Bodyweight workout program: four weeks with no gym equipment

Start with floor and wall, twice a week

This four-week bodyweight workout program uses the same six-exercise session twice weekly on non-consecutive days. Use Monday and Thursday, or another pair with at least one whole day between them. Week 1 has one work set per exercise; week 2 builds to two when comfortable. Weeks 3-4 keep two and progress controlled repetitions or the shown difficulty, not the number of workouts.

The zero-kit track needs a clear floor and a solid wall. A mat is optional comfort. There are no dumbbell rows, chairs, tables, doorframe hangs or improvised anchors inside that track. It covers leg work, pushing and trunk work, but its prone arm raise is not a loaded pulling exercise. It is a starting routine, not a complete balanced hypertrophy programme.

The separate minimal-kit track adds one manageable dumbbell for a real row. Allow roughly 20-30 minutes at one set and 30-45 at two for zero-kit, plus about 8-12 minutes for the optional row and its light rehearsal. First-time demonstration viewing may take longer.

Zero-kit session: complete these six rows

A rep is one complete movement; a set is a group of reps before rest. Complete every set of one row before the next, not a fast circuit. Keep about two or three good reps left in dynamic sets; in week 1 it is fine to leave three or four while learning. For planks and prone raises, stop before you lose position rather than chasing fatigue.

Rest after every set, including before changing exercises. Choose 90 or 120 seconds for squats and record it. For split squats, finish the weaker side, take 15-30 seconds to change sides, match its reps, then take the full 120 seconds. Take longer between sides if needed. Two sets means two on each side, not one left and one right.

Bodyweight squat: step photographs

Wall push-up demonstration

Bent-knee push-up: step photographs

Floor push-up demonstration

Bodyweight split squat: both feet on the floor

Bodyweight glute bridge demonstration

Prone arm raise: use only the Y formation in step 3

Forearm knee plank: use the first exercise video

Forearm front plank: step photographs

Minimal-kit track: add a genuine row

Follow the same six rows in the same order, then add the row below as row 7. This track needs one dumbbell with a load you can control for both sides; it is not equipment-free. A fixed dumbbell that is too heavy cannot be made suitable by swinging it. You do not need a bench, table or door anchor.

Use two row sets at every minimal-kit session, including week 1. If you are still learning to hinge and row, begin with zero-kit and add the row when the position and load are manageable, or use the beginner dumbbell plan for a slower introduction. Do not label omitted rows as completed pulling work.

Thigh-braced row: use the final one-arm variation

Warm up before the work sets

Walk or march easily for 2-3 minutes. Practise 5 easy shallow squats, 3 wall push-ups, 3 shallow split squats each side and 3 gentle bridges. Try 2 small prone Y raises and a 5-second knee plank. Rest about 60 seconds before starting work. Use a shorter range or easier version if rehearsal is already demanding. This preparation is not a working set and should not tire you out.

For the minimal-kit row, practise 5 unloaded hip hinges, then 3-5 easy row reps each side with a lighter available weight and rest 60-90 seconds. If your only dumbbell is the work load, use just 3 easy reps as rehearsal; if those are already hard or unsteady, do not force a row set. Clear the floor, including where you put the dumbbell down between sides.

All eight sessions across four training weeks

Treat the table as eight sessions to complete, not a deadline. Add the second set in week 2 only if you met the lower targets with control and recovered before the next session. Keep the same variations for that increase. If you are not ready, repeat a one-set week; four training weeks can take longer than four calendar weeks. In weeks 3-4 keep two sets and use the next-session rules below. The optional row stays at two sets whenever you include it.

Squat and split-squat difficulty without furniture

For a squat, stand with feet around hip-to-shoulder width, keep the whole foot down and bend at hips and knees. Lower only as far as you can control, then stand. Start shallower if the lower rep target is difficult. As that becomes controlled, gradually use a little more depth at the same rep count. Record that range before claiming rep progress. There is no required depth target and no chair needed.

