The Best At-Home Exercises for Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility
Gryor Team
•
September 22, 2025
You do not need a gym, a personal trainer, or a rack of expensive equipment to achieve a high level of fitness. The "at-home workout" has become a powerful, convenient, and incredibly effective way to build a strong, resilient, and balanced body.
The key to a successful at-home routine is "holistic fitness"—a balanced approach that doesn't just focus on one area. A truly fit body is one that has:
Strength: The power to move your body against resistance.
Endurance: The cardiovascular health to perform for extended periods.
Flexibility: The range of motion to move freely and without pain.
The good news is that you can train all three of these pillars from the comfort of your living room, often using nothing more than your own body weight. This is your ultimate guide to the best at-home exercises.
Part 1: The Best At-Home Exercises for STRENGTH
Strength is the foundation of a healthy, functional body. It boosts your metabolism, increases bone density, and prevents the muscle loss (sarcopenia) that comes with aging. These "compound" exercises are the most efficient way to build full-body strength, as they recruit multiple muscle groups at once.
1. The Push-Up
Why it's the best: This is the ultimate upper-body exercise, engaging your chest, shoulders, triceps, and your entire core.
How to do it: Start in a "high plank" position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping them at a 45-degree angle to your body (not flared out). Lower until your chest is just above the floor, then press back up.
Beginner Modification: If a full push-up is too difficult, do not compromise your form. Perform the exact same movement with your hands on an elevated surface (like a sturdy desk or countertop). As you get stronger, you can also perform them with your knees on the ground.
2. The Bodyweight Squat
Why it's the best: This is the most fundamental movement for human beings. It trains your entire lower body (quads, hamstrings, glutes) and core, and translates directly to real-life activities like sitting in a chair or picking something up.
How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back first, as if you're about to sit in a chair. Lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor, keeping your chest up and your back straight. Drive through your heels to return to a standing position, squeezing your glutes at the top.
Beginner Tip: Practice by squatting down to a sturdy chair or couch and tapping it with your glutes before standing back up.
3. The Lunge
Why it's the best: While squats build overall leg strength, lunges build single-leg strength, balance, and stability. This is crucial for correcting muscle imbalances and improving coordination.
How to do it: Step forward with your right foot and slowly lower your body until both knees are at a 90-degree angle. Your back knee should hover just above the ground, and your front knee should be directly over your ankle. Push off your front (right) foot to return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
4. The Plank
Why it's the best: The plank is the gold standard for building true core stability, which is the foundation of all strength and the key to protecting your lower back.
How to do it: Hold a push-up position, either on your hands (high plank) or your forearms (low plank). Your body must be in one straight, rigid line from head to heels. Brace your core (as if you're about to be punched), squeeze your glutes, and pull your shoulder blades down and back.
Beginner Tip: Start by holding for 30 seconds. Focus on perfect form. It's better to hold a perfect plank for 30 seconds than a sagging, incorrect plank for 90.
5. The Glute Bridge
Why it's the best: Most people have "inactive" glutes from sitting all day, which forces the lower back to do work it's not supposed to do. The glute bridge "wakes up" your glutes and hamstrings, protecting your back.
How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold for a second, then slowly lower.
Part 2: The Best At-Home Exercises for ENDURANCE (Cardio)
You don't need a treadmill or an elliptical to get a heart-pounding, stamina-building cardio workout. These bodyweight movements can be done in a "circuit" or as part of a HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) workout for maximum efficiency.
Jumping Jacks: The classic. This full-body movement is a perfect way to warm up or to be the "cardio" portion of your circuit.
High Knees: Stand in place and run, driving your knees up toward your chest. This is a fantastic way to spike your heart rate quickly.
Mountain Climbers: From a high plank position, drive one knee at a time toward your chest, "running" in place while keeping your core braced and your hips low. This is a brutal (and effective) combination of cardio and core strength.
Burpees: The ultimate full-body, high-intensity exercise. From a standing position, drop into a squat, place your hands on the floor, jump your feet back to a plank, perform a push-up, jump your feet back to your hands, and explode into a jump. (Beginners can step back instead of jumping and remove the push-up).
