench).
- Keep your body upright.
- Slowly go down while controlling the weight.
- Push the weight up using the power of your heel.
Bodyweight Lunges (Legs)
Lunges are a great stability builder. It helps to improve muscle power and stability.
The best part about bodyweight lunges is that you do not need anything to perform them; just a straightway is enough.
How to Perform:
- Stand straight with your hands on each side of your waist.
- Your legs should be within shoulder-width distance. Arch your back and embrace the core.
- Take a long to medium step and put the weight of your body onto the leg you took the step on by lowering your body. Bend the other leg so you can go down entirely.
- Press your body up by using the power of your leg, and then do the same with the opposite leg.
- Do at least 5 to 10 reps for each leg.
How can you design your workout routine?
There are different kinds of workout routines. We have a separate article related to that; you can check it for clarity.
If you are a beginner, there are many variables that you will need help to distinguish and choose the most appropriate routine for you. My suggestion is to train for a 4-day full-body workout routine. Here is a customized plan for you:
Day | Exercises |
Sunday | Pushups, Bench Dips, Chin-ups, Squats, Situps |
Monday | Rest Day |
Tuesday | Diamond pushups, Pull-ups, Pike Pushups, Bulgarian Split Squats, Bodyweight Lunges |
Wednesday | Rest Day |
Thursday | Pushups, Bench Dips, Chin-ups, Squats, Situps |
Friday | Diamond pushups, Pull-ups, Pike Pushups, Bulgarian Split Squats, Bodyweight Lunges |
Saturday | Rest Day |
For each exercise, do three sets for 8-12 reps. You can follow this routine or modify the rest days to your liking. After you get familiar with the exercises, you can buy some dumbbells or resistance bands to increase the efficiency of your workouts.
When you master the basics, read the following article to design your new workout routine. I have a separate article for each body part, which will help you choose the best exercises for you even if you continue to work out at home.
Please provide valuable feedback so I can understand and improve the article’s qualities.