Bodyweight Workout for Beginners

A good bodyweight workout for beginners is a handful of simple moves that, between them, work your legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms, done on at least 2 days a week. Do each move until one more repetition would be hard. Start with one set of 8 to 12 repetitions and add sets as you get stronger (HHS). The routine below has five moves. Each one starts with an easier version you can do against a wall or a chair and moves on to a harder one once that gets easy.

How much and how often

The U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines ask adults to do muscle-strengthening activity of moderate or greater intensity, working all the major muscle groups, on 2 or more days a week. Calisthenics that use your body weight for resistance, such as push-ups, pull-ups and planks, count (HHS).

The two main official sources differ slightly on how many sets to do. HHS says one set of 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise is effective, although 2 or 3 sets may be more effective (HHS). The NHS says to try for at least 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, and 3 sets for more benefit (NHS).

The HHS guidelines, published in 2018, are the U.S. standard. The NHS page was reviewed more recently, in July 2026. Both agree that more sets bring more benefit, so start with one set and build to two or three. You’ll be inside both recommendations within a few weeks. Our guide on how many sets and reps goes into more detail.

If you haven’t exercised in a while, you can start even smaller. HHS says muscle-strengthening can begin on just 1 day a week at a light or moderate effort, rise to 2 days, and get slightly harder each week until it reaches moderate effort or more (HHS). The National Institute on Aging suggests not working the same muscle group two days in a row, so leave a day between sessions (NIA).

Don’t worry about having the perfect plan. The American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 position stand on resistance training found that the biggest gains come from going from no resistance training to any at all. It also found that bodyweight and home-based routines produce marked benefits (ACSM).

The beginner routine

Move	Start here	Next step
Squat	Sit-to-stand from a chair	Bodyweight squat
Push-up	Wall push-up	Hands on a lower sturdy surface, then the floor
Step-up or lunge	Step-up on a stair	Lunge
Bridge	Bridge hold	Longer holds
Core	Wall plank	Bird dog

1. Squat

Start with sit-to-stand. Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart, lean slightly forward, and stand up slowly using your legs rather than your arms. Then sit back down slowly (NHS). The University of Illinois Extension’s version suggests 10 to 12 repetitions per round (University of Illinois Extension).

When that’s easy, try a free-standing squat. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, then lower yourself as if you’re sitting down, bending your knees to no more than a right angle. Keep your back straight (NHS).

2. Push-up

Start at the wall. Stand at arm’s length from it with your hands flat on the wall at chest level. Keeping your back straight, slowly bend your arms with your elbows by your sides, then push back. The NHS suggests 3 sets of 5 to 10 (NHS). Push-ups mainly work the chest, shoulders and upper arms (HHS).

To make it harder, put your hands on something lower and sturdy, and finally on the floor. In a force-plate study, push-ups with the hands raised on a box, and push-ups from the knees, put less load on the arms than a regular push-up. Raising the feet put on the most load (Ebben et al., 2011).

3. Step-up or lunge

Use a stair, ideally with a railing. Step up with one leg, bring the other up to join it, then step back down. Go slowly and keep control (NHS). The University of Illinois Extension suggests 10 on each side, and doing them without holding on once that gets easier (University of Illinois Extension). The HHS Office on Women’s Health suggests step-ups on the stairs as the easier version of a lunge (Office on Women’s Health).

For a lunge, stand with one leg forward and one back. Slowly bend both knees until your front leg is nearly at a right angle, then push back up. Keep your weight on your heels, your back straight and your knees behind your toes (NHS).

4. Bridge

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Push through your feet to lift your hips, keeping your hands at your sides. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. It strengthens your back and hips (University of Illinois Extension).

5. Core: wall plank, then bird dog

For a wall plank, stand an arm’s length from a wall, put your palms on it and step your feet back so your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Tighten your belly, then lower onto your forearms. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds, three times (University of Illinois Extension).

For the bird dog, start on your hands and knees. Stretch one arm forward and the opposite leg back, keeping your back straight and your hips steady. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 5 to 8 times on each side (University of Illinois Extension).

Warm up first, stretch after

The NHS warm-up takes about 6 minutes: 3 minutes of marching on the spot, then heel digs, knee lifts, shoulder rolls and a few shallow knee bends (NHS). Afterward, spend about 5 minutes on gentle stretches for your buttocks, hamstrings, inner thighs, calves and thighs, holding each one for 15 to 20 seconds (NHS).

During the workout, breathe out as you push and breathe in as you relax. Don’t hold your breath, and don’t lock your arm and leg joints straight (NIA).

How to make it harder over time

Muscles get stronger when they do more work than they’re used to. HHS says gradually adding weight, sets, repetitions or days a week will make your muscles stronger (HHS). With bodyweight moves, the simplest way to add load is to switch to the harder version.

A practical rule of thumb: once you can do 12 good repetitions of a move and still have some left, try the next version. Start again with fewer repetitions and build back up. That keeps each set in the 8-to-12 range, where another repetition would be hard. This is the core idea behind progressive overload.

Here’s one way to lay out your first month. It’s an example, not an official program:

Weeks	Days a week	Sets of each move
1 to 2	1 or 2	1
3 to 4	2	2
5 onward	2 or 3	2 or 3, with harder versions as you’re ready

For more on spacing sessions, see how often to lift weights.

This routine covers strength. You also need aerobic activity, at least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity for adults (HHS). Our home workout plan shows how to fit both into one week.

When to check with a doctor first

HHS says healthy adults who build up gradually generally don’t need to see a health care provider before getting more active. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes, heart disease or osteoarthritis, or symptoms such as chest pain or pressure, dizziness or joint pain, you should be under a provider’s care. Anyone who develops new symptoms while increasing their activity should talk to one (HHS). The NHS adds that you should stop straight away if you feel pain or become unwell, and get advice first if you’re pregnant or have recently given birth (NHS).