Work with the Weight You Have: My 10 Fave Body Weight Exercises

My favorite weight to workout with? Body weight. So no more excuses to not exercise because you don't have time to go to a gym or fitness center. I'm here to show you there are many different bodyweight exercises you can do with minimal or no equipment.

1.) Push ups

We all know what they are, but did you know there are many variations on this classic? Close grip, wide set, you name it and changing the hand and foot position will provide new challenges for your muscles.

2.) Pull Ups

All you need is something to pull up on. You can find this on playground equipment and pretend like you're a kid again! ;)

3.) Burpees

The No. 1 favorite exercise of any trainer who wants to help their clients burn fat, the burpee has become a staple in programs from bootcamps to CrossFit. A full-body explosive motion that requires better cardio than hill sprints and more coordination than nearly any exercise, there’s no doubt that a steady diet of burpees will accelerate your progress toward a leaner, shredded body.

4.) Dips

It's easy to find places to do tricep dips or variations on this exercise. You can easily do them on retaining walls or park benches. You can also use the same "equipment" for incline or decline pushups.

5.) Lunges

Dying to build that Blair booty? Lunges and squats are key. From walking lunges to incorporating weight in different positions, you're bound to light and tighten those gluts with this simple to accomplish movement.

6.) Squats

Changing up foot position along with the positioning of any weight you add can dramatically change the nature of this exercise while helping you build strong buns to carry you through your days... and nights ;)

7.) Box jumps 

Vary the height of the box, or anything else you're using to do box jumps on as well as working in intervals with breaks.

8.) Mountain climbers

Judging by the name, you would think mountain climbers are seemingly harmless exercise movements, but get ready for your heart to race and your shoulders to burn! 

9.) Handstand pushups

They look intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of handstand pushups, you'll enjoy this upside down perspective on the world of exercise.

10.) Sit ups and planks

Tried and true, add weight to provide extra challenge