No Excuses! 5 Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do Just About Anywhere

It’s the OG exercise for good reason. Despite a push-up's simple mechanics, doing it properly is challenging and greatly helped by mastery of the plank, ahead. The basic version strengthens your shoulders, chest, and biceps, and adding a pinch between your shoulder blades at the bottom will strengthen your upper back too.

How to: Assume the plank position, with your hands directly under your shoulders, abs tight, and feet hip-width distance apart. Looking 45 degrees in front of you, lower as far to the ground as you can without letting your back dip or arch, then push back up without leaving your abs on the floor.

Variations: Hit your triceps! Keep your elbows close to your ribcage, and push your elbows back as you lower down. Alternatively, take your knees to the floor and cross your ankles, make a diamond shape with your hands on the floor, keep your shoulders away from your ears and your back straight, and lower and lift. Note that the closer your hands stay to your body, the more your tris will burn.

From building running strength and increasing hip flexibility to sculpting a nice lower body, the lunge packs a lot into one move. Maintaining enough space between your feet to ensure stability, looking ahead rather than down, and keeping your upper body tall and lifted will help you get it right.

How to: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, your abs engaged, and your chin up. (While you're there, go ahead and give your shoulders a roll too.) Step forward with your right leg, and shift your weight so your heel hits the floor. Lower until your right thigh is parallel to the floor, your right calf is vertical, and your left knee is almost at the floor. Press into your right heel to push back up to standing, then alternate sides.

Variations: The lateral lunge strengthens and stretches the inner thighs, while switching sides with a jump rather than a step will get your heart rate up. If your knees wince at the thought of any of this, try stepping forward rather than backward with the reverse lunge until you can step forward with control.

Who even needs a chair behind them when their hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core can support them in thin air? Get a workout in at your standing desk by perfecting the bodyweight squat, aka "the king of exercises."

How to: Stand with your hips just wider than shoulder-width apart, and stack your hips over your knees and your knees over your ankles. Keeping your back neutral and your chest and shoulders up, sit down into an imaginary chair. Get your thighs as parallel to the floor as you can, keeping your knees over your ankles and your weight back in your heels. Keeping your abs tight, push through your heels to return to the starting position.

Variations: Just when you think it can't get worse, oh, yes it can. Turn your feet out to 45 degrees, slightly tuck your pelvis, then stay tall through the crown of the head and say hello to your inner thighs as you squat it out plié-style. And to increase the burn in either squat position, go to your lowest point and add micro bounces.

Staying still is rarely so effective as however many minutes you can stay in plank. If done properly, it works just about every muscle in your body, and if you absolutely can't with the thought of crunches, it's a killer alternative ab workout.

How to: Plant your hands directly under your shoulders as if you're about to do a push-up. Ground your toes into the floor and squeeze your glutes and thighs. Look about a foot beyond your hands on the floor to neutralise your neck. Slightly tuck your pelvis to keep your booty down and pull your abs in like crazy; you don't want a mini downward dog or a banana back. Stay there for 20-30 seconds, or as long as you can without losing form.

Variations: Spoiler: these are all hard. Play with placing your forearms on the floor, walking your hands further in front of you to build even more strength in your abs, or, if your wrists can handle it, planting your fists on the floor.

For sheer simplicity, effectiveness, and measurable progress, it’s hard to beat the crunch. Avoid common errors like yanking or cupping your head — both of which take the work out of your core and can strain your neck.

How to: Lie on the floor with your knees to the ceiling and your feet hip-width apart. Looking up, take your hands to your head, lightly touching behind your ears. Pull your abs in, eliminating any gap between your lower back and the floor. Keeping that, raise your shoulders and upper back off the floor with an exhale, inhale as you lower, and repeat.

Variation: Turn a crunch into a lateral twist by taking your elbows across the body rather than lifting straight up. To hit your upper, middle, and lower abs all in one shot, pull your knees into your body as you crunch and lower back to the starting position with control. Pro tip: wearing sneakers adds extra weight and challenge for your lower abs.