Bodyweight Workout Routine at Home

These days many of us are looking for a bodyweight workout routine for mass and strength that we can conduct in the safety of our own home. Whether you need a beginner bodyweight workout routine at home or something more advanced for mass and strength, this article will help you feel the burn.

Why Do You Need an At-Home Bodyweight Workout Routine?

At the beginning of 2020, your local gym shut its doors and probably got creative. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the closure of large and small gyms and studios around the country. Most of these businesses relied on physical locations and on-site staff. 

When the virus hit, many health departments shut restaurants, gyms, hair salons, and other businesses down cold. So, gyms began offering online classes and individual instruction over Zoom to keep revenue coming in. Some gyms made YouTube workout videos to keep their clients on track. Many of their clients were forced to take their workouts home. 

By April, chains like 24-Hour Fitness had finances that were anything but in shape. While a number of gyms reopened this summer, the reality is that many health experts suggest weighing your own personal risk of contracting the coronavirus before venturing out. Gym members with underlying health issues or anyone over age 65 may want to stay home for now.

This makes having an at-home bodyweight workout routine even more important, especially as we near the fall and winter, where the weather may not allow many of us to venture out. 

Bodyweight Workout Plan for Beginners

Let’s start with beginners to bodyweight circuit training and work our way up. Bodyweight circuits work well because they utilize multiple muscle groups and burn more calories.

Strength training burns calories by tearing down muscle fiber and rebuilding it, which burns even more calories in the process. It only takes about 20-minutes a day to follow a bodyweight workout plan for beginners that will get you leaner and stronger this fall. These exercises can be done anywhere.

Do these exercises in three circuits three to four times a week, skipping a day in between to allow your muscles time to heal and rest. Drink plenty of water and eat lean proteins and greens to cut back on that “COVID-19” extra weight you may have gained since you’ve been quarantined.

Before starting the exercises, it’s essential to do a 5- to 10-minute warm-up to get your body limbered up. Yoga stretches, walking up and down your stairs, or jumping (don’t literally jump) on the stationary bicycle, will help your muscles loosen up. You could even walk around the block briskly to get your blood pumping and muscles warmed up.

If you have any sort of health condition, please speak with your doctor before trying any workout routine.

Bodyweight Workout Plan

• 20 squats
• 10 push-ups
• 10 walking lunges on each leg
• 10 dumbbell lifts (you can use a jug of milk)
• 15-second plank
• 30 jumping jacks

Now, if this is your first time trying an at-home bodyweight workout routine, you may only get through this once. There is no shame in that. Each week make your goal to move toward two circuits, and then three, to feel the full effect of these exercises.

Remember, stay hydrated and eat balanced meals to improve the effectiveness of these workouts. Now let’s look at a more advanced and intense at-home bodyweight workout routine.

Best Bodyweight Workout Routine for Mass and Strength

If you’re looking for a more advanced bodyweight workout routine you can do at home, give this one a try:

Push-Ups

Believe it or not, the good old-fashioned push-up remains key to building upper body strength. If you can push up the traditional way, by not bending your knees or doing some sort of exercise modification, you will find that your core also strengthens.

Try working in 20-reps if you can, three days a week.

Step-Ups

Step-ups build up a surprising amount of strength, balance, and mass. It’s like stair climbing on steroids.

Place a bench or step stool in front of you and step up with one leg. As you plant your foot on the stool, drive up with the other leg, and bring your knee up as high as you can. Shift sides, repeat, and that’s one rep.

This is a great lower body workout that also tightens the stabilizer muscles in your legs. Try working in 20-reps if you can, three days a week.

Standing Long Jump

The standing long jump isn’t a great idea if your apartment neighbors are home underneath you, but as an exercise, it is excellent. Standing upright, lower yourself into a squat with your feet about shoulder-width apart.

Swing your arms back and then forward and simultaneously jump forward. Land on the soles of your feet. Turn around and repeat.

This is a great way to tighten and tone the powerful muscle fibers designed for action in your upper thighs. Try 10 of these to start—they will wear you out!

Burpees

Everyone hates burpees, but they burn more calories than just about any other bodyweight workout exercise. Burpees combine a push-up with a squat with a jump; together, this becomes a powerful workout tool.

Can you do 20? Work your way up to that number and see how you feel. 

Sit-Ups

Finally, sit-ups are always great, but for added torture, try the frozen V-sit. From a lying position, put your hands above your head then pull your arms toward your toes, simultaneously raising our arms, torso, and feet until they touch.

Now hold it, so your body forms a V. Count to five. Repeat. We know this sounds painful, but if you want a six-pack, this is the core builder with your name all over it.

What Are the Benefits of An At-Home Bodyweight Workout Routine?

There are multiple benefits of establishing an at-home bodyweight workout regimen. They include:

• Bodyweight exercises are super flexible and accessible to any fitness level. If you’re a beginner or a seasoned athlete, these exercises work well to build you into a toned-up senior or a youthful Incredible Hulk.

• Bodyweight exercise increases mobility and stability. This is particularly important for older adults. These types of exercises use complete physical movements that require some balance, which can help build your core as well as balance and coordination.

• Bodyweight exercises are great to hone your workout form. These exercises force you to consider your movements as you push through a circuit. This focus can help reduce your chances of injury and lower the stress on your joints.

• Bodyweight exercises give you a big bang for your exercise buck in a short amount of time. They don’t require a lot of space, which makes them great for an at-home workout. 

Here’s the reality of a good home bodyweight workout routine; you don’t need a fancy workout machine or the gym to work your way back to a gym body. These exercises just need a little floor space (and a patient downstairs neighbor).

They can be done by any strength or skill level and can be modified for the older adult that has mobility problems. (For example, you can do the frozen-V exercise from your bed or couch.)

Today, many Americans are looking for alternatives to traveling to the gym. At a time when many of us have health issues that put us at greater risk for COVID-19, or if you simply don’t feel like driving to your gym this winter on a cold, dark evening, an at-home bodyweight workout routine will give you the same benefit of a professional gym. 

For long-term at-home fitness, consider the bodyweight workout routine.