List of Equipment-Free Home Bodyweight Exercises
Having a trusty list of bodyweight exercises in your repertoire is vital to enable you to get a good workout in wherever you are and whatever circumstances you’re in. Always practical and great results!
Getting to the gym isn’t always possible – holidays, family to look after, and work schedules mean that being able to workout at home is much more realistic for most people. Of course not everyone wants to buy, or has room for, lots of exercise equipment to keep at home.
This is why you need a list of bodyweight exercises
You can mix and match depending on what you want to do that day, can provide all you need in terms of getting in a full body workout that’s both effective and convenient.
Don’t be fooled into thinking bodyweight exercises are too easy. In fact one of their great benefits is how you can progress and regress exercises by changing reps, sets, position or lever length to make an exercise easier or harder depending on your strength and fitness levels.
It’s best to get a variety of exercises over the week for each body part, so that you get a full body workout and your muscles develop evenly with no imbalances or weak areas, which can lead to overcompensating with stronger muscles and are more likely to lead to overuse injuries.
I’ll point out here that I have almost 100 (at the time of counting) exercise demo videos on a playlist on my YouTube Channel you might want to save here.
Here’s a list of bodyweight exercises you can do at home with no equipment.
Part 1 covers Upper Body exercises
Your upper body – arms, back and shoulders are more visible than other body parts, especially during the warmer Summer months, so from an aesthetic point of view everyone likes to have a nice set of arms to show off when the woolly jumpers get removed.
But from a functional point of view having a strong upper body makes life a lot easier. Carrying shopping bags, lifting children and clearing heavy items from the attic are all much easier and safer if you have the muscles to support your joints and back.
Injuries caused by lifting things heavier than you can safely manage mean you could be off exercise for months while you recover, which is definitely a setback in the long run.
Doing upper body exercises, even without weights, will help give you the strength and stability to carry out heavy tasks without tiring out so fast, risking injury, or having to ask for help each time something needs moving!
- Batmans
- Tricep Dips
- Walking Push Ups
…are all included, with full instructions, on the article.
…and also Leg exercises
The leg muscles are the largest in the body, meaning that when you use them, you get a lot of bang for your buck in terms of calorie burning, muscle building and other benefits of exercise like improving insulin sensitivity (important in keeping blood sugar levels healthy and preventing Diabetes).
Having strong legs will help prevent injuries due to joint instability – not enough muscle to keep joints aligned properly when moving, especially under intense loads when exercising.
- Bulgarian Split Squats
- Reverse Lunges
- Glute Bridges
…are all included, with full instructions.
Part two covers Core (tummy) exercises
It’s a misunderstanding that you need to do 100′s of targeted core exercises like sit ups and crunches to get abs. In fact most exercises, especially full body compound exercises, will use the core to some extent to stabilise the body, keep you in position and prevent you from toppling over!
If it’s visible abs you’re after, diet plays an important part as you’ll need to reduce body fat levels through eating a caloric deficit to be able to see the 6 pack you’ve developed. That being said, core exercises do work, and will help build the 6 pack muscles as well as surrounding and back muscles that help stabilise your spine and prevent back injuries.
- Oblique Twists
- Plank
- Swimmers
…are all included, with detailed instructions on how to do them
…and Cardio exercises
Cardiovascular exercise is good for getting your heart rate up, working your lungs, and improving stamina. But you don’t have to leave the house for a run or spend hours on the treadmill.
As long as you can feel your body temperature rising, your heart beating faster and your lungs working harder to get air in, you’ll be getting all the benefits of cardiovascular exercise from the comfort of your home or garden.
- Burpees
- Tuck Jumps
- Mountain Climbers
….are all ones you can do indoors if you can’t get out for a run or cycle.
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