For a split squat, stand in a staggered stance with both feet on the floor and enough side-to-side width to balance. Keep the feet in place, bend both knees, lower under control and stand through the front foot. Do all reps on one side before changing. The back knee need not touch the floor. Start with a shallow movement, then use more controlled range before adding reps. Do not put either foot on furniture.

If you cannot balance even in a shallow split squat, replace only row 3 with a bodyweight squat for 8-15 reps, the same set count and 120 seconds rest. This repeats two-leg work already in row 1; it does not count as a new single-leg skill. Do not double the reps or add another exercise. If you already find 15 squats easy with reserve, build the shown split squat within its own slot instead of inventing a jump squat or one-leg squat. A harder plan can wait until you need it.

Bodyweight squat: step photographs

Bodyweight split squat: both feet on the floor

Choose a push-up you can repeat

At the wall, place hands around shoulder height and step back a little, keeping feet secure. Bend the elbows and move the chest towards the wall with head, hips and legs travelling together, then press away. Moving feet closer makes it easier; record their distance so next session is comparable.

For a knee push-up, use hands and knees on the floor and keep a line from knees through hips to shoulders. Lower the chest under control and press back without leaving the hips behind. For a floor push-up, use hands and toes and keep the body in a line from heels through hips to shoulders. Keep hands on the floor, not dumbbells that can roll.

Begin with the version that allows at least 6 controlled reps while leaving two or three good reps. After every work set reaches 12 on two comparable appearances, try the next demonstrated version at 6. Wall to knees and knees to toes are meaningful jumps; if 6 is not controlled, keep the previous version. You may instead move the feet slightly farther from the wall while keeping them secure. No furniture incline is required.

Wall push-up demonstration

Bent-knee push-up: step photographs

Floor push-up demonstration

Bridge, prone Y raise and plank

For bridges, lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Lift the hips until trunk and thighs form a line, then lower gently. Keep the lift smaller if extra height comes from arching the back. Build from 10 to 15 controlled reps. After two appearances at 15 you may extend to 10-20 at the same sets and rest. This plan does not ask you to balance a loose weight on your hips.

For the prone Y raise, lie on your stomach with legs resting on the floor and arms reaching overhead. Gently lift the arms and open them into a Y, as in step 3 of the linked photographs, with palms facing inward and head in line with the upper back. Lower and reset between reps. Use a small lift, about a one-second pause, and avoid trying to lift the legs or arch the lower back for height. Only the Y movement is prescribed, not the full I/Y/T/W/O series. Use a smaller lift or omit this slot if it cannot be done comfortably; do not replace it with a back-bending challenge. This is light shoulder-blade/arm work, not a row or a promise to train the lats like loaded pulling.

For a knee plank, place forearms and knees on the floor with elbows beneath shoulders. Lift the hips so knees, hips and shoulders form a line, hold while breathing, then lower gently. The first video in the linked knee-plank page shows this version. The toe-supported forearm plank lifts the knees and keeps a line from heels through hips to shoulders. Stop before the back sags or hips rise to keep the timer running. If 15 seconds on knees is too much, begin with 5-10 seconds at the same sets and rest and build time gradually. After two appearances at 30 seconds in every set on knees, test 15 on toes; return to knees if position or breathing is lost.

Bodyweight glute bridge demonstration

Prone arm raise: use only the Y formation in step 3

Forearm knee plank: use the first exercise video

Forearm front plank: step photographs

How the single dumbbell changes the routine

For the minimal-kit row, stand with feet apart and knees softly bent, then hinge forward. Brace the free hand on your own thigh above the knee, matching the final one-arm variation in the video, not its earlier bench-supported example. Let the weight hang beneath the working shoulder, pull the elbow towards the hip without twisting and lower under control. Keep the torso steady. Put the weight down under control before changing sides.

Choose a load that permits 8-15 reps per side with two or three good reps left. When every set reaches 15 each side on two comparable appearances, try the smallest available increase and return towards 8. If the new load prevents 8 controlled reps, return to the previous load. If that load is fixed, extend to 8-20 at the same sets and rest. If it is still easy beyond 20, more usable resistance is the missing capability; prone raises or shorter rest cannot solve it.

