No kit. Twenty minutes.
Home workout
A full-body home workout on the floor in front of the sofa. Push-ups, then squats, three days a week. Your phone counts the reps, so you are not keeping score in your head.
Free to start (one counted push-up set a day). Squats come with Jym Pro (beta), $6 a month or $29 a year. Nothing to download.
A 20-minute home workout
You do not need a gym, a mat or a set of weights. Clear a patch of floor, give yourself about twenty minutes, and do this on three days, with a rest day between them. Stop if something hurts.
- One easy minute. March on the spot, roll your shoulders, then two slow push-ups and two slow squats so the first real set is not cold.
- Push-ups. Phone on the floor, you facing it. One set of clean reps. A useful start is 8 to 15. Rest until you could talk in a full sentence.
- Squats. Phone on a chair, about 2–3 metres away. One set, down and back up to standing. Same idea: 8 to 15 clean reps, then rest. Squat counting is in Pro beta.
- A second round, if you want it. Repeat the push-ups and the squats once. If the first round was plenty, stop. A second counted push-up set on the same day is part of Pro.
Next week, add a rep or two. More reps only count if they still look like the first ones.
If you're starting, and if that's already easy
Starting. Use 8 push-ups and 8 squats, one round. If 8 push-ups isn't there yet, do the same number on your knees, body in one line from knees to head. If a deep squat isn't there yet, sit back to a chair and stand up. On Pro, beginner depth also accepts a slightly higher squat.
Already easy. Use 15, two rounds, and lower yourself slowly. The hard part is the control, not a third exercise. Hands stay under your shoulders on the push-up. Heels stay down on the squat.
More on the easier push-up in knee push-ups vs full push-ups, and a first plan in push-ups for beginners.
No equipment, and a small flat is enough
Push-ups work your chest, shoulders and arms. Squats work your legs. Two moves, done properly, are a full-body home workout. Jym keeps the counts apart, so a squat does not land on your push-up log.
In a small flat, move the coffee table and stand side-on to a window if you can. Light helps. A dark top against a dark sofa makes the picture harder. You need room to step back until your head and your feet are both in frame.
Where the phone goes
Push-ups. On the floor, a short way in front of your hands, tilted up enough to see your head and your feet. Step back until you are in frame, then hold still. Counting starts after Jym has locked on, not while you are still getting down.
Squats (Pro beta). On a chair or a shelf, about 2–3 metres away, at roughly 45°. If the camera only sees your chest, the count will miss the squat.
Placement, in more detail: where to put your phone for push-ups.
Four weeks, then add a little
Same three days. Only change the reps. If a week feels messy, repeat it. Do not add reps and rush them.
- Week 1. One round. 8 push-ups, rest, 8 squats.
- Week 2. Two rounds of 8.
- Week 3. Two rounds of 10.
- Week 4. Two rounds of 12. If 12 gets sloppy, stay at 10 and slow the way down.
After that, keep the shape and add a rep when the last ones still look like the first. A longer answer to "how many" is in how many push-ups a day?
The reps get counted
A home workout falls apart when you guess. Jym watches the movement and adds one when the rep is finished. For a push-up that is straight arms, down, and back up. For a squat it is down, then back up to standing.
You also get a short note if the shape slips: hips, depth and lockout on a push-up, depth and heels on a squat. The push-up counter and the squat counter (Pro beta) explain each one. The same idea, without picking an exercise first, is the automatic rep counter.
Jym keeps the streak, the best set and the log on your phone. If you want a target, start a challenge for 10, 20 or whatever you will still do on a tired Wednesday. Push-up and squat challenges. The same sets can count toward more than one.
Free to start
Push-ups are free to start. One counted set a day. No download and no account. You still get the count, the form notes, your streak and your log.
Jym Pro is $6 a month or $29 a year. Unlimited sets, squat counting (Pro beta), the voice coach, and recordings that stay on this phone. A second round in the same day is a Pro set.
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Questions
What is a good home workout with no equipment?
Push-ups and squats. They use your body weight, they fit in a living room, and together they cover a push and your legs. Twenty minutes, three days a week, is enough to start. Jym counts the reps with the phone camera so you are not tapping the screen.
How long should a home workout be?
Twenty minutes. One easy minute, a set of push-ups, a short rest, a set of squats, then a second round if you still feel fresh. A short session you finish beats a long one you skip.
How many days a week?
Three, with a rest day between them. Monday, Wednesday and Friday is a simple pattern. Walk on the other days if you like. Daily hard sets, while you are new to this, are how people get sore and stop.
Can a beginner do this home workout?
Yes. If 8 push-ups is too many, do the same plan on your knees. If a deep squat is too much, sit back to a chair and stand up. Stop if something hurts. This is a workout, not a test.
Do I need weights, a mat or a gym?
No. You need a clear patch of floor, a chair to rest the phone on for squats, and your phone. When the reps get easy, do more of them, or slow the way down, before you buy anything.
Can I do this in a small flat?
Yes. You need enough floor for your body, and enough room to step back from the phone so it can see you from head to feet. Move the coffee table. That is the whole space.
Where should I put my phone?
For push-ups, on the floor a short way in front of your hands, you facing it. For squats, prop it on a chair about 2–3 metres away, at a 45° angle. Your whole body needs to be in frame, head to feet. Counting starts after Jym has locked on.
Does Jym upload my video?
No. The camera and the count run on your phone. A recording, if you turn it on with Pro, stays in the browser on that device.
How much does it cost?
Push-ups are free to start: one counted set a day. Squats are in Pro beta. Jym Pro is $6 a month or $29 a year, and also adds unlimited sets, the voice coach and recordings.
Start on the floor you have
Free to start (one counted push-up set a day). Squats are Pro beta, $6 a month or $29 a year.
General information, not medical advice. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, check with a professional before starting a new exercise routine.