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- This 5-Day No-Equipment Workout Is the Perfect Stress Buster
This 5-Day No-Equipment Workout Is the Perfect Stress Buster
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If there was ever a time to start releasing endorphins to boost your mood, it’s now. But if you’re feeling lost because you can’t get to the gym or barre studio, you can still get a good sweat right at home with no equipment at all.
Follow this five-day plan from Mauro S. Maietta, a certified personal trainer and district fitness manager at Crunch Fitness. You’ll do the same quick warmup and cooldown each day followed by a mix of strength-training moves and cardio to build muscle and burn calories. We start this plan on Monday, but you can begin at any time, just make sure to give yourself two full rest days. Build on the plan each week by increasing the reps of each exercise and shortening the rest time between circuits.
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Warmup and Cooldown
For a full-body prep, start with these exercises before getting into your circuit work each day, then do them again for recovery at the end of each workout:
Warmup: 20-30 seconds per exercise if not otherwise stated, moving clockwise and counterclockwise.
- Neck circles
- Wrist rolls
- Shoulder rolls
- Arm circles
- Hip circles
- Leg kicks: forward, back, and side to side for each leg.
- Ankle circles
- Jumping jacks: 1-3 minutes (rest as needed).
- Ropeless jump rope: 3 rounds of 30 seconds (rest as needed).
Cooldown:
- Repeat the warmup.
- Follow with a full-body stretch, making sure to hold each stretch for 1-2 minutes.
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Monday
Do 12 reps of each exercise with a 20- to 30-second rest between exercises. Complete four total runs of each circuit, taking two-minute rests between them.
Circuit 1
- Bodyweight squats
- Push-ups
- Bent-over rows: use household items like water jugs if you don’t have dumbbells for added resistance.
Circuit 2
Circuit 3
Cardio Circuit
- Stair sprints: 3-8 stair sprints for 10-20 seconds with a 1-minute rest between sprints.
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Tuesday
Do each exercise for 45 seconds followed by a 15-second rest between exercises. Complete four total reps of each circuit, taking two-minute rests between them.
Circuit 1
Circuit 2
- Step-ups
- Bent-over rows: use household items like water jugs if you don’t have dumbbells for added resistance.
- Hollow holds
Circuit 3
- Wall sits
- Biceps curls: use household items like water jugs if you don’t have dumbbells for added resistance.
- Lying leg raises with hip thrusts: you can do this on the floor, keeping hands on the small of your back.
Cardio Circuit
- Stair sprints: 3-8 stair sprints for 10-20 seconds with a 1-minute rest between sprints.
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Wednesday
This is an active rest day (not to be confused with your two total rest days at the end of this plan), so there’s no cardio circuit included. Do eight reps of each exercise followed by a 30-second rest between exercises. You’ll complete three total reps of each circuit, taking a one-minute rest between them.
Circuit 1
Circuit 2
Circuit 3
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Thursday
Do each exercise for 45 seconds followed by a 15-second rest between exercises. Complete four total reps of each circuit, taking two-minute rests between circuits.
Circuit 1
- Bodyweight squats
- Push-ups
- Bent-over rows: use household items like water jugs if you don’t have dumbbells for added resistance.
Circuit 2
Circuit 3
Cardio Circuit
- Jog: jog the stairs in your building for 5-10 minutes or at a moderate pace for 10 minutes.
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Friday
Do 12 reps of each exercise followed by a 20- to 30-second rest between exercises. Complete four total reps of each circuit, taking two-minute rests between circuits.
Circuit 1
Circuit 2
- Step-ups
- Bent-over rows: use household items like water jugs if you don’t have dumbbells for added resistance.
- Hollow holds
Circuit 3
- Wall sits
- Biceps curls: use household items like water jugs if you don’t have dumbbells for added resistance.
- Lying leg raises with hip thrusts: you can do this on the floor, keeping hands on the small of your back.
Cardio Circuit
- Stair sprints: 3-8 stair sprints for 10-20 seconds with a 1-minute rest between sprints.