If the nation has learned anything about fitness during the pandemic, it is that bodyweight exercises deserve a place in even the most dedicated bodybuilding training plan. We’d wager that if you didn’t appreciate the untapped potential of a no-weights workout before March 2020, you almost certainly do now.
Not only are bodyweight exercises convenient – shunt the coffee table to one side and you are good to go – but they are proof that you can pack on size and strength without a gym. You don’t need a spotter to dial up the intensity and you will recruit a vast variety of stabilising muscles, making for a more effective workout.
As a HIIT protocol, bodyweight exercises reign supreme. In a study by Kennesaw State University, thrashing out a 20-minute CrossFit bodyweight AMRAP – consisting of five pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 squats – provided a “greater training stimulus” than running on a treadmill at 85 per cent of your maximal heart rate for the same time period.
There is no getting around it: bodyweight exercises are the foundation solid gains are built on. But not all workouts are created equal, which is precisely why we have pulled together this handy guide. Along with 28 of the best bodyweight exercises that you can practice any time, any place.
Can Bodyweight Exercises Build Muscle?
The impressive benefits of bodyweight exercises are all well and good, but if you can’t grow bursting-through-your-t-shirt muscle, what’s the point? Hold fire before you head to the squat rack because when it comes to muscle hypertrophy (i.e. getting stacked), science has shown bodyweight exercises to be as effective as weights. Genuinely.
Muscle growth “can occur independent of an external load,” research published in Physiology & Behaviour concluded, so long as you perform bodyweight exercises through their full range of motion. And in a study by University of Valencia, press-ups were found to be as effective as bench presses for building strength. So, when it comes to building muscle, there’s really no need to keep adding more weight to your barbell.
The Best Bodyweight Exercises for Building Muscle
Providing they are performed with immaculate technique, bodyweight exercises can be just as effective as traditional weight training methods. But which moves make the best workout? In this list, we have pulled 28 of the most effective muscle-building bodyweight exercises together in a handy crib sheet, so you can get to work creating your own bodyweight workouts.
1) Press-Ups
How To Do The Exercise
– Set up with your weight supported on your toes and hands beneath your shoulders, body straight
– Take care to keep your core locked so a straight line forms between your head, glutes and heels
– Lower your body until your chest is an inch from the ground then explosively drive up by fully extending your arms
Why
Pressed for time? Perform 20 reps of this classic blubber-burner. “Press-ups are a great exercise movement to help improve upper-body pushing strength,” says Zack George, CrossFit athlete & the UK’s fittest man. “They can help to build muscle mass, strength and endurance, depending on how you vary volume, sets and reps.”
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2) Overhead Crunch
How To Do The Exercise
– Lie on your back with our arms extended straight over your head so your body forms a straight line.
– Bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor then – keeping your arms locked – contract your abs to crunch your shoulders off the floor.
Why
The crunch is a quintessential abs exercise. By extending your arms, your upper body becomes longer, which makes the move more challenging – if you do it right, that is. “The most important thing with this exercise is that you consider your arms an extension of your body – ensure the crunch is performed using your abs and not leading with your arms,” says Chris Heron, head coach and founder of The Engine Room London. “Engage your abs before raising the shoulders off the floor.”
3) Pistol Squat
How To Do The Exercise
– Stand with your arms straight out in front of your body at shoulder level, parallel to the floor. Raise your right leg off the ground and hold it in front of you.
– Push your hips back and lower your body as far as you can. Pause, before pushing your body back to the starting position.
Why
This advanced bodyweight move offers posterior bag-for-luck, challenging your glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip adductors, calves, and core muscles in equal measure. As a unilateral movement, it will also help you identify and iron out any muscle weakness.
“Pistol squats are a fantastic movement for strengthening your leg muscles, specifically around the quads and glutes,” says Mike Elliot, personal trainer at The Fore. “It’s an exercise that tests your mobility, balance and stability. It is an advanced movement, so if you need to regress the exercise we recommend using a TRX for additional support.
4) Step-Up with Knee Raises
How To Do The Exercise
– Place a bench or a box in front of you and step onto it with one foot
– As you plant your foot, drive with your other foot bringing your knee up as high as you can. Lower it back down and step back onto the floor
– Repeat on the other side
Why
Whether you have noticed a slight muscle imbalance in your pins or you are simply trying to carve some serious lower body strength, stop fretting: this is the move for you. “Unilateral (single leg) training can help strengthen stabilising muscles and can be used to even out imbalances,” says movement coach, Ollie Frost. Your left side weaker than your right? Give it a leg up by dedicating an extra 15 reps to your frailer pin.
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5) Dips
How To Do The Exercise
– Grab your dip bars with your palms facing inward and your arms straight.