One suitable dumbbell adds actual loaded pulling without buying a bench or rack. A mat mainly adds comfort. A band is not automatically a substitute: its exercise and any anchor need a compatible intended setup, which this routine does not prescribe. For the first purchase compare the lightest setting and available increments, not only the maximum weight.

Thigh-braced row: use the final one-arm variation

What to change next session

Keep variation, range and rest comparable. Add a rep to one set when you still finish with two or three good reps left; repeating your previous result is allowed. For example, two push-up sets of 8 and 7 can become a target of 8 and 8. Do not add reps and a second set at the same appearance.

For squats and split squats, first establish a comfortable controlled range, then build towards the rep ceiling. For push-ups use the shown wall/knee/floor ladder. For bridges build to 15, then at most 20 as described. Keep prone Y raises small and controlled within 8-12 rather than adding long holds or treating them as back-strength progression. For planks add a few seconds within the bracket before testing the next shown version. Do not shorten every rest to make the workout harder.

If the lower target is missed, stop the set, rest fully and use the easier version or shorter range next set. Record the change and rebuild. Changing depth, wall distance or support points starts a new comparison baseline. No jump, handstand, unstable support or improvised anchor is required to finish the four-week block.

Missed days and stalled progress

Miss one session: do it on the next suitable day with at least one whole non-strength day after the previous session, then keep the same gap. If Monday happened and Thursday was missed, Saturday can be the second session and Tuesday the next; do not train Friday and Saturday to catch up. Let the calendar extend.

After two or more weeks away, return to the one-set zero-kit dose with easier versions for the next two sessions. If resuming the row, use a manageable load and one row set per side for those two return sessions, then restore two when comfortable. That is a return-from-break reduction, not the normal minimal-kit prescription. After illness, wait until ordinary activity feels tolerable rather than using the log to train through symptoms.

One flat session is normal. After three comparable appearances without progress, check the full rest, exact range, sleep and attendance. Repeat with full rests before adding difficulty. If several exercises are falling and fatigue persists, use one work set per row for a week, including the optional row, and easier versions. Then rebuild from the last manageable dose.

Stop sharp or worsening pain rather than changing the angle repeatedly to work through it. Chest pain, fainting or severe unexpected breathlessness means stopping and seeking urgent medical help. This general routine does not prescribe rehabilitation or condition-specific adaptations.

Count the dose honestly

The zero-kit track has 6 prescribed work sets per session in week 1, or 12 per week. At two sets it has 12 per session and 24 per week. A split-squat set means that number on each side, not half the work on each leg. These are exercise-set counts, not a claim of equal work for every muscle.

The minimal-kit track adds 2 row sets per side each session: 8 prescribed sets per session and 16 per week in week 1; 14 per session and 28 per week at the two-set base. That supplies 4 row sets per side weekly. It does not add a vertical pull or make the unweighted leg work indefinitely challenging. Omitted prone raises reduce the totals; do not count work you did not do.

Print the session and keep a useful log

Use Print routine above the article, or your browser Print command. The routine, calendar, instructions and blank log print together; there is no separate PDF programme to buy or account to create. Reprint this log for each session.

Write the date, training week, session number and chosen track. Record squat depth, push-up version and wall distance, knee/toe plank and actual seconds. For split squats and rows write left/right reps in each set cell. Write the single row load in kg or lb, actual rest, approximate good reps left and one next action. Mark row 7 not used for the zero-kit track; it is not part of its prescription. A dash in the second-set cell means the one-set dose, not a failed set.

After session eight: repeat or add a capability

If two weekly sessions are still useful and the log is improving, repeat the two-set weeks. You do not need a compulsory third day. Once the block is comfortable, a third non-consecutive session is optional; start it at one set for the six zero-kit rows, and one row set per side if using minimal kit, rather than copying the full dose immediately. Keep at least one whole day between sessions and return to two days if recovery suffers.

If the zero-kit track is easy and you want more balanced strength work, a usable row load is a more relevant addition than a bench. If you want to learn a broader dumbbell routine, the two-day beginner plan includes actual loading and a hinge. Switch plans rather than stacking both programmes.