All Bodyweight Exercises 

I will soon add some pictures as demonstrations.  This website is new and is in motion to get you in shape.  Please check back soon.

Burpees (entire body exercise)– These are the bodyweight exercises that you have probably seen a time or two in old war movies when troops are in basic training.  It has been said that some prisoners in the penitentiary like to do these because they do not require much space and they will work you extremely well.  Here is what you do:

• First start out in the standing position with you feet close together.  
• You then bend your knees and put your hands on the ground.  
• From here you, hop your feet backwards until you are in the up position of a pushup.  
• Do one pushup and return to how you started in reverse.  
• This exercise can be combined with a forward jump at the end when you are rising back to the starter position.  Give it all you got and you will be worn out in no time at all.

Hindu Style Pushups (entire body exercise) – When doing this bodyweight exercise breathing is important.   You will find that, after you have been doing weights for a long time, 25 is even a challenging number to get the first time.  This exercise and the Hindu Squat are both heavily used by Indian wrestlers.  They help your endurance and strength out tremendously.

• You start in the all-fours position, facing the floor, with only your hands and feet touching the ground.  
• You can spread your legs as far as you want, but only do what is comfortable.   
• You begin by looking at your heels and begin to roll forward by dipping as close to the ground as you can without touching it and end in the position where your head and upper body is pointing up while your hips are close to the ground.  
• Return to the starting position by either pushing your rear back up in the air or by doing the exact same motion backwards (which will work your shoulders more).  
• This is one rep.  
• Breathe in during the downward motion and out when returning to the starting position.  

Bodyweight Squats/Hindu Squats (leg | lung exercise) – These sound easy, but if you can do anywhere near 100 without stopping your first time trying them then you are incredible.  My first try I got around fifty and could not walk right for a couple of days, and I was squatting 415.  You can do these standing on your heels the entire time or on your toes.  If you feel pain stay on your heels, but remember the difference between pain and noise.  My knees make some noise but will not hurt and they have only seen a great improvement.  You can really work your calves if you stay on your toes and it seems like more of a workout for your butt when staying on your heels. 

• You start with your hands in front of you and you begin to breathe in as you pull your hands to your side.  
• Then, point your hands down on your descent.
• You then drop to a squatting position by bending your knees while swinging your arms back in front of you and breathing out on the return trip up.  
• Just remember to go down until your thighs touch your calves, and try to keep your back straight the entire time.  
• Do 10-25 for beginners and try 75 if you are already heavily involved in exercise.
• Every day try and get one or two more reps.

One-arm Pushup (arm | chest | leg exercise)– This bodyweight exercise is challenging.  If you get one on your first try you are stronger than you may have thought.   I will only do a couple on each arm when working out, but I try to do a variety of different bodyweight exercises within the 15-20 minutes of working out. 

• As you might have guessed you will get into the pushup position, use one arm, and have a wide foot base.
• Switch arms and do an equal amount on the other side, making sure to use your weakest arm first so that you develop each side equally.

Backward Pushup (entire body exercise)– This is one that promotes flexibility in the back and shoulders.  This functional exercise is one of my favorites.  I usually do at least five of these just to get a good stretch.  You start by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet close to your butt.

• Your hands are close to your shoulders with your fingers pointing towards your shoulders. 
• You are going to try and form an arch with your body by pushing your back off the floor by your hands and feet. 
• Try and push your hips to the ceiling and hold for a second or two before returning to the starting position.  Ahh…don’t you feel better.  I thought you would. 

Bear Crawls (entire body exercise)– This is a total body workout.  It looks very dumb to people that do not do them, but you will benefit greatly from these.  As you might have guessed, you try to mimic a bear’s walk with your body.  Every muscle in your body gets some work.  Don’t be surprised if you can’t walk 100 yards like this. 

• Get on your hands and feet. 
• Keep your arms and legs mostly straight. 
• Walk as far as you can. 

Wall Walking (entire body exercise)– To obtain great flexibility in the spine, this bodyweight exercise is ONE OF THE GREATS.  You will enjoy the rush you get after doing just five or ten.  I find these to make you feel alive.  Start about three feet from the wall with your back facing it.

• Lean back and touch your hands to the wall and begin to walk them downward. 
• When you get to the bottom, arch your back flex your entire body into an arch. 
• Roll to the side until you are facing down or, if you are good, just stand back up. 

Crab Walking (entire body exercise)– If you ever played football you may have done this one before.  It not only builds strength and endurance, but overall functional movement. If you have problems with your hips and back you may want to give these a shot.  They make you use most of the muscles near your spine.

