5 Best Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do Anywhere (No Equipment)
Build real strength with zero equipment. These 5 bodyweight exercises work your full body and can be done anywhere, plus a 20-minute circuit to combine them all.
By Tobey-Lee, Founder of bit by bit
You don't need a gym membership to get strong. You don't even need a pull-up bar (though if you have one, here's a complete guide to getting your first pull-up). Some of the most effective strength exercises use nothing but your own bodyweight and a bit of floor space.
Here are five that actually deliver results. Not the flashy Instagram stuff, but the movements that build real, functional strength over time.
1. Push-ups
Yes, the obvious one. But most people do them wrong or give up on them too early.
A good push-up means hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, body in a straight line from head to heels, chest touching (or nearly touching) the ground at the bottom. No sagging hips, no half reps.
If a full push-up is too hard right now, start with your hands elevated on a bench, chair, or countertop. The higher the surface, the easier it is. As you get stronger, work your way down to the floor.
Why it works: Push-ups train your chest, shoulders, and triceps all at once. They also force your core to work as a stabilizer, which is more than you can say for a bench press.
What to aim for: 3 sets of 10-15 with good form.
How to progress: Once you can hit 15 clean reps, try diamond push-ups (hands close together), decline push-ups (feet elevated), or archer push-ups (one arm does most of the work). The push-up has more variations than almost any other exercise, so you won't outgrow it.
2. Squats
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly out. Sit your hips back and down like you're lowering into a chair. Go as deep as you can while keeping your heels on the ground and your chest up.
Bodyweight squats might feel easy if you've done any training before. That's fine. Slow them down. Try a 3-second descent. Or hold the bottom position for a few seconds. That changes things fast.
Why it works: Your legs are the biggest muscle group in your body. Training them improves everything from daily movement to athletic performance. And deep squats build mobility in your hips and ankles that most people are missing.
What to aim for: 3 sets of 15-20.
How to progress: Tempo squats (slow down the descent), pause squats (hold at the bottom for 3 seconds), jump squats, and eventually pistol squat progressions. Single-leg work is where bodyweight leg training gets genuinely challenging.
3. Planks
Get into a push-up position but rest on your forearms instead of your hands. Hold it. Keep your body straight. Don't let your hips sag or pike up.
Planks are boring. They're also one of the best ways to build the core stability that makes every other exercise safer and more effective.
Why it works: Unlike crunches (which mostly train flexion), planks train your core the way it actually works in real life: resisting movement and keeping your spine stable under load.
What to aim for: Work up to 60 seconds.
How to progress: Side planks, plank shoulder taps, plank walkouts (extend hands forward), and eventually ab wheel rollouts. If you can hold a 60-second plank without shaking, the static hold has done its job. Switch to dynamic variations that challenge stability in motion.
4. Lunges
Step forward with one leg and lower your back knee toward the ground. Both knees should bend to about 90 degrees. Push back up to standing and switch legs.
Lunges are deceptively tough because they train one leg at a time, which exposes (and fixes) strength imbalances between your left and right sides. Almost everyone has them.
Why it works: Single-leg work builds balance, coordination, and stability that bilateral exercises like squats miss. It also hits your glutes harder, which is important if you spend a lot of time sitting.
What to aim for: 3 sets of 10 per leg.
How to progress: Walking lunges (keep moving forward), reverse lunges (step backward, easier on the knees), and Bulgarian split squats (rear foot elevated on a bench or chair). Bulgarian split squats are one of the hardest bodyweight leg exercises and they require zero equipment beyond something to rest your back foot on.
5. Glute bridges
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Drive your hips up until your body makes a straight line from shoulders to knees. Squeeze at the top for a second, then lower back down.
This one looks simple and it is. But it targets the glutes directly, which are often weak and underactive, especially if you sit at a desk all day.
Why it works: Strong glutes support your lower back, improve your posture, and make almost every lower body movement more powerful. They're the foundation for squats, lunges, running, and jumping.
What to aim for: 3 sets of 15-20.
How to progress: Single-leg glute bridges (one leg extended), elevated glute bridges (feet on a bench), and hip thrusts (back against a bench, which increases the range of motion). Single-leg bridges are surprisingly hard and a good benchmark of glute strength.
Quick workout summary
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Primary muscles |
|---|---|---|
| Push-ups | 3 x 10-15 | Chest, shoulders, triceps |
| Squats | 3 x 15-20 | Quads, glutes, hamstrings |
| Planks | 3 x 30-60 sec | Core, shoulders |
| Lunges | 3 x 10/leg | Quads, glutes, balance |
| Glute bridges | 3 x 15-20 | Glutes, hamstrings |
A simple 20-minute circuit
You can combine all five into a quick full-body workout. Run through them as a circuit with minimal rest between exercises:
- Push-ups: 10-15 reps
- Squats: 15-20 reps
- Plank: 30-60 second hold
- Lunges: 10 per leg
- Glute bridges: 15-20 reps
Rest 60-90 seconds between rounds. Three rounds takes about 20 minutes and covers your entire body. If three rounds is too much at first, start with two.
Do this two or three times a week and you'll see real changes within a month. No commute to the gym, no equipment to buy, no complicated programming.
What about pull-ups?
You might notice pull-ups aren't on this list. That's because they require a bar, and this is a no-equipment workout. But if you have access to a pull-up bar, adding pull-ups would round this out into a complete upper body routine. They train your back and biceps in a way nothing else on this list does.
If you can't do a pull-up yet, we wrote a complete 6-step progression plan that takes you from dead hangs to your first real rep.
Frequently asked questions
Is bodyweight training enough to build real muscle? Yes, especially for beginners and intermediates. Progressive overload still applies. You just achieve it through harder variations, slower tempos, and more volume instead of adding weight to a bar. Plenty of strong, muscular people train primarily with bodyweight.
How often should I do this workout? Two to three times a week with at least one rest day between sessions. Your muscles need time to recover and grow. More is not always better.
What if an exercise is too easy? Use the progressions listed above. Every exercise here has harder variations that can challenge you for months or even years. If bodyweight squats are easy, try pistol squats. If regular push-ups are easy, try archers.
Should I warm up first? Yes. Even a quick warm-up helps. Do 2-3 minutes of light movement (jumping jacks, leg swings, arm circles) to get your blood flowing before you start. It reduces injury risk and makes the exercises feel better from rep one.
If you want a structured plan that adapts to your level, picks the right progressions for you, and adjusts after every workout, that's what bit by bit is built for. Set your goals, tell it what equipment you have (or don't have), and let it handle the programming.