Even how often you work out is a consideration.

Lets get you up to speed, and craft the perfect workout for you.

In this instance, effective doesnt mean simply air squatting til the cows come home.

Some examples includehandstand push-ups(these are advanced, so apike push-upwill work, too) andchest dips.

If you cant do a full pull-up, thats okay!

Try todo negative reps, or try changing your grip.

Lower body push:Most of the leg exercises you know are push movements.

Together, these basic movement patterns use many ofyour bodys 600+ muscles.

Think about balancing your workout with push and pull variations to strengthen your entire body more evenly.

Bonus points ifyou have a suspensiontrainer (TRX is the brand name) andsome resistance bands.

Then repeat the whole circuit 3-6 times.

That way, you have a varied routine that you’re free to follow for several weeks.

For more bodyweight circuit training ideas, check out thisone from Nerd FitnessandJohn Romaniellos 1% bodyweight workout.

To help, I turned toAlexander Ferentinos, a nutrition and training educator from the UK.

He suggests this four-days-a-week workout template.

One example is an inverted row, where your body is almost parallel to the ground.

Try incorporating a few different angled-rows as individual exercises on this day.

Fun days

Or mix it up by switching the pull and press workouts.

In addition to being consistent, you want to give some time for rest.

For simplicitys sake, avoid putting leg days back-to-back or push days back-to-back.

The other limiting factors are your own schedule and fitness level.

During rest days, do something you enjoy, or just watch Netflix and chill (seriously).

Remember, youdont get stronger and fitter from working yourselfto the ground.

Learnproper form and technique, and focus on quality of movement.

For example, squats are going to burn a hell of a lot more calories than planks.

Remember, do big movements at the beginning of your workout when youre feeling most fresh.

As you get fitter, you’ve got the option to reduce the rest time further.

If you cant do that yet, its something to work towards!

Not including warmup, aim to do 3-4 sets of each exercise.

The principles of setting the number of repsare similar to weightlifting.

Theoretically, a beginner can take either of these bodyweight programs and do themover and over again for months.

Illustration by Fruzsina Kuhari.