Try This 5 Move Beginner's Bodyweight Workout
The hardest part is starting. From then, it'll only get easier (sort of)
This won't give you muscles like Arnie or a six-pack like Brad Pitt's, but it will work your whole body and will provide you with a strong foundation on which to build your perfect physique, whether you choose to focus on gaining strength, loosing weight or just building an enviable set of abs.
So, what are you waiting for? Clear away the coffee table, watch out for the light shades and have a go at our beginner's home workout, which has been programmed by PT Danny Fisher.
Try to complete this circuit three times with a 30sec rest between each move. Take a two-minute breather after each run through.
Warm up
Getting your blood pumping before your first workout is essential.
30sec jogging on the spot
30sec star jumps
30sec shoulder rolling
30sec hip rotations
30sec ankle rotations
Repeat once. Take a few deep breaths.
Right then. Let’s get started.
1. Press-ups – 1min
Get ready to master the ultimate bodyweight move.
- With your hands on the floor shoulder-width apart, extend your arms and raise yourself up onto your toes.
- Your body should form a straight line from your head to your heels. Squeeze your stomach to stop your midriff from sinking towards the floor.
- Flex at your elbows and lower your chest until it's an inch from the ground. Breath out and push back up to the starting position. Feel a burning in your chest? That's your pecs being born.
2. Sit-ups – 1min
Sooner or later watching what you eat is no longer enough to stop the spread around your middle. This move will tighten up your muffin top.
- Lie down on the floor with your feet flat and legs bent at the knees.
- Lightly place your hands behind your head. Breathe out and lift your upper body until it creates an imaginary V-shape with your legs.
- Feel the contraction in your stomach and lower yourself to the starting position while inhaling.
3. Squats – 1min
Welcome to your first ever leg workout, bro.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Begin the movement by shifting your weight onto your heels, flexing your knees and sitting back with your hips.
- Keeping your head and chest up, squat down as low as you can before quickly reversing the motion and returning to the start position.
4. Lunges – 1min
Single leg moves are excellent for supercharging your sports performance. Say goodbye to the subs bench and hello to the captain's armband.
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder width apart. Lunge forward as far as you can with your right leg, bending your trailing knee so it almost brushes the floor.
- Use the heel of your right foot to push your upper body back to the starting position.
- Repeat with the opposite leg.
5. Burpees – 1min
There's a reason you haven't done these since you were forced to on the school sports field. They hurt.
- Stand up straight with your arms by your sides and your feet at shoulder width.
- Squat down and place your palms on the floor in front of you. Kick your legs out behind you so that you are in a push-up position.
- Now pull your legs back under you into the squat position, jump into the air with your arms above your head and beware of any low-hanging light fittings. That's one rep.
Complete this circuit twice more. That's it. So, when's session two?
Too easy for you? Have a go at this 15-minute calorie burner, designed by PT and MH cover star, Bradley Simmonds.
Robert Hicks is the multiplatform director at Men’s Health UK. A Sport Science graduate and author of three fitness books published by Bloomsbury, Robert has written numerous articles on health, fitness and nutrition and created several documentaries, most notably Britain’s Steroid Epidemic and The Faces of Attempted Suicide. Robert has been working at Men's Health UK for seven years.
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