We all know physical exercise has a vital part within our our health and wellbeing, although no matter if their deficiencies in drive, the desire to am a fitness center, the money necessary for apparatus, or perhaps know-how, these designed obstructions typically stay within our technique. Actually, all you need will be oneself. This is how one can get yourself a full-body training using only your body.
Notice: To
be clear, some of the exercises we'll be discussing in this post will
require more than just you. For example, you might need to borrow a
table in your home or place your feet underneath the couch. While most
of the exercises won't require any external objects, the ones that do
will be things you'll have access to virtually anywhere. Technically
this means you'll need more than just your body, but seeing as
everything requires gravity and a ground to walk on we believe that
utilizing the occasional piece of furniture is a fair caveat.
The 4 Core Rules :
Before we jump in to the four different types of exercise—cardio, upper
body, core, and lower body—and their explanations, here are a few very
important rules to remember:
- Always remember to breathe.
This seems obvious, but when you're in the middle of an exercise you
may actually forget. In most cases you'll exhale when you do the hard
work (e.g. the pushing up part of a push up), and inhale on the easier
part (e.g. when you lower your body for the push up). This isn't always
the case, however, and special breathing instructions are noted where
relevant in this post.
- Form is extremely important.
If you do an exercise wrong, what seems like progress initially will
quickly dissipate and possibly result in injury. Be sure you're doing
the exercises correctly before you begin. Ask a friend to watch your
form first. If you know a professional, ask them to help guide you.
While this guide will explain proper form, it is your responsibility to
ensure you doing the exercises properly and not cutting any corners.
- Take it slowly.
While aerobic exercise if often the exception, most other exercise is
best performed slowly. This doesn't mean you should take long breaks in
between each push up and sit up, but that you shouldn't perform each as
quickly as possible. Going slowly will work the muscle more and make you
stronger.
- Your goal is to fail.
The key to a good work out is failure. That doesn't mean giving up
because you're frustrated and tired, but rather pushing the limits of
your strength until your strength is spent. Obviously you don't want to
push yourself to the point of injury, but that shouldn't be a concern so
long as you're exhibiting the proper form. Don't worry too much about
the number of repetitions of any given exercise, but instead concentrate
on working as hard as you can. A larger number of push ups doesn't
necessarily mean you're stronger. Some days you'll have more energy than
others and will perform better. Some days you'll perform worse. The key
is to do the best you can with all of the energy you have. If you fail,
you succeed.
Since you happen to be prepared for starters, we suggest employing all the details down below yet if you would like omit all around here is a kitchen table regarding material:
- Cardio
- Upper Body
- Core / Midsection
- Lower Body
Cardio
Aerobic/cardiovascular exercise,
or cardio for short, targets your heart. In addition to improving your
heart health, it also provides benefits to many other areas in your body
as you'll need to work multiple muscle groups in order to perform
aerobic exercise. While the good news is that cardio can be great for
your entire body, the bad news is that most people hate doing it because
they hate running. It doesn't have to be terrible, however, as there
are a couple of variations that might make it easier and more fun for
you. Here are two options that can make running easier and more fun,
plus they only take about 20-30 minutes 2-3 times per week.
Interval Training
Some
find running unappealing because it exhausts your entire body and you
have to keep doing it for quite some time. This is because most people
train for endurance, but that's not necessary.
Interval training
is an excellent alternative that essentially involves working much
harder for a shorter period of time. (Interval training applies to more
than just running, of course, but that's another topic for another
time.)
- A light jog for a few minutes to get moving (2-5 minutes).
- 1 minute of high-speed running, then 1 minute of low-speed jogging, repeated 5-10 times (depending on your stamina).
- A 5 minute light jog to cool down (or more if necessary).
While
you're technically running about as fast as you can for that one minute,
you only have to maintain that intensity for a very short period of
time. You immediately get a break afterwards. Instead of enduring 30-60
minutes of sustained running, you only have to endure short bursts. For
some, this is preferable.
Each burst can vary in timing as well. For example, some structure
their intervals like a pyramid, so you start small, peak in the middle
of the intervals, and then slow back down towards the end. My personal
method of choice is Swedish
Fartlek
(speed play) training, as it provides variation in the types of running
performed in a single session. For some, interval training may sound
like complete hell, but if you've never been able to stick to long
distance running you may find it easier to accomplish and the results
more quickly rewarding.
Stair Climbing
Stair climbing is a simple exercise you can perform anywhere there is a
staircase, whether that staircase is in your home or in public. You've
likely seen films depict athletes running up large staircases in
stadiums before, and this is because it's great exercise. It's
especially effective if you skip every other step. How can you do this
as a practical exercise? If you have access to a standard staircase at
home, just follow these steps:
- Run up
and down the staircase as many times as you can. Skip steps in-between
if you can. Stop when you are so tired you cannot continue anymore. When
you get to this point, you mostly likely will only be part of the way
up the staircase. If you made it to the top, chances are you've got
another climb left in you.
