Fit as a Mama Bear

Helping make fitness, healthy food and natural living PRACTICAL for busy moms!

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Snacks
    • Breakfast
    • Smoothies
    • Main Meals
    • Desserts
  • Motherhood
    • Healthy Pregnancy
  • DIY
  • Get Fit
    • Full Body Workouts At Home For Moms
    • Basic Weight Loss Calculator
  • Healthy Living
  • Podcast
  • Shop
    • Organic Beauty Products
    • Energizing Coffee
    • Diy Beauty Ingredients
    • Pantry Ingredients

Disclosure: I have an advertisement relationship with the stores and ads in this post. Check out my disclaimer here.

You are here: Home / Fitness For Women / The Best Bodyweight Exercises For Women To Get Strong

Last Updated on Jul 20th, 2020 fitasamamabear

Disclaimer: Always keep in mind that these are techniques and exercises I have used in my own training programs as well as those of my clients. What is right for us, may not be right for you depending on your health history! Always consult with a certified professional or doctor before jumping into a new type of program. You know your body best so don’t forget to show it some love by taking care of it

The Best Bodyweight Exercises For Women To Get Strong

No equipment? No problem! Bodyweight training is not only simple but effective for moms. It allows us to fit in full-body workouts no matter where we are (learn more about how time for exercise). These bodyweight exercises for women are geared towards helping moms get STRONG, lose weight, and be able to do the things they love without injury. Using bodyweight exercises allows busy moms to workout anywhere – a major perk when time is an issue!

Pinerest image with text: woman in red shirt and dark pants performing a bulgarian split squat with a text overlay about bodyweight exercises for women

Benefits Of Bodyweight Training

I truly believe that every mom should master the basic bodyweight exercises before moving on to anything else. Being able to use your own bodyweight as resistance allows you to:

  • Workout anywhere
  • Save time
  • Challenge yourself to control your movements
  • Improves your strength
  • Corrects muscle imbalance

The biggest perk for moms though is that bodyweight training allows moms to get in a work out at the park, at home or anywhere else she can squeeze it in.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Bodyweight exercises provide us with the freedom to do a workout anywhere- making it ideal for moms.” quote=”Bodyweight training provides you with the freedom to do a workout anywhere.” theme=”style1″]

 

Using Bodyweight Exercises For Women

There are a lot of different ways to train, work out, and achieve your goals. However, when it comes to exercise for women I always strive to work posterior chain exercises more than anything.

These exercises target the back of the body (the back, glutes, and legs) in a way that helps improve posture and ease low back pain. Moms need to be strong in the posterior chain to keep up with day to day life! And a nice set of glutes never hurt anyone 😉

Just like any other workout, bodyweight training can be scaled to your particular goals (learn how to maximize training for your goals). 

Plus, if you ever want to progress to more advanced types of workouts, you need to have mastered your own body to start. Bodyweight exercises really help nail down the mind-muscle connection which is crucial for results.

 

Form Matters With Bodyweight Exercises

Form matters for all training however with bodyweight exercises you don’t have anything else to challenge you. There’s no external load if you don’t create it.

The reason that bodyweight exercises for women can be so effective is that the more you perfect your form and the ability to engage the necessary muscles, the harder the exercise (and the better the results).

I always tell my clients to slow it down. Just going through the motions will get you nowhere with bodyweight training. You need to really activate the muscles.

 

Bodyweight Exercises For Legs

There’s more to bodyweight workouts than squats –so much more! Learning to work the back of the legs is especially important and adding variations to your squats will help develop many stabilizing muscles (like your hips!).

Use the bodyweight exercises for legs by learning first how to control the movement before moving towards a harder variation.

 

Bulgarian Split Squats

When it comes to bodyweight exercises for women, this lovely unilateral exercise is a doozy! It is super challenging all on its own and will have your legs on fire.

Bodyweight exercises, exercise, legs, training, fitness, fit mom, at home workout, at home exercises, weight loss, active lifestyle

I love it because, depending on the angle of your torso, you can fit it to work more anterior muscles (like your quads) or posterior muscles (like your glutes and hamstrings).

