Equipment-free training plan: six weeks of progression and what your genetics have to do with it
The essentials at a glance
An equipment-free training plan needs numbers that come from a guideline, not from intuition. For beginners, the American College of Sports Medicine 2009 recommends two to three training days per week and 8 to 12 repetitions per exercise. The rest period between two sets lasts 1 to 2 minutes.
This article turns that into a plan for weeks 1 to 6. The six weeks are the length of the plan, not a promise of a result. The values used in the plan are accompanied by their source. Our own planning choices are also identified - so you can distinguish between the two.
If you want to start right away, skip to Chapter 3 with the plan table. If you want to know why the numbers look the way they do, read Chapter 2 and Chapter 4. And if it bothers you that someone with the same plan makes faster progress than you, the evidence-based answer is in Chapter 7.
What to expect in this article
1. Equipment-free training plan: what it can do
2. How much physical activity the WHO recommends
3. The plan: weeks 1 to 6
4. The numbers behind the plan
5. Three misconceptions about equipment-free training
6. How to tell that it is working - and when to stop
7. Why two people with the same plan make different amounts of progress
8. What you can do now
Frequently asked questions
Sources
Equipment-free training plan: what it can do
At-home plans do not fail because of a lack of discipline. They fail because the structure demands too much in the first week and explains nothing by the third. Anyone who has quit three times does not need a tougher plan, but a smaller starting point with a clear progression.
Bodyweight training means that the resistance you work against is your own body - when pushing yourself up from the push-up position or standing up from a squat. You need neither dumbbells nor a bench. What you need is a structure that tells you when to do more than you did the week before.
Key message
Strength training on two or more days per week is part of the WHO 2020 physical activity recommendations; how a plan implements this strengthening depends on repetitions, rest periods, and progression based on the 2009 American College of Sports Medicine guidelines - and how strongly someone responds to it is partly determined by genetics (Bouchard 1999).
Three terms that appear in the plan
So that the table in Chapter 3 can be read without questions, here are the words it contains in advance. They sound technical, but mean something very simple.
The plan's vocabulary
Repetition
A single execution of an exercise, meaning once down and once back up. Twelve squats in a row are twelve repetitions.
Round
A series of such repetitions performed consecutively. After one round comes the break, followed by the next round of the same exercise. In training terminology, this is also called a set.
Recovery
The time between two sessions during which the body processes the exertion. It is part of the plan, not time off from the plan.
A plan without equipment has a limitation that should be stated right at the beginning: It tells you what you can do, but not how far you can get with it. This question touches on your predisposition, meaning the physical makeup you were born with. Which genes are examined is explained in detail in our article on the DNA training plan. Here, we will focus first on the plan itself.
How much exercise the WHO recommends
Before discussing a single exercise, it is worth looking at the amount. In 2020, the World Health Organization published a guideline on physical activity that sets out two things side by side for adults: a weekly amount of aerobic activity and a minimum number of days with strength training.
Documented source
Paraphrased from WHO 2020 (Bull et al.): Adults should engage in at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity or at least 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week. In addition, they should engage in muscle-strengthening activity involving all major muscle groups on two or more days per week.
World Health Organization (WHO)
Bull FC et al., “World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour”, British Journal of Sports Medicine 54:1451–1462, 2020 - paraphrased from the English original
This recommendation leads to the second part that matters here: strength training on two or more days. The plan in Chapter 3 fills exactly those two days. The endurance component remains alongside it - a brisk walk or a bike ride counts toward it. We work through how to distribute the 150 to 300 minutes in everyday life in the article How much cycling is enough.
The objection is justified: A weekly volume still does not tell you what to do in your living room on Monday evening. That is why a second source, one that goes into more detail, is needed. The 2009 guideline from the American College of Sports Medicine describes, for people without strength-training experience, the range in which repetitions should fall, the number of sessions per week to start with, the order in which exercises should be performed, and how to progress. These four details form the framework of the following table.