- Take
the total number of times you made it to the the top of the stairs and
cut it in half. For example, let's say you maxed out at 20 times and
that halved number is 10.
- The next time you climb stairs, run up and down 10 times each (the halved number).
- Take a 60-90 second break, then do another set of 10 (the halved number).
- Take
another 60-90 second break, then do at least 10 (the halved number). If
you can do more, do more. Your goal is to push yourself until you're
too tired to go on.
- As this gets easier, increase the number of times you climb the stairs per set so you're always pushing yourself to work harder.
Not
everyone has a staircase, however, so this exercise isn't always an
option at home. If you don't want to go out and use a public staircase
with regularity, just add stair climbing to part of your everyday life.
When you have the option to take the stairs, take them, and run up them
skipping every other step. This is a good way to work in a little
exercise to your regular day.
Note:
Stair climbing is also great for strengthening the muscles in your legs,
so if they are part of your routine you may choose to skip stair steps
in the lower body section.
Upper Body
When we're
talking about upper body exercise, we're primarily talking about working
the muscles in your shoulders, arms, and chest. These exercises are
some of the easiest to do and the most rewarding because you tend to see
results quickly. That said, upper body exercises are some of the
easiest to perform incorrectly and that can 1) cause you to hurt
yourself, and 2) fool yourself into believing you're making progress
when you're essentially doing nothing at all. While this is the case
with any exercise, it's very important that you take the time to learn
the proper form or you will be wasting your time.
With every
upper body exercise you also need to figure out how many times to do
each. Obviously you won't get very far if you do just a single push up
and call it a day, but how do you know how many push ups to do, when to
take a break, and so on? Here is a method to figure that out, using push
ups as an example (but you can use this same method for any of the
exercises in the upper body section):
- Do as
many push ups as you can without taking a break. Don't stop because
you're tired—stop because you cannot physically do another push up.
- Take
the total number of push ups you were able to do and cut that down to
half. For example, if you did 30 push ups total that would result in the
number 15.
- Next
time you do your push ups, do three sets of that number (15 in our
example) with 60-90 seconds breaks in between. If you can manage to do
more on the last set, you should.
As you get
stronger you'll need to increase the number of push ups you do in each
set. If you ever notice things are getting too easy for you, just add
2-5 push ups to each set to make things more challenging.
Push Ups
Push ups are a wonderfully effective exercise that work several
muscles, including the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps—essentially
meaning the muscles in your chest, on the rounded part of your shoulder,
and on the backside of your upper arms. While it may seem like a simple
exercise to do,
good form is vital. One of our favorite push up plans is
One Hundred Push Ups, which explains how to perform the exercise properly:
Lie prone on the ground with hands placed as wide or slightly wider
than shoulder width. Keeping the body straight, lower body to the ground
by bending arms at the elbows. Raise body up off the ground by
extending the arms. Repeat. Body weight should be lifted by the arms;
don't be tempted to use your butt, stomach or the lower half of your
body to pull yourself up. To maintain correct body alignment, imagine a
straight line running from your head down to your ankles.
The One
Hundred Push Ups plan is a very good way to build up your strength
quickly, but if you're not quite ready to take on a large goal just use
the method described earlier to figure out the right number of push ups
per set that works best for you.
Dips
Dips are a great upper body-strengthening exercise you can do with the
aid of a chair or a bench. While they'll strengthen many of the same
muscles as push ups, they'll do a bit more to work the
rhomboid muscles in your back. The
150 Dips program explains the proper form:
Stand with your back to a chair or bench. Be sure that the object is
sturdy and can comfortably support your body weight. Bend your legs and
place your palms on the front edge of the bench, with your fingers
pointing forward. Slowly walk your feet out in front of you, until the
majority of your body weight is resting on your arms. Inhale, and
keeping your elbows tucked in at your sides, slowly bend your arms and
lower your body until your upper arms are parallel with the floor (see
pic below). You should also notice your hips have dropped straight down
toward the floor. Hold for a second, then exhale and straighten your
arms back up to the starting position.
The
150 Dips
is one good way to quickly build up strength, but if you want to start
smaller just follow the method described at the beginning of this
section to figure out the right number of dips for you.
