Advanced Bodyweight Exercises to Supercharge Your Workout Routine

If you’ve been working out for awhile, you might be hankering to level it up. Both our bodies and minds get bored from performing the same exercises day in and day out. We may therefore lose motivation to work out if we don’t keep things interesting. And we may notice our fitness gains plateauing if we don’t continue to challenge ourselves. However, how do you make your fitness routine more advanced? Especially if you don’t want to invest a lot of money in weights and machines? Luckily, by incorporating more advanced bodyweight exercises, you can see fitness gains with little investment in your home gym setup.

In this post, I go over intermediate and advanced bodyweight exercises. I also discuss how to incorporate compound movements into your routine to keep things interesting. I hope you find some new exercises that you are excited to incorporate into your routine!

A Caveat about Advanced Bodyweight Exercises

Before starting, keep in mind that you should always consult a medical professional before starting a new exercise routine. I am not a doctor or personal trainer, and this information is solely for informational and entertainment purposes.

Moreover, remember that exercising may be uncomfortable. However, it should never be painful. Stop an exercise immediately if you feel pain. Likewise, you should only do an exercise if you can maintain proper form. If you find yourself losing control of a movement, there is 0 shame in trying a modified version of that movement or switching to an exercise that is more accessible.

Indeed, these exercises are meant to be pretty tough. It may take awhile to work up to them. You may also find that you can initially only do a few reps. With time and practice, they’ll become easier to perform.

Why Should You Incorporate Advanced Bodyweight Exercises Into Your Routine?

As mentioned above, you want to regularly switch up your workout routine. For one thing, doing so keeps your routine interesting and engaging. It can therefore help improve your motivation.

Second, your body adapts to exercises over time. While you may still burn calories from doing a particular exercise, you’ll see less benefit if you do the same exercise with the same level of challenge over and over. Your muscles and internal organs have adapted to a particular demand so they don’t need to further strengthen, grow, or otherwise be challenged.

You can make your workouts more advanced by incorporate harder movements (like the advanced bodyweight exercises below), doing movements that use weights (and making those weights heavier over time), working out for longer periods of time, or working out in tougher conditions. The latter is most applicable for activities like running or biking where you can start incorporating hills, working out in worse weather, etc.

Generally, if you want to experience improvements in your endurance, working out for longer periods of time and/or in tougher conditions is helpful. However, if you want to experience improvements in your strength and tone, you’ll make the most progress by incorporating more advanced exercises, weights, and/or natural forms of resistance like hills and wind. The bonus is that more advanced exercises can improve endurance over time as well.

Consequently, the exercises below can help you build your strength, tone, and endurance. Plus, by not requiring equipment, you can do them anywhere for free.

What Are Compound Movements

Before diving into the advanced bodyweight exercises, it’s helpful to define what we mean by compound movements. Many of the exercises below are compound movements. That means they exercise multiple muscle groups and joints simultaneously. Generally those muscle groups span across multiple zones of the body. For example, they might work both your legs and your core. Or they strengthen your arms, legs, and core.

Compound movements give you a lot of bang for your buck. By strengthening multiple body parts, you can spend less time on specialized exercises that just work, say, your triceps or your quads. Plus, compound exercises tend to burn more calories than other exercises. As a result, compound exercises can save you both time and effort.

Advanced Bodyweight Exercises

For each exercise below, I provide a description and a set of repetitions (reps) and sets. The number of sets is the number of times you should repeat the group of repetitions. For example, if I recommend you do 3 sets of 10 jump squats, that means you do 10 jump squats, rest or do another exercise, and then do those 10 jump squats two more times.

To maintain good form, engage your abs and glutes. For most exercises you also want to avoid arching your back. And, as mentioned above, if you ever experience pain, stop immediately. 

Printable Advanced Bodyweight Exercises Worksheet

To make things easier, you can find all of the exercises described below on this easy to print PDF workout routine. For the full description and recommendations for the number of reps and sets, take a look at the sections for each exercise below!

