25 Quick Bodyweight Workouts You Can Do in Under 25 Minutes

Hey, are you busy?

Of course, you are!

What a silly question. We’re all busy. Studies show we’re working more than ever and taking less time for ourselves these days. With everything on our plates — jobs, family, school, driving, walking the dog, paying bills, and catching Pokemon — time can really zoom by. As a result, a lot of lesser tasks can fall by the wayside without us even noticing.

But the fact that you’re taking time out of your busy day to read this shows that, despite those other responsibilities pulling you in different directions, you still want to make your health and fitness a priority.

And that’s something we take very seriously. For years, we’ve been hard at work for our readers, helping them reach their fitness goals with innovative and challenging programs. Whether you wanted to lose those stubborn love handles, push your body to the limit, or find new tips on nutrition, we’ve had a program for you.

Now, we definitely stand by these programs and think they’re a great resource for those looking to get in shape. That said, some people simply aren’t interested in a long-term commitment with a fitness program. These people are, for many reasons, looking for something in the form of a stand-alone, quick workout. And we always strive to find a solution for everyone. What can we say — we’re people pleasers.

Our programs range in duration, some lasting as little as three weeks and others much longer. But if you’ve been reading our blog for a while, you’ve probably seen at least a few of the quick workouts we’ve posted that are independent from any of our other programs. These have been tremendously popular for us over the years, so we thought it was high time to gather the best of the best and put them in one place for you.

The programs you’re about to see can be done anytime, anywhere. They’re perfect if you are not committed to a particular program and are looking for a spontaneous, fun challenge! We know this will be a great resource for you. So be sure to bookmark this page — or print out the content — and just like that, you’ve got 25 unique, quick workouts at your disposal.

What do we mean by ‘quick?’ Well, those of you who have been a part of the Shot of Adrenaline family for a while know that we’re not interested in long, tedious workouts. As we said, we know you’re plenty busy and we’re not looking to take up the bulk of your day here. All of these workouts can be done in 25 minutes or less.

With this collection, you can pick and choose the workouts you want to do anytime you want. And of course, there’s no gym equipment needed for any of our workouts. All you need is your body weight and a positive attitude.

What’s the Right Bodyweight Workout for Me?

As you browse the different quick workouts in this article, you may very well wonder how in the heck you’re supposed to choose the best workout for you. Truthfully, it really depends on what you’re looking for each day!

Remember, these are stand-alone workouts, so you can do them in whatever order you wish.

Skip the ones that don’t seem interesting to you. Repeat the ones you like. Mix it up. It’s all up to you. That’s what makes this article a great resource for people who don’t feel a long-term program is realistic.

And as you’ll see, the workouts are certainly varied in content.

A good portion focus on abs workouts. A few of them are great if you’re specifically looking to get a quick leg workout to strengthen your lower body.

We’ve also got a push-up exercise that utilizes every finger on your hands… there are going to be some exercises here you’ve never heard of before!

Some of our quick workouts are going to be full-body circuits that will give you a great burn from head to toe. So if, for example, you’re on the road and you think you may only have one chance to work out all week, these would be a great option.

And as we said, we’ve got a few that will be like nothing you’ve ever done previously — like a workout inspired by our four-legged friends of the animal kingdom. Or a workout that has an element of chance (and a pair of dice).

Again, these are all 25-minute workouts with all the benefits of calisthenics, so no matter which you choose, you’re going to be burning fat while building solid, lean muscle.

1) The Golden Legs Workout

Having 24-carat gold legs doesn’t come without sacrifice, so before attempting this workout, please call in sick for the coming few days. Either that or order a mobility scooter.

Made the call? Great, let’s get to it!

INSTRUCTIONS

Do each exercise for the total amount of seconds then immediately move to the next exercise. Once you finish 1 round, rest for 30-60 seconds. Do 5 total rounds.

EXERCISES

• Bodyweight Squats
• Wall Sits
• Front Lunges

ADVANCED MODIFICATIONS

• Instead of regular bodyweight squats, do pistol squats.

BEGINNER MODIFICATIONS

• Feel free to do the wall sits for less than 45 secs, as long as you’re giving it your all.

2) The 360 Degrees Hold Bodyweight Workout

This workout consists of three isometric exercises that will leave your core spinning in pain.

You’re entire body will be spinning as well since you’ll be facing a different direction with each hold.

You’ll get a real good look of wherever you exercise, so if you’ve been meaning to check for mold, this is the opportunity.

Without further ado, let’s break a sweat.

INSTRUCTIONS

Do each exercise for the total amount of seconds then immediately move to the next exercise. Once you finish 1 round, rest for 30-60 seconds. Do 5 total rounds.

