Buzz
Strength training without weights can be tough. Once you're doing dozens of pushups, it focuses more on endurance than strength. Though moves like pull-ups are challenging, they’re often too difficult for beginners. However, there's a workout that offers options for all skill levels and covers everything — the r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine, one of Reddit’s top fitness secrets.
A quick note about equipment: This routine doesn’t require weights, but it does involve exercises that need a pull-up bar or dip bars. Some people head to parks for these, while others buy or create their own equipment at home — all for a fraction of the cost of a full home gym setup.
Why this Reddit routine stands out as the ultimate no-weights workout
This routine has long been a favorite among Reddit users, and now there's a video to guide you through both the beginner and intermediate variations. You can also check out a comprehensive written guide to the recommended routine, which explains the basics:
The routine should be performed three days per week.
It’s a full-body workout.
Instead of specific exercises, it focuses on categories of exercises. For each category, you pick an exercise that you can do for about 5 reps.
For instance, the routine includes a pull-up and a squat in its initial exercise pair (to be done as a superset). If you're a beginner, your pull-up might be scapular pulls, where you hang from the bar and activate your shoulder muscles to lift your chest without bending your arms. As you progress, you can move on to negative pull-ups (where you jump to the top of the bar and slowly lower yourself) and eventually regular pull-ups. Squats follow a similar path: You can start with air squats, then advance to split squats, and ultimately challenge yourself with one-legged pistol squats, which are much harder.
Instead of simply adding weight as you get stronger, you modify the movement to make it more challenging. The outcome is similar to what you'd achieve from lifting heavy weights: you'll become stronger, and your muscles may grow larger and more defined (though this will also depend on your diet).
Here’s the video:
Here’s the basic layout of the workout:
Warm-up exercises
Superset: pull-up and squat
Superset: dip and hinge
Superset: row and pushup
Superset: anti-extension, anti-rotation, and extension core exercises
The entire routine should take less than an hour once you’re familiar with it. If you want a cheat sheet to guide you as you perform the exercises, it’s available here. Be sure to check out the full description on Reddit for details on rest times, how to incorporate weights if you have them, and additional tips.
