Bodyweight/low equipment routines for the time-strapped? (hexbear.net)

submitted 8 months ago by Doubledee@hexbear.net to c/fitness@hexbear.net

27 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hey comrades. I'm not trying to build a crazy body or get jacked or anything, but I'm getting older and want to ensure I'm not neglecting my body so it keeps up as I go. I've been doing pushups 3x a week (got from being unable to do them on level ground to doing a set of 30, 25, 20 with 5 minute gaps, nothing too crazy) but that's all I'm currently doing. I got dip bars to try and add inverted rows to my routine, so here's my questions:

is there a reason I shouldn't just do rows as part of the same 3x a week pushup thing I do?
will it be bad if I alternate, assuming I can't do them both the same day, in terms of maintaining a baseline level of fitness?
are there very easy/no equipment exercises that do not take much time you would include/add for someone in my situation? My partner and I work alternating shifts, and we have children, so it's not really realistic for me to plan to have even an hour where I can do intense exercise away from the kids/go to the gym, part of why I've been doing basically just pushups is that I can drop and do them while I'm in the same room as the kids without leaving them unmonitored.

I know if I was really committed to building muscle mass I would be doing a bunch of other stuff but I can't devote that kind of time, I'm basically asking for the bare minimum "reasonably healthy" routine.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] BoxedFenders@hexbear.net 4 points 8 months ago

A lot of strength programs advocate for doing the opposing movement of compound lifts for the sake of strength balance and joint health. I've been doing Wendler 5/3/1 for over a decade and he programs rows in between sets of bench, pullups in between overhead press, hanging leg raises between deadlifts, etc. In your case you're just working with the pushup and inverted row so alternate with those.

You might feel exhausted if you're not used to the workload at first but you'll QUICKLY adapt. Just bang out a set of rows after every set of pushups you do. Try to keep them the same reps but it's no big deal if it's mismatched- and since you're new to rows it may take some time for it to catch up. And with bodyweight you can do them daily. Just be mindful of joint overuse issues if they crop up.

And I second @erik@hexbear.net's recommendations for bands. I would also add a doorway pullup bar- they won't require permanent installation and just hang on your door frame. It will also greatly expand the amount of band exercises you can do even if you can't do a pullup (yet).

this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2025

33 points (100.0% liked)

fitness

21966 readers

2 users here now

We are not a crisis service. We can't guarantee an immediate response. This does not mean no one cares. If you need to talk to someone at once, you may want to take a look at this directory of Hotline Numbers.

Rules

Absolutely no fat-shaming, skinny-shaming, or shape-shaming.
Be positive about people’s bodies but don’t be fetishistic.
Don’t shame or disparage people for their fitness level.
Do not offer unsolicited criticism.
If you post a selfie, make special care that identifying marks are removed.
No doomposting about your body.

Quotes

A fascist worked out today, did you?

“I’m an ardent believer in equality, and being in the Communist Party is a way to spread this form of socialism and freedom for all the people”-Jeff Monson

“Every worker sportsman must be a soldier of the revolution”-Spartakiad