EXERCISES

• Superman hold
• Side plank
• Plank extended

ADVANCED MODIFICATIONS

• Try to go to failure with each hold, see if you can finish all  5 rounds like that.

BEGINNER MODIFICATIONS

• Instead of doing planks extended, you can do regular planks

 

3) UP AND DOWN UPPER BODY GALORE WORKOUT

We all know that guy who goes all upper body and exercises his pecs mercilessly for beach season then stop working out altogether when it’s over. Now beach season is over (well, if you are in the Northern Hemisphere), are you going to be that guy?

You and I know better, we know that there’s no season for being strong and healthy and that being athletic is a 365/365 hustle, right?

I’m really excited for you all to try this fun and challenging workout, so let me know how it goes.

Instructions

Do each exercise for the total amount of reps then immediately move to the next exercise. Once you finish 1 round, rest for 60 seconds. Do 4 total rounds.

Exercises

Below are links to instructional videos explaining how to do the exercises in this workout. I’ve also included an interesting article related to each exercise. Feel free to explore 🙂

• Push Ups
  10 Hardest Pushups In The World
• Chin Ups
  Chin Up Modifications To Help You Get Bigger Biceps
• Wide Push ups
  Death by Pushups
• Pull Ups
  10 Hardest Pull Up Exercises Of All Time
• Triangle Pushups
  45 Bodyweight Arm Exercises To Help You Build Strength & Definition

Advanced Modifications

If you’re looking for advanced modifications, you can probably breath right through the 10 and 15 rep counts, so what you can do is go to failure with each set. You might need to rest for more than 60 seconds after each round

Beginner Modifications

You can stretch the post-round rest to more than 60 seconds. You can even take it up to 4 minutes. Just make sure to give it all you got with the exercises.

4) 10 Finger Push-up Workout

This workout consists of:

• Right Uneven Five Finger Push Up
• Left Uneven Five Finger Push Up
• 10 Finger Push Up
• 20 Close Feet Squats

Do the above set 3 X total.

In this workout, we adjusted the standard push-up so that it targeted different muscle fibers than the normal push-up. You can do this with any exercise, just use some creativity.

Bodyweight exercises can be fun. You don’t have to do the same old push-ups and squats over and over again. Experiment.

Enjoy!

 

5) The Ternary Gains Workout

I had three goals in mind while designing this workout:

• Makes it a whole-body bodyweight workout
• Make it simple
• Make it fun

As a result, the workout consists of no more than three exercises, covering the upper body, the core, and the lower body. All three exercises are fun, simple, and easy to do.

This is a great way to end the week and burn some of the Thanksgiving calories.

So go ahead and get your shot of motivation by watching my friends Dmitry and Jaroslav performing the workout, then download you copy of the workout sheet and get to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q31lgoO-8TQ

INSTRUCTIONS

Do each exercise for the specified amount of time, rest for 10 seconds, then move to the next exercise. Once you finish one round, rest for 1 minute. Do 4 rounds total.

EXERCISES

• Push-Ups [10 Hardest Pushups In The World]
• V Ups [25 Hardest Ab Exercises]
• Front Lunges [55 Bodyweight Leg Exercises]

ADVANCED MODIFICATIONS

• Instead of regular push-ups, you can do one-arms push-ups.
• Instead of front lunges, you can do pistol squats.

BEGINNER MODIFICATIONS

• Instead of regular push-ups, you can do knee assisted push ups.
• Instead of v ups, you can flutter kicks.

6) The Stairway To Gains Calisthenics Workout

For this workout, we’re going to climb the stairs to gain.

We’re going to do progressively more difficult sets with each stair.

Ironically, you won’t be able to climb actual stairs after this, so make sure you have everything you need from upstairs before you attempt the workout.

INSTRUCTIONS

Do each exercise for the total amount of seconds then immediately move to the next exercise. Once you finish one round, rest for 50 seconds. Do 5 rounds total.

EXERCISES

• Wall Sit
• Bodyweight Squats
• Front lunges
• Bulgarian squats

ADVANCED MODIFICATIONS

• Instead of regular bodyweight squats, do pistol squats

BEGINNER MODIFICATIONS

• Rest as long as you need between rounds

7) The Hands-Feet Bodyweight Workout

According to a statistic I just invented, the bottom of our feet is touching the floor for over 99% of our waking hours.

Considering that we are a mammalian species, that´s embarrassing.  Well, not all mammals use all fours for balance. Some like whales use none and are doing a permanent “look ma, no hand and no feet.” But whales are almost as weird as us, so they’re not the best example.

