The “get fit quick” mentality has been mainstreamed for decades. From 30-minute abs to beach body workout DVD’s, people have been trying to sell magic forever. In reality, however, all successful fitness journeys are nothing more than a process. Consistency and dedication are the two biggest keys to reaching your desired level of fitness, but achieving those goals don’t require expensive equipment or gym memberships. If practical strength, flexibility, and mobility are what you would like to achieve, then look no further than these bodyweight exercises which you can practice every single day.
Bodyweight exercises you should be doing at home
Pushups
The pushup is one of the simplest and most versatile bodyweight exercises that there is. Difficulty can be adjusted through reps and form. Different muscles can be targeted through variations of the classic motion, and no matter what kind of pushup you do, it is a full-body exercise.
Pushups are mostly associated with chest muscles, but they can target others more specifically with slight variation. The triceps can be isolated with a close grip, the shoulders with a wide grip, upper chest with an incline, lower chest with a decline, core with a raised leg, and legs with the Spiderman variation.
Check out this guide for a full break down of each and every pushup you can do. Practice makes perfect, and perfecting a number of pushup variations will lead to vastly improved strength.
Squats
The squat area is typically the first thing people notice when they walk into a new gym. How many racks are there? How many plates are available on each rack? What is the ground like underneath the rack? The reason for these initial observations is simple: the squat is one of the greatest exercises for foundational strength in training. To build your base, however, it is not necessary to have a gym with all the bells and whistles. Bodyweight squats can go a long way for general fitness.
An easy way to get your heart rate up without doing anything more than getting off the couch, bodyweight squats are an easy thing to mix into your exercise routine. Keep it simple, or challenge yourself with different types of squats to target specific muscles. Check out these 45 squat variations to keep your legs moving and growing.
Jumping jacks
The jumping jack is of the most underrated bodyweight exercises there is. People get a bad taste in their mouth about jumping jacks after being forced to do them in gym class as a kid, but there was a reason why they made us do them! Jumping jacks are one of the most practically engaging bodyweight exercises you’ll find.
Toning up your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves is the least of the benefits you will find in doing this exercise. Jumping jacks are excellent for cardiovascular health, burning fat, and improving upon both mobility and circulation. They are a classic and simple bodyweight exercise to mix into your routine that will make you feel better in a number of ways.
Home workouts can feel like minimal effort in contrast to going to the gym, but with a little perspective shift, you could begin to see bodyweight exercises at home as making minimal effort to greatly improve your health. Bodyweight circuits—combining a number of different exercises—or any of the aforementioned exercises on their own are a quick addition to your daily routine that will go further towards your general health than you may think.
