Hannah Waddingham might look like she spends hours in the gym to achieve her toned body, but the Ted Lasso star is proof that an expensive membership and complicated kit aren’t necessary to build muscle tone.

Instead, the actor has a method she uses every day that keeps her fit and healthy: calisthenics. An effective, no-frills way to stay fit, calisthenics are exercises that use your own body weight as resistance – and Hannah swears by a 20-minute workout five days a week. ‘Activate your muscles every day,’ she told Women’s Health. ‘People are very lovely; they talk about my arms. I just keep activated.’

She added that she kept her workout routine short and simple. ‘I’d be lying if I said I did a lot,’ she confessed. ‘Just calisthenics [with] my own body weight and some light weights for 20 minutes in the morning.’

Hannah has spoken about the benefits of Pilates, resistance bands and calisthenics for years; in a previous interview with Glamour, she praised the body-weight method for helping her get back into exercise after a back injury. ‘Having been a dancer all my life, Pilates, reformer Pilates and band work – your own weight is great for the female form.’ So why is it so effective?

‘Calisthenics is basically a fancy name for body-weight exercise, and it’s a total boon if you’re not a gym-goer,' says GH’s fitness expert Kim Hawley. ‘You can get a really effective workout at home using little more than your own body as resistance. Body-weight exercises can help improve muscular strength and endurance, as well as supporting metabolic health, mobility and even mental wellbeing, all without needing extra space or spending money on additional equipment.’

And if you’re looking for sculpted arms like Hannah’s, here are Kim’s top calisthenics exercises.

Push-ups: These primarily work the chest muscles, but the shoulders and triceps are also heavily involved. Start on your hands and knees, with your palms roughly beneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Slowly lower your chest towards the floor, keeping your elbows at approximately a 30-degree angle to your body, then press back up.

To make the exercise more challenging, move your knees further behind the line of your hips, or progress to a full push-up with your legs extended straight behind you.

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Tricep dips: A great exercise for targeting the backs of the arms. Sit on a step or sturdy, stable chair or bench and place your hands beside your bottom. Slide your bottom just off the edge to find your starting position, then slowly lower yourself towards the floor before pressing back up.

Keeping your heels underneath your knees will make the move easier. To increase the challenge, move your feet further away from you. TIP: as you lower, keep your back close to the step or chair rather than allowing your body to drift forwards. Aim for 10-15 repetitions and if you add some squats into the equation, you have a great base for building your strength.