12 best no-jump exercises for an apartment-friendly full body workout

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a ground floor apartment that's big enough to house a whole home gym. But even if you live in a small flat in the centre, that's no excuse for not exercising regularly. With these no jump, flat-friendly exercises, you'll be able to get fit for 2022 without having to worry about the neighbours knocking on your door because you're too loud.

With the working from home lifestyle reintroduced, we have been moving significantly less and a new study has found sitting for long periods of time can increase anxiety and depression. However, exercising at home comes with the concern of making too much noise, particularly for those living in apartments.

With this in mind, the team over at Essential Living have put together 10 best neighbour-friendly exercises for a flat-out home workout, to help those who want to blow away the cobwebs with some low-impact exercises.

Best of all, you won't need swanky home gym equipment for this workout; it's all bodyweight. Leave those adjustable dumbbells and kettlebells in the gym where they belong. You could get an ab roller, though, if you want to see results sooner...

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12 best no-jump exercises for a flat-friendly full-body workout

1. Quiet Burpee

Burpees mean squat jumps, and of course, jumping isn’t going to win you any favours with the neighbours downstairs! So do quiet burpees instead - your neighbours will thank you.

Start like you’re doing a push-up. Step down into a plank one foot at a time, then do the same in reverse, coming back up. Finish by extending your arms overhead to complete one rep.

Here's how to do burpees and a harder variation, navy seal burpees.

2. Reverse Lunge into Double Squat

A good mix that targets multiple muscle groups in the legs and thighs - without having you bounce around on the floor and upsetting half of the building in the process!

Step back into a lunge, pulling up the opposite legs and arms parallel to the floor. Repeat twice on each leg. Hop out, link your fingers together in front of your chest and squat down. Repeat this as much as you can within thirty seconds, aiming to get a little faster each time.

Need some more inspiration for lower body training? Here are the best glute exercises and an explainer on how to get a big butt (if that's what you want).

3. Crab Toe Touch

A great variation exercise with a little more motion than the standard toe-touch. As well as being quiet, it’s a great way to stretch the body out after weeks of working at the kitchen table.

Start in a crab-position, with your palms behind you flat on the floor. Your body should make a V-shape. Then, bring up one leg as high as you can, and swing the opposite arm up towards your toes as you do so.

4. Slow Motion Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers target your abs and upper body - and doing them in slow motion will save on a lot of noise too!

Start in a plank position and bring your knee up to your elbow. Aim to have your knee and elbow touch. Go slow, and do as many as you can within twenty seconds.

Learn more about how to do planks and the best core exercises to sculpt a rock-solid torso. Also, here is a 15-minute core workout for quicker six-pack gains. 

5. Raised Leg Crunches

Raised leg crunches target your abs, and are low-impact so won’t disturb your flatmates or neighbours.

Lie flat in a sit-up position, but keep your legs up at a right angle, with your calves parallel to the floor. Keep your arms out straight and swing them over, past your hips and to the floor, bringing your head up slightly with it.

Brush up your knowledge on ab workouts here: how to do ab crunches for beginners. That is if you want to get a six-pack anytime soon. 

6. Plank with T-Open Twist

This is a great way to stretch out your entire upper body, primarily your chest and shoulders, whilst also providing a great challenge for your core.

Get yourself into a press-up position, but keep your legs wide apart. Bring your arm up around and into the arm behind your back, twisting your body and head with it. Pivot your feet on your toes and try to keep the opposing leg straight.

At the top of the exercise, imagine a bar running through your arms and body. Try and keep straight along this bar and stretch those shoulders out.

7. Air Swimming

Don’t let the silly name put you off, this is one of the best pilates-workouts for targeting your postural muscles - that’s your back. Air swimming is a great way to improve posture, prevent back pain, and balance your strength. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to stretch out whilst keeping the noise down.

Lie on your stomach and extend your arms overhead by your ears. Next, lift your chest, arms and legs off the floor and squeeze your glutes as you do so.

Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears and your shoulder blades tucked into your back.

8. March Jacks

These aerobic exercises are great for toning your legs, arms and core, whilst remaining low-impact and quiet for neighbours. Perfect for a morning pre-work workout!

Stand up straight, raise your hands overhead and as you do so, raise a leg too. Ensure your knee is folded to 90 degrees - your thighs should be parallel to the floor.

March jacks should make you look and feel like you’re doing a march. Get into that mindset and rhythm and you’ll be good to go.

9. Push-Ups on Knees

A classic you can’t go wrong with - push-ups are one of the most effective bodyweight exercises around. But regular push-ups run the risk of making noise. Alleviate this by using your knees as a buffer.

Start in a high plank position with your hands flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart, but keep your knees on the ground too. Keep your body in one long line, remember to inhale as you bend your arms to lower your chest to the floor.

Imagine an invisible line along your back, from your knees to your head. Keep this straight.

You can find all about the correct push-up form here: How to do push-ups. Here is what to do if you can't do push-ups and the most interesting best push up variations. 

10. Low Lateral Squat Walk with Half Walkout

You’ll need a little more space for this one - make sure you’ve got enough room on either side and behind you. Bring your palms together in front of your face, and move down into a squat before stepping side-ways - like a crab - twice. At the end of your two steps, bring your hands down to the ground, and walk your legs out behind you one at a time.

The idea is to stay low for the entire process. Don’t level up till you’re done.

11. Thread The Needle (Cooldown)

The thread the needle is a stretch that opens the shoulders blades and gives the spine an excellent rotational stretch. There are multiple variations on the theme; we recommend doing the version when you reach up first towards the sky before threading your arms under your torso.

12. Foam Rolling (Cooldown)

Even the best foam rollers are inexpensive pieces of home gym equipment that can be used in a variety of ways to ease muscle tension and manage pain. Foam rollers are often gifted to people who are 'into fitness'; yet, these amazingly effective foam sausages are often neglected and underused.

Foam rollers can help loosen up stiff muscles and also encourage circulation in your limbs and back. For smaller areas, such as the neck and the shoulder blades, we recommend using massage balls instead of rollers.

This feature is part of T3's Get Fit 2022 campaign. We’ll be bringing you a wealth of guides, features, deals and news to help you get healthy, fit and ready for anything the new year can throw at you. Whether you’re a newcomer to fitness or someone with a passion for it, we’ll bring you all the best workouts, diet advice and gear to set you on the right track.