- Exercise for your whole body.runner stretching image by Karin Lau from Fotolia.com
An effective way to work out is to utilize your own body weight for resistance in addition to your regular cardio workout. These are exercises you can generally do without having to be a member of a gym. You can create an efficient workout with exercises that target all of the major muscles in the body. - Squat thrusts involve the entire body. Begin standing with feet shoulder width apart, then squat and place your hands on the floor. Thrust both feet backward to assume the push up position, then snap back to squatting before standing up. The squat targets the glutes and quadriceps while the thrust incorporates the abs, hamstrings, calves. Squat thrusts can be modified by adding a push up while in push up position which will incorporate more work from the biceps, triceps deltoids and pectorial muscles.
- Jumping jacks are performed with two jumps. Begin in standing position with feet together. Jump while separating your feet and bringing your hands up to meet each other above your head. Then jump again while returning to starting position. Jumping targets the lower body while swinging the arms targets the upper body.
- This exercise requires a yoga mat so that your hands and feet do not slide. From all fours, lift your knees from the mat and rock backward at the hip to bring your arms up to the sides of your head and hold. This position is downward facing dog. From this position, slowly bring your abdomen down to the floor while raising your head, keeping your arms straight. This is upward dog.
- Lie on your stomach, bend your arms and place your hands on the floor below your shoulders. Bend your right knee out to the side of your body and use your left elbow and right foot to propel yourself forward while straightening your leg. Repeat with the opposite knee and arm, crawling across the floor keeping your abdominal muscles tight and your body on the floor.
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