The plan: weeks 1 to 6
The table shows six weeks in three blocks of two weeks each. Anything in a cell with a source comes from the guideline. Anything marked as our suggestion was established by us for getting started because the guideline does not specify a number for beginners. The six weeks are the length of the plan. They do not say anything about what will be visible at the end.
| Period | Sessions per week | Exercises in this order | Repetitions per exercise | Sets | Rest between sets | Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1 to 2 | 2 sessions, with one rest day in between (number of sessions: 2 to 3 per week for beginners, ACSM 2009; the rest day is our suggestion) | Squat, followed by wall push-ups, then glute bridges, and forearm plank last - large muscle groups before small ones (ACSM 2009) | 8 to 12 (ACSM 2009). Instead, hold the forearm plank for about 20 seconds, our suggestion | 2 - our suggestion for getting started, not a number from the guideline | 1 to 2 minutes (ACSM 2009) | None yet. These two weeks are about the movement itself, not the number |
| Weeks 3 to 4 | 2 to 3 sessions, with one rest day in between (ACSM 2009; rest day our suggestion) | The same order, plus the lunge after the squat and the table row before the forearm plank (ACSM 2009: large muscle groups before small ones) | 8 to 12 (ACSM 2009). Forearm plank: about 30 seconds, our suggestion | 3 - our suggestion, not a number from the guideline | 1 to 2 minutes (ACSM 2009) | Work upward within the 8 to 12 range: first 8, then 10, then 12 repetitions (our adaptation, see the paragraph below the table) |
| Weeks 5 to 6 | 2 to 3 sessions, with one rest day in between (ACSM 2009; rest day our suggestion). Each major muscle group is trained in at least two sessions per week (Schoenfeld 2016) | The same six exercises, each in the more challenging variation from the list below the table | 8 to 12 in the more challenging variation (ACSM 2009). Forearm plank: about 40 seconds, our suggestion | 3 - our suggestion, not a number from the guideline | 1 to 2 minutes (ACSM 2009) | Harder variation of the same exercise once 12 controlled repetitions can be completed (our adaptation) |
Two details in this table are ours, not from the guideline, and that should be clearly stated. Sets are our suggestion for getting started, not a requirement from a guideline. The same applies to the seconds for the forearm plank and to the one-day break between two sessions, which follows from training two to three days per week.
Progression is also an adaptation. In 2009, the American College of Sports Medicine recommended increasing the load by 2 to 10 percent once one or two more repetitions than planned can be completed. This percentage applies to weights. Without equipment, there is no load that you can increase by eight percent - so here you progress by increasing the number of repetitions and using a harder variation of the same exercise. This is our adaptation of the idea, not a statement from the guideline.
The six exercises, each with an easier and a harder variation
- Squat. From a standing position, slowly lower yourself backward and down as if you were going to sit on a chair, then push yourself back up. Easier: lower yourself onto a chair and stand up from it. Harder: lower yourself more slowly, with a brief pause at the bottom.
- Push-up. Push your upper body away from a surface, with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Easier: against a wall or on your knees. Harder: with your hands on the floor and your body straight, or with your feet on a low step.
- Lunge. Step forward, lower your back knee, and return in a controlled manner. Easier: support yourself with one hand on the wall. Harder: do it without support, using a longer step.
- Hip raise. Lie on your back with your feet planted, and raise your pelvis until your upper body forms a straight line. Easier: raise it only halfway. Harder: keep one leg extended and push up with the other.
- Forearm plank. Support yourself on your forearms and the balls of your feet, keeping your body straight. This exercise is held, not repeated. Easier: keep your knees on the floor. Harder: hold it longer or briefly lift one foot at a time.
- Table rows. You lie under a sturdy table, grip the edge, and pull yourself toward the table. Easier: bend your legs and place your feet on the floor. Harder: extend your legs. This exercise is optional - if there is no sturdy table, leave it out.
