Tom's Guide

Who needs weights? This 5-move bodyweight workout boosts core strength and torches every major muscle group

By Sam Hopes,

1 day ago

Who needs weights when you can do a five-move bodyweight workout from anywhere? This short routine powers your metabolism, increases your heart rate and boosts core strength without lifting weights.

We recommend rolling out an exercise mat (one of the best yoga mats should suffice), as you might need to use your knees during one or two of the exercises below. Other than that, you don’t need anything, so store this routine for your next home workout or vacation.

Here are the five full-body exercises, how to do them, their benefits and a quick workout you can try.

What are the five bodyweight exercises?

Here’s how to do each full-body move step-by-step.

1. Sprawls

The sprawl is a full-body cardio-cruncher that also uses core strength to drive the movement. It’s like a burpee without the chest-to-floor motion, so it’s faster-paced.

Move explosively, maintaining the pace through the reps. Done properly, this move will also increase your heart rate and, over time, help develop power and endurance. Here’s what happened when I did 80 sprawls every day for a week.

How:

Start in a push-up position and brace your core with your shoulders stacked over your wrists
Jump your feet forward to land just outside of your hands
Plant your heels down, lower your bum, lift your chest, then lift both hands away from the floor
Place your hands on the floor, then jump back into a push-up position.

Avoid rounding your back in the squat position or dropping your hips as you jump back. If you suffer from tight hip flexors, practice stepping first.

2. Double push-up burpees

Bring more fire to your chest and triceps by adding a double push-up to your burpee. Burpees are a cardio exercise that switches on muscles all over the body and requires your core to work hard so that you don’t collapse onto the floor. For this strict burpee, you’ll need to focus more on the push-up portion of the move.

Here’s how to do a burpee :

Stand with your feet hip-width apart
Place your hands on the ground, then jump both feet back into a high plank position
Bend your elbows, lower your chest to the floor and perform two push-ups rather than dropping your whole body to the floor
Ensure you lift your hips and chest as one unit and avoid arching your lower back. Don't allow your hips to drop to the floor
Jump your feet forward just behind your hands, then jump into the air and raise your arms above your head.

Use your knees for the push-up portion of the burpees if you prefer.

3. Mountain climbers

You can really juice up mountain climbers by adding external resistance with one the best resistance bands and performing banded mountain climbers . Brace your core and keep your torso tight as you drive your knees forward. If you want to increase your cardio output, move fast, or slow it down to focus on mind-muscle engagement and core strength.

Here’s how to do mountain climbers :

Start in a high plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart and your core engaged
Bend your left knee and draw it toward your left elbow as far as you can
Pause, straighten your leg back to its starting position, then repeat on your right side
Build up speed as if running in a plank position, staying on the balls of your feet.

Avoid lifting or dropping your hips and maintain a strong plank position.

4. Deficit push-ups

Use whatever you have handy to create a deficit — push-up bars, yoga blocks, or even books. No luck? Elevate your feet instead. The deficit allows you to drop your chest deeper into the push-up, increasing your range of motion and working muscles for longer. It’s a brilliant way to spice up any bodyweight exercise if you don’t have equipment.

How:

Start in a push-up position and raise your hands onto books, push-up bars, or similar. Keep your shoulders stacked over your wrists
Bend your elbows and perform a push-up, lowering your chest toward the floor as far as you can
Check your elbows track back rather than outward as you move
Pause at the bottom of the push-up, then explosively drive upward to the starting position.

You can use your knees at first until you get used to the movement. Ensure you can perform standard push-ups for at least 8-10 reps before trying this exercise.

5. Plank tuck jumps

Plank tuck jumps require core stability and an existing degree of strength to maintain a strong plank position as you jump your feet in and out. If you find this exercise too challenging, practice stepping first and build from there.

Working at speed will also increase your heart rate and get you sweating, so try to maintain momentum without allowing your hips to sag at any stage. Bracing your stomach, glutes, quads and shoulders should help. Try to avoid sacrificing control for speed.

Here’s how to do plank tucks :

Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists and hips aligned with your shoulders
Engage your abs, then bend your knees and slightly lean forward
Jump both feet toward your hands landing on the balls of your feet
Jump both feet back into your starting position.

Five-move bodyweight workout to try:

This workout is an EMOM, which means "every minute on the minute."

Use your first round as a tester to assess how many reps to aim for. In the first minute, perform max reps of the first exercise, then rest at around 45 to 50 seconds, giving yourself 10 to 15 seconds of rest before the next minute begins. On the second minute, do the same for the second exercise, and so on.

The first round will take you five minutes. Repeat for 3-5 rounds depending on experience and how much time you have. However many reps you manage per exercise during the first round, try to hit that number for the remaining rounds.