Top 5 Bodyweight Exercises!

Looking for intense new exercises that you can take with you anywhere?  These are my top 5 bodyweight exercises that I incorporate into my workouts on a weekly basis!

Cannonball

The first exercise is called a cannon ball and it is TOUGH! To perform this movement you will need a bit of space.  What you are going to do is stand with your feet together and lower yourself to the ground.  From here you are going to explosively push off the ground, throw your arms over your head and jump as high as you can and toward the right.  As you jump in the air bring your knees to your chest.

When you land on the ground you are going to jump again as fast as you can to the left, tucking your knees into your chest.

This exercise is going to DESTROY your legs while also targeting your lower abs.  Be careful that as your quads start to fatigue you do not lose your balance when landing or jumping.

As a secondary benefit, this exercise is also going to increase your ankle stability.  With that being said, if you are not used to jumping lateral movements start with small hops.  The last thing you want to do is roll your ankle!  Baby steps!

Spiderman-Push-Up

Aside from being an exercise I love to torture my friends with, once you get the form locked in it actually looks pretty cool too! Haha!

For this exercised you are going to get into the standard push-up position.  However, as you lower your body to the ground you are going to alternate bringing your knees to your elbows.

For your first repetition, bring your right knee to your right elbow as you lower your chest to the ground.  As you push back up, return your right foot to the ground and then alternate bringing your left knee to your left elbow on your second repetition.

If you have a hard time with push-ups, or you start to fatigue during the exercise, you can perform the movement while on your knees.

Groiners

This exercise is not for the faint of heart and will require a bit of flexibility.  But don’t worry! I have a modifier if you are just starting out!

For this exercises you are going to start in the plank position.  Once in place you are going to take a giant step forward with your right foot so that it lands to the right of your right hand.  As soon as your foot touches the ground, you are going to simultaneously bring your right foot back as you take a giant step forward with your left foot.

Continue to alternate back and forth for repetitions and be sure to keep your hips as low as possible during the entire movement!

If you have a hard time with flexibility, you can still perform the movement by either reducing your range of motion or trying to keep your upper body higher by placing your fists on the ground.

Burpee

Everyone’s favorite total body killer, the burpee requires a lot of explosive energy and will really boost your heartrate!

To perform this movement you are going to start from the standing position and drop to the ground as fast as you can.   Next, you are going to perform an explosive push-up.  As you explode up from the push-up position you are going to bring your knees to your chest to land on your feet and then jump in the air as high as you can.

As soon as you land on the ground you are going to go into the next repetition.

If you begin to get tired or have a hard time with push-ups, you can perform the movement slower and swap out the push-up for a plank.  This way you will still have to stabilize your upper body in the bottom position but do not have to worry about failing on the push-up.

Mountain Climbers

This is a great traditional exercise that can be tossed into any workout.  For this movement you are going to get yourself in the plank position and alternate thrusting your knees into your chest.

The faster you pump your legs, the more intense the exercise becomes.  Also, because you are in the plank position you are going to be engaging a lot of muscles in your upper body and abdominal area as well!

TRY THE TOTAL BODY ROUTINE!

Now that you know how to perform all FIVE TOP BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES, it is time to put them to the test!

• Perform each exercise for 1 minute completing As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP)
• Rest 1 Minute between exercises and rounds

1. Normal– Perform 3 round!
2. Advanced- Perform 6 rounds!