That said, most people despise it- and rightly so! But it is insanely effective and you can use a stair, table, bench, or box to elevate that leg. Check out this video on a fun split squat challenge!

 

Exercise #3 Glute Bridge

There are few exercises better than the glute bridge for brand new mamas! I am a huge sucker for glute training (learn why you should hit glutes) and truly think everyone should be targeting them. You can even peep my favorite at-home glute exercises!

Strong glute muscles keep you strong, injury-free, and proper glute activation makes your booty look good!

Not only does this exercise work the glutes but it can be done with a focus on pelvic floor engagement – perfect for mamas. Some fun variations include:

  • single-leg glute bridger
  • feet elevated glute bridge
  • paused rep, single-leg glute bridges

 

Bodyweight Exercises For Women: The Romanian Deadlift

This exercise is perfect when learning how to hip hinge as it gives you instant feedback. The hip hinge is a movement pattern we need as moms as it is a big step in reducing injury risk.

This exercise makes a great warm-up but you can also progress it to a single leg variation once you master it- thus increasing the difficulty. It is one of my favorite bodyweight exercises for women because we use the movement so much (picking up kids!)

 

Reverse or Sliding Lunge

Who doesn’t love lunges?! This sliding lunge is a great bodyweight exercise for the legs. So long as you ensure you’re not arching the low back you’ll feel those glutes and hamstrings!

This exercise does work best on the floor with socks or towels. That said, walking lunges work amazingly too if you’re at a park and have some room!

 

Supine Heel Slides

Grab a towel or wear socks on a hardwood floor. This exercise hits the hamstrings and hard. If you’re a beginner, my advice would be to start with a single leg variation to take the resistance off a wee bit. From there you can progress to using both legs and finally, raising one leg in the air.

 

Squats

A classic bodyweight exerice. While bodyweight squats are amazing, you can easily switch them up to provide more of a challenge once you’ve mastered the form and can engage the glutes and not allow the knees to cave. If you need help with the knees, here are some drills you can do to strengthen the knees.

Squats are an awesome hip opener and are one of the most functional exercises for day to day life. Below are a few great variations when you’re ready for them:

  • Squats with abductions
  • Single leg squats
  • In & out squats

Pinterest image with text: woman in green shirt and bright pants performing a bodyweight exercise in front of a white backdrop

The Hip Thrust

Elevate your back on a table, couch, whatever you can find, and give your glutes a bit more range of motion!

Exercises that target glutes

This glute bridge variation is a fun one because it gives a bit more range of motion. Switch up your stance and go narrow or wide to keep progressing. When it feels easy- opt for a single leg variation.

Make sure you’re performing hip thrusts flawlessly and truly activating your glutes. Check out one of my favorite exercise demos on how to hip thrust here.

 

Bodyweight Exercises For Upper Body

When it comes to at-home workouts for women, one of the biggest struggles is targeting the back muscles (which are important in posture, back pain, and carrying kids).

It’s for this reason, I normally recommend most moms grab a set of resistance bands. However, there are a few fun ways to get around this, which you’ll see below!

 

Inverted Pike

A staple in many of my no-equipment workouts for busy moms. Inverted pikes are a great bodyweight exercise for the shoulders and reinforce the pushing movement.

You do need some thoracic mobility and shoulder mobility for them as well as hamstring flexibility. Once you get strong at them, elevate the feet for more intensity.

 

Push-Ups

This bodyweight exercise is just classic. And there are so many ways to perform it (check out 82 ways to do a push up here). Find the variation that best suits your skill level and get to it. But first, make sure you master the basics which include:

  • an natural neck
  • engaged core (belly shouldn’t touch first!) 
  • shoulders away from the ears
  • back muscles utilized

Note: as a new mom I wouldn’t advise performing a lot push-ups. They work a lot of anterior (front of body) muscles and most mamas need more work on their backs (another reason we need to train posterior chain exercises). But, don’t omit them, the push-up really is a classic badass exercise.

