When you think of ways to get stronger, intense exercises like heavy barbell squats and deadlifts probably come to mind. After all, the most jacked person in your gym is always lifting weights, right? 

Well, we have good news: You don’t need dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, or any other piece of fitness equipment to build strength. Your own body weight is more than enough. “Building strength is about working smarter, not just harder, and bodyweight training proves you don’t always need equipment to feel stronger and more capable,” says Peloton instructor Ben Alldis.

Ready to learn how to go about strength training without lifting weights? We chatted with two experts for tips, and have a list of some of the best exercises you can do from the comfort of your own home—or anywhere else you’re hoping to strength train without weights. 

Do You Need to Lift Weights to Get Stronger? 

“Not necessarily,” Ben says. “Strength comes in many forms and can be built in different ways. Bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, and functional movements can all be just as effective, depending on your goals.” 

Tom Holland, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and exercise physiologist, agrees. Bodyweight training can be a simple and effective alternative to lifting weights, he says. Studies show, for example, that a 12-week program of bodyweight exercises can significantly increase muscle strength and size in untrained adults, and that eight weeks of push-ups can result in similar gains as bench presses done with 40 percent of a person’s one-rep max. 

Bodyweight exercises can ultimately provide the stimulus needed to trigger the neural and muscular adaptations that build strength even without adding extra resistance via free weights or machines. “When we engage in resistance training, we teach our bodies to recruit more muscle fibers and do so more quickly,” Holland explains. “At the same time, we increase the size of our muscle fibers, a process called muscular hypertrophy.” That’s how you become physically stronger and also gain muscle mass. “Both of these changes occur when we overload our musculoskeletal system during strength training,” he says. 

You can induce those adaptations without grabbing weights, but there’s a caveat: Eventually, bodyweight exercises may not be enough to challenge you anymore.

The key word is “overload.” You need to challenge your body’s current abilities to prompt your muscles to adapt and become stronger as a result. Exercise places stress on the musculoskeletal system, creating tiny microtears in the muscle fibers, which respond by repairing and rebuilding back stronger, Holland says. This is the basis behind the strength training principle of progressive overload, the practice of gradually increasing the demand placed on the body over time. As long as you continue to increase the intensity, you should continue to see muscle- and strength-building results. 

If you're looking to use progressive overload with a goal of building serious strength, weights are an incredible tool to get you there, Ben says—but you can also keep challenging yourself without adding weights. 

If bodyweight exercises start to become too easy, you can manipulate certain factors, such as rep count and rep speed, to make your workouts harder. “I love incorporating elements like tempo changes, isometric holds, and explosive movements to add variety and increase the challenge,” Ben says. “For example, slowing down a squat or holding a plank for an extra few seconds can completely change how your muscles engage.”

Beyond bodyweight exercises, you can use other non-weight workout tools like resistance bands, suspension trainers, steps, benches, sliders, and more to add variety and difficulty to your workout to keep challenging your muscles and help you build strength without lifting weights.

Reasons Why You’d Want to Strength Train Without Weights

While lifting weights can help you reach your strength goals, Ben and Holland agree that there are plenty of reasons you might want to skip the dumbbells. 

“Maybe you don’t have access to equipment, are working with an injury that requires a more controlled approach, or simply prefer the convenience of bodyweight workouts,” Ben says. “Some people might focus on functional training or enjoy activities like yoga or Pilates, which can build strength without weights.” 

A few other reasons you might pass on lifting weights include: 

Types of Workouts for Building Strength Without Weights

Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises, sometimes called calisthenics, are probably what comes to mind when you think about strength training without weights. “Think: push-ups, planks, squats, and lunges—these movements hit multiple muscle groups and can be scaled to any fitness level,” Ben says. These types of moves are generally great for beginners because they’re functional, require no equipment, can be performed anywhere at any time, and they can be easily modified depending on your fitness level, Holland says.

