Bodyweight Exercises: Form Guides and Progressions

Summary

Bodyweight exercises need nothing but floor space. They are the largest category in the library and the most reliable place to start. Progress does not stall without equipment: you change leverage, range, tempo, or move to a harder variation. For most beginners, months of real strength gains live right here.

Below are 148 bodyweight exercises, 53 of them beginner-friendly, ordered from easiest to most advanced. Each one comes with a full form guide.

From Domenic: I've built people months of real strength with nothing but this. Leverage, range, tempo. That's load you don't have to buy.

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All Bodyweight Exercises (148)

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best bodyweight exercises for beginners?

Back Extension, Bench Dip, and Bicycle Crunch are the most beginner-friendly choices here. Start with whichever one you can perform with clean form for every rep, then build from there.

How many sets and reps should I do for bodyweight exercises?

A practical default is 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps, 2 sessions per week, with at least 48 hours before training the same muscles again. That is broadly in line with ACSM resistance-training guidance for general fitness. Start at the easier end of that range and add sets or reps before adding new exercises; each exercise's guide gives specific targets.

Can I build real strength with only bodyweight?

Yes. Strength comes from making each exercise harder over time, not from owning more gear. You add reps, add range, slow the tempo, or move to a tougher variation. Moves like Back Extension and Bench Dip each scale a long way.

How do I make these bodyweight exercises harder over time?

Once your form is repeatable, progress toward harder options such as Bird Dogs Crunch and Boat Pose. Each exercise's guide lists its regressions and progressions in order, so there is always a clear next step.

Related Exercise Hubs

All Bodyweight Exercises (148)

Back Extension

Bench Dip

Bicycle Crunch

Bird Dog

Butterfly Pose

Cat Cow

Clamshells

Close-Grip Push-Up

Cobra Pose

Corner Row

Cross Legged Ankle Stretch

Crunch

Crunch Partial

Deadbug Partial

Fire Hydrant

Forearm Plank

Full Wrist Stretch Out

Glute Bridge

Goddess Pose

Half Butt Kick

Half Pigeon

Heel Tap

Hip Abductor Stretch

Incline Push-Up

Inverted Row

Iso Ham Raise

Marching In Place

Namaste

Pigeon Pose

Pike Push Up

Push-Up

Quadruped Thread-the-Needle

Run In Place

Seated Cat Cow

Seated Rear Delt Stretch

Shoulder Rolls

Side Kick

Side Lunge Lean

Sideways Flutter

Square Walk

Squat

Straight Leg Kickback

Straight Leg Pull-Back

T Raise

Tap-N-Twist

Triangle

Tricep-N-Lat Stretch

W Raise

Walking in Place

Wall Sit

Warrior Pose

Wrist Stretch

Y Raise

Bent Over Reach Through

Butt Kicks

Butterfly Reach

Calf Hops

Camel

Chair Pose

Cross Toe Touch

Deadbug

Donkey Kick

Downward Dog

Full Back Curl

Glute Bridge Partial

Hand Plank

High Knee

High Knee Running

High Knee-N-Crunch

Hollow Hold

Hundred

I Raise

Leg Raise

March-N-Chop

Parallel-Bar Dip

Plank Jacks

Quarter Pike Pushup

Quarter Squat