Home Workout: Best Bodyweight Exercises at Home For Everyone

In general, it’s best to go to the gym regularly and work out for every single muscle group with all kinds of gym equipment. However, not everyone has that luxury because we’re all busy and this is how working out at home benefits you. But the problem is that there are tons of at-home exercises you can do and you have difficulties finding which ones to do. Well, don’t worry because, in this article, I’ll show the best bodyweight exercises at home which are totally simple and effective for building muscle.”

1. Push-ups

This is definitely the most common and the best bodyweight exercise for your chest muscles. And more importantly, to do this exercise, you don’t need any equipment, even push-up bars. Everything you need is your body. And honestly, I think of push-ups as an assistance exercise to increase my bench press.

Actually, when it comes to push-ups, there are a lot of variations such as feet-elevated push-ups, diamond push-ups, clapping push-ups, and so on. However, if you are not a professional calisthenic practitioner, then I believe that basic push-ups are the best choice for you. Here is how you do it:

Step 1: First, take a knee on the floor and place your hands about 36 inches apart.

Note: The hand placement can be changed, depending on your personal preferences. If you want to hit the triceps harder, just keep your hands closer together.

Step 2: Fully extend your legs until your body is in a straight line and use the balls of your feet to touch the floor
Step 3: Take a deep breath and start lowering your body until your chest gently touches the floor
If you don’t want shoulder pain, retract your shoulders during the movement. Also, keep your core tight so that you won’t overarch your lower back during the last reps.
Step 4: Use the chest muscles (not the arms) to lift your body up until your arms are almost fully extended and exhale at the top of the movement.
Step 5: Repeat the movement for the intended amount of reps.

2. Pull-ups

Now, let’s move on to the best exercise for the back and lats. However, with this exercise, you need a pull-up bar and in my experience, it’s best to have a doorway pull-up bar as it is affordable and doesn’t take up much space. Even though this is basic movement but I believe that it’s not easy at all because you have to lift your body weight. So if you are overweight or your hand grip is too weak, then I’m afraid you’re not ready for this one yet.

How to do it:

Step 1: Grab the bar with your palms facing away from the body and just outside shoulder width.

Note: If your forearms are not strong, just use a thumbless grip so that the muscles won’t fatigue before the back which is the main muscle worked.

Besides, you can change your hand position, depending on your preferences. If you want to work on back thickness, just space out your hands at a distance equal to your shoulder width. And if you’re going to target the lats which make your back wider, then go for a wide grip with your hands much wider than your shoulder width.

Step 2: With both arms fully extended, bring your torso back about 30 degrees or so to create a curvature on the lower back. This is the starting position.
Step 3: Take a deep breath, and pull your body up until your neck or upper chest gently touches the bar for a full range of motion.
Note: Think of your hands as hooks and do not use your arms to lift your body. Try to pull with your elbows by drawing them down and back. Remember to squeeze your back muscles at the top of the movement.
Step 4: Exhale and slowly lower your body to return to the starting position with your arms almost fully extended.
Step 5: Repeat the movement for the intended amount of reps.

3. Plank

What if you want to get abs but there is no such thing as an ab weight bench? Well, don’t worry because there are so many different ab exercises you can do without equipment. For example, you can do crunches, sit-ups, ab wheel rollout, and so on.

But have you ever tried to hold a plank as long as possible yet? If you haven’t, then try it now. Maybe you think that doing a plank is just pressing your forearms into the floor and you can do it for hours on end. Well, if you think so, then you’re so wrong. Also, it helps strengthen your core and improve your endurance very effectively. Trust me, this exercise is much more challenging than it looks. And for me, if you can hold a plank for 3-5 minutes, you’re already awesome.

How to do it:

Step 1: Get on the floor and support your body weight on your forearms and toes. Keep your arms bent just below the shoulder blades.
Step 2: Extend your body until it creates a straight line from the head to the toes. Contract your abs and hold the plank as long as you can while breathing normally.

If this exercise is too easy for you, then try raising an arm or leg and see what happens next.

4. Jump squat

Now, let’s move on to the lower body. Actually, for legs, it’s best to hit the gym and do some squats with a barbell. Let’s face it, your legs are the strongest muscle group of your body and your weight is never as effective as weights in building muscle and strength. However, sometimes we have to make the most of what we have, right?

For me, the best bodyweight exercise for the lower body is the jump squat. It helps you not only strengthen your legs but also improve your flexibility and mobility. That’s the reason why it is a great bodyweight leg exercise for both men and women.

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