A Beginner’s Guide To Home Bodyweight Workouts

The best things in life are free, your workouts included. And to get the most out of you, Kandace Hudspeth reveals her step-by-step guide on reinventing your cardio and using your body to burn fat and get fitter.

I have always believed that one of the most empowering feelings is to be strong and in control of your own body.

To do this, I rely on bodyweight workouts for my cardio or conditioning workouts, and I’ll incorporate 30 to 60-min sessions into my training 3-5 times a week. This way I never have an excuse for missing cardio, since I’m not reliant on a gym and can do an awesome sweat session in just a small space on the floor.

Below is an easy framework to follow when building a beginner’s 30-minute bodyweight routine.

Bodyweight workout builder

Step 1: Pick six exercises: two upper body, two lower body and two core.

Step 2: Select a working interval between 20 and 60 secconds and a resting interval between 15 and 30 seconds.

Step 3: Commit to performing 5-8 rounds of the circuit.

Step 4: Rest one minute between rounds, or make the workout harder by adding jump rope or jumping jacks as an active rest.

Step 5: Push yourself as hard as you can during each working interval.

Our top five bodyweight exercises

Upper body

Pull-up

Push-up

Handstand or pike push-up

Hindu push-up

Dip

Lower body

Lateral lunge

Curtsey lunge

Jump squat

Pistol squat

Cossack squat

Core

V-up

Bicycle crunch

Plank knee-drive

Hollow body hold

Mountain climber

Bodyweight training is for absolutely everyone and these workouts will be as hard or easy as you make them. Listen to your body and push yourself to improve with every session you complete.

This template will help you create workouts you can do anywhere, and that challenge you and increase your body awareness, confidence and functional movement. All without ever having to pay a cent for a gym membership.

Find workouts and more in every issue of TRAIN for HER magazine.