If you’ve ever skipped your workout because you didn’t have enough time, there wasn’t enough room, or you didn’t have your usual dumbbells or resistance band, you’re not alone.
There are many exercises you can do without equipment that can be just as good for you. With a little help from gravity, your own body is a great way to work your muscles.
Here are the exercises that top trainers swear by, both for their clients and for themselves, that don’t require any equipment. There’s a go-to exercise for everyone, whether you’re looking for a cardio boost or want to work your legs, butts, core, arms, or all of the above. There’s no need for whistles or kettlebells.
Kevin McAlpine, the head trainer at Burn 60: Push-up
McAlpine’s go-to exercise when he’s on the go is a classic for a reason: Push-ups are one of the best exercises you can do with your own body. “This move will mostly work your chest, triceps, and anterior deltoid muscles,” says McAlpine. “These are the shoulders’ front muscles.” It also gives your core a good workout.. Plus, doing push-ups and seeing yourself get better over time makes you feel like a badass.
- Begin in a high plank position, with your hands shoulder-width apart and your wrists stacked under your shoulders.
- Keeping your body in a straight line and your core engaged, inhale as you bend your arms to lower your chest to the ground. If you can’t keep your back flat or bend your arms all the way so that your chest is almost touching the floor, you can do a modified push-up by putting your knees on the floor.
- As you push back up to the starting position, let out a breath.
Reps: McAlpine says to do as many reps as you can while keeping good form, and to do this for 3–5 sets in total (rest for 1 minute in between each).
Erika Bloom is a Pilates instructor and the founder of Erika Bloom Pilates: Air Swimming
Bloom says, “This is one of my favorite ways to work out at home because it strengthens the muscles that help you stand up straight.” In other words, it’s a great way to target your posterior chain, which is the back of your body. This is important for improving your posture, preventing back pain, and making sure you have balanced strength, which is a big part of healthy movement in and out of the gym.
- Lie on your stomach and put your arms up by your ears.
- Raise your chest, arms, and legs off the floor and squeeze your glutes.
- Move your arms and legs up and down, but don’t let them touch the ground.
Reps: Take a four-second breath in, then a four-second breath out, and then do both again, for a total of 16 seconds. Perform 3 sets with 1 minute of rest between each.
Jason Walsh, the founder and CEO of Rise Nation: Superman Punch
One of Walsh’s favorite exercises, like Bloom’s, works on the back of the body. Walsh says, “This is a great move because it works on the weakest parts of the back chain.” “If you do it right, it really works the back, shoulders, and butt.”
- Lie on your stomach and put your arms up by your ears.
- Raise your chest, arms, legs, and butt off the floor and squeeze it.
- Pull your elbows in toward your sides and then punch up. Don’t let your arms or legs touch the floor. Repeat this punching motion while keeping your arms and legs in the air and your glutes engaged.
Reps: Start with 10 seconds and do it again three to five times. Walsh says that as you get better, you should try to add more seconds.
Amelia DiDomenico, owner of the Amrose Fitness Studio in West Hollywood, says: Bulgarian Split Squat
Even though you don’t need anything to do a Bulgarian split squat, you can still do them pretty much anytime, anywhere. According to DiDomenico, “it works a lot of different muscle groups,” and it can be done anywhere, including on a couch, bench, small table, or even an airport chair. The move really works your lower body. Your quads, glutes, inner thighs, hamstrings, and even calves will feel it.
Stand so that your back is against the “bench.” Place the top of your right foot, shoelaces down, on the bench. Your left foot should be on the floor a few feet in front of the bench.
Place your hands behind your head, then contract your abs.
Amelia DiDomenico, owner of the Amrose Fitness Studio in West Hollywood, says: Bulgarian Split Squat
Even though you don’t need anything to do a Bulgarian split squat, you can still do them pretty much anytime, anywhere. According to DiDomenico, “it works a lot of different muscle groups,” and it can be done anywhere, including on a couch, bench, small table, or even an airport chair. The move really works your lower body. Your quads, glutes, inner thighs, hamstrings, and even calves will feel it.