 

Rowing

Finding a way to row without equipment can be a challenge- but not impossible! I’ve been known to use doorways and the underside of tables. That’s how important this bodyweight exercise for the upper body is! Get creative and make use of what you can.

 

Isometric Doorway Pushes

Isometric training is underutilized. But when you have no equipment it’s a wonderful tool. Isometric means using all of your force without actually moving.

Stand in the middle of a doorways and place your palms onto the doorway (this can be at waist height with fingers up or down or head height, fingers up). Press as hard as you can.

 

Core Bodyweight Exercises For Women

There are so many ab exercises out there it’s impossible to keep track of them all. I’m a fan personally of training the core to do it’s job (resist movement) as a baseline. 

Which means, the bodyweight exercises for women below are geared towards anti-extension primarily but also anti-rotation.

From there, there are lots of ways to scale your core training. But the bodyweight exercises below are the starting point!

 

Deadbug

The deadbug is a classic exercise to teach stabilization and muscle engagement. It’s one of my favorites for new moms and any lifters as it teaches you to control unwanted extension. Eric Cressey gives an amazing demo of the deadbug exercise.

 

RKC Plank

Most people butcher planks on a daily basis making them useless. The RKC Plank is different.

This variation teaches you not only to engage but hold and contract every possible muscle. If you can hold this for more than twenty seconds, you’re probably doing it wrong. Here is a really awesome demo on how to perform it.

 

Hollow Holds

This exercise is classic bodyweight training for any gymnast! And while you may have no acrobatic goals, this is still an amazing exercise for a bodyweight workout.

It challenges your core and you’ll probably only be able to hold it upwards of ten seconds.

 

Bodyweight Exercises NOT Covered In This Blog Post That Are Worth Mention

  • Bodyweight knee extensions
  • Reverse planks
  • Side Planks (and side planks with abductions)
  • Step-ups
  • Crossack Squats
  • Plank To Push Up To Squats

 

Don’t forget to pin these awesome bodyweight exercises for women!

Pinterest image with text: woman in light shirt and bright pants in a reverse plank. Multiple images of bodyweight exercises for women along the bottom

How To Create A Workout From Bodyweight Exercises

If you’re struggling with how to make use of these bodyweight exercises for women, check out my at-home, full-body workouts. I have over 50 at-home workouts for woman and many of them require no equipment.

If you need a bit more guidance, my YouTube channel has lots of follow-along at-home workouts for women in which I give form and technique tips as we go along.

 

Related Posts:

  • 10 Minute Bodyweight Circuit Workout10 Minute Bodyweight Circuit Workout
  • 15 Minute I Full Body I Circuit Workout15 Minute I Full Body I Circuit Workout
  • Strength Training Workout At Home With A Resistance BandStrength Training Workout At Home With A Resistance Band
Last updated on 07/20/2020

Filed Under: Fitness For Women Tagged With: exercises

Comments

  1. Lauren says

    04/21/2017 at 8:45 pm

    These are some good ideas! I’ll have to keep them in mind. My problem is I tend to need a class or a group to keep me on task. Thanks for the motivation.

    Reply
    • fitasamamabear says

      04/21/2017 at 11:30 pm

      Hey Lauren! You’re not the only one who prefers the group environment 🙂 but at least it gives you a few choices to fall back on if you can’t make it!

      Reply
  2. Leannda says

    04/23/2017 at 5:02 am

    I’m not a mom, but I’m at the age where most of my friends are, so I get it and really appreciate this for later. Actually I appreciate it now, just because I’m all for excercises I can do anywhere!

    Reply
    • fitasamamabear says

      04/23/2017 at 1:04 pm

      You most definitely don’t have to be a mom to rock these exercises! It’s just nice having options- we’re all busy 😀

      Reply
  3. Mummy Gummie says

    04/26/2017 at 11:03 am

    These are great. I’m currently 6 weeks post c section and keen to get back into shape.

