You don’t need to go to the gym to stay fit. You don’t have to get your own fancy treadmill or coveted exercise bike either. While smart gyms and fitness equipment can help you get in shape, you shouldn’t overlook the best tool you have at your disposal: your own body.

You can get a great workout using only your body weight, and if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. After all, your body is heavy, and being able to do a pull-up or a plank is quite impressive in and of itself. Here’s what you need to know about equipment-free exercise.

Benefits of Equipment-free Exercise

Obviously, using only your body to exercise is more convenient than workouts that involve going to the gym or using fancy equipment. In addition to that, bodyweight exercises (those that require no equipment) can tone your muscles more than others that work on each body part separately. When you use your body instead of a machine, you end up engaging your core more. As you strengthen your core, your balance will improve, and your muscles will gain more definition. Ultimately, this will prevent several injuries and allow you to carry out everyday tasks effortlessly.

Exercises that you Can Do Without Equipment

There are many exercises that you can do using only your body, with absolutely no equipment. However, some might require you to move some furniture around, work out on a special mat, or use various items that you probably have lying around. Here are three of the most effective equipment-free exercises you can add to your routine.

Squats

quats aren’t only great for strengthening leg muscles (calves, hamstrings, and quadriceps); they also challenge you to work on your balance. Moreover, they improve blood circulation and burn more fat than other weight machine exercises, as they engage your core and back in addition to your leg muscles. Pairing squats with single- or double-leg glute bridges is perhaps the most effective way to tone, strengthen, and tighten up your whole body- especially the lower part – without using any equipment.

Push-ups

ush-ups are a compound exercise that uses several muscle groups at once, simultaneously engaging your biceps, triceps, deltoids, core, and lower body. Engaging several muscle groups helps improve your balance and blood circulation, pushing your heart to pump more oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. That’s why push-ups are also considered a form of cardiovascular exercise that strengthens both your heart and your body. Like planks, push-ups train the muscles needed to support good posture, if done correctly. They also prevent lower back pain and can be done in different variations. For example, you can add shoulder taps or mountain climbers to make push-ups more challenging without adding weight.

Yoga

Yoga provides numerous physical and mental health benefits for people of all ages. Certain poses, such as the tree pose, the cat pose, and the downward dog pose, help stretch your limbs and muscles, ultimately improving your flexibility, balance, and posture. Yoga also helps increase your strength because it engages your core in addition to different muscle groups. If you’re not sure how to get started, scroll through Google’s Play Store to find many bodyweight workout apps that will walk you through all the poses. Now, all you need is a yoga mat or a padded surface to practice on. In addition to these three options, other effective bodyweight exercises include lunges, planks, glute bridges, mountain climbers, burpees, and crunches.

Optimizing Your Equipment-free Workouts

For a full-body, equipment-free workout, you should combine different exercises like side lunges, burpees, planks, and mountain climbers. These exercises can be quite challenging, but with the help of a trusty workout app, you’ll be able to optimize your fitness routine and get the most out of your equipment-free workouts. As you build strength and stamina, increase your rep range to build muscle mass.

Since there is less resistance than you would experience if you were exercising with heavy weights, doing higher reps will give your muscles a serious workout! Incorporate equipment-free cardio exercises in your routine to increase your heart rate and, consequently, burn more calories.

Bodyweight exercises can increase your strength, stamina, and flexibility – all without investing in expensive equipment or even leaving the house! Any workout that forces you to push or pull your own weight, or move certain body parts at certain angles, will help you get in shape. Such exercises can tone your body, define your muscles, increase your endurance, and improve your posture. With all of this in mind, it’s time to diversify your workout routine by incorporating a couple of these bodyweight exercises.