– Slowly lower until your elbows are at right angles, ensuring they stay tucked against your body and don’t flare out.
– Drive yourself back up to the top and repeat.
Why
Dips are arguably the best of all bodyweight exercises for developing upper-body strength and size. Yes, they sear your triceps – which make up around 60 per cent of your upper arms, so they are well worth paying attention to – but rep out a few sets of dips and the muscles in your chest, shoulders and back will make themselves known. Remember to keep your shoulders down and relaxed, you don’t want to be hunched over.
6) Groiners
How To Do The Exercise
– Start the exercise in a press-up position
– Jump forward so both legs land next to your hands
– Return to starting position
Why
Horrible name, brilliant warm-up exercise. Opening up your hips and thoracic region massively increases your body’s range of movement (the distance the muscle extends and contracts during an exercise), according to Frost. So what? Well, perform these exercises through a larger ROM and you will garner significant extra muscle growth from your workout, according to The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
7) Star Plank
How To Do The Exercise
– From a press-up position, walk your palms and toes out and away from your body until they form an x-shape.
– Brace your core to keep a flat line from your head to your hips and toes.
– Hold for the required time then walk back to a normal press-up position.
Why
As your core strength builds, you might find traditional bodyweight exercises don’t offer the same ab-smoking burn. Rather than planking for hours on end, crank up the resistance – and create a new muscle stimulus – with a variation like the star plank. “Start this exercise by mastering a strong rib-to-hip connection, ‘locking down the abs’ and squeezing the gluteus,” says Heron. “Aim to keep the hips horizontal at all times.”
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8) Sit-Ups
How To Do The Exercise
– Lie on the floor with your knees bent
– Place your hands behind your head and tense your core as your torso up so your upper body forms a V shape with your thighs
– Lower under control back to the start position
Why
Sit-ups make a good abs circuit finisher, since they build core stability and control. “To get the most out of sit-ups, do them in a slow, controlled fashion,” says Elliot. “Focus on engaging your core muscles rather than using momentum to lift your torso. Avoid using your arms to pull your head up as this can put strain on your neck.”
9) Spider Crawl
How To Do The Exercise
– From a press-up position, raise one foot off the floor and bring your knee up towards your elbow
– Pause then return to the starting position and repeat on the other side
– Make sure to crunch your core at the top of the rep to bring your knee even closer to your elbow and get more out of your abs
Why
Want to sculpt a superhero physique? This primitive movement crushes your core while also targeting your legs, arms, chest and shoulders (yup, all at once).
10) Standing Long Jump
How To Do The Exercise
– Lower yourself into a squat position with your feet shoulder-width apart
– Swing your arms back and use them to propel yourself forward
– Bring your legs forward for additional momentum
– Jump as far as you can and land on the soles of your feet
Why
Want more mass combined with true explosive strength? Deploy the standing long jump. The reason: this move targets your body’s fast-twitch muscle fibres. Unlike slow-twitch fibres (the ones geared towards endurance), they’re used in power-packed movements, meaning they are much bigger. Focus on them if you are looking to upgrade the power in your pins. Or simply want bigger legs in time for shorts weather.
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11) Burpees
How To Do The Exercise
– Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor
– From the bottom of the squat, place your hands on the floor and kick your legs out behind you into a press-up position
– Push up until your arms are straight and then tuck in your legs at the bottom of the squat position
– Drive upwards through your heels until you are six inches off the floor and then repeat
Why
By activating muscles almost everywhere on your body, the burpee will give you a massive calorie burn due to enormous effort required. Not sure when to try this bodyweight goliath? “Try throwing them in between strength sets or part of a basic bodyweight circuit,” suggests Frost.
12) Superman
How To Do The Exercise
– Lie face down with your arms extended out in front of you.
– Raise your arms, legs and chest a few inches off the floor and pause at the top of the rep
– Squeeze your lower back and then lower to the starting position
Why
The superman strengthens your back – specifically the erector muscles that run along the spine – recruits your glutes and hamstrings, and rocks your core. “Aim to start each repetition by squeezing your glutes and then lifting your limbs off the floor,” says Heron. “You want the glutes to fire up first.”
13) Handstand Wall Walk
How To Do The Exercise
– Position yourself in a handstand position with your feet planted against a wall
– Move your hands forward and walk down the wall until you reach the bottom
Why
Looking for a full-body bodyweight exercise? This is as good as it gets, according to mobility and strength coach Alex Nino. “When I do a handstand I am using my shoulders and my triceps,” he says. “I am also using my upper traps, my lats and my serratus to give me stability. Then you are supposed to have a posterior pelvic tilt, which means you engage your glutes and squeeze your abs to give you a straight line.”
