← Guides 3 October 2026 · Forge

A bodyweight workout plan for home, with no equipment

You can get noticeably fitter and stronger without owning a single weight. All you need is a bit of floor space and a plan that gets harder as you do. This guide gives you a simple three-day plan and shows how to keep it challenging for months.

The plan

Train three days a week on non-consecutive days, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Each session is full body. Do the exercises in order, resting about 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

Day A

• Squats: 3 sets of 10 to 20.
• Push-ups: 3 sets of as many as you can with good form.
• Glute bridges: 3 sets of 12 to 20.
• Plank: 3 holds of 20 to 45 seconds.

Day B

• Reverse lunges: 3 sets of 8 to 12 each leg.
• Pike push-ups: 3 sets of 6 to 12.
• Inverted rows under a sturdy table: 3 sets of 6 to 12.
• Side plank: 2 holds of 15 to 30 seconds each side.

Day C

• Split squats: 3 sets of 8 to 12 each leg.
• Push-ups with a pause at the bottom: 3 sets of 5 to 10.
• Single-leg glute bridges: 3 sets of 8 to 12 each leg.
• Dead bugs: 3 sets of 8 to 10 each side.

Start each session with five minutes of easy movement, like marching on the spot and a few slow squats and arm circles.

Make it easier when you need to

Every exercise has a gentler version. Do push-ups with your hands on a bench or the kitchen bench. Squat to a chair and stand back up. Hold a doorframe for balance on lunges. Start where you can do the bottom of the rep range with good form.

Keep making it harder

With weights you add a plate. Without them you need other ways to make the work harder, and you should change one at a time:

• More reps. Once you hit the top of the range on every set, it’s time to move on.
• Slower reps. Take three seconds to lower into each squat or push-up.
• Pauses. Hold the bottom of a squat or push-up for two seconds.
• Harder versions. Squats become split squats, then split squats with the back foot on a chair. Push-ups move to feet on a step.
• One side at a time. Single-leg work nearly doubles the load on the working leg.

Write down what you did each session, so you know what to beat next time. What a training log should hold.

The honest limits

Bodyweight training has gaps you should know about.

• Pulling is hard to train. Your back needs something to pull on. Inverted rows under a solid table work, but a doorway pull-up bar is the single most useful piece of kit you could add.
• Legs outgrow it. Strong legs eventually need more load than single-leg squats can give. A backpack filled with books buys you time.
• Progress is harder to measure. Reps and slower tempos are less exact than kilograms on a bar.

None of this matters much for the first six months. After that, a pair of adjustable dumbbells or a gym membership will take you further.

Fit it into your week

Choose your three days and treat them like appointments. Thirty minutes at home has no travel time and no queue for equipment, which removes most excuses. On the other days, walk. How many days a week to train.

Bodyweight plans in Forge

When you set up Forge, you tell it what equipment you have, down to none at all, and it builds the plan around that. I make Forge, so weigh that. Each exercise has a form video, which helps when there’s no one around to check your technique, and every session counts toward your streak.

Common questions