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Exercises

Bodyweight exercises for weight loss: no equipment, real progress

Published October 29, 2026

The best bodyweight exercises for weight loss are squats, reverse lunges, push-ups (on a bench or counter if needed), pike push-ups, single-leg glute bridges and wall sits for muscle, plus burpees, jump squats, jumping jacks, mountain climbers and planks for conditioning. Do them as a circuit three or four times a week: 3 rounds, 8 to 20 reps or 30 to 45 seconds per move, stopping a couple of reps short of failure. Make it harder by slowing the reps or moving to a harder version, not just doing more. Pair it with a calorie deficit; the circuit keeps your muscle and adds to what you burn.

  1. Bodyweight Squat Quads
  2. Reverse Lunge Quads, Glutes
  3. Push-Up Chest
  4. Single-Leg Glute Bridge Glutes
  5. Burpee Quads, Glutes, Chest, Shoulders
  6. Mountain Climber Abs
  7. Jumping Jack Calves, Quads

Squats, lunges and bridges for your legs

Your legs hold most of your muscle, so leg moves are where a bodyweight session does its biggest work. Bodyweight squats get easy quickly, so the plans move you on to lunges, single-leg bridges and wall sits, which load one leg or hold a position long enough to stay hard.

Quads and glutes, bodyweight squat

Bodyweight Squat

Quads

It is the first exercise to learn and the warm-up for every leg move here. Sitting to a chair and standing back up makes it work for any fitness level, and slowing to three seconds down keeps it useful once 20 reps feel easy.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly, arms out in front for balance.
  2. Push your hips back and bend your knees, keeping your heels flat and your chest up.
  3. Lower until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, deeper if your heels stay down.
  4. Drive through your whole foot to stand tall, then go straight into the next rep.

Cues

  • Heels glued to the floor
  • Knees over toes
  • Thighs to parallel or lower

Common mistakes

  • Knees caving in on the way up: push them out over your little toes.
  • Quarter squats to hit a rep count: a full-depth set of 12 beats a shallow set of 30.

Swap for: Reverse Lunge, Wall Sit, Jump Squat

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Quads and glutes, one leg at a time

Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

With all your weight on one leg, a lunge stays hard long after squats get easy. Stepping backward is easier on the knees and on balance than a forward lunge. The demo holds a kettlebell in each hand; do it with no weight until 15 reps per leg are easy.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall holding a kettlebell in each hand at your sides.
  2. Step one foot back and lower until the back knee nearly touches the floor.
  3. Keep most of your weight on the front foot.
  4. Push through the front foot to step back up, then alternate or finish one side.

Cues

  • Step long, drop straight down
  • Front foot does the work
  • Tall chest

Common mistakes

  • Short steps that push the front knee far over the toes: step back further.
  • Wobbling side to side: narrow the load or slow down.

Swap for: Bulgarian Split Squat, Dumbbell Reverse Lunge, Step-Up

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Glutes, single-leg bridge

Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Glutes

Lifting your hips on one leg puts your full body weight through one glute, which a two-leg bridge cannot do without added weight. The demo rests a kettlebell on the hips; leave it out until 15 reps per leg are easy.

How to do it

  1. On your back, plant one foot flat and the other leg lifted; rest a light kettlebell on the working hip if you have one.
  2. Press the planted heel down and raise your hips until your body is straight from knee to shoulder.
  3. Lower slowly and finish the set before switching.

Cues

  • Push through the heel
  • Hips level
  • Pause at the top

Common mistakes

  • Letting one hip drop: lower the height until both stay level.

Swap for: Donkey Kick, Dumbbell Glute Bridge, Clamshell

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Quads, isometric hold

Wall Sit

Quads

Holding a seated position against a wall loads your thighs without any impact or balance, so it works when jumping or lunging is not an option yet. Build from 20 to 60 seconds.

How to do it

  1. Lean your back on a wall with your feet roughly two feet out from it.
  2. Slide down until your thighs are close to parallel with the floor.
  3. Keep your knees over your ankles and press your back into the wall.
  4. Hold the position for the target time, then slide back up.