So for this workout, we’re splitting it fairly, we’re supporting our body 50% of the time with the feet and 50% with the hands.

And guys, if you’re not taking good care of both your feet and your hands, and you’re not giving them both enough time, you must be insane, because all the sane people do.

INSTRUCTIONS

For each exercise, do as many reps as you can in 60 seconds then immediately move to the next exercise. Once you finish 1 round, rest for 30-40 seconds. Do 5 total rounds.

EXERCISES

• Bodyweight squats
• Push-Ups 
• Front Lunges
• Barbwire Pushups 

ADVANCED MODIFICATIONS

• instead of regular push-ups, do a one-arm push-up
• instead of front lunges, do pistol squats

BEGINNER MODIFICATIONS

• you can do the exercises for less than 60 seconds, just make sure to stick with the amount of time you choose for all exercises

8) The Animal Within All Fours Workout

Bipedalism is a huge advantage humans have over other animals. Having our hands free means we can do a lot of things that other animals can’t do, like eating ice cream and doing the Macarena. But today we’re having none of that bipedal nonsense, today we’re going primal, today we’re going savage, today we’re bringing the animal within.

How to unleash the animal within:

Do each exercise for 20 seconds at your normal pace then immediately move to the next exercise. Rest for 20 seconds after each round. Do 5 total rounds.

Exercises:

• Push-Ups
• Mountain Climbers
• Wide Push-Ups
• Spiderman crawl
• Barbwire Push-Ups

Tiger mode:

You can take this to the next level by not resting between rounds. You know why because a true tiger needs no rest, so why would you? Well, actually tigers sleep for about 16 hours a day, which is about the exact amount of sleep your body will need to function again after this brutality.

Kitten mode:

If the workout is too much for your little paws, you can reduce the amount of time for the exercises. Just try to be consistent, meaning try to do all exercises for the same amount of time.

9) The Platinum Thighs Workout

A lot of people say that sitting is the new smoking.

But if you have two twigs under your pants, is it even worth the risk?

Sometimes I look at chicken-legged people doing physical activity and I genuinely worry their legs would snap in half at any moment.

I mean, when a kid tries to hand balance, her mom’s heart skips a beat, because the mom sees that she’s doing it on these frail skinny rods we have for arms. But we see people’s leg balancing on their skinny legs all the time and no one bats an eye. How is this normal?

Well, I’m doing something about that.

Today’s workout is all about giving you the legs you can safely and proudly stand on.

This workout consists of lower-body-intensive exercises that will promote your thighs to the platinum level.

So go ahead and download your copy of the workout sheet below and get to it, but before you do that, get your shot of motivation by watching my friend Dimtry do the workout:

INSTRUCTIONS

Do each exercise for the specified amount of time, rest for 10 seconds, then move to the next exercise. Once you finish one round, rest for 1 minute. Do 4 rounds total.

EXERCISES

• Bodyweight Squats [Top 55 Best Bodyweight Leg Exercises]
• Wall Sits [Top 15 Hardest Bodyweight Leg Exercises]
• Bulgarian Split Squats [Top 20 Bodyweight Circuits For Rapid Fat Loss]

ADVANCED MODIFICATIONS

• Instead of doing regular bodyweight squats, try to do pistol squats instead.
• Try to do the wall sits until failure

BEGINNER MODIFICATIONS

• You don’t have to do the exercises for the whole amount of time, just stay with it as long as possible

10) Extreme FREE Home Based Workout For Upper Body

 This is an intense upper body workout.

Here are the exercises:

• Half Burpees
• Pull Up Kisses
• Flutter Kicks

Good luck!

 

11) The Pushup Extravaganza Workout

There are many reasons why you may want to have stronger arms :

• Say hello to your neighbor with more fervor
• Pet your dog with more passion
• Hold more limes
• etc

Whatever your reasons are, this workout is all about monstrifying your arms and your general upper body region.

The workout starts with some pull-ups, just to get you tired, then hit you with a barrage of pushups.

Can you survive?

Watch my friend Anand killing it doing a round of the workout:

Can you do it better?

INSTRUCTIONS

Do each exercise until failure, rest for 30 seconds, then move to the next exercise. Once you finish one round, rest for 40-50 seconds. Do 4 total rounds.

EXERCISES

• Pull-Ups
  10 Hardest Pull Up Exercises Of All Time
• Pike Press Push-Ups
  10 Hardest Pushups In The World
• Wide Push-Ups
  Death by Pushups Test
• Triangle Push-Ups
  7 Day Extreme Push Up Challenge
• Barbwire Push-Ups
  100 Hardest Body Weight Exercises Of All Time

ADVANCED MODIFICATIONS

• Can you do close grip pull-ups? If yes, do those instead, they’ll hit your arms more than regular pull-ups.
• Replace barbwire push-ups with a more advanced push-up variation, like the one-arm push-up.

