Trying to exercise a few times a week but sick of trekking to the gym for a quick workout? Video routines are all well and good but can become repetitive after a few dozen playbacks, and breaking a sweat with step aerobics is just plain old-fashioned. So how do you reach that peak workout intensity without sacrificing the time it takes to drive to and from the neighborhood gym? Work it out at home with a good set of exercise bands.

Elastic exercise bands are a great alternative to other at-home workouts because they provide the versatility (in both total number of routines possible and number of body parts able to be affected) of several of the gym’s machines, without an expensive membership. Plus, you can perform all of the band workouts within a small space. No more pushing back the coffee table and rolling up the rug for complicated dance routines. All you need is a few feet of open floor, your bands, and your muscles at the ready. After all, it may look simple, but with these little guys you’ll really feel the burn!

Bands are available in a variety of locations. Just look for thin rubbery strands, built for manipulating and stretching, with handles on each end for easy grabbing. Often, these bands will come as a set of a few different resistance levels, indicated by the different colors of the bands. They’ll clip to the handles so that you can add or remove as many bands (resistance) as you like, which will come in handy when your strength improves over time.

Here are a few simple workouts that will get you on your way to targeting every muscle group in your body:

For your triceps, reach behind your back with one hand, while the other grips the handle of the band above your head, palm size up, and elbow bent back slightly. Drape the rubber trailing from the handle behind you. The hand behind your back should grip the rubber of the band wherever a full extension of the other arm’s elbow will cause a favorable amount of resistance. To begin the workout, propel your arm forward, working against the resistance of the band to extend your elbow fully. Then slowly lower your hand back toward your shoulder, and repeat. Change arms.

For your chest, get into position to do a regular push-up, except you will put the band around you to create extra resistance. Position the band horizontally across your upper-back, and hold it into place by gripping each handle. Once in push-up position, you’ll be pressing each handle into the floor, feeling the tug of the bands on your back as you face the floor. Slowly lower and raise yourself like normal. For an alternative to this workout, leave the band in the same position, but lie on your back and create a 90 degree angle with your elbows. Use your chest muscles and your arms to push upwards until your arms are nearly straight.

For your legs, lie on your back, one of your feet resting on the ground (knee up in the air), and the other foot finding the middle of the rubber band. Leave this leg bent, as you pull either end of the band by its handles toward your chest. Work against the resistance of the bands to push the foot outward into a leg press. Once your foot is fully extended, slowly retract it and repeat. Switch legs.