Are you trying to find the best workouts for body weight or calisthenics as a beginner to fit your fitness goals? Training with body weight is easy to do and costs no gym membership to do.
Body weight training can be done just about anywhere. But training with free weights has their place depending on your fitness goals more on that in the next post.
Here are the 10 best exercises for beginners using bodyweight training.
1.Push-ups
It is a foundational lift for muscle and strength building that you can do at home or can be added to your workout routine at the gym.
Pushups also focus on the upper body; pushups activate many muscles simultaneously and can be done with or without weights. Pushups come in many variations.
Benefits
- Compound movement.
- Can do with bodyweight.
- Good for building size and strength with body weight.
- Works upper body.
Tip: When doing pushups, you should focus on quality and not quantity.
Video Tutorial
2.Single leg box squat
Single-leg box squats are the regress version of the pistol squat that targets your lower body. Single-leg box squats focus on the glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, and stability muscles in your hips.
Single-leg box squats are a great way to build strength, size, and stability.
Benefits
- Compound movement.
- Can do with bodyweight.
- Good for building size, strength and stability with body weight.
- Works lower body.
Tip: Can use something like a chair to perform exercise.
Video Tutorial
3.Single leg deadlift
Single-leg deadlifts are great for targeting your hamstrings. Single-leg deadlifts help increase core control and stability and also help bring out muscle imbalances in your legs.
Single-leg deadlifts come in different variations depending on your goals to build size or strength.
Benefits
- Compound movement
- Can do with bodyweight.
- Good for building size and strength with body weight
- Works lower body.
Video Tutorial
4.Pullups
Pull-ups are a great way to target your upper back and work your arm muscles. Pull-ups are one of the best exercises to build size and strength in your upper back.
Pull-ups are a very convenient exercise that only needs a bar and your body weight to complete.
Benefits
- Compound movement.
- Can do with bodyweight.
- Good for building size and strength with body weight.
- Works upper back.
Tip:If unable to do pullups, you can do assisted pullups, jumping negatives, or dead hangs to help progress to the pullup.
Recommend:GoBeast Pull Up Bar Free Standing Dip Station
Video Tutorial
5. Body weight rows
Body weight rows are like pushups, but you will focus on pulling instead of pushing. Body weight rows focus on the upper back and are good to help with pull-ups.
Body weight rows also help with posture and also come in many variations.
Benefits
- Compound movement.
- Can do with bodyweight.
- Good for building size and strength with body weight.
- Works upper back.
Video Tutorial
6. Single-leg glute bridge
Single-leg glute bridges are a great way to build your glutes and hamstrings with body weight which helps with improving squats and deadlifts. It can also be used as a warmup before performing squats or deadlifts.
Benefits
- Compound movement.
- Can do with bodyweight.
- Good for building size and strength with body weight.
- Works lower body.
Video Tutorial
7. Dips
Dips are a great way to build all three heads of the triceps and lower chest and also put work on the shoulders. This exercise has different variations to target the chest more or the triceps.
Dips have different progressions depending on the fitness level you’re on. Before doing dips, do a full warm-up for the shoulders to be able to do a full range of motion.
Benefits
- Compound movement.
- Can do with bodyweight.
- Good for building size and strength with body weight.
- Works upper body.
Video Tutorial
8. Body weight triceps extensions
Bodyweight triceps extensions are an isolated workout good for adding extra volume when doing compound movements.
This exercise is good for putting the main focus on the triceps but still, compared to a compound movement; Bodyweight triceps extensions come in second.
Benefits
- Isolation movement.
- Can do with bodyweight.
- Good for adding volume for building size and strength with body weight.
- Works only on triceps.
Video Tutorial
9. Bodyweight bicep curl
Bodyweight bicep curls are very effective for building your biceps with just your body weight. As you progress and get stronger you can position your body to make the exercise harder.
Benefits
- Isolation movement.
- Can do with bodyweight.
- Good for building size and strength with body weight.
- Works on biceps.
Video Tutorial
10. Bodyweight shoulder press
Bodyweight shoulder presses or pike pushups are a good workout for building upper body strength with just your body weight. Body weight shoulder presses mainly focus on the shoulders but also work the triceps.
Benefits
- Compound movement.
- Can do with bodyweight.
- Good for building size and strength with body weight.
- Works upper body.
Video Tutorial
Conclusion
Here are the 10 best exercises for beginners. Most of these exercises focus on the 4 main movements Pull, push, squat, and hinge.
Also, these bodyweight exercises show that you can gain strength and size without really relying on free weights. But now that you have these 10 exercises to help get you started. What exercises did you find helpful?