BEGINNER MODIFICATIONS

• If you struggle to do a pull-up, you can do assisted pull-ups, by having a chair underneath you to offset some of your weight.
• For wide push-ups, just have your hands as wider than shoulder-width as possible, it doesn’t have to be exactly “wide.”
• The same goes for triangle push-ups, just put your hands as close as possible, they don’t have to touch.

12) The Dual Gains Workout

This workout is based on Bruce Lee’s immortal words:

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

You don’t have to go through a gazillion exercises to get a good workout. If you do it right, one exercise could do it (burpees, anyone?).

In this case, it’s two exercises. Push-ups for your upper body and squats for your lower body.

This is a fast-paced, minimalist whole body workout that will leave you drenched.

So download your copy of the workout sheet and start breaking a sweat, but before you do that, watch my friends Dmitry and Jaroslav doing the workout for maximum motivation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48bUUURJO9U

INSTRUCTIONS

Do each exercise for the specified amount of time, rest for 10 seconds, then move to the next exercise. Once you finish one round, rest for 1 minute. Do 4 rounds total.

EXERCISES

• Push-Ups
  10 Hardest Pushups In The World
• Bodyweight Squats
  55 Bodyweight Leg Exercises

ADVANCED MODIFICATIONS

• Instead of doing regular push us, alternate between three advanced push-ups (eg: one-arm push-ups, diamond push-ups, wide push-ups).
• Instead of regular bodyweight squats, you can pistol squats.

BEGINNER MODIFICATIONS

• Instead of doing regular push-ups, you can do knee push-ups

13) The Gains Of Chance Calisthenics Workout

Getting strong and fit is not something that happens by chance. Staying healthy requires a significant amount of planning, discipline and hard work.

But for this workout, we’re throwing that out the window.

For this workout, the chance will decide how many gains you’re going to make.

We wish you the best of luck!

INSTRUCTIONS

Roll a dice twice, the first time to find out which of the six exercises to do, and the second time to find out how many reps or secs to do it. Do this for 15 sets total, resting 50 secs between sets. If you can’t find a dice, use this.

EXERCISES

• Bodyweight Squats
• Front Lunges
• Forearm Plank
• Pushups
• Mountain Climbers
• Pull-Ups

ADVANCED MODIFICATIONS

To choose the number of reps and secs, roll twice.

BEGINNER MODIFICATIONS

If you can’t finish all reps or secs of the exercise the dice chose, do them in a different exercise.

14) The Full Body Burpee Annihilator Workout

Do you like burpees?

Too bad, you have to do this workout.

Instructions:

Do each exercise for 1 minute then immediately move to the next exercise. Once you finish 1 round, rest for 30 seconds. Do 5 total rounds for maximum strength and conditioning development.

Exercises:

• Barbwire Push-Ups
• Single-Leg Burpees (Right)
• Pull-Ups
• Single-Leg Burpees (Left)
• Bodyweight Squats
• Mountain Climbers

Advanced Modifications:

If you find this workout too easy, increase the number of rounds or strive to do the exercises using the AMRAP technique. After each 1 minute set, quickly write down your reps. Then the next round tries to break the record.

Beginner Modifications:

You can make this routine easier by setting the clock to 30 seconds instead of 1 minute. For the pull-ups, you can use a chair or rest frequently during the 1-minute sets.

15) The Squatting Dog Workout

In this workout, I will be teaching you the importance of positioning.

We’ll be doing one exercise.

It’s a combination of the Frog Push Up and the Bear Squat. However, we’ll be doing several different positions of the exercise.

The Exercise/Rest split is 20 seconds of exercise and 10 seconds of rest.

What does it strengthen? The entire body

How long does it take? 7 minutes

Enjoy!

16) The Nothing But Pushups Calisthenics Workout

We’re not gonna lie, this one is gonna be tough.

This is going to be 7 minutes of straight agony.

So just familiarize yourself with the push-up, brace yourself, and jump into it.

INSTRUCTIONS

Do each exercise for the total amount of seconds then immediately move to the next exercise. Once you finish one round, rest for 50 seconds. Do 5 total rounds.

EXERCISES

• Push-Ups
• Wide Push-Ups
• Triangle Push-Ups

ADVANCED MODIFICATIONS

• Do the exercises for 30 seconds instead of 20.

BEGINNER MODIFICATIONS

• Your hands don’t have to be touching for the triangle push ups, just make sure their as close to each other as possible.

