How to Exercise with No Equipment During Quarantine
Easy Indoor Full Body Workout – No Equipment, No Experience, No Problem!
April 18, 2020
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Home workout equipment started flying off the shelves as soon as people realized we were headed for a state of emergency. If you missed the boat, I’ve got good news for you: You don’t really need all those accessories to get good exercise at home. Can you do the same workouts and expect the same results? No, I’d be lying if I said you could. But, you can challenge your body and make some gains using nothing but your own body weight.
Today, I’m going to show you some exercises that don’t require any equipment or previous experience. Some of these are included in the indoor full body workout I recently posted. Others are more challenging movements which you can swap into that routine when you’re ready to push yourself a bit harder.
I’ll organize these bodyweight exercises based on the following:
You can do these anywhere – in your backyard, on a sizable balcony, at a local park, or in your own room. No matter the circumstances and where you are in the world, there’s no excuse! Even if you’re reading this after social distancing measures in your area have been lifted, these equipment-free exercises are a great way to break a sweat without dishing out any cash. Win-win.
No Equipment Upper Body Exercises:
Push-ups are among my favorite exercises; I love them for their versatility and the fact that they’re always relevant no matter how advanced you are.
There are multiple variations of the push-up. As a beginner, you should master the neutral, wide, and close grip first and then work your way up to some of the more advanced ones.
When it comes to something more advanced, the Cobra push-up focuses on the triceps rather than your chest and shoulders.
This is another great exercise to start training your triceps with.
How to perform: Grab a chair or find something around your knee height, sit on the edge, and place your palms just outside of your hips at a slight angle pointing away from your body. Go into a dip by lowering yourself until your elbow forms a 90-degree angle, then bring yourself up by squeezing your triceps.
Back Extensions, aka “Supermans” or “Bananas,” are an excellent way to hit your lower-to-mid back and even the glutes. It can be performed in multiple ways.
How to perform: Plant your feet under something solid and raise your torso off the floor. Keep your core tight and focus on really squeezing and feeling the erectors and glutes working.
Aka the “Snow Angel” exercise, is a great corrective exercise which will work your upper back as well as your shoulders. This exercise will help with shoulder mobility and keep your upper back strong.
How to perform: Lie flat on your stomach, keep your core tight, and elevate your torso off the floor like you’re doing a back extension. Start with your hands extended above your head, palms facing each other; bring your arms down behind your back while rotating your hands internally so your thumbs meet at the end of the movement right above your glutes.
No Equipment Ab and Core Exercises:
This is probably one of the best core exercises you can do at home.
How to perform: Sit on the floor with a pillow or pad underneath your tailbone. Place your hands outside of your hips with your fingers facing towards your heels, lean back, and bend your knees so only the ball of your foot is touching the ground. Lift your heels off the floor and start bringing your knees and your chest towards each other at the same time, then return to the starting position and repeat.
Knee raises are a beginner’s version of leg raises. If you struggle with leg raises, these will be a great starting point.
How to perform: Lie flat on your back with your palms on the floor. Bring your knees up by squeezing your abdominals and then bring them back down.
Leg Raises will mostly target your lower abs, it’s a great exercise to pair up with crunches.
How to perform: Lie flat on your back with your legs straight out, place your hands next to you with your palms on the floor. Bring your legs up 90 degrees and bring them back down. Make sure you do this in a slow and controlled manner.
Russian Twists are a great finisher to your core training, you can really feel the burn on these!
How to perform: Sit down on the floor (use a mat or a pillow) and bend your knees (keep your heels on the floor). Lock your hands together and lean back with your torso until you feel tension in your abs. From there, rotate your torso without moving your legs and touch the ground next to your hips with your hands, then rotate and touch the opposite side.
Hip Dips are a great way to turn the plank into something more challenging.
How to perform: Start out in a standard plank position with your elbows directly under your shoulders and your feet in a narrow stance. Make sure your body’s straight and your hips aren’t elevated too high. Bring one hip down towards the floor and slightly out so you feel the stretch in your oblique. Reverse this by squeezing your oblique and coming back to the “neutral” plank position and then do the other side.
Often overlooked, this exercise can help you regain balance and improve your core stability.
How to perform: Start out by lying on your side, and place your elbow directly under your shoulder; at the same time place one foot on top of the other (or close together). Make sure your shoulders, hips, and feet are in a straight line. From there, lift your hips off the floor until they are even with the rest of your body, and then bring them back down. Do one side and then the other.
Another great finisher that burns!
How to perform: Start by lying flat on the floor on your back. Lace your fingers behind your head, then bring your left elbow and your right knee together, while keeping your left leg straight and elevated just off the floor. Your knee and elbow won’t touch, but you want to bring them as close together as you can over your core (at a moderate speed). Then, extend them and repeat the motion using your right elbow and left knee.
No Equipment Leg Exercises:
Think you can’t get a solid lower body workout without any equipment? Think again! When done right, bodyweight exercises like squats and lunges will always leave you sore.
