Bodyweight exercises use no equipment. The resistance comes from gravity and your own body, making them ideal for home training and an excellent complement to kettlebell exercises.
This is my complete library of 51 bodyweight exercises. Each exercise includes a demonstration image, video, the main muscles used and a short coaching summary. The movements range from simple foundations to demanding single-leg and explosive exercises.
Bodyweight training also fills useful gaps around kettlebell work. You can use it for pushing strength, core stability, balance, mobility, warm ups and conditioning without adding more equipment.
Start simple: jumping, hopping and bouncing exercises place much greater demands on the joints and should come later. Beginners should first become comfortable with controlled squats, lunges, bridges, push ups and core stability exercises.
10 Bodyweight Exercises to Learn First
You do not need to learn all 51 exercises at once. If you are starting from the beginning, focus on these 10 first:
- Bridge
- Single Leg Deadlift
- Y Squats
- Static Lunge
- Shoulder Taps
- Bird Dog
- Push Ups
- Slow Mountain Climbers
- Dead Bug
- Side Planks
Browse the 51 Exercise Library
The exercises are grouped by purpose so you can quickly find what you need. Use the library as a reference and progress only when you can perform the easier movements with good control.
Warm Ups and Mobility
Bodyweight Hip Openers
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Shoulders
A favourite warm up exercise to open up the hips and strengthen the core muscles.
Bodyweight Yoga Squat
Muscles used: Shoulders, Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
A best bodyweight exercises using no weights for improving strength gains throughout the full body as well as improving mobility too!
Bodyweight Cossacks
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
Strengthen and improve your hip flexibility with this movement. A fun bodyweight exercise too!
Bodyweight Elbow to Knee
Muscles used: Core
A nice standing core body weight exercise that will improve your movement skills and balance.
Bodyweight Wall Slides
Muscles used: Shoulders, Upper Back
Improve timing and strengthen the upper body with this bodyweight exercise for the back and shoulders.
Bodyweight Belly Breaths
Muscles used: Core
Fundamental body weight exercise for teaching good breathing mechanics and strengthening the inner core abdominal muscles. A must for all stressed neck breathers!
Bodyweight Bob & Weave
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Back
A lower body bodyweight exercise that uses a lateral movement to open up the hips and strengthen the legs.
Lower Body Strength and Balance
Bodyweight Bridge
Muscles used: Buttocks, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
A great body weight exercises for activating the buttocks and teaching the lower back to not overwork.
Bodyweight Single Leg Deadlift
Muscles used: Hamstrings, Buttocks, Core
A good lower body bodyweight exercise, that not only challenges your balance but also teaches good core and body alignment. A best bodyweight functional movements that are often neglected.
Bodyweight Single Leg Deadlift with Overhead Reach
Muscles used: Shoulders, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
Another challenging lower body single leg body weight exercise that works into the back of the body.
Bodyweight Y Squats
Muscles used: Glutes, Hamstrings, Buttocks, Upper Back, Core
The y squat is the perfect starting point for beginners and an excellent full-body bodyweight training exercise using no weights. Great for improving mobility too.
Bodyweight Lateral Squat
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
A more difficult variation of the bodyweight squat designed to raise the heart rate a little more.
Bodyweight Static Lunge
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
A good introduction to lunging and A most effective bodyweight exercises. Challenging for the lower body as well as your balance.
Bodyweight Forward Lunge
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
A fundamental lower body strength training body weight exercise using no weights. The lunge position also helps improve hip mobility if you move through a full range of motion.
Bodyweight Side Lunge with a Reach
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
A unique bodyweight exercise that is great for lower body single leg strength as well as developing mobility through the hips.
Bodyweight Double Lunge with Reach
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
A more advanced bodyweight exercises and the ultimate lunging movement pattern that builds strength as well as challenges your cardio.
Bodyweight Reverse Lunge with Lateral Reach
Muscles used: Buttocks, Hamstrings, Quads, Core
Single leg strengthener that improves your hip and movement skills too.
Bodyweight Reverse Diagonal Lunge with Reach
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
Get your thinking cap on for this exercise and open up those hips.
Upper Body and Push
Bodyweight Push Ups
Muscles used: Shoulders, Chest, Triceps, Back, Core, Buttocks
The classic bodyweight push exercise that is often performed so poorly. This minimal equipment exercise should be thought of as a moving core exercise and the perfect alternative to the bench press.
Bodyweight Dive Bomber Push Ups
Muscles used: Shoulders, Chest, Triceps, Back, Core
This tough upper body bodyweight exercise uses a combination of moves that strengthens the shoulders and chest while improving mobility.
Bodyweight Plank to Push Up
Muscles used: Shoulders, Triceps, Core
A tough moving plank position exercise that transitions from the forearm plank to the push up plank. Great exercise for strengthening the triceps as well as your core strength.
Bodyweight T Push Ups
Muscles used: Core, Chest, Triceps, Glutes
Take your bodyweight push exercises to the next level with this advanced version of the movement.
Bodyweight Breakdancer Push Ups
Muscles used: Shoulders, Triceps, Core, Glutes
A fun bodyweight push exercise variation that improves hip mobility and shoulder stabilisation.
Bodyweight Mountain Climber Push Ups
Muscles used: Shoulders, Chest, Triceps, Core
Build additional strength with this advanced core and push up variation.