Cues

  • Thighs level
  • Press the heels
  • Back flat on the wall

Common mistakes

  • Feet too close: the knees end up past the toes.
  • Resting hands on the thighs: keep them off your legs.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Cossack Squat

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Push-ups for chest, shoulders and arms

Push-ups are the bodyweight upper-body exercise. Start with hands on a bench or kitchen counter if floor push-ups are not there yet, and progress to the floor and then to pike push-ups, which shift the load onto your shoulders.

Chest and triceps, hands-elevated push-up

Incline Push-Up

Chest

With your hands on a bench, counter or sturdy table, you lift less of your body weight, so you can do clean reps from day one. Lower the surface as you get stronger until you reach the floor.

How to do it

  1. Put your hands on a bench, box or counter, a little wider than shoulder width.
  2. Walk your feet back until your body is a straight line from head to heels.
  3. Lower your chest to the edge, elbows angled about 45 degrees from your sides.
  4. Press back up until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Body like a plank
  • Elbows at about 45 degrees
  • Higher surface, easier rep

Common mistakes

  • Hips sagging toward the floor: squeeze your glutes and brace as if you were about to be poked in the stomach.
  • Flaring the elbows straight out: tuck them back at about 45 degrees.

Swap for: Kneeling Push-Up, Close-Grip Push-Up, Bench Dip

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Chest, shoulders and triceps, floor push-up

Push-Up

Chest

The standard push-up works your chest, shoulders, arms and trunk at once. Once you can do 15 clean reps, slow the lowering or move on to pike push-ups.

How to do it

  1. Set your hands slightly wider than your shoulders with your body straight from head to heels.
  2. Lower until your chest nearly touches the floor, elbows at about 45 degrees.
  3. Press back up to straight arms.

Cues

  • One straight line
  • Elbows angled back

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out: tuck them toward your ribs.

Swap for: Kneeling Push-Up, Incline Push-Up, Push-Up Plus

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Shoulders and triceps, bodyweight overhead press

Pike Push-Up

Shoulders

With your hips high, the push-up becomes a shoulder press. It is the harder upper-body move for when regular push-ups pass 20 reps.

How to do it

  1. Start in a push-up position with your hands a bit wider than your shoulders and fingers spread.
  2. Walk your feet toward your hands and raise your hips until your body forms an upside-down V, with your weight leaning over your hands.
  3. Bend your elbows and lower the top of your head toward a point a few inches in front of your hands, so your head and hands form a triangle.
  4. Bend your elbows out to the sides and stop when your head lightly touches the floor or just above it.
  5. Press the floor away and straighten your arms, pushing your hips back up to the V.

Cues

  • Hips stay high
  • Head forward of hands
  • Push the floor away

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips drop as you lower: that turns it back into a regular push-up; keep the hips stacked over your shoulders as much as you can.
  • Lowering your head straight between your hands: aim slightly forward so your forearms stay close to vertical.
  • Cutting the range short: lower until your head is near the floor, using a yoga block or book as a target if you need one.

Swap for: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Push-Up, Band Overhead Press

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Burpees, jump squats and jumping jacks

These raise your heart rate fastest. They burn more per minute than slower strength moves, but they also tire your legs, so use them in short work periods at the end of a circuit or as intervals, not as the whole workout.

Full body, conditioning

Burpee

Quads, Glutes, Chest, Shoulders

Squat, plank, push back up and jump: it raises your heart rate faster than anything else here with no equipment. Keep sets short, 6 to 12 reps, so form stays crisp.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, then squat down and plant your palms.
  2. Kick your feet back into a plank.
  3. Jump your feet back under you.
  4. Stand up and jump, reaching your arms overhead.

Cues

  • Fast down, fast up
  • Solid plank
  • Land soft

Common mistakes

  • Sagging hips in the plank: brace on every rep.
  • Slowing to a walk-out: keep it crisp or rest.

