25 No-Equipment Moves That Transform Your Body

POPSUGAR Photography | Kat Borchat
POPSUGAR Photography | Kat Borchat

Whether you've let go of your gym membership or you're spending more time shaping up from home, these effective no-equipment moves need to be part of your strength-training routine. You might be all about cardio for that big calorie burn, but a recent study found that strength training burns roughly twice as many calories per minute as previously thought — score! If there's a specific part of your body you want to try working with a new move, then click below to jump to the right place.

01
Upper Body: Push-Up
POPSUGAR Photography

Upper Body: Push-Up

  • Start in a plank position, with palms spread out evenly and your shoulders over your wrists and legs out behind you. Pull your belly button in, and keep your back straight.
  • As you lower and exhale, bend your elbows outward to the sides. Hold at the bottom before you raise back up to complete one rep.
02
Upper Body: Diamond Push-Ups
POPSUGAR Photography

Upper Body: Diamond Push-Ups

  • Start in plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your body in one straight line.
  • If your knees aren't on the floor, separate your feet so they're about shoulder-width apart to help you stay balanced throughout the exercise.
  • Place your hands together, directly under your sternum, with the tips of your index fingers and thumbs touching. Your fingers and thumbs should form a diamond or triangle shape.
  • Bend your elbows out to the sides, and lower your chest toward the floor. Then exhale to straighten your arms. This counts as one rep.
03
Upper Body: Superman
POPSUGAR Photography

Upper Body: Superman

  • Lie on your belly, engage your abs, and extend your arms straight out in front of you.
  • Lift your legs, arms, and chest off the floor. Hold for a count of 10, and then slowly release your body back to the floor. This completes one rep.
04
Upper Body and Core: Plank Up and Down
POPSUGAR Photography

Upper Body and Core: Plank Up and Down

  • Come into a plank position with your arms and legs straight. Your hands should be underneath your shoulders and your feet hips-width distance apart.
  • Keep your torso parallel to the floor, and lower your right forearm to the mat and then the left, coming into elbow plank.
  • Then step your right hand back onto the mat, and then the left, pushing yourself back up to plank position. This completes one push-up walk.
05
Upper Body and Core: Lateral Plank Walk
POPSUGAR Photography

Upper Body and Core: Lateral Plank Walk

This move will challenge your core and define your deltoids, shaping your shoulders.

  • Begin in plank position with your hands underneath your shoulders and your body in one straight line.
  • Simultaneously cross your right hand toward the left as you step your left foot out to the left. Then simultaneously step your left hand and right foot to the left, returning to the plank position. Your hands move together as your feet step apart. Take two more steps in this direction, keeping your abs pulled toward your spine and your pelvis level. This completes one rep.
  • Reverse directions, taking three steps to the right.
06
Upper Body and Core: Push-Up and Rotate
POPSUGAR Photography

Upper Body and Core: Push-Up and Rotate

  • Begin in a plank position with your feet in line with your hips.
  • Lower your body toward the floor, and then push through your arms, returning to plank.
  • Twist to the left, reaching your left arm to the ceiling without letting your pelvis rise or lower.
  • Return to plank position, bringing your hand back to the floor. This completes one rep.
07
Upper and Lower Body: Reverse Plank Bridge
POPSUGAR Photography

Upper and Lower Body: Reverse Plank Bridge

  • Begin seated with your hands behind you with your fingers pointed away from you.
  • Press the heels of your feet and hands into the ground as you raise your pelvis off the floor until it is in line with your shoulders and knees.
  • Lower your pelvis back to the ground to complete one rep.
08
Core: Bicycle Crunches
POPSUGAR Photography

Core: Bicycle Crunches

  • Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground (pull your abs down to also target your deep abs). Interlace your fingers, and put your hands behind your head.
  • Bring your knees in toward your chest, and lift your shoulder blades off the ground.
  • Straighten your right leg out to about a 45-degree angle to the ground while turning your upper body to the left, bringing your right elbow toward the left knee. Make sure your rib cage is moving and not just your elbows.
  • Now switch sides and do the same motion on the other side to complete one rep (and to create the "pedaling" motion).
09
Core: Seated Russian Twist
POPSUGAR Photography

Core: Seated Russian Twist

  • Sit on the ground with your knees bent, pull your abs to your spine, and lean back a few inches while lifting your feet off the floor. Be sure to keep your back straight.
  • Reach your arms out in front of you, and twist your torso to the right, then to the left, repeating for one minute. Lower your heels to the ground if you need to.
10
Core: Reverse Crunch
POPSUGAR Photography

Core: Reverse Crunch

  • Lie on your back on the floor. Place your hands on the floor beside you.
  • Bring the knees in toward the chest with your feet together.
  • Use your abs to slowly curl the hips off the floor and into your chest, and then slowly lower them back to the starting position to complete one.
  • Repeat for one minute. Don't swing your legs to create momentum; use your abs to control your movement.
11
Core: V-Sits
POPSUGAR Photography

Core: V-Sits

  • Lie on your back, and reach your arms rigidly to your side, off the floor. Lift your legs off the floor, and point them, so they are at about a 45-degree angle. Lift your head, so your shoulders are off the floor as well.
  • When you're ready to begin, lift your upper torso off the floor, and bend your knees. You can lean back to make this move harder or come up more to make it easier. Slowly lower your upper body back down to the floor, straightening out your legs as you do so. Stop when your back is on the floor, but not your head, shoulders, or legs.
  • This completes one rep.
12
Core: Mountain Climbers
POPSUGAR Photography

