Getting in shape or wanting to be healthier doesn’t have to mean purchasing expensive equipment or signing up for a gym membership. Bodyweight exercises are a powerful and accessible way for anyone starting their fitness journey. Whether working out at home, in the park, or while traveling, bodyweight training allows you to use your body as resistance to get fit, burn fat, build strength, improve mobility, boost cardiovascular health, and develop functional strength—no gear required. This article covers the 10 best beginner-friendly bodyweight exercises, the benefits of bodyweight training, and the most effective training modalities to help you get started on the right foot.
10 Best Beginner-Friendly Bodyweight Exercises
Bodyweight training is a form of strength and conditioning that uses your body as resistance without needing equipment. It focuses on functional movements that build strength, endurance, and mobility. Perfect for beginners and adaptable for all fitness levels, bodyweight training can be done anywhere. Research shows that bodyweight training can enhance cardiorespiratory fitness. It’s also an effective way to improve overall fitness, burn fat, and build lean muscle using just your body.
It’s important to start with movements that are safe, effective, and easy to learn when you’re new to fitness or getting back into the groove of things. These 10 beginner-friendly bodyweight exercises target major muscle groups, improve coordination, and build foundational strength.
1. Squats
Squats are one of the most effective bodyweight exercises for building lower-body strength. They target the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core, while improving balance, mobility, and functional movement patterns used in daily life like sitting, lifting, and standing.
2. Push-Ups
Push-ups are a classic bodyweight exercise that strengthens the upper body, specifically your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. They improve upper body strength, enhance core stability, and can be easily modified to suit all fitness levels—from knee push-ups for beginners to advanced variations like decline or diamond push-ups.
3. Glute Bridges
Glute Bridges are a great beginner-friendly bodyweight exercise that targets your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. They help strengthen the posterior chain, improve hip mobility, and support better posture. Bridges are beneficial for those who sit for long periods.
4. Planks
Planks are a core-strengthening exercise that targets the abs, back, shoulders, and chest—all while improving posture and stability. This simple, isometric move builds endurance in the deep core muscles, which are essential for balance, injury prevention, and overall functional strength.
5. Burpees
Burpees are a powerful full-body exercise that combines strength, cardio, and coordination in one dynamic movement. They work multiple muscle groups such as the chest, legs, core, and shoulders. Burpees rapidly increase your heart rate, making them excellent for building endurance and burning calories.
6. Wall Sits
Wall squats or wall sits are a great beginner-friendly bodyweight exercise that strengthens the quads, glutes, calves, and core while improving lower body endurance. By pressing your back against a wall and holding a seated position, you build muscular stamina and stability without putting stress on the knees or lower back.
7. Lunges (Stationary or Walking)
Lunges are a powerful lower-body exercise that targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves while also improving balance and stability. They help correct muscle imbalances between legs and build functional strength, essential for everyday activities like walking, climbing stairs, or lifting. Walking lunges are a more dynamic variation of the lunge that works the same muscles.
8. Superman Exercise
The superman is a simple yet powerful bodyweight exercise that targets the lower back, glutes, and shoulders. By lifting your arms, chest, and legs off the ground while lying face down, you activate the posterior chain—improving posture, spinal stability, and core strength.
9. Step-Up
Step-ups are a simple yet effective lower-body exercise that targets the quads, glutes, and hamstrings while also challenging your balance and coordination. By mimicking real-life movements like climbing stairs, step-ups help build functional strength and improve stability.
10. Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are a dynamic, high-intensity bodyweight exercise that targets the core, shoulders, and legs while also providing a cardiovascular challenge. By alternating knee drives toward the chest in a plank position, this exercise engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously, improving strength, endurance, and agility—all while boosting heart rate for a full-body workout.
Calisthenics
You might be wondering whether calisthenics is right for you. If you’re just starting out, it may not be the ideal form of training to begin with. Bodyweight training and calisthenics are terms that are often used interchangeably, but they’re not quite the same.