Curls
Working your
biceps—the
double-headed muscle on the inside of your upper arm—is the part of the
arm most people like to build up and show off. It's also pretty much
impossible to build up without lifting some kind of weight and so, in
this particular case, your body isn't sufficient to get the job done on
its own. If building your biceps is important to you, the best thing you
can do to keep the workout at home is go buy some dumbbells at various
weights and use them to do curls (which we'll discuss in a minute). A
good starting weight will depend on your size and current muscle mass,
so be sure to ask for help when purchasing any dumbbells so you don't
buy any that are too heavy. You're always better off starting lighter
and working your way up or you could wind up with an injury.
If you
don't want to purchase anything and just use something you have around
the house, anything with a handle and even weight can make a decent
substitute. One option is a backpack, so long as you distribute the
weight evenly and can keep it from shifting within the bag. Another
option is a gallon of milk or juice, or some other kind of container
with a handle that can be filled with liquid.
Once you've
got your weight you can start doing your curls. If you have two even
weights, you can perform curls with both arms at the same time. If not,
one arm at a time is okay. To start, extend your arm down by your side
and hold the weight, palms facing forward. Make sure your elbows are
tucked and your shoulders are straight. When you're in position, slowly
bring the weight up to your shoulders—not outside of your shoulders and
not too far into your chest. Doing this correctly will feel like you're
squeezing your biceps. While some exercises do not require a full range
of motion, when you're doing curls it is vital that you go all the way
up and all the way back down each time. Completely the full range of
motion and complete it slowly. If you rush you can hurt yourself.
Three sets
of 12 repetitions is a good place to start when you begin with curls,
while attempting to do more on your final set if possible. If you cannot
handle this many, the weight you are using is too heavy and you should
start with something lighter. Don't feel discouraged if you're starting
with light weights or are unable to complete all three sets the first
time. You'll find that in the beginning you'll be able to increase the
amount of weight you're using about every 2-3 weeks. Eventually that
will slow down, but it's very encouraging in the beginning. Start slow
and light and you'll be rewarded for it.
Core / Midsection
To exercise your core you'll be doing sit ups—but not just any sit ups! While the
standard vrunch
isn't necessarily a bad exercise, multiple variations on the sit up can
be much more effective at working your entire core. Some of these
effective variations come from
Pilates
exercise regimens. Chances are you've heard of Pilates or even tried
it, but avoided it because of the expense and/or equipment. Fortunately
there are plenty of sit up-like exercises you can borrow from Pilates
that require nothing more than your body (and preferably an exercise mat
or towel for comfort). Let's take a look at a couple of those and some
others that are helpful as well.
The Roll Up
The roll up is very similar to a normal sit up with a few key
differences. First, you start with you arms all the way back behind you
and you bring them all the way forward into a sitting position.
Breathing is key during the process as you inhale as you begin to move
upward and exhale as you complete. You also perform this motion slowly,
as rushing through the process will do far less to work your core.
Learning to do the roll up properly can take a little practice, and you
may not be able to do it fully at first if you're just getting started.
Watch the video to the left for a demonstration of the easy and the hard
way to do this exercise.
The (Half) Roll Down
The roll down will feel a lot like a reverse sit up, and therefore may
seem redundant, but it's an important exercise to pair with the roll
up. Start sitting up with your feet flat on the floor creating a 45
degree angle. Just to get in the right position, place your hands under
your thighs and hold yourself sitting up. You can leave your hands there
as you do this exercise, however for a greater challenge you want to
place your hands extended out in front of you. From this starting
position, inhale, then exhale as you lean back slowly towards the
ground. You'll be extending down until your shoulder blades are just
lightly touching the surface below you. It's important that you do not
go down so far that you're being supported by the ground but just far
enough that you know you've completed the first full range of motion.
Now inhale, then exhale as you move back up into the starting position.
Once you're there, your back will be slightly curved. Lift your head up
and adjust your back into a straight spine position. Feel free to do
multiple sets of this exercise, but never more than 15 repetitions per
set.
The Hundred
The hundred is complicated, tiring, and best explained visually (so
watch the video to your left). To perform this exercise, you lay flat on
your back and lift up your knees until they create an approximately 45
degree angle with your feet still touching the ground. Start by keeping
your arms down with your palms flat against the ground. Don't press your
back flat on the floor or arch it up—try to keep it as centered as
possible. Once you're in the correct position, lower your chin slightly
and begin to lift yourself upwards by pulling your abdomen in. As you
do, lift your hands off the ground and keep your arms extended straight.
Some versions of the hundred suggest that you lift your feet off the
ground so the bend in your legs create a 90 degree angle. If this is too
hard for you,
other versions suggest you can perform this exercise without lifting your feet. All that work you just did was to get you in the proper position. Now you get to do the hard part.
