5 Exercises That Will Get You Fit With No Equipment!

3001Fitness • Jan 04, 2019

Sometimes when you travel, or can’t make it to the gym due to a busy schedule at home, work or personal life, you may be more prone to skipping a workout. So today, we are going to bring the gym right to your door!!

 

The great thing about fitness is that you don’t really need a lot of equipment to build strength, endurance, cardiovascular health and feel great. All you need is your own body weight and you can work with what’s available!

 

Of course some peeps will make lack of equipment or gym space an excuse to miss exercise. But if you have some sick 2019 health and fitness goals and resolutions you probably know it’s important to put in the effort and stay consistent!

 

So if that’s you, Core Principles has got YOUR back. Check out the below 5 Bodyweight exercises and learn how to get fit, lean and mean in the comfort of your own home!

Coach Jojo

 

High Plank with Knee to Chest Hold  –

This core exercise is great for your abs and tummy but also engages your upper body (arms, shoulders), and your glutes and legs. Check out the instructions and video below and try it out!

  • Start in all fours position with shoulders directly over your knuckles
  • Step both of your feet back, push your arms through the floor and squeeze the booty like Michael Jackson
  • Bending your knee, bring one leg in towards the chest and hold it there for 5 long breaths. Repeat with the other leg.

Repeat for 3 sets; Too difficult? Regress this exercise by elevating yourself onto a box or a small coffee table. 

 

Body Weight Squat –

This exercise strengthens your lower body and engages the core. Squats are the king of exercises because they work your major muscle group (the butt and hips), and can help you build strength that will help with your favorite activities like hiking, jogging, walking and daily activities such as picking something heavy up from the ground!

  • Start with your feet shoulder with apart and hands in prayer
  • Feeling the weight in your heels, push your hips back like you’re sitting into a chair
  • Press through the heels and stand up tall and tight

Repeat for 3 sets of 10 squats. To make it a bit easier set up a chair with a pillow or two for depth purposes and only squat to that height. 

 

Skater Jumps –

I love love love Skater jumps because this exercise will help you add a cardio and a lower body power component to your training, and help you with balance. On top of that, it engages the lower body and core quite a bit to help you stabilize your yourself. Skater Jumps are an intermediate level exercise, so if you have bad knees or want to regress it, talk to your coach about it. If you decide to try it on your own, make the jumps shorter and low to the ground at first and then progressively add in some height and width.

  • Start with standing on one leg with a slightly bent knee
  • Swing your hips back to gain some momentum and push off your heel to jump to the other side
  • Land soft on the ball of your foot (right before the arch) and jump to the other side

Repeat for 5 Jumps on each side! 

 

Side Plank

Side planks are a great exercise if you’re looking to strengthen the core and particularly your obliques. They will help you sculpt your belly and make it strong which is important in carrying out almost any daily function like walking, playing sports, playing with your kids, dancing etc.

  • Set up by laying sideways on a mat with your forearm on the ground and shoulder directly over the elbow
  • With your legs straight, cross your feet and drive your hips up pushing through the elbow and your foot
  • Hold the position for about 5 breaths, and switch to the other side!

Repeat for 3 sets of 5 breaths. To regress this exercise, start by laying on your side with the knees bent slightly in front of you. From there, swoop the hips up, and hold the position for 5 long breaths alternating sides. To progress this baby, stack your feet together and lift the top leg up! Talk about a real challenge!

 

Bear Crawl –

If you want to improve mobility and strengthen the upper, middle and lower body you gotta try the bear! Aside from being a fun exercise that makes you feel like a kid crawling around on the ground, bear crawls challenge every muscle in the body including the shoulders, chest, glutes and legs. The core also gets a ton of engagement to stabilize the body throughout the entire movement.

  • Set up on all fours facing the ground. Curl your toes under and lift the knees about 2 inches off the ground.
  • Hold it there and breathe, pressing the ground away with your arms.
  • To start crawling bring your opposite hand and foot about an inch in front of you and repeat with the other side for approx. 10 steps.

Repeat the Hold for 8 long breaths for 2-3 sets. If you like the crawl, do 3 sets of 10 steps on each arm and leg. And don’t forget to make your best bear noise!! RAWR.

 

For more info on fitness, nutrition and building healthy habits, shoot me an email at joanna@coreprinciples-sc.com. Cheers! 

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