    Reply
    • fitasamamabear says

      04/26/2017 at 2:47 pm

      Ah, congrats on the newest addition! That’s exciting 🙂 Make sure you wean back in slowly and do some rehab (https://fitasamamabear.com/four-crucial-exercises-for-new-moms/) before jumping right back in- and then, yes bodyweight options are amazing!

      Reply
  4. Christine says

    12/23/2017 at 12:40 am

    Gurrrllll…I better get on this! This mama gained 5 pounds so I need to get it together! These are great exercises, although I say that and have little to no follow through. Any tips for mamas who hate exercising? I’m the worst! 🙂

    Reply
    • fitasamamabear says

      12/23/2017 at 4:00 pm

      Thanks for dropping by Christine! You are most definitely not the worst.. just normal 😀 Once exercising becomes a routine it’s a bit easier but getting started sucks. My advice: make it quick. If you can rock a ten minute workout 3-4x/week you’re kicking butt. Then, if you’re ready, bump up to 15-20-30 and you’re good! But start small and make it fast. You can get through anything for ten minutes 😀

      Reply
  5. Priyadarshini Rajendran says

    12/23/2017 at 3:04 am

    Push ups and squats are the only workouts I do. Great to see that so much can be done. Will definitely try out the other ideas too.

    Reply
    • fitasamamabear says

      12/23/2017 at 4:01 pm

      Those are two wonderful exercises.. but there’s definitely more fun ones! Give a few new ones a try and let me know what you think!

      Reply
  6. Ana says

    12/23/2017 at 12:07 pm

    I love all these ideas – I’m so lazy when it comes to driving to a gym. This is the perfect post to get me motivated to start an exercise program and I’m going to try all of them. Pinning for future reference – Thanks so much for the kick in the pants!

    Reply
  7. Cori - Sweet Coralice says

    12/26/2017 at 5:24 pm

    I can feel the burn just reading and seeing the photos! These are all wonderful ways to get a momma to stay in shape or get back after having little ones 😉

    Reply
    • fitasamamabear says

      12/27/2017 at 2:01 am

      Haha they definitely get your muscles going! Thanks for dropping by!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Top Four Pieces Of At Home Workout Equipment - Fitasa Mama Bear says:
    12/17/2016 at 8:18 pm

    […] there are so many options for training programs that focus on making good use of your bodyweight. And truthfully, as a new mama that’s the best place to start. But for those times when you […]

    Reply
  2. Unilateral Exercises You Should Be Doing - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    01/17/2017 at 5:43 pm

    […] you enjoyed learning how to train using your own Bodyweight, and want to maximize your workouts then unilateral training is a great option! Training one limb […]

    Reply
  3. How To Maximize Bodyweight Training For Your Goals - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    02/06/2017 at 7:06 am

    […] your own bodyweight is a great tool to have as a mama because it allows you to literally, workout anywhere. But you […]

    Reply
  4. Resistance Training For Beginners - 5 Tips - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    05/04/2017 at 7:02 am

    […] But as a beginner you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed as to how to start (though using your body weight is a great […]

    Reply
  5. 4 Workouts You Can Do Outside - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    06/21/2018 at 12:34 am

    […] is that taking your workouts outside is not only possible but practical (and I’m petty sure why body weight exercises were […]

    Reply
  6. 10 Squat Variations For Awesome Results - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    07/10/2018 at 12:21 am

    […] for more fitness tips? Check out my favorite Bodyweight Exercises & Why Everyone Should Train […]

    Reply
  7. Warm Up Exercises- How & Why You Need Them - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    07/11/2018 at 6:35 pm

    […] doing bodyweight squats before you bench press isn’t really […]

    Reply
  8. Top Four Pieces Of At Home Workout Equipment - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    08/03/2018 at 11:13 pm

    […] your goals (read about why here!). There are also a lot of ways to go about working out at home, bodyweight exercises being one of the best! But sometimes, you just want more- and thankfully there are a lot of […]

    Reply
  9. Why Moms Should Do Tabatas - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    08/03/2018 at 11:21 pm