Wall sit

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 1 rep lasting 30-60 seconds
• Description: You probably remember doing wall sits in gym class. Turns out, they’re incredible exercises for working your calves, quads, and core. Simply sit against a wall with your thighs parallel (or as parallel as you can get them) to the ground. Contract your core (though remember to breathe). Sit against the wall for 30-60 second intervals depending on your preferences.

Jump squats

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 10
• Description: Plyometric exercises are exercises that involve explosive, generally jumping movements. They are incredible for your body for a few reasons. First, they naturally increase the strength required to do an exercise because you are fighting against gravity and trying to maintain stability when you jump and land. Plus, studies find that they help reduce your risk of injury in the long-run. Jump squats work your quads, glutes, and hamstrings in particular. However, the stability required for jumping and landing gets your core involved as well.

To do a jump squat, brace your core, lower your self into a squat with toes turned out at a 10am and 2pm position. Then, driving up with your feet, jump powerfully into the air and land back in a squat position with soft knees.

Skater lunges

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 10
• Description: Skater lunges are another great plyometric exercise. The lunging strengthens your legs and glutes, while the jumping and landing involves bracing your core and stability work. For this exercise, bend your left knee slightly with your right leg at a diagonal behind you and just your right toe touching the ground in a curtsy position. You might imagine that your left leg is pointed at the 12:00 position and your right toe is on the 7:00 position. Powering off with your left leg, jump to the side, landing on your right leg while bringing your left leg behind you in a curtsy position. Continue hopping side to side, mimicking a skating motion.

Split squats

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 10
• Description: Split squats challenge your stability more than regular squats. They also incorporate elements of lunging and squatting. Consequently, they work your core as well as your glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Stand with your left foot in front of you and right foot behind. With hands on your hips, lower your hips until both knees are bent at a roughly 90 degree angle. Push back up to the starting position. Complete the reps and switch so that your right foot is in front and left food is behind.

Clamshell + Fire hydrant + Donkey kick

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 10 of each (on each side)
• Description: On their own, each of these exercises may not seem especially difficult. However, if you want a serious booty burner, combine these into a routine. Even at my fittest, I always find those last few reps difficult to crank out. It’s a great finisher to a lower body workout.

Starting with the clamshells, lie on your side with your knees bent and feet together. Keeping your feet touching, engage your glutes and lift your top knee as high as you can without moving your pelvis. Lower your knee down. Complete all reps on one side before switching to the second side.

Next, move to the fire hydrants. For these, start on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips. Bracing your core and glutes and keeping your left knee bent, lift your left leg out to the side until your thigh is parallel to the ground. Lower your leg and repeat all reps on your left side before switching to your right.

Finally, complete your donkey kicks. Start on all fours like with the fire hydrants. Keeping your left knee bent, lift your left leg up like you’re stamping on the ceiling. Lower your leg. Repeat all reps on the left side before moving to the right.

Single leg squats

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 10
• Description: Single leg exercises are incredible for working your stability and, as a result, your core. Plus, by putting added weight on one leg, they make for a challenging leg workout that targets your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. This one is a toughie, so don’t get discouraged if it takes you awhile to execute one without falling. Just make sure you have a chair or wall nearby to stabilize yourself if needed.

Stand on your left leg with your right leg extended in front of you. Lower your body into a squat position on the standing leg, keeping your right leg straight and off the ground. Note that you’ll likely not get as deep as you would with a regular squat. Push through the heel of your left leg and return to a starting position. Complete all reps on your left side before moving to your right.

Side planks with raised leg

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 1 rep lasting 30-60 seconds
• Description: Side planks strengthen your abs and obliques (the muscles on the side of your abs). They also challenge your shoulders. By raising your leg, you’ll have an added challenge for your core, inner thighs, and hip flexors. Conventional planks, forearm planks, and side planks are always great to incorporate into your routine. However, if you want something even more advanced, try doing a side plank with your top leg raised in line with your hip.

