No Gym Required: 5 Bodyweight Moves to Get Faster, Fitter, and Stronger

Most people never start their fitness transformation because they can’t make the time to hit the gym. However, contrary to what the modern fitness culture might have you believe, you don’t need gyms packed with pricey equipment to carve a chiseled physique.

Bodyweight exercises are extremely versatile and can be done anywhere at any time to target virtually every muscle group.

As a personal trainer who specializes in home trainers, I have helped numerous individuals build the physique of their dreams using only bodyweight exercises.

In this article, I reveal the five best functional bodyweight exercises that can help you improve your strength, speed, and endurance without requiring you to get a gym membership. You’ll also learn how to program these exercises correctly into your workouts to boost your athletic performance.

1. Burpees: The Ultimate Full-Body Blast 

Most of us have a love-hate relationship with this full-body strength movement. The concentric push-up motion and the jump will help build explosive power and agility, translating to better athletic performance.

Since burpees involve all the major muscle groups (chest, shoulders, triceps, core, quads, and glutes) and usually require cycling through multiple reps in a single set, it is an excellent endurance builder.

This exercise will rip through fat like a hot knife through butter. However, you must prioritize good form to minimize joint strain.

How To Perform Burpees:

1. Stand upright with a hip-width stance.
2. Squat down and place your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor.
3. Frog jump your legs back so your body is in a straight line and in a high plank position.
4. Perform a push-up.
5. Frog jump your legs as close to your hands as possible and stand upright.
6. Jump and raise your hands overhead.
7. Slightly bend your knees for a soft landing.
8. This is one rep.

Modify For Different Experience Levels:

While intermediate exercisers must do the exercise as explained above, beginners can step their feet back and forth in the push-up position instead of jumping. On the other hand, advanced exercisers can add burpees over the bar to their routine. You can even use a broom or a shoe box for this exercise.

Common Mistakes To Avoid:

• Scale the exercise: Lower the intensity when you start to fatigue. Don’t push yourself to the point of injury.
• Control the movement: Avoid rushing through the exercise and perform each rep with control and precision. Focus on soft landing to prevent joint stress.

2. Squats: The King of Lower Body Strength

If burpees are the most dreaded exercise of all time, squats are not too far behind. Nonetheless, this exercise is a staple in almost every strength sport athlete’s training regime for building strength and muscle mass.

This exercise is excellent for sports athletes as it builds speed, agility, and maneuverability. Squats are also incredibly effective for getting your heart rate up, burning calories, and challenging your cardiovascular system.

How To Perform Squats:

1. Stand tall with a shoulder-width stance.
2. Hold your hands in front of your body so they are parallel to the floor.
3. Maintaining an upright torso, flex your knees to lower towards the floor.
4. Go as low as your mobility allows.
5. Explode back to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the recommended reps.

Modify For Different Experience Levels:

While beginners should stick with air squats, intermediate exercisers should prioritize jump squats as they add a plyometric boost to your workout, helping maximize strength and power generation. Finally, advanced athletes can aim for pistol squats, as it also involves core strength and balance.

Common Mistakes To Avoid:

• Knees caving in: Although this won’t result in a knee catastrophe, it can lead to weak glute muscles in the long term. (1)
• Rounding the back: Hunching can lead to back pain and injury when lifting heavier weights. You should stay away from this habit.

3. Push-ups: The Foundation of Upper Body Strength

Push-ups are one of the first strength training exercises people try when starting their fitness journey. This is one of the best bodyweight exercises to boost upper body strength, muscle endurance, and athleticism.

How To Perform Push-Ups:

1. Get into a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your legs extended behind you. Your body should be in a straight line.
2. Keeping your elbows tight to the sides, slowly lower your chest towards the floor.
3. Pause in the fully lengthened position for a second.
4. Return to the starting position in an explosive manner.

Modify For Different Experience Levels:

Folks lacking upper body strength should opt for wall or kneeling push-ups, as it reduces the weight you must lift. Advanced exercises can opt for decline or one-arm push-ups to further challenge their upper body strength. I also have my clients perform plyo push-ups to maximize upper body strength gains and agility.

Common Mistakes To Avoid:

• Letting your hips sag or lifting them up: These are the two most common mistakes people make while performing push-ups, and both remove tension from the target muscles and transfer it to secondary muscles.

4. Lunges: Stride Towards Enhanced Speed and Stability

There are only a few exercises that help build lower body strength and power, core stability, and balance, like lunges. Whether you are a seasoned athlete or just starting your fitness journey, lunges are an excellent way to boost your performance and build a rock-solid foundation.

How To Perform Lunges:

1. Stand erect with your feet hip-width apart
2. Step forward with your left leg.
3. Flex at your knees and hips until your rear knee gently touches the floor.
4. Drive your front foot into the floor and extend your knee to return to the upright standing position.
5. Repeat on the right leg.
6. Alternate between sides for the recommended reps.

