6 Simple Bodyweight Exercises for Beginners to Stay Fit

Bodyweight exercises are easy and effective ways to improve balance, flexibility, and strength without using gym machines or equipment. All these exercises can be easily done at home.

These are exercise routines that use a person's bodyweight to create resistance to improve various aspects. We've talked about every part of the body that can get stronger through these exercises, from the legs and shoulders to the chest and abs.

Bodyweight Exercises for Beginners

These six beginner-level bodyweight exercises are the best combination of workouts you will find, targeting your lower and upper body with muscle-building moves.

The list also includes an excellent cardio exercise and one of the best plyometric ones. Overall, these exercises can be a good workout for beginners and will help work out most major muscle groups in the body.

Let's get started:

1) Bodyweight Squat

Our first bodyweight exercise is a classic, used by athletes, bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts alike.

Squats are good for the body and your mind. Squatting works the glute and inner thigh muscles, which helps you get your legs and bottom in shape. As your buttocks get stronger, your balance and posture also get better.

Here's how you do bodyweight squats:

Stand with your feet together or 15 degrees apart, whichever feels better.
Bend your hips and knees slowly till the top of your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
Make sure that your heels don't lift up.
Push through your heels to get back up on your feet.

2) Inchworm

This is essentially an upper body bodyweight exercise. The inchworm is a great way to warm up the entire body with just your bodyweight. It gives you more balance and stability and makes the arms, chest, upper back, lower back, and abs stronger.

Here's how you can do an inchworm:

Make sure your knees aren't locked when you stand tall with your legs straight.
Slowly lower your torso toward the floor, and walk your hands forward.
Once you're in a push-up position, take small steps till your feet reach your hands.
Keep repeating for another 4–6 reps.

3) Lunge

Our next bodyweight exercise is the lunge, an exercise that helps you build muscle mass and strength, especially in the core, buttocks, and legs. Not only will shaping up the body make you look better but it will also improve posture and range of motion.

Here's how you do lunges:

Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart and hands on your hips.
Step forward with your right leg, and slowly lower your body till your left (back) knee is bent at least 90 degrees and close to or on the floor.
Turn around, and repeat on the other side.
Try stepping backwards into the lunge for a change.

4) Bridge

This bodyweight exercise targets and strengthens the gluteus (butt) muscles (the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus) and hamstrings, which are the main muscles that make up the posterior chain of the body. The bridge pose can act as a restorative and stimulating pose.

Here's how you do bridges:

Lie down on the floor with your face up, bent knees, and feet placed about hip-width apart.
Put your arms by your sides, and lift your back and hips. The floor should only be under your head, feet, arms, and shoulders at the top of the pose.
Keep your core tight as you lift one leg.
Slowly lower your leg, and raise it back up.
Try to get ten reps out of each leg, and lower your back to the floor.

5) Burpee

Burpees are an extremely effective bodyweight exercise that offer a good cardio workout along with muscle-strengthening benefits. The exercise can quickly increase your heart rate and help you burn a lot of calories in a short time.

Here's how you do bridges:

Start with your hands on the floor in a low squat.
Kick your feet back into a push-up position.
Do one push-up, and bring your feet back in the squat position right away (like a frog leap).
Jump as high as you can, and squat down. Go back to the push-up part of the exercise to complete one rep.
Perform 10-15 reps.

6) Plank

This excellent bodyweight exercise can improve your posture by strengthening the back, chest, shoulders, neck, and abs.

It makes it easier to keep the shoulders back and lower back in a neutral position while sitting or standing, which are two important aspects of good posture. Planks also help build isometric strength in the core muscles. That gives you the power to stand or sit for long periods without slouching.

Here's how you do a plank:

Put your forearms on the floor, and clasp your hands together.
Stretch your legs back, and get up on your toes.
Hold the position for 30–60 seconds with a straight back and tight core (or as long as you can hang).

Takeaway

The aforementioned bodyweight exercises can be treated as a full workout. You can perform these exercises with other workouts or standalone.