Squats are a fundamental movement that comes in many varieties. If you haven’t done them yourself, chances are you’ve seen people doing them. I’ll explain some of my favorites below.
How to perform: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing slightly outward. Keep your hands on your hips, or stretched out in front of you. Set your hips back slightly and lower your body until your hips are parallel to your knees. Your knees will push outward as you sink lower, just make sure they’re travelling in the same direction that your toes are pointing in (and be careful not to let them extend past your toes). Once your hips are level with your knees, lift yourself back up by squeezing your glutes and your quads together. Activating these muscles will propel you out of “the hole” and back to your starting position.
A great addition to regular squats!
How to perform: Start by standing with your feet wide apart (much wider than your shoulder-width), toes pointing outward. Lock your hands together in front of your collar bone and start descending at an angle, to the right. Your right knee should be travelling towards your toes. Your upper body will lean forward as you go lower, just make an effort to lean to the right rather than straight between your legs. You’ll know when you’ve gone low enough once you feel the tension in the glute and quads on your right leg; from there, you want to squeeze those muscles and push yourself back to the neutral position. Repeat this on the left side.
Jumping squats are a great explosive movement which will improve your overall athleticism.
How to perform: Unlike regular squats, you’re going to start from the bottom on this one (ing the “hole” position). Jump up from the hole by activating your glutes and your quads. You don’t need to leap super high, just enough to be completely airborne. When you land, you should be back at your starting position in the hole (knees bent and legs wide apart). Make sure you land softly on the balls of your feet – this will force you to use your calf muscles, while avoiding any discomfort in your joints. It will also prevent you from annoying any neighbors who live downstairs! :D
This is probably one of the best exercises you can do for full leg development. Somehow, I’m always sore the day after doing these.
How to perform: Make sure you have enough space to move forward and backward. Start by standing with your hips square and your hands either on your sides or locked in front of you. Step forward with one of your legs, creating 90-degree angles at your knee and your hips. From there, squeeze the glute and quads of the same leg and launch yourself forward and finish the movement. Take another step using the opposite leg, and repeat. Depending on the amount of space you have, you can perform anywhere from 1–6 lunges in one direction before turning around.
A great choice if you don’t have a lot of space to work with but still want great legs!
How to perform: Start out in a neutral stance, with your feet shoulder-width apart (as if you’re about to do a regular lunge). Keep your hands locked in front of you for balance. Begin the movement by stepping backwards with one leg, landing on the ball of your foot; your other leg should form a 90-degree angle at the knee once you step back. From there, squeeze the glute and quads on the same leg that’s forming a 90-degree angle and pull yourself back forward to the starting position.
Here’s an excellent exercise for those booty and hamstring gains!
How to perform: Lay flat on the floor on your back. Place your feet apart (just outside of your shoulders) and bend your knees. Have your hands resting at your sides, palms down. Keep your feet and palms planted on the floor and lift your hips up while squeezing your glutes and hamstrings.
Lift your hips up high enough to form an arch (your back will come up off the floor, resting most of the weight on your shoulders). After you lock it out and hold this position for a brief moment, lower your hips back to the floor and release all the tension. Then repeat.
No Equipment Full Body Exercises:
These exercises are a great way to get the blood flowing after sitting for hours! Do enough sets, and you’ll also be exhausted (but exhilarated).
How to perform: Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Then, bend over to place your palms on the floor and launch your legs backwards (land on the balls of your feet). Next you want to bring your feet back toward your hands by hopping slightly and bending your knees. Be sure to land flat on your feet before jumping up into the air. Once you land in the standing position, you’re ready to repeat.
Some people love burpees; most people dread them. There are multiple ways in which you can do these. If you’re looking for an extra challenge, be sure to do a push-up every time you touch your hands to the floor...
This is an excellent twist on the regular plank, which will improve your balance and your tricep strength.
How to perform: Start out in a regular plank stance with your elbows right underneath your shoulders and your forearms against the floor. Then push yourself up with your right hand until your elbow is straight and locked out, then do the same with your left arm until you’re holding yourself up off the floor as if you’re at the top of a push-up. Reverse the movement by bending your elbow and placing your right forearm back on the ground, then the left, until you’re back in the regular plank position.
Mountain climbers are a great exercise for beginners who need to work on their core strength.
How to perform: Start off at the top of the push-up position with your arms extended. From there, bring one of your knees towards your chest and, as you’re extending it back again, bring the other leg towards your chest simultaneously. You should always have one leg extended and one leg below your chest, alternating them.
These are my top picks for exercises that require no equipment whatsoever and you can do them pretty much anywhere you like.
You can pick any exercises from this list and create a pretty good workout for yourself, just aim for 2–3 exercises from each section (upper, core, and lower body). Typically you can do 3–4 sets of each exercise of your choice (8–12) repetitions, depending on the exercise and your fitness level.
Even when you aren't limited by social distancing, these will serve you well – whether you're exercising outdoors, in a hotel room while you travel for work, or anything else. While machines, barbells, and dumbbells are all useful in their own right, you shouldn’t underestimate these bodyweight exercises.
Try these out and let me know which are your favorites below!