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14) Glute Kickback
How To Do The Exercise
– Kneel on the floor with your hands in a press up position. Slowly lift up one of your legs until your hamstrings are in line with your back.
– Contract the glutes through the move and hold stretch for a second once fully extended.
– Return to the starting position and repeat with your other leg.
Why
Glutes kickbacks primarily benefit your gluteal muscles – the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus – but also targets your hamstrings and oils up your hips. Be sure to contract your glute at the top of the move and hold at the point of contraction, says James Stirling, personal trainer at KXU. And if you are finding it too easy? “Add a resistance band,” he says.
15) Wide-Grip Pull-Ups
How To Do The Exercise
– Grab the bar with our palms facing away from you and your arms fully extended
– Your hands should be as wide as you can comfortably get them
– Squeeze your shoulder blades together, exhale and drive your elbows towards your hips to bring your chin above the bar
– Lower under control back to the start position
Why
Normal pull-ups are great back-builders. But why not bring your shoulders into the equation too? Wide-grip pull-ups are the perfect lat attacker, ramping up the effort needed for every rep compared to your normal pull-up. And there’s a simple secret to getting the most from this move: keep tension in your flutes throughout. Easy squeezy.
16) Crab Walk
How To Do The Exercise
– Sit on the floor with your hands planted behind your back and your legs bent in front of you
– Raise your hips upwards so only your hands and feet are planted on the floor
– Start walking using your hands and feet to propel you forwards
Why
It might not be the most fearsome animal to emulate, but take it from us – the crab walk starts to burn pretty quickly. This move works pretty much every muscle in your body, from shoulders and tris to hamstrings and quads. Focus on keeping your hips raised to sizzle your core.
“Go slowly,” suggests Heron. “Ideally perform a few wrist mobility exercises prior to this exercise, as it can be heavy on the wrists. Once you are ready to go, aim to move the left arm with the right foot. This can be very challenging – coordinating the movement and moving both the same distance, ideally about 15 – 20cms at a time.”
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17) Oblique Crunch
How To Do The Exercise
– Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Put your right hand behind your head, elbow flared out, and your left palm down perpendicular to your torso
– Contract your abs to lift your shoulders off the floor and rotate your body to bring your right elbow towards your left knee
– Slowly lower and repeat all your reps before swapping sides
Why
Firm internal and external obliques to support your posture, preventing lower back and shoulder injuries. By training these muscles, you will sculpt your waist, fast-tracking your six-pack. To nail your form, “maintain a comfortable position, keep your chin pointing upwards and crunch just like you would with a sit-up,” says Striling. “Try to keep your head moving through the midline of your body to ensure correct technique. Remember to keep the movement slow and controlled.”
18) Frozen V-Sit
How To Do The Exercise
– Lie down on your back with your arms and legs outstretched and your hands and feet lifted just above the floor
– Begin the exercise by simultaneously raising your torso and legs up to touch your feet. Hold for five to 10 seconds
Why
Searching for your six-pack? Take your time, Frost says. “Abdominal exercises should not be rushed, you need to perform them with control to maximise the strength benefits.” And if you want to activate more of your core muscles, trade crunches for V-sits. Make sure your shoulder blades don’t roll forwards. This will keep your back straight and help you get the most out of your exercise, advises Frost.
19) Single-Leg Glute Bridge
How To Do The Exercise
– Lie on your back with one leg raised in the air. Thrust forward and raise your hips off the ground as high as you can
– Clench your glutes at the top of the rep to activate more muscle fibres and see greater growth. Slowly lower yourself to the floor
Why
As well as shredding your legs, the single leg glute bridges will challenge your entire posterior chain (your backside muscles). And why should a butt-building muscle move make its way into your next workout? “Building strength on your behind improves your posture, relieving any prolonged back pain,” says Frost. Lesson learnt: if you are feeling sore after your 9-5 then beat away back pain with 10 reps of this move.
And if you are aiming for a larger lower-body, make sure to perform this exercise with complete control, squeezing your working glute at the top of each repetition as hard as possible. “Once you have managed that, you can challenge yourself further by placing a barbell across your hips,” advises Frost.
20) Jumping Lunge
How To Do The Exercise
– Lunge forward until your rear knee is almost touching the ground
– Jump into the air, bringing your rear foot forward and the front foot back
– Land in a lunge position and repeat
Why
“The jumping lunge is a fantastic leg-strengthening, heart rate boosting exercise,” says Elliot. “When performed correctly, they help to develop lower body strength and power as well as engaging stabilising muscles around the core and hip flexors.”
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21) Jump Squat
How To Do The Exercise
– Squat down, keeping your back straight, until your thighs are parallel with the floor and your bum is about level with your knees.