Stand so that your back is against the “bench.” Place the top of your right foot, shoelaces down, on the bench. Your left foot should be on the floor a few feet in front of the bench.
Place your hands behind your head, then contract your abs.
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Bend your knees to begin a split squat. Your left knee should be bent 90 degrees so that your thigh is parallel to the floor and your right knee is just above the floor. (Quick check: your left foot should be far enough away from the bench that you can do this without letting your left knee go past your left toes. If you can’t, hop with your left foot farther from the bench.)
Using your left heel, stand back up to where you started.
Reps: DiDomenico says to try to do 15 to 18 reps on one leg and then switch. On each side, do four sets.
Astrid Swan, a celebrity trainer and Barry’s Bootcamp instructor: Bulgarian Split Squat to Decline Push-Up
If you’re ready to move on from classic Bulgarian split squats, Swan’s amped-up version includes your upper body for a full-body workout. She says, “This mix of moves works your legs, butt, chest, back, arms, and core.” “Not only does it work all of your major muscle groups, but it also helps you improve your balance.”
- Start in the position for a Bulgarian split squat (shown above), with your left foot on the floor and your right foot on the bench. After lowering into a split lunge by bending your left knee, bend forward at the hips and put both hands on the ground next to your left foot.
- Lift your left foot and put it on the bench next to your right foot to make a decline plank. Bend your elbows to lower your chest to the ground to do one decline push-up. For an even bigger challenge, don’t put your left foot on the bench. Instead, keep it hovering above it.
- Depending on how close you are to the box, you may need to move your hands a few inches forward before doing a push-up so that you can fully extend your legs. You can also bend your knees slightly (as shown) to make up for the distance, so you don’t have to shuffle. Just tighten your stomach and keep your back flat.
- Straighten your elbows to push yourself back up, then pull your left knee in toward your chest and put your left foot back where it was.
- To get back to the starting position, take your hands off the ground and stand back up.
Reps: Swan says to do 6 to 10 reps on one side, and then switch sides.
Andrea Speir, Celebrity Pilates Instructor and SPEIR Pilates Founder: Single-Leg Tricep Dip
Many arm exercises focus on the biceps, but this simple isolation move works the triceps, which are the muscles on the back of your arms. (If your biceps tend to work too hard, this is a great way to make sure you’re building strength all over your upper body.) Speir says, “This area is really worked on by pulling your elbows in toward your body and using your own bodyweight.” And it’s easy to do just about anywhere.
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground about hip-distance apart. Put your hands behind you with the tips of your fingers facing you.
- Lift your hips up to get your butt off the ground and put your weight back on your hands. Then lift your right leg up so it points toward the ceiling.
- Your arms should be bent so that your butt is just above the ground. Keep your elbows close to your sides and close to the middle of your body. Don’t let them flare out at an angle as you lower down.
- Straighten your arms to go back to where you started.
Reps: Speir says to do 20 reps on the same side and then 20 reps with the other leg up toward the ceiling.
Noam Tamir, the founder of TS Fitness in NYC: Breakdancer
Breakdancers, who are also called “sit-outs,” are something Tamir likes. He says, “The sit-up is a combination of flexibility, stability, strength, and coordination.” They work your arms, your glutes, and your whole core. Also, once you get the hang of it, you can start moving faster, making it a low-impact cardio move.
- Start by getting down on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Raise your knees just a little bit off the floor.
- Keeping your buttocks low, bring your right leg up under your torso and turn your body to the left. Hold your left arm out in front of you (as shown). When you get the hang of the move and want to test your balance even more, reach out with your right arm and tap your right foot.
- Flip around and perform the same thing on the opposite side.
Reps: Tamir suggests trying to do 15 reps on each side, switching back and forth, and 3 sets total.