    […] be fast, effective and fatiguing. They get your heart rate up, your muscles working and just like bodyweight training, you can do them anywhere as tabatas work with any type of exercise. Which is exactly why they’re […]

    Reply
  10. Why Moms Should Workout At Home - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    11/21/2018 at 12:55 am

    […] you’re looking to boost your at home workout routine check out my favorite bodyweight exercises as well as resistance band exercises you should be […]

    Reply
  11. At Home Kettlebell Workout - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    11/23/2018 at 2:43 am

    […] while bodyweight training is pretty awesome, adding some external resistance (like kettlebells) into your programs helps […]

    Reply
  12. Why Every Mama Needs To Know How To Hip Hinge - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    08/23/2019 at 4:57 pm

    […] Looking for more fitness tips? Check out these awesome Bodyweight Exercises Moms Can Do Anywhere! […]

    Reply
  13. Dear Fitness World: Screw You - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    09/18/2019 at 3:51 pm

    […]  Looking for accurate information regarding fitness and mamahood? Check out these Four Rules To Developing A Workout Routine As A Mom and . […]

    Reply
  14. 20 Minute Early Morning Workout | Morning Routine - A Cotton Kandi Life says:
    01/05/2020 at 8:14 pm

    […] early morning workout is quick, effective and only requires a resistance band and your bodyweight (click here for more awesome bodyweight exercises). You can throw it in a couple mornings a week and it will […]

    Reply
  15. 4 Exercise No Equipment Circuit - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    04/02/2020 at 5:00 am

    […] be keeping it quick but effective. It can be done anywhere and anytime- the perk of using only bodyweight exercises! In & Out Squats With […]

    Reply
  16. Full Body Superset Workout - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    04/02/2020 at 10:48 am

    […] at-home workout can be done in under thirty minutes. It uses only bodyweight exercises so you can rock it […]

    Reply
  17. 15 Minute I Full Body I Circuit Workout - Fit as a Mama Bear says:
    04/29/2020 at 5:00 am

    […] full body workout. No equipment is needed with these bodyweight exercises (check out some of my favorite bodyweight exercises) Fit this circuit workout into naptime and call it a […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Primally Pure Natural Deodorant that works

About Me

About Me

Hey There! I’m Shelby, a Certified Strength Coach (CSCS) and certified nutrition coach (PN) in everyday life as well as mama to two beautiful girls! I’m a chronic foodie, workout junkie and feeder of stray cats. I love heavy lifting but am a firm believer that as a mama you’ve got to do whatever the hell that works FOR YOU and I’m here to give you a few ideas. I believe food is fuel but indulgences are a must because well, as you’ll see… I’m a chocolate fiend!

Categories

RSS Fit As A Mama Bear Podcast

  • How To Start Eating Real Food (and make it practical for busy moms!)

Don't Miss a Post!
Get the Weekly Newsletter Sent Right to Your Inbox!

Top Post:

  • Pinterest image with text: homemade raspberry mocktail in a mason jar with fruit behind it Five Tasty, Healthy Pregnancy Mocktails For Summertime
  • Homemade body butter photos in different jars and text. The Do’s & Don’ts Of Natural Skincare Products
  • Four images of homemade bath bombs, the first of the bath bombs complete and being held and the other three of in process images making the bath bombs. How To Make Bath Bombs- Tips & Tricks
  • 6 Hip Exercises You Should Do While Pregnant
  • Pinterest image with text: yogurt pancakes on plate with jam on top and maple syrup behind in ramekin High Protein Yogurt Pancakes
Use Code mamabearfit For Discount
Use Code mamabear15 For Discount

Get the Newsletter

Sign up and get weekly updates sent right to your inbox!

DISCLAIMERS As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The content on Fit as a Mama Bear is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified health care professional before acting on any information presented here. Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. No products mentioned are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

  • Contact
  • Podcast Guest
  • Work With Me
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
  • Advertise
DISCLAIMERS As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.The content on Fit as a Mama Bear is provided for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified health care professional before acting on any information presented here. Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. No products mentioned are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy