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You Can Do This Full Body Workout at Home With Zero

Equipment
Athlean-X's Jeff Cavaliere shared his top bodyweight circuit exercises to keep the
gains coming when you're stuck inside.

BY PHILIP ELLIS MAR 17, 2020

ATHLEAN-X / YOUTUBE

Being stuck at home for a prolonged period of time means that we're all 7guring out
how to adapt our daily routines, from our jobs, to socializing, to working out.

Jeff Cavaliere C.S.C.S. of Athlean-X just broke down a home training regimen that will
challenge beginners and advanced gymgoers alike. The workout requires no equipment
(besides a pullup bar), and is designed to be done three times a week. You'll take on two
bodyweight circuit workouts, A and B, that you alternate on each allotted day.

The PERFECT Home Workout (Sets and Reps Included)

"We're not focused necessarily on a single muscle group, we're covering all the major
functions," Cavaliere says. "There's no rest occurring at any stage in this workout, and
that's why we're staggering upper and lower... They're staggered and structured in such
a way that it should allow you to continue to perform even if you're fatigued from the
exercises before then."

Cavaliere says that doing one of these circuit workouts twice will take around 35
minutes, and that 3 rounds will take just under an hour—perfect for 7tting into your
undoubtedly packed working from home agenda.

Workout A:

• Alt. Single-Leg Box Squats

• 1 1/2 Bottomed Out Squats
• Jump Squats

The 7rst circuit is a series of squats to target the anterior chain, starting with a minute
of single-leg box squats. That 'box' can be anything around the house—a bed or a couch,
for instance. Cavaliere advises using a higher surface if you're a beginner, and a lower
one for a more advanced workout.

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This is followed by a minute of 1-and-a-half bottomed out squats, which exploit the
range of movement at the lower (and often weaker) end of the squat, and a minute of
jump squats. You might struggle to complete a full minute of this move at 7rst, after the
box squats and bottomed out squats, but as Cavaliere explains, "that cumulative fatigue
becomes something that is able to be progressive and overloaded, and that's where the
real bene7t comes from."

• Handstand Pushups or Power Pushaways

• Rotational Pushups or Knee Rotational Pushups
• Cobra Pushups or Knee Cobra Pushups
You then go right into your upper body push circuit, starting with one minute of
handstand pushups. If you're not quite ready to master that move, you can switch it out
for a minute of power pushaways: both exercises work the shoulders, but the pushaway
doesn't require you to lift your full bodyweight. The second move is a rotational pushup,
which targets your chest, and the third is a cobra pushup, which exercises your triceps.
(Both of these moves can be done with your knees touching the ground if needed.)

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• Alternating Single-Leg Heel Touch Squats

• Alternating Sprinter Lunges
• Plyo Sprinter Lunges
The third combination goes back to the lower body. Alternating heel touch squats
activate the posterior chain's hinge motion by placing pressure on the glutes. The
alternating sprinter lunge does the same, and then the plyo sprinter lunge takes a
similar motion and makes it more explosive to maximally engage the glutes.

• Pullups or Seated Pullups

• Human Pullovers or Bodyweight Sliding Pulldowns
• Inverted Chin Curls
The upper body pull circuit starts with a classic pullup, which just requires a pullup bar.
If you're a beginner, Cavaliere suggests balancing the bar between two chairs, and
attempting the move from a seated position. Next is the human pullover, an advanced
exercise which really burns the lats (a more approachable version of this move is the
sliding pulldown). Third is the inverted chin curl, which uses that same bar and chair
setup to engage the biceps.

• Reverse Corkscrews
• Black Widow Knee Slides
• Levitation Crunches
The 7fth circuit is all about working the core, with reverse corkscrews, black widow
knee slides, and levitation crunches. The reverse corkscrew targets the abs and obliques,
the knee slide is a mid-range exercise that engages both the upper and lower abs, and
the levitation crunch trains your shoulders.

• Angels and Devils

The sixth and 7nal round consists of angels and devils: A corrective exercise for the
posterior chain.

Workout B:

• Single-Leg Slick Floor Bridge Curl or Dual-Leg Slick Floor Bridge Curl
• Long Leg March
• High Hip Bucks
The posterior circuit starts with slick Uoor bridge curls, which require you to lay with
your shoulders on carpet and your lower body on a sliding surface: this trains you to
engage both your hamstring and glutes and get them to work together. The long leg
march looks easy but really 7res up the posterior chain. Then the high hip buck, which
can be done against a couch, uses your glutes to drive movement.

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• Variable Wall Pushups or Knee Decline Pushups to Knee Flat Pushups

• Alternating Bodyweight Side Lateral Raises
• Tricep Bodyweight Extensions
In the second upper body push, wall pushups (or decline knee to Uat pushups for
beginners) focus on the chest. The bodyweight side lateral raise trains the shoulder by
doing the opposite of what we usually do: rotating the entire body around a 7xed arm.
Then the bodyweight tricep extension really stretches the long head of the muscle.

• Alternating Crossover Step Ups

• Alternating Reverse Lunges
• Split Squat Jumps
The next circuit starts with alternating crossover step-ups: "a great exercise for working
the quads." The alternating reverse lunge is easier on the knees than the regular lunges,
because it doesn't create the same anterior stress. Then the split squat jump is an
explosive 7nisher to this combination.
•
Chinups or Seated Chin Ups

• Inverted Rows
• Back Widows
The next upper body round has chinups, or seated chinups for beginners, then also
employs the bar and chair setup with inverted rows, and 7nishes with back widows,
which work the rear delts.

• Ab Halos
• V-Up Tucks
• Situp Elbow Thrusts
The core circuit begins with ab halos, which engages the lower abs by lifting the pelvis
off the ground. The V-up tuck moves the upper and lower parts of your torso at the same
time, and the situp elbow thrust works the obliques.

• Reverse Hyper
The 7nal corrective exercise is the reverse hyper, which contracts the glutes and then
engages the lower back.
PHILIP ELLIS
Philip Ellis is a freelance writer and journalist from the United Kingdom covering pop culture, relationships and LGBTQ+ issues.

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