Bodyweight Exercises: Master List, How To, and a Full Workout
You need about six bodyweight exercises to train your whole body: a push, a pull, a squat, a hinge, a calf movement and a trunk hold. Below is the master list by muscle group with an easier and harder version of each, how to perform the core movements, and two ready-to-use workouts you can start today with no equipment. I prescribe these every working day, to rehabilitation patients, to the calisthenics athletes I treat, and to everyone who tells me they cannot get to a gym.
What bodyweight exercises are, and why they progress
Bodyweight exercises use your own mass as resistance, with no bar and no machines. They are the foundation of calisthenics, of most physiotherapy rehabilitation, and of the NHS strength and flexibility guidance.
The point most people miss is that they are fully progressive. Every exercise below has a version for someone who has never trained and a version that humbles strong gym-goers, because difficulty is set by leverage, angle and tempo rather than by plates. That is what turns "bodyweight exercises" into a genuine strength programme.
The master list by muscle group
| Muscle group | Easier | Standard | Harder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest and triceps | Incline push-up | Push-up | Decline or archer push-up (see variations) |
| Back and biceps | Table-edge row | Bodyweight row, chin-up | Pull-up, archer row |
| Shoulders | Pike push-up with bent knees | Pike push-up | Wall handstand push-up |
| Quadriceps | Box squat | Squat, split squat | Bulgarian split squat, shrimp or pistol squat |
| Glutes and hamstrings | Glute bridge | Single-leg bridge, hip hinge | Nordic curl regressions, single-leg Romanian deadlift reach |
| Calves | Two-leg calf raise | Single-leg calf raise | Single-leg raise off a step, slow tempo |
| Trunk | Dead bug, plank | Hollow hold, side plank | Hanging leg raise, L-sit |
Dosing: pick one exercise per row, three sets of six to twelve reps, or 20 to 40 seconds for holds, stopping two to three reps short of failure, two to four sessions a week. When three sets of twelve are clean, move one column to the right.
How to do the core six
- Push-up. Hands under the shoulders, body in one line from head to heels, elbows at about 45 degrees from the torso. Lower for two seconds until the chest is a fist from the floor, then press to a full lockout. Raise the hands onto a table or chair to make it easier.
- Row. Under a sturdy table or a low bar, grip it, keep the body straight, and pull the chest towards your hands with the elbows driving back. The more upright your body, the easier it is. This is the pull that most home programmes are missing, and skipping it is why so many self-taught trainees end up push-dominant.
- Squat. Feet roughly shoulder width, toes slightly out, sit down between your heels keeping the chest tall and the knees tracking over the middle toes. Go as deep as you can with the heels down. Sit to a chair and stand back up if depth is a problem.
- Hip hinge and glute bridge. For the bridge, lie on your back with the knees bent and feet flat, push through the heels and lift the hips until the body forms a straight line from knee to shoulder, then squeeze the glutes. Progress to one leg. For the hinge, push the hips back with a long spine and a small knee bend, feeling a stretch in the hamstrings.
- Calf raise. Rise onto the balls of the feet, pause at the top, and lower slowly. Progress to one leg, then to standing on a step so the heel drops below the toes.
- Hollow hold. Lie on your back, press the lower back into the floor, and lift the shoulders and legs a few centimetres. Bend the knees or hold the arms by your sides to make it easier. It transfers to calisthenics far better than a plank does, because the trunk learns to hold a line under load.
A beginner workout
Three rounds, two or three times a week, with a minute of rest between exercises. No equipment beyond a table and a chair.
| Exercise | Sets and reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Incline push-up | 3 x 8-12 | Lower the surface as it gets easier |
| Table-edge row | 3 x 8-12 | Walk the feet forward to make it harder |
| Box squat | 3 x 10-15 | Stand up without using your hands |
| Glute bridge | 3 x 12-15 | Two-second squeeze at the top |
| Two-leg calf raise | 3 x 15 | Slow lowering |
| Dead bug | 3 x 8 each side | Lower back stays flat on the floor |
An intermediate workout
Three rounds, three times a week, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets. Needs somewhere to hang for the pull.
| Exercise | Sets and reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full or decline push-up | 4 x 8-12 | Two seconds down, brief pause |
| Pull-up or chin-up | 4 x 4-8 | Use a band or negatives if needed |
| Bulgarian split squat | 3 x 8-10 each side | Rear foot on a chair |
| Single-leg glute bridge | 3 x 10 each side | Hips level throughout |
| Pike push-up | 3 x 6-10 | Feet raised makes it harder |
| Single-leg calf raise | 3 x 12 each side | Off a step for full range |
| Hollow hold | 3 x 30 s | Legs lower means harder |
Assembled into a full weekly plan, this becomes the full body routine.
How to keep progressing without equipment
- Change the leverage. Raise the feet, lower the hands, or move to a single limb. This is the main lever, and it is effectively unlimited.
- Slow the tempo. A four-second lowering phase turns an easy exercise into a hard one and costs nothing. It is the first tool I reach for before any equipment.
- Add pauses. Two seconds at the hardest point of the range removes momentum entirely.
- Reduce the base of support. Narrower feet, one leg, or one arm assisted.
- Add range. Deficit push-ups on books or handles, deeper squats, calf raises off a step.
- Then add load. When leverage runs out, particularly for legs, a backpack, a weighted vest or the weighted calisthenics route takes over.
How I choose exercises for patients
- One per pattern beats five per muscle. A push, a pull, a squat, a hinge and a trunk hold cover more than most hour-long machine circuits. I would rather someone did five exercises well for a year than twenty inconsistently.
- The single-leg column matters most after 40. Split squats, single-leg bridges and single-leg calf raises keep paying off when two-leg versions get easy, and they train the balance that national guidance keeps flagging.
- Effort is the variable that decides results. Sets taken to within two or three reps of failure drive adaptation; comfortable sets mostly pass the time.
Three claims worth retiring: that bodyweight work is only toning, when muscle responds to effort and progression regardless of the source; that high reps are the only option, when harder variations are always available; and that planks are a complete trunk programme, when the trunk also flexes, rotates and hangs. For the single-leg column specifically, the pistol squat progression is where the leverage principle goes furthest.
FAQ: bodyweight exercises
What are the best bodyweight exercises for beginners?
Incline push-ups, table-edge rows, box squats, glute bridges, calf raises and dead bugs. The beginner's guide turns them into a week-by-week plan.
Can bodyweight exercises build muscle?
Yes, provided sets approach genuine effort and difficulty keeps rising. Where bodyweight eventually runs short is heavy leg loading, which single-leg work and added weight solve.
How many bodyweight exercises per workout?
Five or six, one per movement pattern, is plenty. More exercises usually means less effort per exercise, which is the wrong trade.
How often should I do bodyweight exercises?
Two to four sessions a week for strength, with at least a day between hard sessions for the same muscles. Easy mobility and technique work can be daily.
Can you get in shape with bodyweight exercises alone?
For most people's strength, muscle and health goals, yes. The honest comparison with barbell training is in calisthenics vs gym.
What bodyweight exercises can I do with no equipment at all?
Everything in the beginner workout above, using a table for rows. The pull is the only pattern that genuinely needs something to hold, so a table edge or a doorway bar is worth arranging.