8 Body Weight Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

Are you worried you don’t have the right gear for a good workout? Don’t be, says Michele Olson, Ph.D., professor of exercise science at Auburn University Montgomery. Body weight moves—exercises that use the weight of your own body as resistance, and that’s it—can be just as effective as ones done with weights or on fancy machines. What’s more, they translate to real life in ways the butt blaster machine simply can’t.

“Body weight moves are functional because you can move freely without being attached to, or even contracted by, a weight machine,” says Olson. “Functional moves make us better at the things that really matter in our everyday lives, such as squatting down to pick up groceries or reaching overhead to put something on a shelf.”

Do this program, which was designed by Olson, four times a week for six weeks. In that time you’ll get stronger overall, which translates to a tighter physique, says Olson. Because the moves can be done anywhere, you can fit in this workout on the fly, even if you’re stuck on a conference call or in a far-flung hotel.

infographic by Remie Geoffroi