This at-home body weight exercises list for women comprises some of the best moves to include in your workouts.
They are equally effective for guys, so give them a try if you’re a male looking to drop some pounds and improve your muscle tone and fitness.
If you are too busy to make it to the gym or prefer to work out at home, you can still get an excellent calorie-burning workout. In this situation, at-home bodyweight exercises are the perfect solution.
If the term conjures up images of calisthenics done to prepare for a “real workout”, put that thought to one side.
Body weight exercises can be as efficient and effective as workouts involving weights.
They can burn fat and calorie, build muscle, improve your strength and stamina, and even improve your sporting skills.
Results come from doing simple movements like pushing, pulling, bending, twisting, squatting, and balancing, with the exerciser’s weight providing resistance against gravity.
Beneath the body weight exercises list below, you will find some variations. Mixing up the exercises will bring faster results and help prevent boredom.
Table of Contents
Who are body weight exercises suited to?
Body weight exercises are suitable for people of any age and fitness level who want to get stronger, more toned, and improve their fitness, balance, mobility, and coordination.
The workouts are also practical for people who travel, as they can be done almost anywhere.
Popular with professional athletes, seniors can do them to reduce their risk of falls.
Research has shown that older individuals who undertake regular body weight training can also improve their cognitive function.
Will I need any fitness equipment?
Many body weight exercises don’t require fitness equipment or much free space.
You can use a sturdy chair or bench for exercises like Triceps Dips and a sturdy chair or bench for Chin-ups and Pull-Ups.
If you want to increase the intensity, you can incorporate fitness bands or dumbbells when relevant, but this is not essential.
How to perform body weight exercises
To get the most from your sessions and help prevent an injury, keep your movements smooth and controlled, and use the correct form. 
As with lifting free weights or using a home gym, exercise three or four times a week at most, resting every second day to allow your muscles to repair and recover.
If preferred, you can work out every day, varying your targeted body areas. For example, work your chest and core one day, your back and glutes, the next, etc.
Doing this, you will need to do more sessions, but they will be shorter.
If you don’t know how to do an exercise, Google it, or look on Youtube for instructions.
How many exercises and reps should I do?
The number of exercises and reps you do will depend on your goal and how much time you have.
For a start, choose one or two exercises from each group on the list.
The number of reps you do will vary depending on the exercise. For example, with Planks, increase the time you hold the position, not the reps.
If you haven’t exercised before, start with one set of 8 to 10 reps of your chosen moves.
As you become fitter and stronger, increase the reps and add an extra set or two.
Keep reading for the body weight exercise list and the primary muscles the moves target. Keep in mind that some of the exercises target more than one muscle group.
Body Weight Exercises List and the Targeted Muscle Groups
Shoulders, Triceps, and Chest:
- YTWL
- Push-Ups – try any or all of those referenced below
- Triceps Extensions
- Bench-Dips
- Push-Backs
- Chest Dips
- Chest Flyes
- Bear Tap Shoulder Taps
Back and Biceps:
- Chin-Ups
- One-Arm Chin-Ups
- Eccentric Chin-Ups
- Pull-Ups
- Side-to-Side Pull-Ups
- Inverted Curls
- Doorway Rows
- Inverted Rows
- Feet-Elevated Inverted Rows
- One-Arm Inverted Rows
- Reverse Snow Angels
Core:
- Crunches
- Superman
- Bird Dogs
- Dead Bugs
- Side-Crunches
- Reverse Crunches
- Twisting Sit-Ups
- Flutter Kicks
- Planks
- RKC Planks
- Feet-Elevated Planks
- Side Planks
- Feet-Elevated Side Planks
- Lying Straight-Leg Raises
- Hanging Leg Raises
- Oblique Hanging Leg Raises
- Hanging Knee-Tucks
- L-Sits
- Windshield Wipers
- Dragon Flag
Glutes and Hamstrings:
- Donkey Kicks
- Bent-Leg Donkey Kicks
- Clams
- Fire Hydrants
- Glute Bridge
- Single-Leg Glute Bridge
- Single-Leg Romanian Dead Lifts
- Russian Leg Curls
- Shoulders-Elevated Hip Raises
- Shoulders-and-Feet-Elevated Hip Raises
- Single-Leg Shoulders-and-Feet-Elevated Hip Raises
- Single-Leg Shoulders Elevated Hip Raises
Thighs:
- Squats – try any or all of those referenced below
- Wall Sits
- Step-Ups
- Lunges
- Static Lunges
- Forward Lunges
- Reverse Lunges
Calves:
- Calf-Raises (on the floor, or with your heels overhanging a step)
- Squat Calf-Raises
- Single-Leg Calf-Raises
- Stiff-Leg Ankle Hops
Total Body:
- Mountain Climbers
- Frog Stands
- Planches
- Crab Walk
- Inchworms
- Bear Crawl
- Crocodile Crawl
- Front Levers
- Back Levers
- Muscle-Ups
- Human Flag
Body Weight Exercises Variations
There are hundreds of different exercises to choose from, many with variations. For example, you don’t have to stop at the basic version when doing Squats.
You can also do Sumo Squats, Curtsy Squats, Air Squats, Narrow Stance Squats, Prisoner Squats, Pistol Squats, One-Legged Squats, Split Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats, Staggered Squats, Jump Squats, Tuck Jump Squats, and 180-degree Squats.
Single-Leg Box Squats, Skater Squats, and Shrimp Squats should also be in your repertoire.
As for Push-Ups, along with the regular Miltary Push-Ups, you can do Wide Hands, Staggered Hands, One-Handed, Assisted One-Hand, and Diamond versions.
Mountain Climber, Spiderman, Hindu, Pike, Cross-Body, Archer, Wall, Wall Handstand, Torso Elevated, and Feet Elevated are other Push-Ups you can try.
Doing more than one version of an exercise will enable you to target slightly different muscles.
With some more challenging than others, you can customize the moves to your fitness level. Varying the moves will also target different muscles and help keep your sessions fresh.
Summary
I hope this body weight exercises list for women contains some new moves for you to try. 
There’s nothing complex involved, but you can make them as they are still challenging as you want.
If you’re looking for a low-cost, convenient, customizable workout that addresses all aspects of fitness, give body weight exercises a try. I think you’ll be glad you did.
Click here to read an article on the benefits of bodyweight training and the drawbacks.