Calisthenics is a type of bodyweight training, but it’s a more specialized discipline. It focuses on developing strength, control, and technique through advanced bodyweight movements, including pull-ups, muscle-ups, planches, levers, and handstands. Calisthenics places a strong emphasis on progression, body control, and balance. In short, all calisthenics are bodyweight exercises, but not all bodyweight exercises qualify as calisthenics.
Benefits of Bodyweight Training
Now that you know the best beginner-friendly bodyweight exercises, let’s delve into the benefits of bodyweight training:
- Convenient and Accessible: These moves require no equipment or a gym membership. Bodyweight exercises can be done anywhere, making them ideal for creating a consistent workout routine.
- Low Impact: These beginner-friendly bodyweight exercises offer a low-impact option, making them gentle on the joints while still strengthening you, benefiting your heart, and reducing your risk of injury. These are perfect for beginners or those recovering from injury.
- Scalable for All Levels: Bodyweight exercises can be easily modified to suit beginners. As you advance, you can start practicing calisthenics.
- Functional Strength: These bodyweight exercises replicate everyday movements, helping to train your muscles for better functionality while enhancing balance, mobility, coordination, and overall performance in real-world activities.
- Improved Balance and Stability: Challenging your core and stabilizing muscles with these bodyweight exercises improves your balance and stability.
- Efficient Full-Body Workouts: Some of these beginner-friendly bodyweight exercises are powerful full-body workouts. They engage multiple muscle groups at once, allowing you to get a complete workout in less time. This full-body approach boosts your metabolism, enhances muscle endurance, and helps improve overall fitness without the need for equipment or spending hours at the gym.
Best Training Modalities for Beginners
There are a variety of straightforward training methods you can use to maximize the benefits of bodyweight training. Below are some key training modalities along with examples of how to include them in your routine:
Circuit Training
Circuit training involves performing a series of exercises back-to-back with minimal rest. It’s an excellent way to improve cardiovascular endurance, build strength, and burn calories efficiently.
- Perform 4–6 exercises in a row with minimal rest between
AMRAP
AMRAP (As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible) is a high-intensity training method where you perform a set of exercises for a designated time, aiming to complete as many rounds or repetitions as possible. AMRAP boosts cardiovascular fitness and mental stamina and pushes both endurance and strength to their limits.
- Set a timer and repeat a set of exercises for as many reps or rounds as possible within that time
EMOM
EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) is a training method where you complete a set number of reps at the start of each minute, using the remaining time to rest before starting the next round. EMOM helps build endurance and speed and teaches pacing and intensity control.
- Complete a set number of reps at the start of each minute, resting for the remainder of the minute
Tempo Training
Tempo training involves controlling the speed of each movement, focusing on slow, deliberate reps to increase muscle time under tension, enhance strength, and improve overall muscle control.
- Focus on slow, controlled movements to build strength and body awareness – For example, lower in 3 seconds, pause, then press up in 1 second
Progressive Overload with Volume or Time
Progressive overload with volume or time involves gradually increasing the number of reps, sets, or duration of each exercise. This helps you challenge your body, avoid plateaus, and promote muscle growth and continuous strength and endurance gains over time.
- You can increase volume every 1–2 weeks and increase total training time gradually, usually every 2–3 weeks
Keep in mind that no matter what training modality or exercise you choose to practice, Stretching should be a vital component of your bodyweight training routine. It helps improve flexibility, enhance joint mobility, and reduce the risk of injury. Stretching before a workout (dynamic stretching) warms up the muscles and prepares the body for movement, while post-workout static stretching helps relax tight muscles and support recovery. Stretching also promotes better posture and reduces muscle soreness.
Final Thoughts
Staying fit without fitness equipment is not only possible but quite effective. The benefits of bodyweight training are numerous, providing a strong foundation for strength, mobility, and endurance. By mastering these beginner-friendly bodyweight exercises and applying some of the training methods described above, you’ll build confidence, see results, and set the stage for lifelong fitness success. The best part of bodyweight training is that you can train anytime and anywhere – at home, at the gym, outdoors, or even when you are traveling. Whether you’re starting from scratch or getting back into the groove, start where you are, use what you have, and let your body become your best tool for transformation.
To a Fitter Healthier You,
The Fitness Wellness Mentor