While
keeping your arms flat and extended, move them up and down rapidly. Each
up and down motion counts as one repetition. Every five repetitions
you'll alternate between inhaling and exhaling. For example, you'll
inhale on the first repetition, the 10th, the 20th, etc. You'll also
exhale on the fifth, 15th, 25th, and so on. When you reach 100, you're
done. If you become tired while performing this exercise, take a short
rest at the 50th repetition and start right back up again. As you may
have noted from the complexity of this description, there's a bit of a
learning curve and practice involved with the hundred. Be sure to watch
the video so you can see how it's done and practice a few times on your
own before you attempt the full set. Once you get used to it you should
find it easy to perform regularly.
The Basic Plank
The
basic plank is a simple but challenging exercise that targets the whole
of your core. It might take a little practice to get right at first,
but once you get it down you just have to hold yourself in the proper
position.
WebMD explains how it's done:
Lie on your stomach, elbows close to your sides and directly under
your shoulders, palms down. Engage the abs and slowly lift your torso
off the floor, maintaining a stiff torso and legs. Avoid sagging at the
low back or hiking up your hips. Continue to breathe while holding this
position for 15 seconds or more.
Your
starting goal should be to perform 3 sets of 6-12 repetitions of this
exercise, but you'll want to increase the number of repetitions as
you're able to do so.
Other Core Exercises
Lower Body
With
cardio, core, and upper body exercise underway it can sometimes seem a
little excessive to work your lower body. In many ways, you will be
working muscles that other exercises have already targeted. That said,
you'll be neglecting multiple areas if you don't bother with your lower
body specifically. Here are a couple of exercises you'll want to do to
make sure you're not leaving anything out.
Squats
Squats are a great, simple exercise to strengthen all sorts of good
stuff including your legs, lower back, hips, buttocks, and even bones.
So long as they're performed correctly, they're an excellent way to
target the majority of the muscles in your lower body. So how do you
squat correctly? The folks who created the
200 Squats program can explain:
Stand up straight with your feet firmly planted on the ground
approximately shoulder width apart. To help maintain a straight back as
you perform the exercise, it's a good idea to focus on an object
directly ahead of you at eye level.
2. Contract your abdominal muscles as you bend your legs at the
knees. Either stretch your arms out ahead of you, lightly position your
hands behind your ears or hold your arms at your side as you slowly
lower yourself into a squatting position. Lower your body to a position
where your thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Return to the
starting position and repeat.
Much like
push ups, a squat is a comprehensive exercise that you can do pretty
much anywhere. This makes it easy to fit in a set whenever you have some
spare time. If you want to make it to 200, the
200 Squats
program is a good way to get there. If you're looking for something a
little less daunting, simply try three sets of 20 squats to start,
performing additional squats during the last set if you can manage.
Continue to work your way up whenever the exercise gets to be easy.
Remember, you won't build additional strength if you don't continue to
push yourself as you improve.
Stair Steps / Step Ups
Much like climbing stairs, you can build a lot of lower body strength
by performing single stair steps. The key here, however, is not to step
up a lower stair like you'd find on a staircase but a higher one that's a
little lower than the height of your knee. If you try to step up and
your knee comes up higher than your hip, the step is too high and you'll
need to find something lower. If you were in a gym you could use a
standard bench press bench, but at home a wide stool, flat ottoman, or
other furniture of similar height should do just fine. A park bench
works well, too. Just be sure it supports your weight before you start
stepping. If it breaks underneath you, you're obviously going to hurt
yourself.
To perform
the stair step exercise, you'll want to do one leg at a time. Starting
with the left, place your left foot on the bench or stool. Using the
strength from that left leg, push yourself upward to bring your right
foot onto the stool as well. Do not use the strength from your
right leg to help you. You will need it later when you switch and your
right foot is on the stool. Perform this action 10-12 times. When you've
finished with one leg, switch to the other and perform 10-12
repetitions as well. This constitutes one set. Take a 60-90 second break
after each set and perform a total of three.
As these
stair steps become easier, you do not necessarily want to increase you
repetitions as you might with other exercises. Instead, you may consider
adding weight to your legs or your arms. Adding weight to your legs
generally means purchasing a specific kind that you can attach for the
purpose. Adding weight to your arms, however, just involves holding
something. Ideally you would hold dumbbells of equal weight in each arm,
starting at 5 lbs. each and working your way up as you grow stronger.
If you don't have dumbbells available, gallons of liquid—such as
milk—can make a good substitute. Just be sure the weight is equal in
both arms or you can cause balance issues and potentially hurt yourself.
Regardless
of whether you're using weights or not, be sure to perform the stair
steps slowly and avoid putting strain on your knees. You can easily
cause injury by moving too fast and putting unwanted pressure where it
doesn't belong.
