Key takeaways

• You can build strength and fitness at home with no equipment, using bodyweight exercises.

• The space of a single yoga mat — roughly 1.8m x 0.6m (or 183 cm × 61 cm) — is enough for most home workouts.

• Australia's physical activity guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening on two days a week, achievable with bodyweight moves.

• A guided app removes the guesswork of programming an effective session at home.

Yes — you can get an effective workout at home with no equipment and very little space. Bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges, push-ups and core work build strength and raise your heart rate without any gear, and most can be done in the area of a single yoga mat. Equipment and a large room are conveniences, not requirements, for meeting national activity recommendations.

How much space you actually need

Most home workouts need only enough room to lie down and extend your arms and legs — about the footprint of a yoga mat, roughly 1.8 metres by 0.6 metres (or 183 cm × 61 cm). Standing movements like squats and lunges need a little clearance overhead and to the sides, but a small strip of living-room or bedroom floor is generally sufficient.

What you can achieve without equipment

Bodyweight training uses your own weight as resistance and can develop strength, endurance and mobility. Australia's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines (Department of Health and Aged Care) recommend adults do muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days each week, alongside 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity — targets that bodyweight workouts at home can meet.

Effective no-equipment movements

Lower body: squats, lunges, glute bridges, calf raises.

Upper body: push-ups (including incline or knee variations), tricep dips off a chair.

Core: planks, dead bugs, bird dogs.

Cardio: high knees, mountain climbers, low-impact step-outs for smaller or shared spaces.

Making a home workout genuinely effective

The main challenge of training at home is not space or equipment — it is programming. An effective session needs the right exercise selection, order, intensity and progression over time, which is difficult to design without guidance. This is where structured content matters more than gear.

A guided app solves the programming problem. The MOVE app by Mamamia provides structured home classes — from low-impact and beginner sessions to strength and cardio — that require no equipment and fit in a small space. Because each class is already sequenced and paced, the workout is effective without you needing to build the plan yourself.

Related reading

• How to stick to your workout routine

• How to stay consistent with exercise: why routine beats motivation

• Is MOVE worth $9.99 a month? A cost comparison of Australia's home workout apps

Frequently asked questions

Q: Can you build muscle with no equipment at home? A: Yes. Bodyweight exercises use your own weight as resistance and can build strength, especially for beginners and intermediate exercisers. Progressing by increasing repetitions, slowing the tempo, or using harder variations continues to challenge muscles over time without any equipment.

Q: How much space do I need for a home workout? A: Most home workouts need about the area of a yoga mat — enough room to lie down and move your arms and legs freely. Standing exercises need a little extra clearance, but a small section of floor in a bedroom or living room is usually enough.

Q: Are bodyweight workouts as good as the gym? A: For general fitness, strength and health, bodyweight workouts can be highly effective and help meet national activity guidelines. The gym offers heavier loading for advanced strength goals, but for most people training consistently at home delivers meaningful results.

Q: How often should I do home workouts? A: Australia's physical activity guidelines recommend 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity per week, plus muscle-strengthening on at least two days. Spread across the week, that can be several shorter home sessions rather than a few long ones, whichever fits your schedule.

Last reviewed: September 4, 2026.

Featured image: Unsplash.