There are endless bodyweight exercise options to level up your fitness.
Meanwhile, I’ve come up with around 40 different types of bodyweight moves. All are simple enough to do yet boost your muscles and blast off your fat!
Most folks only think about the 4 basic exercises when it comes to bodyweight training: Push-Ups | Planks | Pull-Ups | Squats.
However, with a little creativity and by using man-made and nature’s obstacles, your options are almost endless.
When I’m walking outside doing what I call my “Primal Trek”, which means mixing fast-paced walking with strength training, I look for trees, strong branches, benches, sidewalks, walls, grassy knolls, anything that that can serve as an obstacle to train on.
This method makes strength training fun, especially when it’s combined with fast walking.
By walking you’re benefiting from a fantastic fat-burning cardio session, which in turn strengthens your heart health, all other organs and eliminates brain fog.
Adding 2 to 4 micro sets of bodyweight (calisthenics) movements fires up your muscles to rebuild leaner, accelerates fat burn and weight loss.
Let’s get into this sweet routine:
Don’t forget, the session should start with and include a 30 to 45-minute walk.
Your walk can be anywhere: the streets, in a park, riverbank, beach, hills, on a treadmill, or up and down your stairs.
After 15-minutes of fast walking, go for set 1 of the routine.
Incline-Reverse Push-Ups
You can perform these push-ups on a bench, a low wall, bed, chair, or steps.
Put your feet up on your obstacle of choice and your hands on the ground in front of you, shoulder-width apart, and go for it.
This method works on your shoulders, upper chest, arms, neck, and core.
It’s tough to pull off more than 5 if you are new to this, but do your best, and increase your reps each time you practice this move.
Go straight to the next exercise without taking a rest break. This is a power-play-micro-workout and must be done in rapid-fire mode!
Wall-Lunges on a Line
Most people find lunges pretty easy to do. Some struggle with their balance at first, but if you focus on a line in front of you, you’ll soon get the hang of it.
The key to doing perfect lunges is to walk them as you’d be walking a tight rope, staying firm and straight on a line.
Don’t move from side to side, as that’s sloppy form and less effective.
Low-level walls like the one I’m lunging on below are ideal to practice this method. It’s tricky, as the extra height adds a little fear, which forces you to focus intensively on keeping that clean line of the wall.
Don’t worry, if you lose your balance and fall off, you won’t hurt yourself.
Just don’t do it on a 10 ft wall!
Step forward and go down all the way so you touch the wall with your back knee, and step up and forward again, repeat.
10 solid lunges should be your minimum, but I’d prefer to ask you to try to do 20 or 30 lunges. Then, you’re going to experience serious muscle burn, which is exactly what you want!
On to the next move, again, without a rest break.
One Legged Squats
Another fun exercise that can be executed on a small wall, as in my photo, is a bench, a chair, coffee table, bed, or sofa.
As you can see, rest one foot on your obstacle, hold your hands together tight at eye level to focus and gain maximum balance, then squat as far down as you comfortably can.
But do push yourself, and don’t go too easy!
Then push yourself back up in the straight-legged position, and repeat.
Aim for 10 reps, more if you can.
Switch sides, and repeat.
Classic Plank
The next exercise is my favorite, and although you aren’t allowed to rest between moves, I see the plank as a bit of a resting exercise.
Alright, granted, planking can be hard for those who are out of shape and haven’t planked in ages.
However, they’re not that tough to hold for 30 to 60 seconds, with a dose of determination and willpower!
But planks are mighty and bust those core and lower back muscles like crazy. Planks further strengthen your shoulders, neck, and arms.
Plank every day, that’s the best way to get good at it and succeed with 1 to 5-minute planks, over time!
Set yourself a planking challenge, see how long you can go if you plank daily for a month or two. It’s fun and rewarding.
I bet you’ll make 5 minutes sooner than you think! That’s going to make you feel and look awesome.
Hold the position as long as you can, then move straight into the reverse plank.
The Reverse Plank
As you can see by the photo below, simply switch your body around, arms behind your back, legs, and pelvis straight and look up into the sky.
The reverse plank works your core, back, triceps, shoulders, neck and strengthens your mental focus.
Hold as long as you can, then take a 2-minute rest, to focus on learning the headstand next!
The Headstand
Right, maybe you think I’m crazy asking you to learn this pose. But trust me, there’s a very good reason for it.
The headstand is an extremely powerful position, for your body and mind.
Once you master the headstand you’ll want to do it daily, as it’s fun, physically and mentally challenging, and is a wonderful way to meditate and slowly end your workout session.
Your intense focus and calmness will enable you to slow down your mind and breathing, which releases stress and elevates your happiness.
Bonus: You’ll build confidence and self-belief, both in body and mind.Learn the Headstand
The headstand works your core, back, shoulders, neck, arms and mind!
Hold it as long as you can, at least 2 to 5 minutes!
Workout Routine and Set 1 Done!
This set of 6 killer moves shouldn’t take you longer than 5 to 7 minutes.
After you’ve completed set 1, get back to your power walk for another 10 to 15 minutes, and repeat another set, if you feel up for it.
You can do 1 set, 2, or 3 sets, or more. That all depends on how you feel, and how strong your body and mind are on the day.
Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you only do 1 set, or 4, and walk. It’s a wonderful way to train your whole body and mind, no matter how many sets.
In Summary.
It’s not about more is better and no pain no gain. That’s absolute nonsense.
It’s about “less but right is more!”
Above all your workout should be fun, inspiring, and not torture or stressful to you.
Your training should be fun and a “walk in the park!”
The workout I’ve presented you with today is efficient, quick, and effective. It strengthens your muscles, burns fat, and builds a stronger positive mindset!
Let me know how it goes.
Rob
