When the usual old crunches and Russian twists look too dull for you, don’t worry. The no-equipment body workouts plan is designed in a way that it allows the muscles to be exercised without the presence of additional tools. These ab workouts at home without equipment are created to use the muscles of the core effectively, utilizing only your body weight – no planks, no sit-ups, no problem.
In case you are in a living room, hotel room, or yard, the methods to be shown will deluge your ab muscles from several directions. In less than 30 minutes, you will also be able to engage your glutes, shoulders, and legs.
Why Bodyweight Core Workouts Work
Forcing your body to work against gravity (i.e., strength training) utilizes your body weight as a form of resistance. That is what bodyweight exercises are all about. If proper calisthenics exercises are done right, you are bound to feel quicker results in your overall health, physique, and endurance as they both target several of your body muscles simultaneously apart from being time-efficient as at times little to no equipment is required for their performance.
The very muscles activated are the rectus abdominis and obliques (your lat muscles), the hip flexors, and of course those in the lower part of your back. These are the same muscles that have to be worked so that no muscle atrophy may occur, thus keeping your weight in check.
What You Need
All you need is:
- A yoga or exercise mat
- A timer or stopwatch
- Optional: A small cushion, towel, or household item for a few moves
So, let’s embark on a no-equipment workout that comprises two sections: a 28-minute EMOM set and a 5-minute plank sequence.
Part 1: 28-Minute EMOM Core Circuit
You’ll do each exercise for one minute and some time in the minute will be for rest before the start of the next. Do 4 sets of the 7 exercises listed below.
1. Loaded Beast to Knee Drive Start in a crouched position and then pop up and drive a knee to your forehead. It is the optimal exercise for your mobility and core control.
2. Iso Squat to Lateral Chop Lower into a squat and do a chopping motion rotating from one side to the other. The exercises will work on your obliques and glutes at the same time.
3. Wide-Legged V-Up Crunch Lie on your back, legs wide across, and sit up, trying to reach forward to your toes. It’s a complete midsection incinerator.
4. Cross Jacks to Crow Pose First perform 4 quick jumping jacks and then remain in a modified crow pose to challenge the stability of your body and work your deep midsection.
5. V-Sit with Cushion Pass Have a V-sit and using your hand pass the towel, book, or cushion from one side to another. It is responsible for your balance, and it will also develop your coordination.
6. Half Burpee Variations Do either a 2 or 3-point half burpees for a few seconds to increase your heart rate significantly and cause fatigue in your abs.
7. Lateral and Prone Leg Raises Move one leg up at a time and lay on your stomach raising your legs also one at a time so that your glutes, your hip flexors, and your deep core are doing most of the work.
Rest a bit and hydrate after each new 4-set, then go to the final phase.
Part 2: 5-Minute Plank Challenge
You can use this as an end or separate workout. Change it a little, but you should always have good posture.
- 2 minutes: Alternating Leg Raises in Forearm Plank
- 2 minutes: Side Plank with Lateral Leg Lifts (1 minute both sides)
- 1 minute: Do a forearm plank that you need to switch the arms of the upper body at the middle of the minute
Tips for Better Results
- When you do the exercise always pull your navel in toward your spine
- Breathe regularly, refrain from breath-holding
- Give a priority to the form and control but not the speed
- If necessary, use a towel or a bottle of water as an added resistance
That 100% bodyweight workout that does not need any equipment nor rest periods proves to be the most creative yet best no need for equipment ab workouts at home. It is an efficient way to train your core in different directions, maintaining your heart rate at a high level, and thus becoming more functional, achieving better posture, and longer endurance — without using a crunch or a dumbbell even for a moment in any part of the session.
One of the main factors that determine the outcome of the exercise is to perform it regularly. You should work out 2–3 times per week at a minimum and the further step is just to work harder without, of course, taking a rest or cutting the rest intervals down instead.
If you’re interested in a variety of workouts that don’t require the use of any equipment, you can find more from here onwards as it’s only the beginning of our journey.
