3 bodyweight exercises for a full-body home workout

Do you want to improve your health and fitness without setting foot outside your home? Luckily, there are plenty of effective bodyweight exercises that can help you to build muscle, gain strength, or maintain a healthy weight, depending on your goals.

Here are three bodyweight exercises that target different muscle groups for an effective full-body home workout.

Push-Ups - this compound exercise primarily targets the chest, shoulders and triceps. Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower your body by bending your elbows until your chest comes close to the ground, then push back up to the starting position.

Modify the exercise by performing push-ups on your knees or against a wall if needed.

Squats - another great compound exercise, squats work the lower body muscles. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back as if sitting down in a chair. Keep your chest up and your weight in your heels. Once your thighs are parallel to the ground, push through your heels to return to the starting position.

If you are new to squats you can try the sit-to-stand or the stand-to-sit squat. In these versions you use a chair and practice the squat movement by standing up or sitting down.

Planks - the plank is a core-strengthening exercise that engages the entire core, including the abdominals, obliques and lower back. Begin in a push-up position, with your forearms resting on the ground instead of your hands. Keep your body in a straight line from head to toe, engage your core muscles, and hold the position for a specific duration, such as 30 seconds to a minute.

For modified versions you can try performing planks with your knees and lower legs on the ground, or try standing wall planks.