Yoga

“Yoga is an incredible way to build strength,” Ben says. In fact, a 2015 controlled clinical trial published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that participants who practiced Hatha yoga for 12 weeks experienced significant improvements in muscular strength. 

Holding poses for an extended period of time challenges your muscular endurance, while flowing through sequences adds a dynamic element, Ben continues. “It combines controlled movements, bodyweight resistance, and stability work—all while improving mobility and balance,” he says. Not to mention, “yoga teaches you to connect strength with control, which can benefit every aspect of your fitness routine,” Ben adds.

Pilates

Pilates is also a great choice for building strength because it focuses on controlled movements, core engagement, and improving overall body alignment, Ben says. 

“It’s not about heavy resistance—it’s about mastering the connection between your mind and muscles to create strength from the inside out,” he explains. “What I love about Pilates is how it builds functional strength that carries over into your everyday life and other workouts.” For instance, having a strong upper body, core, and lower body can help you carry heavy grocery bags into your house or pick up your pet or small child with ease.

Barre

Barre classes focus on small, controlled movements that isolate specific muscle groups, which can be great for building strength in targeted areas, Ben says. “It’s all about high reps, isometric holds, and keeping tension in the muscles, which helps build endurance and improve muscle tone,” he says. “What I love about barre is how it combines elements of strength, balance, and flexibility all in one workout.”

Bodyweight Exercises That Build Strength Without Weights

There are so many ways to strength train without lifting weights, but these moves—many of which you’ll see in all the above types of workouts—are a great place to start (and keep coming back to). If you’re not interested in a DIY workout, consider trying one of the many bodyweight classes in the Peloton App.

1. Plank

Planks are great for building core strength and overall stability, Ben says. This move targets your shoulders, arms, and even your legs if you’re doing the move properly. Holland is also a fan of planks as a “comprehensive core exercise that works both the abdominals and muscles of the lower back at the same time,” he says.

2. Side Plank

Plank variations, like side planks, target your core, shoulders, and glutes while also improving overall stability and balance, according to Ben. 

3. Push-Up

Push-ups are a classic strength exercise that builds muscle in your shoulders, biceps, triceps, and back muscles while also engaging your core, Ben says. Holland also recommends push-ups: “The push-up, a compound exercise that works multiple muscle groups, is extremely effective at building upper-body strength,” he says.  

4. Plank to Downward-Facing Dog

Plank to Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) strengthens your shoulders, core, and arms while also improving flexibility and control, Ben says. When you perform this move in an articulating fashion (as shown above), it doubles as a spinal mobility exercise.

5. Bridge

You’ll see versions of the bridge exercise in yoga, Pilates, barre, and classic bodyweight strength training. It’s widely used because it’s fantastic for targeting your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back, “helping to build a strong and stable foundation,” Ben says. To take it up a notch, you can perform bridges with one leg at a time.

6. Squat

Squats are one of the best functional bodyweight moves out there, strengthening your legs, glutes, and core. If simple bodyweight squats are easy, there are countless ways you can spice them up with squat variations. 

7. Lunge

Lunges build strength for real-life situations like climbing stairs or stepping up onto a bench or stool. You can lunge in virtually any direction, but front lunges are perhaps the most classic version of the move.

The Takeaway 

According to Ben, strength training without weights is all about creativity and making the most of what you have: your body. “In my own workouts and class programming, I focus on bodyweight exercises, which can be just as challenging and effective as lifting weights when done with proper form and intensity,” he says.

At the end of the day, “what matters most is finding what works for your body, your lifestyle, and your training goals,” Ben says. “Whether you’re lifting a dumbbell, your bodyweight, or a resistance band, what matters most is consistency, intention, and showing up for yourself.”

Strength-based exercises that use your bodyweight as well as modalities like yoga, barre, and Pilates are great options that can be scaled to any fitness level and done in your own home. If you have equipment like resistance bands, sliders, a suspension trainer, or even simple tools like a bench, chair, step, or railing, the possibilities only expand from there.