Guys can be wary of body-weight exercises for building muscle. But that's only because they treat them differently than free-weight and machine-based moves.

"If you stop doing hundreds of reps and instead choose exercise variations that challenge you to do 5 to 10, you'll change the training stimulus," says BJ Gaddour, C.S.C.S., the author of Your Body Is Your Barbell and creator of the body-weight training program below. "You'll prioritize strength over endurance, and every ounce of muscle you build will be usable beyond the gym." Not that you'll ever have to set foot in one, since these workouts can go anywhere you do.


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DIRECTIONS
Alternate between Workouts A and B three times a week with a day of rest between them. Do the first four body-weight exercises in each workout as a circuit and the last two back-to-back as a superset; see the directions before each group of exercises. For each move, choose the most challenging variation that allows you to complete the body-weight workout. 

Workout A: Muscle Burner
Do each exercise for 60 seconds (30 per side for single-leg moves), resting 15 seconds between moves. Do 5 circuits total.

1. Shoulders-Elevated Single-Leg Hip Thrust

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Place your upper back against a stable box or bench with your arms out to your sides. Lift your right foot, tucking your knee to your chest. Raise your hips as high as you can. (If doing reps, do 10 per leg.)

Make it easier: Perform it on two legs (both feet on the floor).
Make it harder: Elevate your supporting foot on another bench.

2. Pushup

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Get down on all fours with your feet together, hands under your shoulders and body straight from head to ankles. Keeping your elbows tucked, lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor.

Make it easier: Elevate your hands on a box or bench.
Make it harder: Elevate your feet on a box or bench, or bring your hands closer.

3. Deep Squat

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Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms straight out. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and squat as far as you can.

Make it easier: Widen your stance, or lower yourself only until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Make it harder: Narrow your stance, or add a jump between reps.

4. Inverted Row

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Secure a bar at waist height. Grab it using an overhand, shoulder-width grip and hang with your arms straight and your hands above your shoulders. Pull your chest to the bar.

Make it easier: Bend your knees 90 degrees and put both feet flat on the floor.
Make it harder: Raise one leg or perform it single-handed.

Workout A: Cardio Burner
Do the first exercise for 20 seconds and rest 10 seconds. Repeat for Exercise 2. That's 1 superset. Do 5 supersets total.

1. Squat Jack

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Squat with your feet together and your hands touching the sides of your ankles.Now explode up to a standing position, raising your arms above your head and jumping your feet out to your sides.

Make it easier: Decrease your range of motion (don't squat down as far).
Make it harder: Go faster.

2. Mountain Climber

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Assume a pushup position. Lift your right foot and bring your right knee as close to your chest as possible, touching the floor with the toes of your right foot. Repeat with your left leg. That's 1 rep.

Make it easier: Go slower.
Make it harder: Go faster.Workout B: Muscle Burner
Do each exercise for 60 seconds (30 per side for single-leg moves), resting 15 seconds between moves. Do 5 circuits total.

1. Single-Leg Hip Hinge

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Stand on your right leg with your left foot raised slightly behind you, arms by your sides. Push your hips back and reach for the floor as you lower your torso and raise your left leg. (If doing reps, do 10 per leg.)

Make it easier: Don't go down as far.
Make it harder: Extend your arms over your head for the entire move.

2. Handstand Hold

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Place your hands on the floor 6 to 12 inches in front of a wall, spreading your fingers as wide as you can. Kick one leg at a time up into a handstand and hold that position.

Make it easier: Do a pike pushup (feet on a bench, your hips over your shoulders).
Make it harder: Perform a handstand pushup.

3. Assisted Pistol Squat

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Stand holding a pole or squat rack and raise your right foot in front of you. Push your hips back and lower your body as far as you can, raising your right leg so it doesn't touch the floor. (If doing reps, do 10 per leg.)

Make it easier: Squat only until your thigh is parallel to the floor.
Make it harder: Do the move without the pole for assistance.

4. Hollow Chinup

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Grab a chinup bar using a shoulder-width, underhand grip and hang with your legs angled in front of you, feet together, and toes pointed. Pull your ribs to your elbows, raising your chin above the bar.

Make it easier: Just hang from the bar.
Make it harder: Move your hands together so they touch.

Workout B: Cardio Burner
Do the first exercise for 20 seconds and rest 10 seconds. Repeat for Exercise 2. That's 1 superset. Do 5 supersets total.

1. Skater Hop

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Stand on your right foot with your left leg crossed behind you. Bound to your left, landing on your left foot and crossing your right leg behind you. That's 1 rep. Continue hopping back and forth.

Make it easier: Touch the floor with your back foot each time you land.
Make it harder: Increase the speed of the movement or the distance of each jump.

2. Donkey Kick

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Keeping your feet flat, squat and place your hands on the floor in front of you. Lift your hips and kick your feet into the air behind you.

Make it easier: Perform the move with your hands elevated on a box or bench.
Make it harder: Increase the speed of the movement or the height of each kick—or do both.


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