None of these exercises requires jumping. That is intentional: The starting point should not send you into a movement that requires more technique than you currently have. Protein is deliberately not discussed here - it is a topic of its own and is covered in our article How much protein for muscle building.
The numbers behind the plan
Four numbers underpin this plan. Three of them describe what to do. The fourth describes how differently people respond to it - and it is the reason no plan promises a result.
The plan's four numbers
150 to 300
Minutes of moderate-intensity endurance activity per week for adults, alternatively 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity (WHO 2020)
2 or more
Days per week with muscle-strengthening activity involving all major muscle groups (WHO 2020)
8 to 12
Repetitions per exercise for people with no strength-training experience, with 2 to 3 sessions per week (ACSM 2009)
up to 47%
Heritability of the training response in endurance performance, meaning the proportion of differences between people that could be attributed to relatedness (Bouchard 1999)
Source: WHO (Bull et al.) 2020; American College of Sports Medicine 2009; Bouchard et al., HERITAGE Family Study, 1999
The fourth number needs a sentence of explanation. Heritability is not a proportion that applies personally to you. It describes how much of the differences within a studied group were associated with the participants' relatedness. In the HERITAGE Family Study, this estimate for the training response of endurance performance, measured as maximal oxygen uptake, was at most 47 percent (Bouchard 1999). The larger remainder was due to something else.
One number is deliberately missing from this strip: the number of sets. The 2009 guideline abstract does not specify one for beginners. We could have taken one from another study - then the plan would contain a number collected for a different purpose. So what appears here is our recommendation, and it is marked as such.
Three misconceptions about training without equipment
Three statements come up as soon as the topic of training at home arises. All three contain a kernel of truth, and all three point in the wrong direction.
Myth check
Common belief
"You can't build strength without weights."
Evidence
In a study of 116 male adolescents in school physical education, high-intensity functional training using body weight alone increased muscle mass and strength measures compared with regular physical education (Koźlenia 2024). This is weak evidence: adolescents, a single study, and not a systematic review. It cannot be claimed to apply to adults.
Common belief
"Training every day gets results faster."
Evidence
For people with no resistance-training experience, 2 to 3 sessions per week are recommended (ACSM 2009). A review of ten studies concluded that training each muscle group twice a week produces more muscle growth than once a week; whether three times is even better remained unclear (Schoenfeld 2016).
Common belief
“The genes decide whether training will do anything for me.”
Evidence
The maximum heritability estimate for the training response of endurance performance was 47 percent (Bouchard 1999). This did not explain the larger share of the differences. Predisposition is not destiny.
The middle point is the one that changes the most in everyday life. Anyone who trains seven days in a row out of motivation moves beyond the range for which the guideline makes a recommendation. That is why the plan in Chapter 3 stays at two to three sessions per week, even if that feels like too little in the second week.
How to tell that it is working - and when to stop
For this plan, the scale is the wrong measuring device. It answers a different question from the one you asked. If you want to know whether something is changing, look at two things you can record yourself.
The first is the number of controlled repetitions. If you can do eight controlled squats in Week 1 and twelve in Week 4, something has changed - without weights or a scale. The second is the variation. Someone who does wall push-ups in Week 1 and knee push-ups on the floor in Week 6 is working against more resistance than before. Write down both. The sheet is the progress report.
Muscle soreness happens. It is not a measure of whether a session was good, and it does not belong on your sheet either. Something else, however, absolutely needs attention.
When to stop the session
Joint pain instead of muscle pain
A pulling sensation in the knee, shoulder, or elbow is different from a burning sensation in the thigh. Stop the exercise and speak with your medical practice if it persists.
Dizziness
Sit down and end the session. If the dizziness occurs again, discuss it with your medical practice before you train again.
Chest pain or shortness of breath
Stop immediately. This needs to be medically assessed, not pushed through.
