When it comes to exercising, many people say they don’t have time or they don’t have equipment. However, the best part about bodyweight exercises are that they don’t require any additional equipment than yourself, and they can be done anywhere at anytime.

What Are Bodyweight Exercises?

Bodyweight exercises are exercise moves that use your own bodyweight as resistance. Think: Push-ups. It’s an exercise where you determine the resistance based on how your position your body, not by changing the weights you’re using. The best part about bodyweight exercises are that they are really flexible in their requirements. You can virtually do them wherever, whenever.

Why Should You Incorporate Bodyweight Exercises?

Bodyweight exercises are great additions to your regular exercise routine. This is because when you complete moves that use your bodyweight as resistance, you condition your body to be able to effectively move your weight around. This can condition your body to be able to better perform daily tasks like moving around your house or pulling yourself up a ladder, etc. They strengthen your body in small ways you may take advantage of and unintentionally neglect during your typical workouts.

They are also great to use while traveling or when you’re super busy. For example, say you’re stuck in the office all week working on some big project and you just can’t get away enough to hit the gym. Well, use bodyweight exercises to make your office your gym. Do push-ups on the floor or tricep dips off the edge of your desk. Be creative! These exercises take virtually no room than your body already takes up, so the possibilities are truly endless.

One of the best things about bodyweight exercises is that they typically work more than one muscle group at a time, multi-tasking your workout and consequently making it more effective. Because you’re supporting your own bodyweight, you aren’t leaning or sitting on a machine, so just the fact that they are weight-bearing exercises, means they help strengthen your bones and joints as well.

What Are The 7 Best Bodyweight Exercises?

1. Push-ups

Oh, the traditional push-up. It’s been around for ages and is loved and hated by many. Regardless of how you personally feel about them, push-ups are a great total body workout. And there are so many varieties to choose from, you really can find one that works best for you. I personally love doing “girl” push-ups, mostly because I am not currently strong enough (being 9 months pregnant) to do multiple regular push-ups, and when I do them on my knees or against a wall, I can lower myself closer to the ground, making the exercise far more effective.

2. Planks

I’ve talked a lot about planks in other articles and how great they are as an easy alternative to crunches for working your abs. And they are! The best part about planks though is that they really do work your entire body. And the better you get at doing them, the better workout you get from doing them. They work to tighten and tone your entire body from your shoulders to your feet and who doesn’t love that. Plus, they provide more versatility in how many versions there are, than just about any other exercise move out there.

3. Crunches

Crunches are another one of those exercises dreaded by many. But you really can overcome any limitations you have with them and make them an effective part of any exercise routine. For example, if it’s painful on your neck and back to get down on the ground and do crunches, get a bosu or yoga ball and do your crunches on those. Yes, that means they would no longer fit in the category of bodyweight exercises that don’t require equipment, but the fact that they can be done without equipment redeems them for this discussion.

I also really like the versatility of crunches. You can change even the smallest angle and work your abs in a completely different way, or target your upper and lower abs at the same time by doing combination crunches and “crunching” from the top and bottom at the same time. I personally really like the feeling crunches give you in your abs with that really concentrated tightening of your abdominals, it makes you feel really strong…in my opinion. It’s definitely something I looking forward to really getting back to after baby #2 arrives.

4. Tricep Dips

This is my go-to tricep exercise wherever I am because you can literally use anything as a base to do this exercise. To make it effective, find a stable object, anything from a the edge of a bed, to a sturdy coffee table, to a chair and put your hands on the edge of it and lower yourself down to the floor. It’s so simple, and so effective at the same time! This is one of those moves that will definitely help you in your everyday tasks and moving around your house or job.

5. Lunges

Lunges are another great exercise that can be done anywhere and my favorite part about it is that you can multi-task doing them when you just need to walk across a room. My favorite type is walking lunges, which is another dynamic move that really targets your legs and butt. Often when you’re working around your house, you need to kneel down to do something and lunges can strengthen your body to reduce your limitations on getting other things done. Plus, it’s great for working your inner and outer thighs…something pretty much all women want.

6. Low, Lateral-Skaters

This is a move from P90X. I learned it back in high school and it’s still one of my go-to exercises when I really want to strengthen and tone my lower body. It works just about every muscle in your lower body really effectively and if you ever need to crawl into low, small spaces…then this is the exercise for you! (Hmmm…maybe a crawl space or short attic?) Anyway, all you do is start in an extra-wide stance and squat down. Holding this position, move your body back and forth, touching your toes on each foot. The key is to stay low and keep your chest up. It really burns in no time, but it is extremely effective!

7. Squats

This brings me to my last go-to exercise that doesn’t require any additional equipment, and that’s squats. Squats are another exercise that is super versatile. You can change your foot position or how deep you squat and change the entire exercise. My favorites include wide squats and pulsing squats, where you squat and stay low, coming up just a little bit before squatting again. It’s very effective at toning your inner and outer thighs and butt. I also like to mix it up and do, for example, 20 pulsing squats with your feet together, then stay low and step one foot out to shoulder-width, and do 20 more pulsing squats, and then step the other foot out to make it a wide squat and staying low, do 20 more. It really burns after awhile, but it also really makes you feel like you’re getting a great workout!

These are my 7 Best Bodyweight Exercises. Try them all today as their own workout, or incorporate your favorites into your current routine. Either way, they’ll help you strengthen and tone your entire body in no time!