It’s a oldie but a goodie. Push-ups work your pectorals, biceps, deltoids, triceps, and core – since you need to stabilize everything in order to keep correct form. For best results, make sure you lower all the way down to just a few centimeters off the floor, keeping your head up, back straight, and butt down.
The shoulder push-up combines a kind of yoga-type movement with a push-up, and results in a fantastic exercise for your shoulders, biceps, triceps, and abdominals – talk about the whole package! Start in a downward dog position and slowly lower down in a forward motion into a push-up, levering your backside towards the ground before returning to downward dog.
Take your regular squat and kick it up a notch: after starting in basic squat position, pivot right and left while maintaining the squat before returning to center and standing up. Repeat for sets of 10 to 15, and you’ll get a killer workout for your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
To keep working those quads, glutes, and hamstrings, throw in some lunges. Make sure to keep your back straight, bend one leg at a time and lower to the ground. Mix it up a bit by first lunging forward for a set, before stepping behind and lunging backward.
The name says it all: triceps dips are a rock-solid choice to work those triceps, and you’ll get the added bonus of engaging your core and hamstrings. Pick a sturdy chair and surface and place your hands behind you with your legs out front. Slowly lower to the ground (or as low as you can go) before pushing yourself back up.
Though most exercises engage your core in some way, there are a bunch that are designed to work your abdominals even harder, and v-ups are a great choice (bonus: they’ll also get your quads and hamstrings while they’re at it). Lie flat on the floor and slowly raise your legs straight into the air while you reach up with your hands to meet them. Make sure not to let your legs fall back down – purposefully lower them back to the ground!
You’ve got plenty of choices when it comes to crunches – you’ve got your regular crunches, crunches with your legs in the air, bicycles, side crunches (either with one or both legs crossed over the body), and more. It’s best to mix it up and include sets of everything in order to target different parts of the abdominals, and you’re bound to feel it after a few minutes.
Like crunches, you have some options when it comes to planks. The standard plank, with your forearms on the ground and back and butt flat, is ideal for isolating the abdominal muscles. A straight-arm plank (essentially the push-up position) targets your shoulders as well. If you want to go nuts, try out some side planks to hit your side abdominals and oblique muscles. Throw in some hip drops to take it to the next level.
If you’re looking for a cardio blast that will continue to target nearly every muscle group, mix in one-minute sets of mountain climbers into your routine. Beginning in push-up position, rapidly move your feet forward and back as if you’re running horizontally. It’ll get your heart rate up in no time, and your arms, legs, abs, and more will thank you (eventually – first they’ll hate you…).
One more fantastic cardio-blast exercise is the squat jump: you’ll boost your heart rate, but you’ll also feel the burn in your quads, calves, hamstrings, and core. Start with a standard squat, but each time you go to stand, jump up into the air instead before lowering straight into your next squat. The added jump makes your calves work harder to get you into the air, and adds another element for the quads and hammies as you come back down.
