I remember being a struggling student years ago and not wanting to spend the $10 for a day pass at the local gym. It was frustrating to want to work out but not being able to have thousands of dollars of equipment at my disposal. Plus, I didn’t want to be stuck in any stuffy old gym when it was beautiful weather outside.

But even back then I knew that I could train my entire body effectively in less than 30 minutes with the right bodyweight exercises. I was doing push-up variations, doing rows and chin-ups from various ledges in my parent’s house, taking advantage of one-leg exercises to train my legs almost as hard as I could in the gym.

And there’s more to bodyweight training than basic pushups and endless crunches. In fact, there are many types of different pushups you can do: decline, spiderman, elevated, close-grip, off-set, and more.

Add a stability ball to your bodyweight workouts and your exercise selection goes through the roof. You can increase the work done on your abs with jackknifes and the dreaded “Plank with Arms on ball”, and you can really hit your hamstrings with the stability ball leg curls.

Plus, bodyweight workouts are fast and effective. The commute to your new “gym” is as short as can be…just find some empty space in your house or backyard…or even your office or a park.

When I first started bodyweight training, I picked the exercises and ran through them in circuit and superset form (just like you should) and I did them in my bedroom. And now I’ve added more exercises and routines to my repetoire and I do these workouts anytime, anyplace. Effective bodyweight workouts are based on scientific training principles and techniques I’ve learned over the years, so that you’ll gain muscle, lose fat, get lean, and improve your stamina without having to go to the gym once in the entire 4-weeks of the program.

If you are looking for more help with bodyweight training, track down a gymnast or martial arts coach. Or find an experienced bodyweight trainer that will help get you fit, fast without spending money or space on unnecessary equipment.