If you're looking for a way to tone and shape your body with minimal equipment, body weight exercises are a great way to trim inches and help you lose weight. Using gravity and your body's natural resistance, you can kick up your metabolism by adding muscle in all the right places.
You want to make sure you hit a variety of muscle groups and activate your upper body, lower body, and core throughout the workout for maximum results, mixing some cardio bursts with basic HIIT exercises between strength training to jump start your calorie burn and improve your heart health.
We have rounded up the 10 best body weight exercises you can start practicing at home today.
Sumo squats help tone the inner thighs, glutes, and hamstrings and can be done anywhere and anytime. One of the best exercises for shaping up your legs using only your body weight.
Push-ups isolate your chest, triceps and shoulders, and also keep your core strong. Make sure to breathe through the exercise, and if you have wrist pain, you can modify by using dumbbells as handles.
You're going to feel your heart racing and blood pumping after just 45 seconds of this HIIT-favorite exercise. Mountain climbers work your entire body and burn lots of calories in the process.
Any exercise that requires you to jump will target your entire lower body from your feet to your glutes, and jump squats are not the exception. Make sure you wear proper footwear and are on a flat supportive surface to protect your joints.
Side planks target your obliques and trim your waistline, and by adding in the extra dip you will be improving your muscle control and posture.
Tricep dips are one of the best ways to tone the back of your arms. If you have any wrist pain or shoulder pain, you can modify the exercise by bending your knees and using your legs to help support your body weight.
Planks work your entire core and with an extra twist you'll be targeting your side body, too, improving your body weight to body strength ratio. Make sure to breathe nice and steady, and keep your body in a straight line as you twist.
Burpees are one of the most effective exercises for blasting away body fat and losing weight. Make sure you are wearing proper footwear and have a solid supportive ground to protect your joints.
Lunges work your entire lower body from your lower legs to your glutes. You can modify the move by stepping backwards into a lunge, taking some of the pressure of your knees.
Bird dogs work on alignment of your spine, balance, coordination, core strength, and posture. If you have a sore lower back, this exercise can provide immediate relief and long-term benefits for minimizing pain.