Core: Mountain Climbers

  • Start in a traditional push-up starting position — shoulders over hands and weight on just your toes.
  • Bring your right foot forward, bending the knee and putting weight on the ball of your foot.
  • Switch legs, bringing the left knee forward while moving the right leg back. This completes one rep.
13
Core: Side Plank
POPSUGAR Photography

Core: Side Plank

  • Sit on your left side with your legs slightly bent and your feet stacked.
  • Place your left hand about 12 inches from your pelvis.
  • Push your hand into the ground, and straighten your legs as you lift your pelvis off the ground. If you have trouble balancing, stagger your feet, so the top leg is in front.
  • Hold for 30 seconds, and switch sides to complete one rep.
14
Core: Full Sit-Ups
POPSUGAR Photography

Core: Full Sit-Ups

  • Lay on your back with bent knees and feet flat on the ground, and place your hands on opposite shoulders.
  • Keeping your heels on the ground and your toes flat to the ground, engage your abdominal muscles, and gently lift your head first, followed by your shoulder blades, coming into a full-sit up position.
  • Hold the position for a second, and with control, come slowly back to lying on your back.
  • This completes one full sit-up.
15
Lower Body: Good Morning
POPSUGAR Photography

Lower Body: Good Morning

  • Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and place your hands at the back of your head with your elbows opened wide.
  • Pull your abs to your spine, and keep your back neutral while pressing your butt backward, hinging at the hips, until your back is almost parallel to the floor. Keep a slight bend in your knees as you bend forward.
  • Return to standing, squeezing your glutes when you are upright. This completes one rep.
16
Lower Body: Basic Squat
POPSUGAR Photography

Lower Body: Basic Squat

  • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold your hands comfortably in front of your chest to help you stay balanced, and bend your knees, lowering your hips deeply, so your thighs are parallel with the floor. Make sure to keep your weight back in your heels.
  • Then rise back up, straightening the legs completely and squeezing the glutes at the top of the movement to get the most out of the exercise.
  • This counts as one rep.
17
Lower Body: Wall Sit
Megan Wolfe Photography

Lower Body: Wall Sit

  • Stand with your back against a wall, placing your feet about two feet in front of you. Feet should be hip-distance apart.
  • Bending your knees, slide your back down the wall until your knees are at 90-degree angles. Your knee joints should be over your ankle joints, so you may need to inch your feet farther from the wall to create proper alignment. Don't let your knees fall into the midline of your body or sway outward.
18
Lower Body: Sumo Squat
POPSUGAR Photography

Lower Body: Sumo Squat

  • Stand with legs wide and toes pointed outward slightly. Place your hands at your head with elbows wide to challenge your abs as you do this move.
  • Bend your knees until they are over your ankles. Your feet should be far enough apart that your thighs are parallel to the floor and your knees near 90 degrees. Push through your heels to straighten your legs. This completes one rep.
19
Lower Body: Side Lunge
POPSUGAR Photography

Lower Body: Side Lunge

  • Step your left leg back into a deep lunge, making 90-degree angles with both knees.
  • Raise your arms out to the side until your upper arms are parallel to the ground. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees, making loose fists with your hands.
  • Hold the lunge while as you rotate your upper arms forward to bring your fists to the floor; then rotate the upper arm backward to bring the fists up. Do not lower or raise your upper arms; keep them parallel to the floor. This complete one rep.
20
Lower Body: Lunge
POPSUGAR Photography

Lower Body: Lunge

  • Keep your upper body straight, with your shoulders back and relaxed and your chin up (pick a point to stare at in front of you, so you don't keep looking down). Always engage your core.
  • Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle, not pushed out too far, and make sure your other knee doesn't touch the floor. Keep the weight in your heels as you push back up to the starting position. This counts as one lunge.
21
Lower Body: Single-Leg Balance Touch
POPSUGAR Photography

Lower Body: Single-Leg Balance Touch

  • Begin standing with arms overhead with all your weight on your left foot.
  • Keeping your spine long, reach forward, bending your left knee, and touch both hands to the ground. Keep your abs engaged to keep your torso stable.
  • Lower your right leg down while lifting your torso, bringing your arms overhead to complete one rep.
22
Plyometrics: Jump Squat
POPSUGAR Photography

Plyometrics: Jump Squat

  • Start by coming into a squat with your arms by your sides.
  • Swing your arms to the ceiling as you jump off with both feet. Land quietly as you return to the squat position. This completes one rep.
23
Plyometrics: Jumping Lunges
POPSUGAR Photography

Plyometrics: Jumping Lunges

  • Stand with your feet staggered, your left foot slightly in front of your right. Making sure you're not too stiff, keep your stance active with your knees bent in a slight but not full lunge.
  • With your core engaged, push off the bottom of both feet into a jump, switching the position of your feet in midair, landing in a basic lunge with your right leg in front.
  • Without rest, repeat this movement, alternating which leg is in front. This completes one rep.
24
Plyometrics: High-Knee Skips
POPSUGAR Photography

Plyometrics: High-Knee Skips

  • Skip in place by hopping on your right leg while bringing the left knee up toward your chest.
  • Engage your abs as the knee comes toward your chest.
  • Switch legs, and keep skipping while pumping your arms.
  • This completes one rep.
25
Plyometrics: Burpee
POPSUGAR Photography

Plyometrics: Burpee

  • Lower into a crouching squat with your hands on the floor.
  • Do a squat thrust by jumping your feet back into a plank position.
  • Do one basic push-up, bending the elbows and then straightening back to plank.
  • Jump the feet forward to the hands, and come into a squat.
  • Do an explosive jump straight up, getting as much height as you can.