Swap for: Half Burpee, Mountain Climber, Dumbbell Burpee

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Quads and glutes, jumping squat

Jump Squat

Quads, Glutes

A jump adds speed and impact to the squat, which raises the calorie cost and trains power. Land softly and stop the set when your landings get loud.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about shoulder width and your arms ready.
  2. Dip into a quarter to half squat, then jump straight up, swinging your arms.
  3. Land softly with bent knees and reset before the next jump.

Cues

  • Soft, quiet landing
  • Reset between reps

Common mistakes

  • Landing stiff-legged: let the hips and knees bend to absorb the landing.

Swap for: Box Jump, Bodyweight Squat

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Full body, low-skill cardio

Jumping Jack

Calves, Quads

Easy to learn and a fast way to get your heart rate up between strength moves. Use it in sets of 20 to 40 reps at a steady rhythm.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with feet together and arms at your sides.
  2. Hop your feet wide as your arms sweep overhead.
  3. Hop back to the start as the arms come down, staying light on the balls of your feet.

Cues

  • Quiet landings
  • Full arm sweep

Common mistakes

  • Landing flat-footed and heavy: stay springy and soft.

Swap for: High Knees, Jump Rope, Skipping in Place

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Planks and mountain climbers for your core

A plank trains your trunk to stay straight, and mountain climbers do the same while your legs drive and your heart rate climbs. Neither burns belly fat on its own; that goes with the rest of your body fat as you lose weight.

Abs, front plank hold

Plank

Abs

The demo shows the harder version, lifting one arm and the opposite foot. Start with both arms and feet down, then use the lifted version once a 45-second hold is easy.

How to do it

  1. Set your forearms under your shoulders and your feet behind you, body in a straight line.
  2. Squeeze your glutes and pull your ribs down toward your hips.
  3. Hold, breathing normally, without letting your hips sag or rise.
  4. For the harder version, reach one arm forward and lift the opposite foot, hold, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Ribs down
  • Glutes tight
  • Straight line

Common mistakes

  • Hips sagging toward the floor: that hangs on your lower back.
  • Holding for minutes at an easy level: make it harder instead.

Swap for: Long Lever Plank, Plank Shoulder Tap

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Abs and hip flexors, running plank

Mountain Climber

Abs

Driving your knees toward your chest from a plank combines a trunk hold with fast leg work. Short, quick bursts of 20 to 40 seconds work best.

How to do it

  1. Start in a high plank.
  2. Drive one knee toward your chest, then switch legs quickly.
  3. Bursts: 15 seconds at half pace, then faster.

Cues

  • Shoulders over hands
  • Hips level

Common mistakes

  • Raising your hips high.
  • Bouncing on your hands.

Swap for: Plank Jack, Mountain Climber Jump, High Knees

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Starting from zero at home

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets33 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You are new to exercise, you have floor space, a wall and a sturdy chair or counter, and you want a routine you can do three times a week.

Circuit A has 12 sets and Circuit B has 10. Over three days that is about 15 leg sets and 9 push-up sets a week, all stopped with 2 to 3 reps left, a dose you can recover from while eating less. The cardio moves come last so they don't take from the strength work.

Circuit A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Bodyweight SquatSit to a chair if needed. 3 × 10–20 2 1 min
Incline Push-UpHands on a counter or bench. 3 × 6–15 2 1 min
Single-Leg Glute BridgePer leg. 2 × 8–12 2 1 min
PlankSeconds per hold. 2 × 20–40 2 1 min
Jumping Jack 2 × 20–40 2 1 min

Open Circuit A in the session builder

Circuit B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Reverse LungePer leg. Hold a wall for balance if needed. 3 × 6–12 2 1 min
Incline Push-Up 3 × 6–15 2 1 min
Wall SitSeconds per hold. 2 × 20–45 2 1 min
Mountain ClimberSeconds. Slow pace to start. 2 × 20–30 3 1 min

Open Circuit B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Circuit A and Circuit B on alternate days, three times a week (A, B, A then B, A, B). A 20 to 30 minute walk on other days adds to the week.
How to progress
Add reps each session until you reach the top of every range, then make the move harder: lower the push-up surface, slow the squat to three seconds down, or hold the wall sit longer.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Twenty minutes, already active

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts4× a week
  • Working sets56 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You can do floor push-ups and lunges, you have about 20 minutes, and you want sessions that are hard enough to feel like training.