– Explode upwards into a jump, and go straight into the next squat
Why
The ultimate bodyweight exercise for building speed and power, power jumps simulate the same movement as an Olympic lift, but without the necessary barbell (or technical skill). “Explosive movements engage more muscle, but need to be performed with the utmost attention to form as possible,” says Heron. “Slowly descent into the squat position and aim to land ‘into’ the squat and absorb the landing to look after your joints.”
22) Mountain Climbers
How To Do The Exercise
– Drop into a press-up position with your arms completely straight. Brace your core as if you are about to be punched in the gut.
– Without changing your lower-back posture, lift your right foot off the floor and raise your knee to your chest
– Touch the floor with your right toes. Then simultaneously jump your right foot back to the starting position while bringing your left knee to your chest this time. Alternate back and forth
Why
As bodyweight exercises go, mountain climbers are a solid all-rounder – building both strength and fitness. “They’re great for targeting the core and upper body as well as working on your cardiovascular system,” Elliot says. “Make sure to keep your back flat and shoulders directly above your hands. Try to avoid bouncing too much and keep your core braced throughout.” Alternatively, switch things up with a cross-body mountain climber, “where you move your knee towards the opposite shoulder” – it’ll engage your obliques
23) Reverse Crunch
How To Do The Exercise
– Lie on your back with your arms on the floor at your sides, palms facing down
– Bend your knees and bring them towards your chest by contracting your abs
– As they rise, roll your pelvis to lift your hips off the floor
– Squeeze at the top then slowly lower until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor
Why
The reverse crunch offers many of the same benefits as the traditional crunch, but it is easier on your spine and takes the strain off your neck. Plus, it activates your transverse abdominis – the deep muscle below your abdominals – to build a shatter-proof core.
24) Chest Flick Press-Up
How To Do The Exercise
– Get down into a press-up position with hands shoulder-width apart and your back straight
– Lower your body until your chest is an inch from the ground then explosively drive up by fully extending your arms
– Slap both hands against your chest and land back in the starting position
Why
Plyometric press-ups target the fast twitch muscles in your chest, building explosive power and supercharging growth. There’s a lot to think about here, so if you are new to the move, focus on exploding upwards at first and add the chest slap later. Make sure you maintain a neutral spine throughout, and land as softly as possible to absorb the impact.
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25) Side Planks
How To Do The Exercise
– Lie on your left side with your knees straight and prop your upper body up to take its weight on your forearm.
– Brace your core and raise your hips until your body forms a straight line
– Hold this position while breathing deeply. Roll over and repeat on the other side
Why
“The side plank targets your oblique muscles and is great for working on core strength and stability,” says Elliot. “Make sure your torso is always perpendicular to the ground and your body is in one line so your hips are not dropping down. To advance the movement, try raising your arm and leg so you are in a star position. Another more advanced variation is to do an elevated side plank with your weight on your hand rather than your forearm.”
26) Single-Leg Burpee
How To Do The Exercise
– From a standing position, lower yourself down to a squat position with left lifted up off the floor
– Kick your standing foot back to make a press up position
– Jump back to the squat position and then up as high as you can. Repeat on the other side
Why
Not only does the single-leg burpee spike your heart rate quicker than the traditional dual-legged move, but it will effectively hone your balance, coordination and core strength. “There’s an increased demand on your working leg, so be prepared to ‘hit it hard’ as you come up off the floor,” says Heron. “You will need to be more explosive as you jump. Aim to thrust the knee in towards the chest quickly as you raise up off the floor. Be committed!”
27) Bench Dips
How To Do The Exercise
– Stand facing away from a bench, grab it with both hands at shoulder-width. Extend your legs out in front of you.
– Slowly lower your body by flexing at the elbows until your arm at forearm create a 90 degree angle
– Using your triceps, lift yourself back to the starting position
Why
“Tricep dips are a great way to strengthen your triceps, chest and shoulders,” says Elliot. “The amount of bend in your knees will directly impact the amount of weight going through your upper body. To progress the exercise further, you can try raising your feet onto a bench to be at the same height as your hands.”
28) Flutter Kicks
How To Do The Exercise
– Lie down on a bench with your hips on the edge. Extend your legs off the back of the bench, squeeze your glutes and raise your legs until they are level with your hips
– Lift your left leg higher than your right leg, then lower your left leg as you lift your right leg. Make sure that you keep a controlled movement at all times
Why
Performed correctly, this ab-scorching move also engages your glutes, hip flexors and quads. It is crucial to make sure your lower back doesn’t arch. “You can support your lower back by resting your hands underneath to bridge any gap,” says Stirling. “You may wish to raise your head and shoulders slightly off the mat for improved core engagement. Try not to ‘over lift’ the legs, as this will take tension away from the target muscles in the core.”
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Article source: https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a756325/10-best-bodyweight-exercises-for-men/
