Bodyweight workouts
Below I present two full-body bodyweight workouts, one for men and one for women. The workouts require no equipment apart from items of furniture. You can use the men’s or women’s bodyweight workout if you can’t make it to the gym one day and do not have gym equipment at home. You can also use the bodyweight workout to help preserve or maybe even improve your physique or figure when you go on short vacations.
Workout instructions
- Complete the workout either every other day (i.e. AX, where ‘A’ is a workout day and ‘X’ is a rest day) or three days a week (AXAXAXX)
- Rest for only 20 to 30 seconds between sets
- Rest for only 60 to 90 seconds between exercises
- Try to increase the number of reps that you perform
- Warm up before the workout with five minutes of dynamic stretching (see How to warm up, in the Weight Training Guide)
- Stretch your muscles after the workout with five minutes of static stretching (see How to stretch, in the Weight Training Guide)
| Bodyweight workout for men. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Body parts | Exercise | Sets x Reps |
| Glutes, quadriceps | Bulgarian split squat (YT) | 3 x 12–14 |
| Hamstrings | Inverse leg curl* | 2 x 15–20 |
| Calves | Standing single-leg calf raise (YT) | 3 x 25–30 |
| Back, posterior shoulders, biceps | Inverted row** | 3 x 12–14 |
| Chest, anterior shoulders, triceps | Chest dip (YT) | 3 x 12–14 |
| Lower back | Superman | 2 x 25–30 |
| Abs, hip flexors, obliques | Bicycle crunch | 2 x 25–30 |
| *Lock your feet under something sturdy. **You can do this lying under a chair or table. | ||
| Bodyweight workout for women. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Body parts | Exercise | Sets x Reps |
| Glutes, quadriceps | Step-up (YT) | 3 x 12–14 |
| Glutes | Single-leg hip thrust (YT) | 2 x 15–20 |
| Hamstrings | Single straight-leg deadlift (YT) | 2 x 15–20 |
| Calves | Standing single-leg calf raise (YT) | 2 x 25–30 |
| Back, poster shoulders, biceps | Inverted row* | 2 x 12–14 |
| Chest, anterior shoulders, triceps | Push-up (on knees if necessary) | 2 x 12–14 |
| Lower back | Superman | 2 x 25–30 |
| Abs, hip flexors, obliques | Bicycle crunch | 3 x 25–30 |
| *You can do this lying under a chair or table. | ||
If you get bored of these bodyweight workouts, I have provided instructions on how to design your own bodyweight workouts.