Superset pairs alternate a lower-body and an upper-body move, so one rests while the other works, and each session ends with burpees or mountain climbers. Each session has 14 sets; at three sessions a week that is about 18 leg sets and 12 pushing sets, so make the fourth session optional when your legs are still sore.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
A1 Jump Squat 3 × 8–12 2 1 min
A2 Push-Up 3 × 8–20 1 1 min
B1 Reverse LungePer leg. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
B2 Pike Push-Up 3 × 6–12 2 1 min
Burpee 2 × 8–12 2 1 min

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
A1 Single-Leg Glute BridgePer leg. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
A2 Push-Up 3 × 8–20 1 1 min
Wall SitSeconds per hold. 3 × 40–60 1 1 min
Mountain ClimberSeconds. 3 × 30–40 2 1 min
Burpee 2 × 8–12 2 1 min

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Alternate Session A and Session B three or four times a week. Leave a day between two hard jumping days if your knees or shins ache.
How to progress
Once you hit the top of a range on every set, switch to the harder version: pike push-ups for push-ups, slower lunges with a pause, single-leg bridges with a 2-second hold. Then build reps again from the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

A lot to lose, no jumping or floor work

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets27 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You have a lot of weight to lose, jumping hurts your knees or feet, and getting down to the floor and up again is hard. You have a wall, a chair and a kitchen counter.

Every move is done standing or against a support, so there is no impact and no floor. Each day has 9 sets, 6 for the legs and 3 push-ups, so three days a week adds up to about 18 leg sets and 9 push-up sets, all with 2 to 3 reps left so your joints and recovery keep up.

Day A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Bodyweight SquatSit to a chair and stand. 3 × 8–15 3 75 s
Incline Push-UpHands on a counter. 3 × 6–12 3 75 s
Wall SitSeconds per hold. Stay higher on the wall. 3 × 15–30 3 75 s

Open Day A in the session builder

Day B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Reverse LungePer leg. One hand on a counter. 3 × 5–10 3 75 s
Incline Push-Up 3 × 6–12 3 75 s
Bodyweight SquatThree seconds down. 3 × 8–15 2 75 s

Open Day B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Day A and Day B on alternate days, three times a week. Walk on the other days at a pace where you can still talk.
How to progress
Start at 3 reps in reserve for two weeks, then 2. Add reps, then make the move harder: a lower chair for squats, a lower counter for push-ups, a longer wall sit.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Can you lose weight with bodyweight workouts?

Yes, with a calorie deficit. Bodyweight circuits burn calories and, just as important, keep your muscle while you eat less. Three or four sessions a week plus daily walking is enough for steady weight loss.

How do I drop 20 pounds fast?

Most people lose 1 to 2 pounds a week on a steady calorie deficit, so 20 pounds is a 10 to 20 week project. Keep these circuits three or four times a week so the weight that comes off is mostly fat, eat enough protein, and walk daily.

What is the best bodyweight exercise for weight loss?

No single move does it. Burpees raise your heart rate fastest, but a mix of squats or lunges, push-ups and a few burpees or mountain climbers trains more muscle and lets you work longer.

What is the 3-3-3 rule for workouts?

Commonly, three exercises for three rounds, three times a week. It is a simple starting point; the beginner plan here is close to it, with four or five exercises so legs, upper body and core all get trained.

What exercises can I do at home to lose weight in 7 days?

Any of these, but a week of exercise changes the scale mostly through water. Lasting loss comes from weeks of a calorie deficit; use the first week to learn the moves and set the routine you will keep.

How many reps should I do for weight loss?

Enough that you end each set 1 to 3 reps short of failure, usually 8 to 20 reps for strength moves and 30 to 45 seconds for cardio moves. If you can do far more, switch to a harder version.