This beginner bodyweight workout will increase your strength and make you feel better about your overall fitness level

This week, I'm sharing with you my first bodyweight training plan, focused on establishing a solid base of strength for people who are just getting started working out.

If you're not ready or able to start with a strength training plan using free weights, or not interested in weights at all, this plan will make you stronger and keep you safe while doing so. It will also make you more toned and help you feel better about your overall fitness level.

The plan is designed to be done two to three times per week, and combined with your cardio plan of choice. It pairs nicely with walking, running or cycling, for example. As with all workout plans, you'll see optimum results if you ensure you're eating a healthy diet.

Equipment

The best thing about this workout? It requires absolutely minimal equipment—the only thing you need apart from your body is a bar to do pullups on. My suggestion is to find a park that has playground equipment or pull up bars. Another option is one of the ubiquitous pull up bar products that can hang from a doorway in your home.

Bodyweight Basics

Another great thing about this workout is it teaches you the basics of bodyweight training. These lessons are foundational, and provide you with four straightforward exercises that you can use in any training plan for the rest of your life. First, we'll run through the exercises, and then we'll get to the plan. I've curated a series of videos that I think will help you master these exercises.

Push Ups

Push ups are a fantastic upper body movement (second only to the pullup, in my opinion), and work several muscles: your chest, shoulders, triceps (the little muscle opposite your bicep), as well as your core.

As with the pull up, you may not be able to do a full push up to start, but you can get there quickly:

Alex's Tip: Focus on your hips and core. Keeping your hips from sagging or being in too high of a position may be the biggest challenge for you when doing a push up. I like to focus on tightening my core and posterior chain, which has been helpful for me in this regard.

Pull Ups

Pull ups are my favorite exercise, and as I've previously shared, I believe they are the best upper body exercise. Similar to push ups, you may have some trouble executing them at first, but there's always a path to get there.

Alex's Tip: If it wasn't clear above, everything you need to know about pull ups is in my previous guide.

Squats

Squats work all of the muscles in your legs. The quadriceps (the big one on the front of your legs), your hamstrings, your glutes (a.k.a. your butt!) and your calves.

Unlike push ups and pull ups, it's more likely you'll be able to handle bodyweight squats without foundational exercises.

Alex's Tip: I'm a proponent of "ATG" squats, or "ass to ground." The deeper you can go into the squat, the better your flexibility and mobility. A fun fact: the ability to squat ATG seems to be lost in Western culture.

Planks

Planks are known as a core exercise, but what you'll quickly find is that they work muscles across your entire body. All of your muscles have to pitch in to keep you in the plank position, and there's a reason the plan is often used in yoga practices. It's a fantastic exercise.

Alex's Tip: Not only do planks help you get a stronger core, they also help improve your push ups, as you are naturally in the push up position. Start with the high plank, as outlined in the video above, and transition to the forearm plank when you're ready for a challenge. The most fun part about planks? Continually challenging yourself to hold the position longer.

The Workout

Now that you've got the moves down, let's walk through the workout. This one will be more art than science, as it's a beginner workout, and you're establishing a baseline for effort.

This workout is designed for beginners, so to start, I recommend doing it two times a week. After a few weeks of getting comfortable with the moves, you can up it to three if you'd like. If you're already experienced with these moves, and wanting to get back into bodyweight training, starting with three times a week will be fine.

Here's the basic template:

Workout A

• Pushups, 3 sets

• Pullups, 3 sets

• Squats, 3 sets

• Planks, 2 static holds

Workout B

• Pullups, 3 sets

• Pushups, 3 sets

• Squats, 3 sets

• Planks, 2 static holds

The simple difference between Workout A and Workout B is that you'll do pushups first one day, and pullups first the next. Since both exercises use your arms, you'll get equal intensity for both over time. As you increase this workout to three days a week, simply alternate Workout A and Workout B.

Repetitions

If you're a beginner, you'll want to listen to your body in terms of repetitions. With only three sets of each exercise, I recommend each set to go until your muscles feel fatigued. Keep a journal and track your progress. Over time, you'll figure out what combination of repetitions works best for your body.

For example, a completely reasonable rep count for a beginner might look something like this:

• Push Ups: 10 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps

• Pull Ups: 3 reps, 3 reps, 2 reps (these reps will be the lowest of the three)

• Squats: 15 reps, 15 reps, 10 reps (these reps will be the highest)

• Planks: 30 seconds hold, 20 seconds hold

Over time, you'll be able to quickly increase these repetitions. The above is just an example. Don't get discouraged if you rep counts are lower. Think of it as an opportunity: the less you've trained for strength, the more chance you have to quickly increase your rep counts. As you increase your rep counts, add another set.