Listed below are 7 bodyweight exercises that can be done at home to improve strength and endurance.
- Bear Crawl: Get down on all fours and “crawl” or walk like a bear. Bear crawl for three to five minutes to work the whole body. It may seem silly, but this move should not be overlooked.
- Spiderman push-ups – One of the most difficult push-ups. Assume a normal push-up position and as you lower your body to the ground, bring your knee to your elbow. Return to normal flexion and repeat for the other knee. Repeat this 10 times.
- Lunges – Stand with your feet together. With your hands on your hips, step one leg forward into a deep lunge, while keeping the other leg straight. Push yourself up and repeat with the other leg.
- 1-Leg Squat: One of the best leg exercises you can do with your bodyweight. This will make you more stable and will test your leg strength, endurance, balance, and agility. In a standing position, raise one leg as straight as possible in front of you and squat down on one leg until your thigh touches your calf. Thereafter, return to the starting position with the same leg. For better balance, keep your arms straight. For beginners, try to get your thighs parallel to the ground. And as your strength increases, lower yourself as low as possible.
- Squats: Standing, squat down until your thighs touch your calves. It may sound easy, but try to do this 100 times!
- Opposite Elbow Touch: In a push-up position, bend one arm at the elbow to a 90-degree position and touch the opposite arm. Return to the original position and repeat for the other arm.
- Handstands: Try this against a wall and stand on your hands against the wall with your legs up. While facing forward in a handstand position, lower yourself to the ground and as your head hits the ground, push yourself back up to the starting position. Try doing this 5 times, and if you find it difficult at first, try staying in a handstand position for 60 seconds.
The bodyweight exercises above are great for both women and men.
To mix it up more, try a combination of upper and lower bodyweight exercises without rest. That is, 10 repetitions of ‘Spiderman Push-ups’ followed immediately by 10 ‘1 leg squats’ on each leg. Rest for 60 seconds and repeat.
Do this, you will build strength and burn fat fast.