This no equipment workout at home is designed to build strength and test your cardiovascular endurance using just your BODYWEIGHT. This workout hits it all with 16 bodyweight strength and HIIT exercises — from squats and jump lunges to push ups and mountain climbers.
My goal is to make strength training accessible for everyone — which is why I’m all about building strength and muscle at home.
While I love to encourage women in particular to reach for heavy weights, there are times when I want to move my body and don’t have access to any equipment. Today’s workout mixes things up by using the resistance of your own bodyweight to build strength and burn calories – no gym equipment needed.
No Equipment Workout FAQs
What Are The Best No Equipment Exercises To Build Strength And Burn Calories?
The best bodyweight workouts will challenge both your strength and endurance. When I create no equipment, full body workouts, I like to include functional, complex exercises that hit the lower body, upper body and core, all while getting your heart rate up! Some of my favorite bodyweight exercises include push ups, squats and planks.
Are No Equipment Workouts Effective?
YES. Some of my most popular HIIT cardio workouts are bodyweight workouts, but you can build strength with no equipment, too! In a no equipment workout, it’s important to include complex exercises that challenge you to think about the muscles that you’re using.
No Equipment Workout: Intense HIIT (Zero 30, Day 10)
Build strength and burn fat with this no equipment workout. This intense HIIT workout routine will challenge your total body while getting your heart rate up. You need zero equipment and just 30 minutes to complete this workout at home!
This is a timed interval workout – meaning you do as many reps as possible in the ‘work’ period. Your pace, your tempo (rep ranges will vary from person to person).
Workout Equipment:
None! Just your bodyweight.
Shop My Extra-Large Yoga Mat
I get so many questions about this mat! I have the EXTRA LARGE Mat (8′ x 4′ x 1/4″).
Step your right leg back into a reverse lunge, lowering your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front thigh parallel to the ground.
Then squeeze your left leg glute, driving your back, right leg forward to stand tall.
As you do so, “pass through” and immediately perform a front lunge by stepping the right leg forward, lowering your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front thigh parallel to the ground.
Then, drive off the front right heel to stand tall and repeat the movement of reverse lunge into a front lunge.
Lunge Drops
Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hips, hamstrings, calves and core.
How To Do Lunge Drops
Start standing feet hip-distance apart, slight bend in your knees and core engaged.
Jump your right foot back into a reverse lunge, aiming for 90-degree angles in each knee.
Then, perform a “lunge jump” by exploding up from the split lunge position, bringing both feet together as you stand tall.
This is one rep. Repeat, “dropping” or jumping the right foot back into a reverse lunge position for the entire set.
1.5 Push Ups
Targets: Chest, shoulders, triceps, back, abs and core muscles.
How To Do 1.5 Push Ups
Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, weight evenly distributed amongst all ten fingers. Pull your kneecaps up towards your belly, feet hip-width apart.
Hold this plank position, maintaining a straight line with your body, gaze slightly in front of you.
Slowly lower your chest down towards the ground as your elbows fall back towards your hips (not out to the sides).
Once at the bottom of your push up, exhale as you push back up halfway so your elbows are still slightly bent.
Slowly lower your chest down towards the ground again.
Then, once at the bottom of your push up again, exhale as you push back up into high plank position.
Burpee And Two Jabs
Targets: Total body — legs, hip flexors, calves, arms, shoulders, back, abs and core.
How To Do A Burpee And Two Jabs
Start standing in an athletic stance, knees bent, ready to move.
Perform a burpee by planting your hands on the mat and jumping your feet back to a high plank position. Immediately jump your feet back in and drive through the heels to stand tall.
Bring hands or knuckles up to “defend” your face in a guard position.
Perform two crossbody jabs. With your left arm, “jab” forward towards the front of the room. Pull your left arm back to your defensive position.
Then, with your right arm, “jab” forward towards the front of the room. Pull your right arm back to your defensive position.
Walk Out Plank
Targets: Hamstrings, lower back, shoulders, hips, glutes and core.
How To Do A Plank Walk Out
Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart; arms at your sides.
Hinge forward, pressing your hips and butt directly back, soles of your feet remain flat on the mat if possible. Reach your fingertips to the mat and slowly walk out to a high plank position with your hands on the floor.
Find a high plank, palms flat on the mat, shoulders stacked over wrists, core engaged, creating a straight line from your head to your heels.
Hold for a moment, then walk your hands back to meet your feet and stand tall.
Sumo Squat And Lunge
Targets: Quads, glutes, hips and adductors (inner thigh muscles).
How To Do A Sumo Squat And Lunge
Stand with feet wider than hips, heels in and toes pointed out (sumo squat stance).
Bend your knees to lower down into a sumo squat, pushing knees out towards your pinky toes. Think about trying to stay as low as possible through this entire movement.
Rotate your hips to the right as you drop your back left knee into a lunge position, both knees bent at 90 degrees and your front right leg parallel to the ground. Toes pivot to follow hips.
Push through your front right foot to stand and pivot your hips back to center; returning to a low sumo squat position.
Then rotate your hips to the left and repeat this lunge, sumo squat pattern.
Start standing, feet hip-width apart, slightly bent knees.
Step your right leg out to the side as you push your hips back, bending your right knee while leaving your left leg straight. Think of performing a single leg squat with your right leg while your left leg remains straight.
Then, drive off your right foot to reverse the movement, pushing back to center.
As you stand tall, perform a crunch by rotating your torso slightly, pulling the right knee up to meet your left elbow.
This is one rep. Repeat, immediately stepping the right foot out into a lateral lunge again.
Start standing in an athletic stance, feet hip-distance apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged.
Push off your right foot to bound laterally to the left, landing in a loaded skater position on your left foot. Left knee bent, right leg tracking behind your left foot in a skater position.
Then, drive off your planted left foot to bound laterally back to the right. Landing softly on your right foot. Right knee bent, left leg tracking behind your right foot a skater position.
Continue this alternating side-to-side lateral bound.
Four Mountain Climbers And Open To “T”
Targets: The entire core with an emphasis on the obliques. Your quads, shoulders and arms are also engaged.
How To Do Mountain Climbers And Open To “T”
Start in high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, weight evenly distributed amongst all ten fingers.
Hold this high plank position, maintaining a straight line with your body, gaze slightly in front of you.
Then perform four mountain climbers or crossbody knee drives — pulling right knee towards left elbow and left knee towards right elbow. Repeat this motion at a rapid pace, as if ‘running’ in a plank position.
Then, hold high plank, keeping your core stable. Flex your core and open into a side plank as you pull your right hand overhead. Hold this position for a moment as your body mimics a sideways “T” shape. Hips high and obliques turned on.
With control, lower the right hand back down to the mat as you return to the starting position.
Boat Pose Hold And Reach
Targets: Abs, core, hip flexors and inner thighs. Also a great balance challenge to increase posture.
How To Do Boat Pose Hold And Reach
Sit on the mat on your sitting bones, legs bent at 90-degrees, feet flat on the floor.
Tilt your hips forward, rounding through the spine as you pull your navel towards your spine (making a ‘C’ shape with your upper body). Keeping your shoulders down and the crown of your head towards the ceiling.
Engage your inner thighs and core to lift your feet off the mat to about knee height.
Option to keep your hands behind your knees, or increase the intensity by releasing your hands from the back of your legs, bringing your arms parallel to the floor.
Then, pull the knees in towards your chest as you reach your fingertips to your toes or heels.
Sit back again, pulling the hands away from the feet and repeat.
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