Best Group Exercises at Home: 15 Easy, Fun Workouts

What Counts as a Group Exercise at Home?

A group exercise at home is any workout that two or more people do together in a home setting, without a gym, equipment or instructor. It can be a bodyweight circuit, a partner drill or a timed challenge. It differs from a group fitness class because nobody teaches. Everyone follows the same timer instead.

It scales from two roommates to a full living room. The only space requirement is enough room for each person to extend their arms in every direction.

Why Working Out in a Group Makes You Push Harder

There's research behind the feeling that you try harder with other people around. In a 2011 study in the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology (Feltz, Kerr and Irwin), people held plank exercises inside an exercise game. Those paired with a moderately better virtual partner held the planks 53.9 seconds longer on average than people exercising alone, a 24.1% increase. Psychologists call this the Köhler motivation gain effect.

The researchers looked at why it happens. Two mechanisms they examined were comparing yourself with a slightly better partner, and feeling that the group needs your effort. In related work, the team tasks were set up so the group's result depended on the weaker partner.

What to take from it. The partner was moderately better, not far ahead. The partner was also on a screen, the exercise was a plank, and the holds were short. The study shows people can push through a few more seconds, not that group workouts build more fitness than solo ones. Where it helps in practice: team challenges that count everyone's effort, and pairing people who are close in ability.

How much activity counts. The CDC says adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week plus muscle-strengthening activity on 2 days. The 150 minutes can be broken up, and 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week is one way to do it. A 30-minute group workout counts toward both.

Which Group Exercises Fit Your Group?

If you're looking for group fitness ideas, start with who's in the room. The number in brackets is the exercise in the list below.

Bodyweight Group Exercises (No Equipment)

These seven work for two to six people and need nothing but floor space. If you want more group exercise ideas, mix and match them across the week.

1. Sync Squats

Works for: any group size · all levels · arm's-length space each · quiet

Everyone squats on the same count and counts reps out loud, usually 10. On the last rep, hold the bottom position for five seconds. Counting together sets one pace, so nobody rushes ahead and nobody gets left behind. Beginners squat down to a chair and lightly touch it. Stronger people add a pause at the bottom.

2. Team Plank

Works for: 2–6 people · beginner-friendly · mat or carpet · quiet

Everyone holds a plank at the same time. Each person picks the version they can hold for 30 to 60 seconds: knees down, forearms or full plank. The round ends when the first person drops or their form breaks, and that time is the team's score. Run three rounds with 60 seconds of rest, and try to beat your best time. The score belongs to the group, so nobody should be treated as the one who "lost."

3. Mirror Circuit

Works for: 3–8 people · all levels · small room · quiet · works on video calls

One person leads for 60 seconds, calling out moves such as squats, incline push-ups and marching. Everyone mirrors the leader. Rotate the leader every round. Ask the leader to name an easier option with every move, so nobody has to ask for one.

4. Station Circuit

Works for: 3–6 people · all levels · medium space · moderate noise

Set up four to six stations around the room: squats, incline push-ups, reverse lunges, marching or step jacks, plank shoulder taps. Work for 40 seconds, rest for 20 seconds, then everyone rotates one station. Before the timer starts, each person picks their version for each station. Keep stations an arm's length or more apart.

5. Team AMRAP

Works for: 2–6 people · all levels · personal zone · low noise

AMRAP means "as many rounds as possible." Set a 10-minute timer. Everyone works through 10 squats, 8 incline push-ups and 10 reverse lunges at their own pace, counting their own completed rounds. Add up the team's total at the end, and write it down. That number becomes the next session's target.

6. Squat Relay

Works for: 3–6 people · moderate · a few steps of space · moderate noise

Split into teams of two or three. One person does 10 squats, then tags the next. Keep going for five minutes and count the team's total rounds. Swap squats for step jacks or chair stands if you want a gentler relay. Stronger groups can make them squat jumps if the floor can take it.

7. Chair-Based Circuit

Works for: any size · all levels, including joint concerns · minimal space · quiet

Use a sturdy chair without wheels, placed against a wall. Work through sit-to-stand, seated marches, seated knee extensions and seated twists for 30 seconds each, with 30 seconds of rest. Everyone does the same circuit at their own intensity. It lets a grandparent, a beginner and a gym regular finish the same session.

Partner Exercises at Home (2 People)

Partner exercises need exactly two people, and the coordination is part of the workout.

8. Partner Push-Up High-Fives

Works for: 2 people · moderate · mat · quiet

Face each other in a push-up position, close enough to high-five. Lower together, push up and tap hands, alternating the right and left of each rep. Do 8 to 12 reps. Drop to your knees, or put your hands on a sturdy couch, to make it easier.

