Whether you're in a survival situation without access to purpose-built workout gear or you simply can't afford to spend money on expensive equipment or gym memberships, bodyweight exercises are a great way to stay in shape. Rather than using weights or machines, bodyweight workouts can be done with simple items such as a pull-up bar, bench, and stool. Many of these exercises require no equipment at all.

Photo credit: StartBodyweight.com

While bodyweight training has many advantages, it poses one challenge: when an exercise becomes too easy, progressing isn't as simple as adding more weight to a barbell. The bodyweight exercise in question must be replaced with a more challenging one. This allows you to maintain a certain level of difficulty and gradually build endurance and strength.

To address this challenge, StartBodyweight.com compiled a large printable chart of more than 100 bodyweight exercises. Moving down each column increases difficulty, and moving left to right in each row changes the muscle group that's emphasized. A basic workout routine is created by performing 3 sets of 4 reps for each of the six exercises in the first row, then a plank. Once this is manageable, the number of reps can be gradually increased until 3 sets of 8 reps is achieved — then it's time to move down one row to a harder exercise.

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Check out the infographic below, or click here to download a full-size printable version. To learn more about bodyweight training, refer to StartBodyweight.com or join the discussion on Reddit.

Written by Patrick McCarthy