Part 3: The Best At-Home Exercises for FLEXIBILITY
Flexibility and mobility are the "healing" part of your routine. This is what prevents injury, reduces soreness, and counteracts the stiffness of a sedentary life. These simple stretches (many from yoga) are the perfect way to cool down.
Cat-Cow: Start on all fours. As you inhale, drop your belly, and look up (Cow). As you exhale, round your spine, tuck your chin, and press the floor away (Cat). This is the best movement for "waking up" and bringing flexibility to your spine.
Downward-Facing Dog: From all fours, tuck your toes and lift your hips up and back to form an inverted "V." Press your hands firmly into the floor and "pedal" your feet by bending one knee at a time. This is a full-body stretch for your shoulders, back, hamstrings, and calves.
Standing Forward Fold: Stand tall, then exhale and hinge at your hips (not your waist), keeping your back straight. Let your head hang heavy and bend your knees as much as you need to. This releases the entire back of your body.
Seated Torso Twist: Sit cross-legged on the floor. Place your right hand on your left knee and your left hand on the floor behind you. Inhale to sit up tall, and exhale to gently twist to your left. This is a vital stretch for rotational mobility and a stiff lower back.
Child's Pose: This is the ultimate "rest" pose. Kneel on the floor, touch your big toes together, and sit back on your heels. Fold your torso forward and rest your forehead on the mat. It's a gentle, healing stretch for your hips, thighs, and back.
Putting It All Together: The 20-Minute At-Home Routine
You don't need to separate these. You can "blend" them into one highly efficient, full-body workout.
Try this 20-Minute "AMRAP" (As Many Rounds As Possible):
Set a timer for 20 minutes and complete as many rounds of the following circuit as you can, moving with good form and minimal rest.
10 Bodyweight Squats (Strength)
10 Push-ups (on knees or toes) (Strength)
10 Glute Bridges (Strength)
20 Mountain Climbers (Endurance/Cardio)
30 Jumping Jacks (Endurance/Cardio)
When the 20-minute timer is up, finish with 5 minutes of flexibility:
1 minute of Cat-Cow
1 minute of Downward-Facing Dog
1 minute of Seated Torso Twist (30 sec each side)
2 minutes of Child's Pose
You have just trained your strength, endurance, and flexibility in 25 minutes, all without ever leaving your home.
The key to a successful at-home routine is "holistic fitness"—a balanced approach that doesn't just focus on one area. A truly fit body is one that has:
Strength: The power to move your body against resistance.
Endurance: The cardiovascular health to perform for extended periods.
Flexibility: The range of motion to move freely and without pain.
The good news is that you can train all three of these pillars from the comfort of your living room, often using nothing more than your own body weight. This is your ultimate guide to the best at-home exercises.
Part 1: The Best At-Home Exercises for STRENGTH
Strength is the foundation of a healthy, functional body. It boosts your metabolism, increases bone density, and prevents the muscle loss (sarcopenia) that comes with aging. These "compound" exercises are the most efficient way to build full-body strength, as they recruit multiple muscle groups at once.
1. The Push-Up
Why it's the best: This is the ultimate upper-body exercise, engaging your chest, shoulders, triceps, and your entire core.
How to do it: Start in a "high plank" position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping them at a 45-degree angle to your body (not flared out). Lower until your chest is just above the floor, then press back up.
Beginner Modification: If a full push-up is too difficult, do not compromise your form. Perform the exact same movement with your hands on an elevated surface (like a sturdy desk or countertop). As you get stronger, you can also perform them with your knees on the ground.
2. The Bodyweight Squat
Why it's the best: This is the most fundamental movement for human beings. It trains your entire lower body (quads, hamstrings, glutes) and core, and translates directly to real-life activities like sitting in a chair or picking something up.
How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back first, as if you're about to sit in a chair. Lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor, keeping your chest up and your back straight. Drive through your heels to return to a standing position, squeezing your glutes at the top.
Beginner Tip: Practice by squatting down to a sturdy chair or couch and tapping it with your glutes before standing back up.
3. The Lunge
Why it's the best: While squats build overall leg strength, lunges build single-leg strength, balance, and stability. This is crucial for correcting muscle imbalances and improving coordination.
