If you don’t have time to make it to the gym, or want to work out in the privacy of your own home, you’re in luck. CrossFit, which focuses on functional movements done at a high intensity, can easily be done in your living room or garage. You don’t need any equipment to perform these exercises.
These seven bodyweight exercises are commonly found in CrossFit workouts. They’ve been divided into two routines for easy implementation into your workout schedule.
Complete one set of each exercise in this workout back-to-back, for one round. Finish four rounds for a complete workout.
1. Burpees
Burpees are a great total-body move. You’ll be working on both cardiovascular and muscular endurance, as well as strength. They’re challenging, but can be modified for beginners.
Muscles worked: glutes, hamstrings, calves, abs, deltoids, triceps, pectoralis
- Start standing upright with feet shoulder-width apart and arms down at your sides.
- Squat down with your hands out in front of you.
- As soon as your hands are on the ground, pop your legs straight back so you end up in a pushup position.
- Immediately after you reach the pushup position, drop your chest to the floor in a pushup.
- Come back up to the pushup position and jump your legs back to your palms by hinging at the waist. Get your feet as close to your hands as you can get, landing your feet outside your hands if necessary.
- Stand up straight, bring your arms above your head, and jump.
- Return to starting position.
- Perform 20 reps.
2. Situps
Situps strengthen your abdominal muscles, part of the core, which is important for supporting and stabilizing your body while performing daily activities. Make sure that your abs, not your neck and arms, are doing the work during the exercise. Keep your neck straight and fingertips only lightly touching the back of your head.
Muscles worked: rectus abdominis, hip flexors
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your fingertips behind your head with elbows out to the side. Shoulder blades should be pulled back and chest should be out.
- Tighten your core and start to raise your head, shoulders, and back off the ground. Keep your neck straight, eyes straight ahead, chin untucked, and feet on the ground.
- Come all the way up until your torso is upright.
- Lower back down.
- Perform 20 reps.
3. Walking lunges
Walking lunges not only strengthen your legs and glutes, but improve your balance and stretch your hip flexors. These can be very tight if you sit all day. Make sure to engage your core during this move to help maintain balance.
Muscles worked: quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, calves
- Start by standing straight with hands on the hips.
- Keeping your torso upright, step forward with your right leg, and bend at the knee to form a 90-degree angle. Bend your left leg so it nearly touches the ground, also forming a 90-degree angle. Keep the top of the toes on the ground. Don’t let your right knee fall in front of your right foot.
- Drive through your right heel and extend both knees to bring yourself back to the starting position.
- Repeat, this time with the left leg. This is 1 rep.
- Complete 15 reps.
4. Pike pushups
Pike pushups are an easier alternative to CrossFit staple handstand pushups. Handstand pushups are very difficult and potentially dangerous if you’re not experienced. This modified move still works your shoulders, but removes any major risk of injury.
Muscles worked: deltoids, lattissimus dorsi, triceps
- Start standing straight, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Hinge at the waist, placing your hands out in front of you on the floor with legs straight. Your body should form an upside-down “V.”
- Keeping your back and neck straight and chin tucked, bend your elbows and lower your upper body, trying to make the crown of your head touch the ground.
- Extend your elbows and return to the starting position.
- Perform 10 reps.
Complete 30 seconds of each exercise back-to-back for one round. Complete five rounds total.
5. Air squats
Air squats are squats without weight. Squats engage the largest muscles in the body, so they have one of the largest payoffs in terms of strength improvement. When performing this fundamental move, ensure your form is correct before you add any resistance.
- Start in an upright position, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and toes slightly pointed out.
- Bend your knees and push your hips and butt back as if you’re going to sit in a chair. Raise your arms at the same time, stopping at parallel.
- Drop down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or lower if you can. Keep your weight in your heels and knees bowed slightly outward.
- Extend your legs and return to an upright position.
- Complete as many reps as possible in 30 seconds.
6. Pushups
Pushups are one of the most fundamental strength exercises you can perform. While they work many muscles, they especially improve upper body strength. Focus on keeping your elbows tucked toward the body instead of flaring outward.
Muscles worked: pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, triceps
- Start in a plank position, with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and feet slightly closer together.
- Bracing your core, start to lower your body down by bending your elbows. Keep your elbows close to the body.
- Lower yourself until your arms reach a 90-degree angle.
- Explode back up until you reach the starting position.
- Complete as many reps as possible in 30 seconds.
7. Tuck jumps
This plyometric move requires power and agility. A proper warmup is important to prevent injury because of its intense nature. Try to complete each rep without a pause in between. For beginners this will be difficult, but it will get easier the more you practice.
Muscles worked: quadriceps, hamstrings, hip abductors and adductors, calves
- Start in an upright position, arms at your sides.
- Bend the knees and lower into a quarter squat.
- Immediately explode upward off the floor, bringing your knees to your chest. Jump as high as you can.
- Absorb the force of landing by slightly bending your knees when you land. Lower into another quarter squat and repeat.
- Complete as many reps as possible in 30 seconds.
You don’t need to join a CrossFit gym or buy fancy equipment to get a good CrossFit workout. Add these two routines to your weekly workout regimen for some high-intensity interval training using just your body weight. Your body will reap the benefits.