Modify For Different Experience Levels:

While walking lunges are an excellent exercise, beginners should start with standing unilateral lunges to drill the movement mechanics and deepen the mind-muscle connection. More experienced trainers can vary their form to target different muscles. For instance, taking smaller steps during walking lunges leads to greater quad and glute recruitment, whereas larger strides bias the hamstrings.

Common Mistakes To Avoid:

• Knees over toes: Much has been said about how extending the knees over the toes can strain the joints. However, there is no scientific evidence to back up these claims. So, feel free to drive your knees forward during this exercise to load the quads.
• Torso position: Keeping an upright torso is not always the best solution. Folks trying to load the hamstrings and glutes should prioritize leaning forward to achieve a deep target muscle stretch with each rep.

5. Plank: Core Strength for Enhanced Performance

Isometric exercises like planks are incredibly effective for building strength and power. Holding the same position increases time under constant tension, helping maximize muscle stimulation and adaptations. (2)

I highly recommend that all types of athletes make planks a constant part of their routine to build core strength and promote stability. This will carry over to other functional exercises and boost your performance in daily functioning.

How To Perform Planks:

1. Get on all fours.
2. Position your elbows on the floor under your shoulders; your forearms should be parallel.
3. Extend your legs behind you so your body is in a straight line.
4. Brace your core and hold this position for as long as possible.

Modify For Different Experience Levels:

Beginners should focus on mastering the conventional forearm planks before moving on to more challenging variations, like the side plank. More challenging variations, like a plank with leg raises or shoulder taps, can be more effective for building core strength and endurance.

Common Mistakes To Avoid:

• Holding your breath: Steady breathing is vital for optimal planking performance. Holding your breath limits for how long you can hold the plank position. Furthermore, like with push-ups, avoid piking or dropping your hips while performing this exercise to ensure your abs are doing most of the work.

Creating Your No-Gym Workout Routine

Now that you have mastered these five bodyweight exercises, here are the ultimate no-gym workout routines for lifters of varying experience levels:

Beginner Bodyweight Exercise Routine

Start each workout with a five to 10-minute warm-up routine to prime the target muscles, maximize stimulation, and limit injury risk.

Exercise	Sets	Reps/Hold Time
Squats	3	8-12 reps
Push-ups	3	AMRAP
Lunges	3	8-12 reps per leg
Plank	1	30 seconds
Burpees	3	8-12 reps

Intermediate Bodyweight Exercise Routine

You will basically aim for a higher number of reps per exercise in this workout.

Exercise	Sets	Reps/Hold Time
Squats	3	12-15 reps
Push-ups	3	AMRAP
Walking Lunges	3	10-12 reps per leg
Plank	1	45-60 seconds
Burpees	3	12-15 reps

Advanced Bodyweight Exercise Routine

In this workout, you’ll perform advanced variations of these five exercises for a greater challenge.

Exercise	Sets	Reps/Hold Time
Jump Squats	3	10-12 reps
Decline Push-ups (feet elevated)	3	AMRAP
Jumping Lunges	3	10-12 reps per leg
Plank with alternating leg raises	3	Hold each leg raise for 5 seconds
Burpees with plyo push-ups	3	15-20 reps

Things To Consider While Performing These 5 Bodyweight Exercises:

Your success in transforming your physique with these fundamental exercises hinges on the following factors:

Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is the name of the game when it comes to making consistent gains. Gradually increase the number of sets or reps or switch to more challenging variations to ensure optimal stimulation for growth.

Focus on Form

Since these are bodyweight exercises, many people are too lenient with their form, especially as fatigue starts to set in. Not only can a sloppy form lead to suboptimal muscle stimulation, but it also increases the possibility of injury.

Vary Your Routine

Sticking to the same routine over an extended period is the biggest gain killer. You must constantly vary your routine to keep your muscles from adapting to it. Plus, it will also keep your workouts more exciting.

Listen to Your Body

Stop an exercise if something feels weird or unnatural. Avoid pushing yourself to the point of pain. Rest and recovery are just as important for building strength and muscle mass.

Conclusion

Burpees, squats, pushups, lunges, and planks are incredibly effective bodyweight exercises for building muscle, strength, endurance, and speed. They are suitable for exercisers of all experience levels and can be done anywhere at any time.

Remember, you don’t have to perform all these five exercises during the same workout from the get-go. Begin by adding one or two exercises to your routine, and then add more as you get more comfortable.

If you have any questions about these five exercises or need help implementing them into your routine, post them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References:

1. Escamilla R. F. (2001). Knee biomechanics of the dynamic squat exercise. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 33(1), 127–141.
2. Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, et al. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012;590(2):351-362. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200

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