17) Leave No Muscle Behind Workout

This workout is designed to target as many muscles as possible.

Today we’re not going to leave any muscle behind.

Your body will be so sore after this, you’ll wonder what’s wrong with being a couch potatoe anyway.

But you know better, you know the pain is good for you.

You will love and embrace the pain. You will allow it to make you healthier and cleanse you of weakness.

So go ahead and watch my friend Dmitry doing the workout, get inspired, then download the workout sheet below and break a big sweat.

INSTRUCTIONS

Do each exercise for 30 seconds then immediately move to the next exercise. Once you finish one round, rest for 1 minute. Do 5 rounds total.

EXERCISES

• Push Ups
  10 Hardest Pushups In The World
• Mountain Climbers
  100 Hardest Body Weight Exercises Of All Time
• Flutter Kicks
  The Official U.S. Navy Seal Training Program
• Pike Press Push Ups
  Death by Pushups
• Front Lunges
  55 Bodyweight Leg Exercises

ADVANCED MODIFICATIONS

• Instead of regular pushups you can do diamond pushups or one arm pushups
• Instead of pike press push ups, you can hand stand push ups (assisted or free)

BEGINNER MODIFICATIONS

• Instead of pike press push-ups, you can do a plank
• You can do the exercises for 20 seconds instead of 30.

Ab Calisthenics Workouts

The workouts listed here help all of your key muscle groups.

However, we recognize that, more than any other area of the body, people ask us how to improve their midsection. We all want those washboard abs you see on magazine covers.

But if you’re not dedicated to a specific program, how do you know what you should be doing? A lot of people try to simplify things by doing crunches every day, but the problem is, crunches mostly don’t work.

You need better methods for engaging your core to get a solid ab workout that will build strength and tone muscles. So that’s what we’ve gathered for you in this article!

Having a strong core isn’t just aesthetically pleasing. It’s got numerous other benefits. Among them, you’ll have an improved sense of balance, you can alleviate lower back pain, and even reduce your risk of heart disease.

Take a look at our awesome, stand-alone ab workouts and all the variations of exercises they offer.

Now, remember, just because they’re stand-alone exercises doesn’t mean you can do them once and wake up with a six-pack. Fitness takes hard work and dedication.

But you can take whichever workout(s) work best for you, and utilize them as needed in your fitness regimen. And remember, these are all 25-minute workouts (or less), so you’re going to get an awesome core workout in a short amount of time.

18) The Sore Core, Please No More Calisthenics Workout

How active have you been lately?

If you’ve been moving your body, good. You will move it even more with this workout. If you’ve been inactive, good. You’ll make up for the whole week with this workout.

Because with this workout your CORE will be so SORE, you will be screaming “NO MORE!”

Well, it’s actually not that crazy. This is a nice workout for your core, especially your abs and lower back. It’s a great way to end your week on a positive note. So download the workout sheet below and join the SOA community in doing our Friday Workout

INSTRUCTIONS

Do each exercise for the total amount of seconds then immediately move to the next exercise. Once you finish 1 round, rest for 15-30 seconds. Do 5 total rounds.

EXERCISES

Below are links to instructional material showing you how to do the exercises with good form. Below each exercise is a link to one of my best articles related to that particular exercise, purely for your entertainment. Don’t be afraid to explore!

• Flutter Kicks
  The 10 Minute Abs of Steel Workout
• Supermans
  9 Plank Progressions Everyone Should Be Using (including the superman plank)
• V Ups
  3 Month Extreme Body Weight Training Plan (with the v ups in there)
• Bridges
  How To Heal Your Low Back After A Muscle Strain
• Leg-up Crunches
  25 Hardest Ab Exercises That’ll Give You A Six Pack Stomach

ADVANCED MODIFICATIONS

Can you do each exercise for a full minute instead of 40 seconds? If you think you can, make that your advanced modification. Let me know if you’re still alive by the end of the workout.

BEGINNER MODIFICATIONS

Instead of 40 seconds, choose any amount of time you think you can do and stick to it. You can download the workout sheet below, print it, and modify it as you want.

19) The Diamond Abs Workout

This is late Fall in the northern hemisphere and I’m releasing a workout for the abs. It’s crazy, right?

Actually, it’s not.

Beach going is not the only reason to have great abs.

Abs are extremely important stabilizer muscles AND they look good ANYWHERE.
Greek and Romans, for example, knew how important abs are.

Their abs were so strong, they left a visible imprint on their armor.

This week’s workout consists of four excellent exercises that will work your abs and general core area.
So go ahead and download your copy of the workout sheet below and get with it!