Home Bodyweight Exercises: You don't need to go to the gym to get bigger and stronger

I'M TIRED OF EXCUSES. People often complain to me about how they don't have time to go to the gym or they trained only once or twice last week because their gym closes early. MUSCLE & FITNESS publishes routines that you can do at home with nothing more than a bench and dumbbells, but I'm going to take the home-training concept one step further: Here's a workout that doesn't require a health club (do it in your living room if you like) or equipment. But when you finish it, you'll absolutely feel like you just got home from the gym.

Perform the following exercises circuit-style, meaning you do a set of one exercise, then move to the next without resting. Go through the circuit 4-10 times, depending on your fitness level. While this continuous training will tax your cardiovascular system to an extent, you should step outside and go for a walk or run after the workout for further cardio benefits.

• Push-Up (Chest) Sets of 30-40 reps or to failure (whichever comes first). Not much to explain here--we all know how to do push-ups. To make them tougher, you can put your feet up on a chair (this position also hits your upper pecs more), or you can do close-grip push-ups to target your triceps. Advertisement
• Pike Push-Up (Shoulders) Sets of 8-12 reps or to failure. Find a table or chair that's a few feet high and sturdy enough to support at least half of your bodyweight. Position your upper body in a handstand position (hands on the floor, arms extended vertically in line with your torso), then flex your hips and place your feet (or toes) on the table or chair so that you're in a pike position. Lower yourself by flexing your elbows until the top of your head lightly touches the floor, then push your body back up. Note: These are tough.
• One-Legged Squat (Thighs) Sets of 15-20 reps per leg. Since you aren't using added resistance, do these one leg at a time to make them more difficult. Extend your nonworking leg out in front of you, hold your arms out to the sides for balance and squat down as far as you can on your working leg.
• Standing One--Legged Calf Raise (Calves) Sets of 30-40 reps or to failure. Stand on the ball of one foot on something like a wooden block or stair, then place your other foot behind your working ankle and grasp something stable for balance. Rep out as you would doing regular calf raises in the gym. Hold onto to something (like a bag full of books) to add resistance.
• Chair Dip (Triceps) Sets of 20-30 reps or to failure. Find two solid structures (like a chair, bench, table or couch) and put your feet on one and your hands just behind your lower back on the other. Dip down until your elbows are past 90 degrees, then explode back up. To add intensity, place a heavy object on your lap and do weighted dips.
• Crunch Time (Abs) Sets of 20-30 reps. Here's a great finisher: Pick your favorite abdominal exercise and rep out.

To complete this workout, perform pull-ups--if you have an appropriate place to do them--to hit your back (and your biceps, especially with an underhand grip). Do sets of 8-12 reps or to failure, whichever comes first.