8 Strengthening Exercises That Don’t Require A Single Weight

Are you worried you don’t have the right equipment for a good workout? Well, you shouldn’t be! You can still build muscle mass without those fancy machines, just with your own body weight. These 8 strengthening exercises use the weight of your own body as resistance, nothing else.

The great part is these body weight exercises can be just as effective as ones done with dumbbells, barbells or any other fancy equipment you might find in a gym.

Because you’re not attached to any weight machine and can move freely, squats are ten thousands times more functional than a butt blaster machine. These kind of moves (free, functional moves) improve our bodies at the tasks that we perform in our everyday lives, such as reaching overhead to put something on a shelf or squatting down to tie our shoelaces.

If you repeat this program four times a week for six weeks, you’ll get stronger overall, and your physique will be tighter. Because the workout is simple and involves only your body weight, it can be done anywhere. You can fit in this workout on the fly, even if you’re stuck in the office or in a far-flung hotel.

8 Simple Strengthening Exercises

Here’s an infographic made by Remie Geoffroi for RealSimple, that illustrates 8 strengthening exercises you can do anywhere, no fancy equipment required. There are listed all the muscle groups engaged by each movement, along with a step by step description of the exercises.

The exercises involved in this body weight workout are:

1. Body Weight Squats
2. Lunges
3. Bicycle Crunches
4. Forearm Planks
5. Pushups
6. Calf Raises
7. Reverse Crunches
8. Superman Planks

Do about 15 reps for each exercise and repeat the whole process for a total of 3-5 times. You can add a couple of these simple strengthening exercises to your daily workout, or you can do all of them as a total body workout, 3-4 times a week. Have fun!