Share and Follow
You can develop significant strength without using dumbbells or machines. By utilizing only your body weight, you can effectively target all the key muscle groups and enhance your body’s agility, speed, and efficiency. Bodyweight workouts improve coordination, support correct movement patterns, and help maintain strength regardless of your training location.
These six movements target your entire body without any equipment. They force your muscles to stabilize, control, and power through each rep using nothing but gravity. That means better joint health, improved flexibility, and total-body strength that sticks.
Whether you’re working out at home, traveling, or just looking to mix things up, these exercises deliver results. Perform them as a circuit or mix them into your weekly routine to build strength, endurance, and mobility on your own terms.
Bear Crawl
The bear crawl trains the shoulders, core, hips, and legs in one tight package. Crawling forces full-body coordination and demands core engagement with every step. It also lights up your stabilizers and gets your heart rate climbing fast.
How to do it:
- Start on hands and knees, then lift your knees an inch off the ground.
- Crawl forward by stepping opposite hand and foot at the same time.
- Keep your back flat, hips low, and steps controlled.
- Move forward 10–15 steps, then crawl backward to return.
Bodyweight Split Squat
Split squats hammer the legs and glutes while reinforcing balance and stability. You’ll build lower-body strength one side at a time, which evens out imbalances and protects your knees and hips. No added weight, just gravity and control.
How to do it:
- Stand in a staggered stance with one foot forward and the other behind.
- Lower your back knee toward the ground while keeping your front heel planted.
- Drive through your front foot to return to standing tall.
- Do 8–10 reps per leg.
Inchworm Walkout
The inchworm walkout stretches the hamstrings, strengthens the shoulders, and wakes up your core. It also builds mobility through the hips and spine, crucial for staying strong and injury-free. The walkout forces you to control every inch of the movement.
How to do it:
- Stand tall with legs straight and reach your hands toward the floor.
- Walk your hands out to a high plank position while keeping your legs as straight as possible.
- Pause briefly, then walk your hands back and stand up tall.
- Repeat for 6–8 controlled reps.
Push-Up to Shoulder Tap
This push-up variation trains your chest, triceps, core, and balance all at once. Each shoulder tap activates the core while forcing you to stabilize your entire body through a single arm. It’s not just upper-body strength, it’s total-body control.
How to do it:
- Start in a high plank position with hands just outside shoulder-width.
- Perform a full push-up with strong form.
- At the top, tap your left shoulder with your right hand, then your right shoulder with your left.
- Repeat for 8–10 push-ups total, keeping hips steady the entire time.
Glute Bridge March
Glute bridges build strength through the hips and lower back, but this marching variation ups the challenge. Lifting one leg forces your core to stabilize while your glutes fire to hold position. The glute bridge march should be your go-to exercise for building posterior strength without equipment.
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat, and arms at your sides.
- Lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
- March one knee up toward your chest, then lower and switch legs.
- Perform 10–12 slow, alternating reps.
Wall Sit with Arm Raise
The wall sit locks in your lower body while the arm raise tests your core and shoulder endurance. This combo builds static strength and reinforces posture in one smooth movement. It also teaches your body to maintain tension without compensating.
How to do it:
- Stand with your back against a wall and lower into a 90-degree squat.
- Extend your arms straight in front of you or raise them overhead slowly.
- Hold this position for 30–45 seconds, keeping your back flat and core tight.
- Rest and repeat for 2–3 rounds.
Tyler Read, BSc, CPT