• Start by sitting on your butt 
• Place your hands next to your hips, palms down 
• Push off the ground with your hands and your feet and put your midsection almost parallel with the ground 
• Walk as far as you can either backward or forward 

One Leg Squat (leg | butt exercise)– Here is a challenging exercise that will make you become more stable when on one leg and build incredible strength.  The first time I tried these, I kept falling because when you get to the bottom the push back up is very awkward.  I mean how many times do you put yourself through this kind of motion each day?  Not many if at all. German wrestlers would hold their hands at their sides while performing these to make the balancing more difficult.  Here is how you do them:

• Start in the standing position. 
• Hold one leg out in front of you and keep it mostly straight. 
• For extra balance you can hold your arms straight out in front of you or keep them at your side for more of a challenge. 
• Squat down until your thigh touches your calf. 
• Raise back up using only that one leg. 
• This is one rep. 
• Do as many as you can, starting with your weakest leg. 

Side to Side Jumps (leg | hip exercise)– To get that explosive power and speed, these are great.  You need to incorporate some kind of jumping into your weekly routine.  At the park, people may wonder what you are doing, but pay no mind.  Soon you will be very agile and able to maneuver better than ever.  Here is what you do:

• Find an open area with room to jump left and right. 
• Facing one direction (forward), jump as far as you can to either side and immediately jump the opposite direction. 
• Do this for about 20-50 times. 

Handstand Pushup (shoulder and arm workout) – Practice these if you want to get UNBELIEVABLE arm and shoulder STRENGTH.   They are by no means easy, especially for beginners.  Be careful not to fall directly on top of your head, you don’t want to compress your spine at the neck.  What has worked for me is letting one arm relax quickly and do a kind of roll to the right or left, if you know you are not going to make that rep.  You might make a loud thud, but it is better than landing on your head.   Just make sure that you have room on both sides.   There are a number of different ways to do it.  If you start in what seems a little like a down sprinter position like you are waiting for the gunshot to start the race.  Face the wall and put your hands wider than shoulder width on the floor about a foot or two away from the wall. 

• Get down with one leg under your chest, the other behind you in the sprinters position. 
• Push off the ground with your legs and plant the bottom of your feet on the wall.  You can then lift your legs. straight up or keep them at a ninety degree angle.  If you keep them bent you can use them to push off the wall to prevent falling on your neck.  That’s just something to think about.  You can use chairs that are spaced out enough for your head  to put your hands on if you want more range of motion, but beware these are even more difficult . 

Invisible Chair (leg workout) – My dad used to make my brother and me do this bodyweight exercise as a punishment when we fought each other.  He would make us stay there for 10 and 15 minutes at a time.  This will keep you from wanting to fight anyone any time soon. 

• You begin this exercise by standing close to a wall with your back facing it. 
• Squat down and put your back against the wall while in the sitting position. 
• Breath normally. 
• Hold this one for as long as you can. 

Finger Tip Pushup (chest | hand exercise)– You will find stronger fingers come with doing these and they will not change the appearance of your fingers like some of you may fear.  I do these almost every day for one six months and have not noticed a negative change in the appearance of my hands yet.  As a matter of fact my hands are stronger than ever.  You should just make sure to do what you can handle.  I will do at least 5 or 10 just to keep them conditioned.  The name is self explanatory for this bodyweight exercise. 

• You get into the push up position and start on your finger tips.  
• Go down and return just as you would a regular pushup.
• This is one rep.
• Try five or ten.

One Leg Up Pushup (leg | butt exercise)– Here is the easier version of the one-arm pushup.   This bodyweight exercise will make you put a lot more weight on one of your arms, making it and the one-arm pushup similar. 

• You start with your feet together and in the pushup position.
• Then lift your right leg in the air while dipping the left side of your body close to the floor.
• Lift the leg as high as you can, then lower the leg back down until you are in the starting position.
• Repeat with the left side.

Dive Bombers – Here is another one of the many exercises that you can do at home.  The dive bomber is very similar to the Hindu pushup.  There is one slight difference between the two.  It is the return to the starting position.  I believe that these work the shoulders more than the Hindus, but really one is just working the shoulder in a different motion than the other.  You be the judge.

• You start in the all-fours position, facing the floor, with only your hands and feet touching the ground.   
• Look down at your heels with your chin almost touching your chest.
• Your arms should feel like they are directly above your head.
• Bend your elbows and dip your body close to the floor as you roll forward.
• In the end you should have your head pointing up and your hips close to your hands.
• Return by the exact same motion in reverse.