Shoulder taps

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 15 taps on each shoulder
• Description: Shoulder taps are a compound exercise that strengthens your core and shoulder muscles. Tap your left hand to your right shoulder, then your right hand to your left shoulder, and so on. Try to keep your hips as stable as possible. Imagine there’s a glass of water on your back and you don’t want to spill it!

Hollow body hold

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 1 rep held for 10-30 seconds
• Description: Hollow body holds are my absolute least favorite exercise because they are so stinking hard. That’s also what makes them an incredible exercise to do regularly. Hollow body holds strengthen your core muscles.

Lie on your back with arms extended overhead and aligned with your ears and legs straight. Curl your head up off the ground. Lift your arms and legs off the ground, keeping your lower back pressed into the floor, arms aligned with your ears., and core engaged Hold for 10-30 seconds before returning to the starting position. To make this easier, keep your arms at your sides, lift your legs higher, or keep your legs at a 90 degree angle.

V-up

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 10
• Description: V-ups target your core, specifically your rectus abdominis which is what we typically consider the “six pack” part of your core. Lie on your back with your arms extended overhead and legs straight. Lift your arms and legs at the same time so that your legs form a 45 degree angle with the ground and your fingers touch your shins. Your body will form a V-ish shape. Lower to the starting position and repeat.

Mountain climbers

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 30-60 seconds of alternating mountain climbers
• Description: Start in a plank (or top of a push up) position. Keeping your body straight, pull your right knee towards your right elbow (or as close as you can get without arching your back) and return to the starting position. Repeat pulling your left knee towards your left elbow and so on.

Push ups

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 10 (or as many as you can do with good form)
• Description: The standard pushup is a great compound exercise that works your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. It’s pretty hard to find advanced arm exercises that do not involve weights, bars, or other forms of equipment. Consequently, push ups are a perfect option.

Start in a plank position with hands shoulder-width apart and feet hip width apart. For greater stability, you can have your feet farther apart. For a greater challenge, bring your feet closer. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the ground. Push back to the starting position and repeat.

Spiderman pushups

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 5 on each side (or as many as you can do with good form)
• Description: Remember how I said hollow body holds were my least favorite exercise? LOL, it’s actually spiderman pushups. These ones are hellish amongst advanced bodyweight exercises. But they work your chest, shoulders, triceps, core, and obliques, so I guess it pays off?

Start in a standard plank position with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Bend your elbows to lower and, as you do so, bring your left knee to your left elbow or as close as you can get. Push back to the starting position, bringing your leg back to the starting position at the same time. On the next rep, bring your right leg to your right elbow, alternating sides with each rep.

How Should You Build a Workout of Advanced Bodyweight Exercises?

The best way to build a workout is to work with a personal trainer and/or physical therapist. As noted above, talk with a medical professional before starting any exercise routine.

To build a routine, you might combine these movements to create a 10-, 20-, or 30-minute workout depending on your preferences. You can also target a particular body part or mix the exercises up for a full-body strength training routine. Many personal trainers recommend strength training 2-3 times a week for 20-30 minutes.

Make sure to warm up beforehand with a few dynamic stretches and/or easier bodyweight exercises like arm circles, wrist circles, jumping jacks, etc. And build in rest time between sets. If you are on the verge of failure (collapse) after completing reps for an exercise, you’ll want to give yourself more rest time and let your heart rate come down. If you complete a set of reps and feel great, you might be able to cycle right into the next movement. Listen to your body and do what works for you. For many people, a rest period of 30-60 seconds between sets works well.

Final Thoughts on Advanced Bodyweight Exercises

I hope you enjoyed these advanced bodyweight exercises! If you tried any of them, let me know what you think in the comments! Do you have any difficult bodyweight exercises you love (or love to hate)? Let me know in the comments!

Interested in related content? Check out my articles on the best wedding diet and workout plan, resistance band exercise routines, glute exercise routines, how to create a home gym, and 10-minute exercise routines for beginners.