Bodyweight Shoulder Taps
Muscles used: Shoulders, Chest, Back, Core, Glutes
A fundamental bodyweight shoulder exercises and a great introduction to stabilising the upper body using the core muscles. If you can't perform this body weight exercise then you shouldn't be doing Push Ups.
Core and Stability
Bodyweight Bird Dog
Muscles used: Shoulders, Back, Core, Glutes
A trickiest bodyweight exercises for the back but excellent for improving the postural muscles in the back of the body. Tough on the shoulder stabilisers too!
Bodyweight Back Extensions
Muscles used: Glutes, Back
A good body weight back exercise for strengthening the back stabilisers. Keep buttocks squeezed tight to protect the lower back.
Bodyweight Bird Dog with Rotation
Muscles used: Core, Buttocks, Back
A favourite bodyweight back exercise that challenges the core in flexion, extension and rotation.
Bodyweight Side Plank with Rotation
Muscles used: Core, Hips, Shoulders
A static exercise that strengthens the full side of the body and also mobilises the spine. A challenging bodyweight shoulder exercise too!
Bodyweight Slow Mountain Climbers
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Shoulders
A favourite core exercise that also helps improve hip flexibility and shoulder stability.
Bodyweight Scissors
Muscles used: Core
A great core exercise that needs to be performed slowly and correctly to have any effect.
Bodyweight Cross Overs
Muscles used: Core
A great core stabilising exercise that requires strength and control.
Bodyweight Dead Bug
Muscles used: Core
A fun and effective core exercise that connects the body via its cross body sling systems.
Bodyweight Side Planks
Muscles used: Core, Hips, Shoulders
A very important lateral stabilising exercise for the core muscles.
Bodyweight Cross Body Mountain Climbers
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Shoulders
Strengthen your core and improve your hip mobility with this exercise. An excellent bodyweight shoulder exercise too.
Bodyweight Dirty Dogs
Muscles used: Shoulders, Core, Back
A specialised core exercise for those without any back issues. Great for the shoulders too.
Bodyweight Side Plank with Extension
Muscles used: Shoulders, Core, Hips
Challenge your core muscles and shoulder stability with this exercise.
Bodyweight Single Leg Up and Down Dogs
Muscles used: Shoulders, Back, Core
An advanced version of the standard exercise that challenges the core even harder.
Bodyweight Figure 4 Mountain Climbers
Muscles used: Shoulders, Core
Brilliant exercise for challenging the core muscles as well as your hip mobility.
Bodyweight Cross Body Extension
Muscles used: Back, Core, Shoulders
A challenging exercise for the shoulders, back and core muscles.
Cardio and Power
Bodyweight Kangaroos
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Back
Tough and unusual exercise for the legs and buttocks. Requires excellent technique.
Bodyweight Jump Squats
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Very demanding weightless strength and cardio exercise that uses an explosive movement, only for those who can squat well.
Bodyweight Reverse Lunge and Hop
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
A demanding lunge variation that should only be attempted once the regular lunge has been mastered.
Bodyweight Jumping Lunges
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Reserved only for the experienced athlete. Build strength and cardio quickly with this exercise.
Bodyweight Fast Mountain Climbers
Muscles used: Shoulders, Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
A fast cardio body weight exercise that works into the core and shoulder stabilising muscles too.
Bodyweight Side Shuffles
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
This weightless exercise increases your heart rate and improves your foot speed.
Bodyweight High Knees
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
The ultimate cardio no equipment exercise if performed quickly. Ensure you warm up the lower legs first.
Bodyweight Squat Thrusts
Muscles used: Shoulders, Triceps, Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Challenging exercise that will condition the entire body from head to toe as well as your heart and lunges.
Bodyweight Burpees
Muscles used: Shoulders, Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
The ultimate full-body exercise for strengthening as well as improving your cardio. If performed correctly great for the core muscles too!
Bodyweight Skaters
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Improve foot speed, cardio and leg strength with this fun exercise.
Bodyweight Single Leg Burpee
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Funky exercise that is only for the very advanced athlete that is comfortable with the regular burpee.
How Bodyweight Exercises Complement Kettlebells
Kettlebells are excellent for adding external load, particularly to hinges, squats, carries and pulling movements. Bodyweight exercises add options for pushing, core training, balance, mobility and conditioning.
You can combine both in the same workout or use bodyweight movements between kettlebell sessions. If you want to expand your kettlebell exercise library too, see my 52 Kettlebell Exercises guide.
You can also see 13 bodyweight exercises to use with kettlebell workouts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are bodyweight exercises effective?
Yes. A well-chosen mix of lower body, upper body and core exercises can improve strength, movement quality, balance and conditioning without equipment.
Can you build muscle with bodyweight exercises?
Yes, particularly when you are new to resistance training. As you become stronger, use more challenging variations, slower tempos, more range of motion or additional external load to keep progressing.
What are the best bodyweight exercises for beginners?
Start with controlled movements such as the Bridge, Y Squat, Static Lunge, Bird Dog, Shoulder Taps and an appropriate Push Up variation. Build control before progressing to jumping or highly dynamic exercises.
Can I do bodyweight exercises every day?
It depends on the exercises, training volume and intensity. Easy mobility or technique work can be performed frequently, while harder strength and explosive sessions need enough recovery before you repeat them.
Can I combine bodyweight and kettlebell exercises?
Yes. They work extremely well together. Kettlebells provide external resistance while bodyweight exercises give you additional options for pushing, core stability, mobility, balance and conditioning.