Social distancing is real. Right now, we’re all staying at home as much as possible. But if you’re trying to keep up your fitness routine, you might not have much in the way of home gym equipment. That’s where bodyweight workouts come in. While it’s not as exciting as throwing around a barbell (let’s face it, I love barbells!), bodyweight workouts can help you build strength, burn calories, and most importantly, reduce stress!
If you’re looking for bodyweight workouts you can do at home, here are five that you can make as long or as short as you want. I’ve designed them all to be done as circuits, so you can do as many rounds as you want, combine some, or just get some movement in before balancing homeschooling and working from home.
Please read my full liability disclaimer before performing any workout.
Warm Up for Body Weight Workouts
Get your heart rate up! Perform three rounds at one minute each:
- Jumping jacks
- Jog in place
- Mountain climbers
- Scorpion twists
Then, do one round of ten each:
- Knee hugs
- Hip cradles
- High kicks to the front
- Dynamic quad stretch (bend your knee and pull your heel to your rear as if you’re doing a post-run quad stretch, but instead of holding it, release it)
Do inchworms across the room, then bear crawl across the room (twice if it’s a small room).
Then, do about five leg swings and arm circles on each side (leg swings from front to back and side to side, big arm circles and little arm circles in each direction). Ready?
Bodyweight Leg Burner
Do these exercises as a circuit so that you’ll keep your heart rate up. For beginners, try three rounds. For more experienced folks, do as many rounds as you want, or do this as an AMRAP (as many reps/rounds as possible) in 10 minutes:
- 15 air squats
- 20 (total) lunges (either reverse, forward, or walking – you choose!)
- 20 (total) lateral lunges
- 20 (total) single leg hamstring curls (grab a paper plate to put your foot on, get into the bridge position, and slide your foot away from your body. Pull your foot back slowly. Do 10, then switch to the other side.)
- 10 supermans
At-Home Upper Body Blast
As with the leg burner, do this as a circuit to keep your heart rate up. Start with three rounds if you’re new to working out; do this as a 10-minute AMRAP if you’re not.
- 10 pushups (you can do these from your knees)
- 10 pike pushups (get into downward dog position, then bend your elbows and lower your head until it almost touches the ground. Push yourself back up.)
- 10 tricep dips (use a sturdy chair)
- Air-box for 30 seconds (jab, cross, uppercut, hook, repeat)
At-Home Ab Workout
Do at least two rounds of this bodyweight workout, more if you’re feeling ambitious. This should also be done as a circuit.
- 15 situps (full situps or abmat situps, but no crunches)
- 30 second plank
- 10 v-ups or tuck-ups
- 30 second left plank
- 10 hollow body rocks
- 30 second right plank
Full Body At-Home Cardio Burn
Set a timer for at least 12 minutes, then do as many rounds as possible of:
- 10 pushups
- 10 jump squats
- 10 situps
- 10 plank jacks (get into plank position, jump your feet out like you were doing a jumping jack, jump your feet back in)
- 10 jumping lunges
Bodyweight Burpee Blast
Do four (or more!) rounds of:
- 15 burpees
- 10 jumping jacks
- 15 air squats
- 10 alternating reverse lunges
- 45 second plank
Cool Down
This is up to you! Stretch the body parts you worked, holding each stretch for at least 30 seconds. Some ideas:
- Quad stretch
- Hamstring stretch/seated forward fold
- Frog pose
- Pigeon pose (I just really love pigeon!)
- Thread the needle
- Triceps stretch
- Twisted cross
This social distancing thing is hard – I’m definitely struggling, even as an introvert. But working out is definitely helping me maintain some sanity. Hopefully these bodyweight workouts will help you during this time. Meanwhile, go stock up your home gym!
And remember to wash your hands, eat your veggies, and drink lots of water!