Body-weight exercises are great for boosting your fitness, metabolism, and endurance, according to the Mayo Clinic. And an article published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health and Fitness Journal found that using only body-weight moves during high-intensity circuit training is an efficient way to decrease body fat, improve insulin sensitivity, and improve maximal aerobic capacity (VO2 max) and muscular fitness. A small study published in Physiology & Behavior in October 2016 confirmed that muscle growth can happen even if external resistance isn’t applied. RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Strength Training Depending on your current fitness level, your ability to build bulky muscles may be limited, says Rondel King, CSCS, a corrective exercise specialist and personal trainer in New York City. “If you do body-weight exercises, you won’t necessarily develop large amounts of muscle tissue,” King says. Your body weight alone likely isn’t going to place enough stress on the body to fuel substantial muscle growth if you’re a regular exerciser already, he explains — but these exercises can go a long way toward building up strength for athletic activity, preventing injury, getting toned-looking muscles, and promoting healthy functioning for daily living. “You should gain control of your body and go through body-weight exercises and make sure you can do that without resistance before you start adding weight,” King says. RELATED: Strength Training Found to Lower Heart Disease and Diabetes Risk, Whether or Not You Do Cardio

How to Complete a Body-Weight Workout

Combine a few of these exercises to create your own at-home workout, or add them to an existing workout. Ideally, you want to work each muscle group at least twice a week, Hammond says. Here, he recommends the best body-weight moves for each muscle group. These exercises can be adapted for people of all fitness levels. Hammond recommends doing four sets of each of the exercises below. If you’re a beginner, start with two sets of 15 reps and increase the number of sets as you get stronger. And if you have an injury or illness that may limit your ability to safely exercise, check with your doctor before starting any new workout program. Note: Some of these moves suggest using a yoga mat. If you don’t have one, try using a folded towel or completing the exercises on carpet to lessen the impact on your hands or knees.

Chest

1. Push-Up

2. Push-Up Shuffle

3. Isometric Chest Squeeze

RELATED: Should You Try a Plank and Push-Up Challenge?

Arms

1. Triceps Dip

2. Plank Up-and-Downs

3. Triangle Push-Ups

Back

1. Superman Y

2. Bird Dog

3. Superman T

RELATED: More Exercises for Strengthening Your Back

Core and Abdominal Muscles

1. Plank

2. Bicycle Crunches

3. Side Plank

RELATED: More Exercises for Stronger Abs and a Stronger Core

Legs

1. Jump Squats

2. Reverse Lunge

2. Donkey Kicks

RELATED: More Leg Exercises for Glutes, Quads, and Hamstrings

Full Body

1. Burpee

2. Mountain Climbers

3. Bear Crawls

RELATED: The Best Fat-Burning Exercises for at Home and at the Gym