Training Guides / Workout programs
Home workout with no equipment
A 3-day bodyweight program you can do in a living room, with a weekly table, progressions for every exercise and how to keep getting stronger without weights.
You do not need a gym to build strength and muscle. With bodyweight exercises, a sturdy chair or table and a little creativity, you can train every major muscle group at home. The key is the same as in the gym: make the exercises harder over time.
General fitness education, not medical advice. Clear enough space, use stable furniture only, and check with a doctor first if you have health concerns.
What you need
- Floor space about the size of a yoga mat
- A sturdy chair, bench, step or low table that will not slide or tip
- Optional: a backpack you can load with books, a pull-up bar for a door frame, a resistance band
The weekly plan
Train three days a week on non-consecutive days. Do Workout A and Workout B alternately. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.
| Workout A | Sets x reps | Workout B | Sets x reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squat (bodyweight, then backpack) | 3 x 15-20 | Bulgarian split squat | 3 x 8-12 per leg |
| Push-up (pick your level) | 3 x 8-15 | Pike push-up | 3 x 6-12 |
| Inverted row under a sturdy table | 3 x 8-12 | Door-frame or towel row, or pull-up bar | 3 x 8-12 |
| Glute bridge, then single-leg | 3 x 12-15 | Reverse lunge | 3 x 10 per leg |
| Plank | 3 x 30-45 s | Side plank | 3 x 20-30 s per side |
Finish with 5 to 10 minutes of brisk walking, stair climbing or jumping jacks if you want extra conditioning.
Only do inverted rows under a heavy, stable table, and test it first. Never row from a door handle or anything that could come loose.
How to progress without weights
In a gym you add plates. At home you use these levers, in roughly this order:
| Lever | Example |
|---|---|
| More reps | 10 push-ups becomes 15 |
| Slower tempo | 3 seconds down, 1 second pause at the bottom |
| Harder leverage | Knee push-up, then full, then feet elevated |
| Single-leg or single-arm | Squat becomes split squat, then Bulgarian split squat, then pistol squat progressions |
| Added load | Backpack with books or water bottles |
| Less rest | Cut rest from 90 to 60 seconds |
When you can do the top of the rep range on all sets with good form, move one step along the table.
Exercise progressions at a glance
- Legs: squat, then split squat, Bulgarian split squat, shrimp squat or assisted pistol.
- Push: incline push-up, push-up, feet-elevated, deficit, archer push-up.
- Shoulders: pike push-up with hands on floor, then feet on a chair.
- Pull: towel row, inverted row with bent knees, straight-leg row, then pull-ups if you have a bar; see the pull-up guide.
- Glutes: bridge, single-leg bridge, single-leg hip thrust with shoulders on the sofa.
Results to expect
Beginners can build real strength and some muscle at home for many months. Higher reps work for growth as long as sets are taken close to failure; research shows a wide rep range can build muscle. Eventually, if you want to keep progressing, a few dumbbells or a gym membership will make it easier.
Log every set like you would in a gym. Small wins, like one extra rep, add up. See the training log guide.