10 Key Bodyweight Exercises Everyone Should Be Doing

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Consistency is critical for building and maintaining fitness. What makes consistency easy? Convenience. Working out with our bodyweight is one of the most accommodating training methods. Our bodyweight is available to us regardless of time and place, all the while providing a challenging workout at any fitness level. And best of all, it’s free!

As effective and efficient options to build strength, endurance, flexibility and balance, here are ten bodyweight exercises everyone should have in their fitness repertoire!

COSSACK SQUATS

This comprehensive lower body move targets the quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, obliques and hip adductors. In addition to building strength, Cossack squats drive mobility through the hip, knee and ankle joints. Cossack squats work the frontal plane (side to side), whereas most leg exercises like squats, lunges and deadlifts are performed in the sagittal plane (front to back). While this move can be challenging for beginners, it’s worth learning as it will lead to greater overall body awareness and coordination

PUSH UPS

Push-ups work more than just the triceps, pectoral muscles and shoulders. They require full body activation, and when performed correctly, the standard push-up engages nearly every muscle in your body. With your entire torso stabilising the move, push-ups strengthen your lower back and prevent injury while improving your posture. If doing a push-up on your toes is out of reach, for now, start on your knees while you build strength.

SINGLE LEG GLUTE BRIDGE

Driving through one leg isolates the glutes and draws in other posterior muscles to make for an intense variation of the glute bridge. In order to maintain a level pelvis, the abdominals and lower back also need to be engaged, which activates and strengthens your core. The single-leg glute bridge targets multiple muscle groups, builds and stabilises your core, glutes and hamstrings, and can reduce lower back and knee pain.

ALTERNATING SUPERMANS

This move engages your whole back, abdominals, glutes and hamstrings. Alternating Supermans helps develop a better mind-muscle connection to your back and glutes and increases general coordination. The flexibility of this movement is excellent for engaging the more minor, sometimes overlooked muscles. This exercise is one of the easiest and most effective moves for increasing core strength in the lower back and obliques.

JEFFERSON CURL

The Jefferson Curl mobilises your entire spine into flexion and then extension. Your flexibility will determine the initial depth of the move, but regular practice will quickly accelerate your range. If needed, perform on a raised block until you’re comfortable progressing. The Jefferson curl is a great way to simultaneously strengthen and stretch your core and posterior chain as you increase mobility. This move is the MVP for fighting back pain and counteracting long hours at a desk.

SIDE PLANK

A full-body conditioning move, the side plank will challenge more than just your balance and coordination. Alongside smashing your obliques, this move can increase the joint strength of your wrist, elbow and shoulder. Requiring plenty of focus to maintain correct form, the side plank works your core without stressing your spine and reduces the risk of back injuries.

SINGLE LEG ROMANIAN DEADLIFTS

This is a whole-body, functional exercise that gives phenomenal posterior chain engagement. The single-leg Romanian deadlift simultaneously strengthens and conditions your muscles while challenging your coordination and static and dynamic balance. Using only one leg increases glute and hamstring activation, while core engagement is essential to stabilise the movement.

PANCAKE STRETCH

A gymnastics staple, the pancake stretch targets the inner thighs, hamstrings and lower back. This straddle stretch is integral to increasing hip mobility, combating sedentary stiffness, and providing pain-free mobility to the hips and lower back.

HIP CROSSOVER STRETCH

The hip crossover is a delicious supine stretch that releases the outer hip, glutes and spine and restores mobility and function to the body. This move helps create space in the lower back, bringing welcome relief to those who spend hours at a desk daily. It also helps alleviate tight shoulders, reducing upper back and neck pain. Core activation can be an additional benefit depending on which variation you choose.

PLANK

There are a few exercises that match the plank for total body recruitment. A correctly performed plank will engage and strengthen your spine, rhomboids, lats, trapezius, core, quads, glutes, hamstrings, shoulders and triceps. Not bad, right? Learning to control your muscles isometrically during a plank doesn’t just make your whole body stronger and develops a better mind-muscle connection.

Working out doesn’t have to be complicated. When it comes to bodyweight training, you only need ‘yourself’ and a positive attitude to have a great workout at any time, any place.

If you’re feeling inspired, why not put it to the test right now?
Scroll down for a 26-minute workout and feel the benefits of these moves.

WARM UP
Cycle through each of the following moves for 1 minute each.
Do 2 rounds.

Jefferson Curls
Pancake Stretch
Hip Crossover Stretch
Cossack Squat

AMRAP WORKOUT
Go for as many reps as possible of each exercise for 1 minute each. Then, record your results and attempt to beat them each round.
Do 3 rounds total.

Push Ups
Single Leg Glute Bridge (swap on 30s mark)
Alternating Supermans
Side Plank (swap on 30s mark)
Single Leg Deadlift (swap on 30s mark)
Plank

Keep working hard.

Your Coach,
Michael

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