9. Plank Pass

Works for: 2 people · moderate · mat · quiet

Get into a plank facing your partner and pass a water bottle or rolled towel back and forth for 30 seconds. The hard part is keeping your hips square as you reach. Use knee planks to make it easier, or pass the object farther apart to make it harder.

10. Partner Squat-and-Toss

Works for: 2 people · easy · 5 feet apart · quiet

Stand about five feet apart. Squat down, and as you stand, toss a soft ball or rolled towel to your partner, who squats to catch it and toss it back. Do 10 to 12 rounds. Counting the tosses gives the squats a steady rhythm.

11. Back-to-Back Squat Hold

Works for: 2 people of similar height · moderate · open floor · quiet

Stand back to back with your elbows linked. Lower together into a squat and hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Go slowly, only as low as both of you can control, and tell your partner when you're coming back up. Stop if either of you feels pain or starts to slip.

Fun Group Workouts: Games and Challenges

These group workout ideas work because the game picks the exercise, so nobody has to plan.

12. Workout Bingo

Works for: 3–8 people · all levels · small space · quiet

Draw a 4×4 grid and write an exercise in each square, such as 10 squats, a 30-second plank or 20 step jacks. Take turns picking a square, and everyone does that exercise together. The first person to complete a row wins, but keep playing until the board is full. Mix easy and hard squares so everyone has something they can do well.

13. Fitness Dice

Works for: any size · all ages · small space · quiet

Assign six exercises to the numbers on one die. Roll it, everyone does that exercise for 30 seconds, then pass the die. If you'd like to adjust the length, roll a second die and multiply by 5 for the seconds. Kids tend to take rolling very seriously, so hand them the dice.

14. Deck of Cards Workout

Works for: 2–8 people · all levels · small space · quiet

Assign an exercise to each suit: hearts for squats, spades for incline push-ups, clubs for step jacks, diamonds for a plank. Draw a card. The number sets the reps (or, for diamonds, the plank length at three seconds per point), and face cards and aces count as 10. Work through half the deck for a 15-minute workout.

15. Freeze-Dance Workout

Works for: family groups · all ages · open floor · quiet (no jumping)

Play music. Everyone marches, step-touches or reaches overhead. When the music stops, freeze in a squat, a balance hold or a plank for 5 to 10 seconds. One person controls the music, and kids make good DJs. It's low impact, so it works in apartments too.

Easier and Harder Versions for Every Fitness Level

A mixed group doesn't need separate workouts. Give everyone a time interval and let each person pick a version before the timer starts. Everyone works for the same time, and each person does as many controlled reps as they can. Change one thing at a time, and avoid raising the speed, the interval and the difficulty together.

Check your intensity. For moderate-intensity activity, the rule of thumb is that you can talk but not sing. If you can't speak in short sentences, slow down.

Ready-to-Run Group Workouts (15 and 30 Minutes)

Both workouts use the exercises above. Assign three jobs before you start: a timekeeper who runs a phone interval timer, a leader who rotates each session and reminds everyone of easier and harder options, and a scoreboard keeper (a whiteboard or the notes app) for rounds and times.

15-minute workout (2–6 people)

For a family workout at home, swap the AMRAP for the freeze-dance workout and fitness dice.

30-minute workout (3–6 people)

Beginners can use 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest. If you'd like to put together your own circuit from these moves, MyFitnessCoach has a Build Your Own Workout feature.

Small-Space and Apartment-Friendly Swaps

Noise and space cause more problems for home groups than most people expect. Swap the loud or space-hungry move for a quiet one.

When space is tight, work in stations, or alternate halves of the group: half exercise while the other half rests or does a stationary move.

Troubleshooting Group Workouts

How Often Should a Group Work Out?

Adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week and two days of muscle-strengthening activity, according to the CDC. A 30-minute group session twice a week, plus walking, covers a good part of that. For children and teens ages 6 to 17, the CDC guideline is 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity every day, which a family workout at home can contribute to alongside play and sports.

Regularity matters more than any single session. Ten minutes that happens beats an hour that doesn't. If your group wants to know how to pair exercises across a week, see our guide to which muscle groups to work together. For ideas on shorter sessions, see short workouts for weight loss.

The Bottom Line

The best group exercises at home don't need gear or a plan that takes an hour to set up. Pick a format that fits your group, let everyone choose their own version of each move, and keep the session short enough to repeat. Run the 15-minute workout once this week, then add the 30-minute version.

If you'd like to log your sets and see how the group improves over time, you can track them in MyFitnessCoach.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Stop if you feel sharp pain, dizziness, chest discomfort or unusual shortness of breath. If you have a health condition or injury, talk with a qualified healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program.