You have a pre-existing condition or take medication
Then discuss starting beforehand with your medical practice. This is our advice, not a statement from a guideline.
Chapter at a glance
Start today with Week 1, not Week 3. After two weeks, increase within the range of 8 to 12 repetitions, then move on to the more difficult variation. Progress is measured by repetitions and variations, not on the scale. If you have joint pain or feel dizzy, stop and speak with your medical practice.
Why two people following the same plan make different progress
The sentence most likely to throw this plan off comes from a colleague: He does the same thing and is further ahead. Hearing that is unpleasant. Research has something to say about this, and it is reassuring.
The HERITAGE Family Study examined how much people differ in the way their bodies respond to the same training program. The maximum heritability estimate for this training response was 47 percent (Bouchard 1999). Here, heritability means the share of differences within the studied group that was associated with relatedness. It is not a statement about you as an individual.
Individual gene variants have also been studied. A gene variant is a small, fixed difference in genetic material that varies between people. For the R577X variant in the ACTN3 gene, a review article reports, in essence, that the so-called R allele is associated with greater strength gains and less muscle damage after eccentric training across 19 studies. The authors emphasize that the results vary widely and that the consensus is preliminary (Pickering and Kiely 2017). In a meta-analysis of 25 studies involving 14,541 participants, the RR genotype was more prevalent among strength athletes than among non-athletes, with an odds ratio of 1.48 - a ratio indicating how much more likely the trait was to occur in one group than in the other (El Ouali 2024).
The plan is the same for everyone. Your body's response is not.
These figures describe probabilities in groups. They do not tell you whether training will help you, let alone that you can give it up. They explain why two people can be at different points after six weeks - and take the sting out of the comparison.
Anyone who wants to know what their predisposition looks like in this area can have it analyzed. mybody®x (MYBODY Lab GmbH) offers a DNA test for this purpose that also analyzes ACTN3, among other markers. The limitation belongs in the same paragraph: The test does not measure strength and does not improve a plan. It does not promise muscle gain. An overview of muscle strength and genetics is available in our article Muscle Building, DNA Testing, and Training.
DNA test from a saliva sample
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The test reads more than 100 genetic variants and provides 32 analysis reports in 6 chapters across 160 pages, including, according to the product page, reports on strength, endurance, and recovery, as well as muscle fiber type - the product description's term for the composition of the muscles. It does not measure strength or improve a plan. It does not provide a diagnosis. It shows predisposition as a probability in population groups.
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What you can do now
The first step is smaller than it feels: Write down the line for week 1 from the table in Chapter 3 on a sheet of paper, or print it out. Four exercises, 8 to 12 repetitions, two sets, with 1 to 2 minutes of rest between them. Nothing more needs to be on the sheet.
The second step is the one that the abandoned plans of the past left out: Put two appointments in your calendar, with a day off in between. Not “sometime this week,” but, for example, Tuesday and Thursday. Half an hour per appointment is our suggestion for getting started, not a requirement from a guideline. An appointment that is not written down competes with everything else.
And the third step comes only in six weeks: Then you look at your sheet and compare week 1 with week 6. Not with your colleague, but with yourself. You do not need a test or a scale for this - only the notes you made along the way.
Frequently asked questions
Are two sessions per week really enough?
For beginners, two to three sessions per week is what the American College of Sports Medicine recommended in 2009 for people with no strength-training experience. The WHO's 2020 guidelines call for muscle-strengthening activity on two or more days per week, involving all major muscle groups. Two sessions therefore satisfy both recommendations. A review of ten studies additionally concluded that training each muscle group twice per week produces more muscle growth than training it once (Schoenfeld 2016). More important than a third session is making sure the two sessions happen.
What should I do if I miss a week?
You resume where you stopped, but one level lower. If you were at twelve repetitions in week 4, you start again at eight after the interruption - the range of 8 to 12 from the 2009 guideline gives you room to do this without abandoning the plan. The plan is not lost; it is shifted. One missed week turns a six-week plan into a seven-week plan, nothing more. What really ends the plan is trying to make up for the missed week.