How to do it: Step forward with your right foot and slowly lower your body until both knees are at a 90-degree angle. Your back knee should hover just above the ground, and your front knee should be directly over your ankle. Push off your front (right) foot to return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
4. The Plank
Why it's the best: The plank is the gold standard for building true core stability, which is the foundation of all strength and the key to protecting your lower back.
How to do it: Hold a push-up position, either on your hands (high plank) or your forearms (low plank). Your body must be in one straight, rigid line from head to heels. Brace your core (as if you're about to be punched), squeeze your glutes, and pull your shoulder blades down and back.
Beginner Tip: Start by holding for 30 seconds. Focus on perfect form. It's better to hold a perfect plank for 30 seconds than a sagging, incorrect plank for 90.
5. The Glute Bridge
Why it's the best: Most people have "inactive" glutes from sitting all day, which forces the lower back to do work it's not supposed to do. The glute bridge "wakes up" your glutes and hamstrings, protecting your back.
How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold for a second, then slowly lower.
Part 2: The Best At-Home Exercises for ENDURANCE (Cardio)
You don't need a treadmill or an elliptical to get a heart-pounding, stamina-building cardio workout. These bodyweight movements can be done in a "circuit" or as part of a HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) workout for maximum efficiency.
Jumping Jacks: The classic. This full-body movement is a perfect way to warm up or to be the "cardio" portion of your circuit.
High Knees: Stand in place and run, driving your knees up toward your chest. This is a fantastic way to spike your heart rate quickly.
Mountain Climbers: From a high plank position, drive one knee at a time toward your chest, "running" in place while keeping your core braced and your hips low. This is a brutal (and effective) combination of cardio and core strength.
Burpees: The ultimate full-body, high-intensity exercise. From a standing position, drop into a squat, place your hands on the floor, jump your feet back to a plank, perform a push-up, jump your feet back to your hands, and explode into a jump. (Beginners can step back instead of jumping and remove the push-up).
Part 3: The Best At-Home Exercises for FLEXIBILITY
Flexibility and mobility are the "healing" part of your routine. This is what prevents injury, reduces soreness, and counteracts the stiffness of a sedentary life. These simple stretches (many from yoga) are the perfect way to cool down.
Cat-Cow: Start on all fours. As you inhale, drop your belly, and look up (Cow). As you exhale, round your spine, tuck your chin, and press the floor away (Cat). This is the best movement for "waking up" and bringing flexibility to your spine.
Downward-Facing Dog: From all fours, tuck your toes and lift your hips up and back to form an inverted "V." Press your hands firmly into the floor and "pedal" your feet by bending one knee at a time. This is a full-body stretch for your shoulders, back, hamstrings, and calves.
Standing Forward Fold: Stand tall, then exhale and hinge at your hips (not your waist), keeping your back straight. Let your head hang heavy and bend your knees as much as you need to. This releases the entire back of your body.
Seated Torso Twist: Sit cross-legged on the floor. Place your right hand on your left knee and your left hand on the floor behind you. Inhale to sit up tall, and exhale to gently twist to your left. This is a vital stretch for rotational mobility and a stiff lower back.
Child's Pose: This is the ultimate "rest" pose. Kneel on the floor, touch your big toes together, and sit back on your heels. Fold your torso forward and rest your forehead on the mat. It's a gentle, healing stretch for your hips, thighs, and back.
Putting It All Together: The 20-Minute At-Home Routine
You don't need to separate these. You can "blend" them into one highly efficient, full-body workout.
Try this 20-Minute "AMRAP" (As Many Rounds As Possible):
Set a timer for 20 minutes and complete as many rounds of the following circuit as you can, moving with good form and minimal rest.
10 Bodyweight Squats (Strength)
10 Push-ups (on knees or toes) (Strength)
10 Glute Bridges (Strength)
20 Mountain Climbers (Endurance/Cardio)
30 Jumping Jacks (Endurance/Cardio)
When the 20-minute timer is up, finish with 5 minutes of flexibility:
1 minute of Cat-Cow
1 minute of Downward-Facing Dog
1 minute of Seated Torso Twist (30 sec each side)
2 minutes of Child's Pose
You have just trained your strength, endurance, and flexibility in 25 minutes, all without ever leaving your home.