Do I need a mat or any other equipment?
No. All six exercises from Chapter 3 require no equipment, because your own body weight provides the resistance. A mat makes hip raises and the forearm plank more comfortable on a hard floor; a folded towel serves the same purpose. You need a stable table for rows, and if there isn't one, you can leave out this exercise - it is marked as optional in the plan. Every home has a wall for the easy push-up.
Is muscle soreness a sign that the session was good?
Muscle soreness occurs, especially after the first sessions involving an unfamiliar movement. It is still not a useful benchmark: there are sessions according to the plan without any muscle soreness and sessions with muscle soreness that have departed from the plan. The benchmark proposed in this article appears in Chapter 6 and can be verified - the number of clean repetitions and the variation in which you perform an exercise. You write down both, but not muscle soreness.
Does the plan count toward the WHO's weekly target?
It covers the strength-training component. In 2020, the WHO listed two recommendations side by side: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week, plus muscle-strengthening activity for all major muscle groups on two or more days. The two to three sessions in this plan cover the second part. The endurance component remains open and can be filled with brisk walking or cycling - more about this can be found in our article How much cycling is enough.
Next step
Know what your predispositions say about training
The plan works without a test. If you are interested in which predisposition underlies your training response, the fitness | VITALITY DNA test from a saliva sample - once in a lifetime, with a report that lasts.
To fitness | VITALITY DNA test Genes and training planRead more
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Sources
- World Health Organization (WHO); Bull FC et al.: World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, British Journal of Sports Medicine 54:1451–1462 (2020) – europepmc.org
- American College of Sports Medicine: Position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 41(3):687–708 (2009) – europepmc.org
- Schoenfeld B. J., Ogborn D., Krieger J. W.: Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy, Sports Medicine 46(11):1689–1697 (2016) – europepmc.org
- Koźlenia D. et al.: Changes in Muscle Mass and Strength in Adolescents Following High-Intensity Functional Training with Bodyweight Resistance Exercises in Physical Education Lessons, Journal of Clinical Medicine 13(12):3400 (2024) – europepmc.org
- Pickering C., Kiely J.: ACTN3: More than Just a Gene for Speed, Frontiers in Physiology 8:1080 (2017) – europepmc.org
- Bouchard C. et al.: Familial aggregation of VO2max response to exercise training: results from the HERITAGE Family Study, Journal of Applied Physiology 87(3):1003–1008 (1999) – europepmc.org
The weekly amount of physical activity and the two strength-training days are based on [1], paraphrased from the English original. The repetitions, number of sessions, exercise order, rest duration, and principle of progression come from [2]; applying progression to exercises without weights is our own adaptation, as are the number of sets, the seconds for the forearm plank, and the rest day between two sessions. The recommendation to train each major muscle group twice a week is based on [3]. The note on bodyweight training comes from [4] and concerns adolescents in school sports. The information on ACTN3 comes from [5]; the meta-analysis with an odds ratio of 1.48 is El Ouali E. M. et al., Sports Medicine – Open 10(1):37 (2024), PMID 38609671. The heritability estimate of up to 47 percent comes from [6]. Fitness information | VITALITY DNA test details are taken from mybody®x product pages; price and key figures checked on 15.09.2026.
mybody®x Editorial & Expert Team
Training and exercise Genetics and predisposition
This article is produced by the mybody®x editorial and expert team. Information about who contributes to it and their qualifications can be found on our author page.
Published on 15.09.2026 · Last updated on 15.09.2026
The content is for general information only and does not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent diseases.
The DNA analysis is intended to support nutrition and lifestyle counseling. It is not a diagnostic procedure, does not predict disease, and does not replace a medical examination or consultation. Genetic variants describe probabilities in population groups, not a fixed outcome for individuals.
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