Hindu...

I must remember these:

Best bodyweight exercise?

Another freebie - this looks difficult...

...and as for the Spinal Rock...

Free Bodyweight Exercise Report

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More Bodyweight Exercises

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More bodyweight exercises

Bear crawls - Find yourself some space. Now get down on all fours and walk around like a bear. Sounds easy, right? Do this for three to five minutes and see what you get out of it. Works the entire body. Good for a warm-up, too. Yes, you'll look like that kid from 'The Jungle Book', but this movement should not be overlooked.

Crab walk - You're on all fours, but this time you're facing upwards. Very awkward, and much more of a challenge to your coordination than the bear crawls. Builds strength and endurance.

Crocodile walk - You're face down again. This time the object is to crawl along the floor with your torso as close to the floor as possible without touching. It's hard to describe the leg/foot and arm/hand positioning. Just plop down and figure out what works for you. Helps body control, and develops strength. With all of the crawling movements, just go until you feel fatigued. Track your progress by what distance you can cover. For instance, how many laps can you crawl around the mat or dojang? Set ever-increasing goals.

Lemon Squeezers - This used to be my favorite ab/torso strengthener, and I need to get back on them myself. Lie flat on your back with legs straight and arms extended above your head. Now, "jack knife" your body by raising your legs straight up, and crunching your stomach until your toes and fingers meet straight above your body. Legs and arms are straight thoughout the movement. Imagine that you're squeezing a giant lemon with your body.

Neck nods - Here's an old boxer's trick to help build neck strength and endurance. The old-timers swear this will help you take a punch..give it a try. Lie flat on your back with legs straight, and hands at your side. Now "nod" your head until your chin touches your upper chest. Return your head to the mat, and repeat continously. Try to do 50 of these and see how you feel. For a harder challenge, nod for 50 reps, and then hold your head in the "up position" and begin turning your head from left to right at a slow but steady rate. Do these for 50. When you can nod for 100 you're getting some strength.

Lunges - Stand with feet close together. Now step forward with one leg into a deep lunge, and keep the other leg straight. Push yourself back up and repeat with the other leg. Be careful not to let your knee go farther than your toes on the leg that lunges forward. Lunges and hindu squats comprise my core movements for lower body strength and endurance. Don't overdo the lunges in the beginning unless your significant other doesn't mind helping you get off of the toilet (you think I'm joking...ha ha). Keep it to 10 each leg, and try to work yourself up to 20 to 30. I used to do 30 on each leg (total set of 60) with a 35 pound plate held at my chest. I need to get back there. Dumbbells are also good to add resistance when you start getting used to these.

Bootstrappers - Get yourself in a standard pushup position. Now walk your hands back until they are about 2 and a half feet in front of your toes (adjust accordingly for your body size). You are now in a "jack knife" position with legs straight. Now bend your knees until your butt touches your heels, arms are still straight. Straighten your legs and repeat continously. This is another good warm-up exercise for the legs, but also really helps strengthen the knees.

Exploding Star Jumps - Don't do these until your muscles and joints are warmed up pretty good. I recommend wearing athletic shoes and exercising on a somewhat soft surface (carpet or a mat). Slowly lower yourself into a full squatting position. Now explode upward and forward as high, hard and fast as you can. As your body reaches it's apex...extend your arms and legs into a "star" shape. Cushion your landing by flexing your knees, don't land with stiff legs. Jumping and extending not only develops power, but also challenges your coordination and body control. Go for quality, not quantity on these. Five to ten is plenty



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Bodyweight Exercises

This post described the following bodyweight exercises:

• Handstand Pushups
• One-arm Pushups
• Door Pull-ups
• One-Legged Squats
• Knee Jumps
• Headstand Leg raises
• Mahler Body Blaster.

I have stolen all the below from here

Lets get into each exercise in more detail:

Handstand Pushups - View Exercise

Imagine an upper body exercise that is the equivalent to the squat and you get an idea effectiveness of the handstand pushup. In addition to making your shoulders super strong, "pump" addicts will love how this exercise blows your arms up.

To execute a handstand pushup, get a few inches away from a wall and kick in to a handstand against the wall. Your legs should be straight up the wall.

Rather than looking straight down, look forward just as you would when doing a barbell military press. Lower yourself under control to the floor and when your head touches the floor, press yourself back up to the starting position. Repeat for 5-10 reps. If you cannot complete one rep, do a static hold and work in some negatives.

One-Arm Pushup - View Exercise

This is a great exercise to build up the pecs. It requires a great deal of stability and will fry the triceps and shoulders as well. Place one arm behind your back and lower yourself to the floor with the other arm. Once your chest touches the floor, press yourself back up.

If you find the standard one-arm pushup to easy apply a technique from strength coach Pavel Tsatsouline, author of "The Naked Warrior"(www.dragondoor.com) and do one-arm one-leg pushups. Hold one leg up in the air as you do a one-arm pushup.

Door Pull-up - View Exercise

Here is a pulling exercise that can be done with just about any door (assuming that the door that you choose is not too flimsy). Open a door halfway and place a towel over the top. Place your hands on the towel and let yourself hang off of the door.

Pull yourself up against the door until your chin is over the top of the door. Lower yourself slowly back to the starting position.

One Legged Squat - View Exercise

Forget about hundreds of bodyweight squats, the one legged squat is the best leg exercise that you can do with your bodyweight. Moreover, it is one of the best leg exercises period. Hold one leg in front of you and hold your arms out straight ahead. Looking forward at all times, lower yourself slowly on one leg.

As you pass the parallel position, flex your butt and stomach as hard as you can and pull yourself down to the bottom position. Hold the bottom position for a second and rise back up to the starting position. If you cannot complete a rep then check out my article on the stair step approach to the one-legged squat.

Knee Jump - View Exercise

Now it is time to work the hamstrings and develop some explosive power. Start the exercise by kneeling on the ground. Make sure that you feet are flat and that you butt is resting on your calves. Look forward at all times. To initiate the exercise, swing your arms back and then forward immediately.

As you swing your arms forward jump from your knees to your feet in one explosive movement. The finish position will look like the bottom position of a squat. Slowly get yourself back to the starting position and repeat.

Headstand Leg Raise - View Exercise

I picked up this exercise from top MMA fighter Frank Shamrock. Fold a towel and place it on the floor. Get on all fours and place the top of your head on the towel. Place your arms out right in front of you and touch the floor with your palms. Now press your palms into the floor and slowly raise your legs off of the floor.

Keep going until you are in a headstand. From there, lower your feet slowly back to the floor. If you cannot do one rep, then hold the bottom position for time with your feet just a few inches off of the floor.

Mahler Body Blaster - View Exercise

Here is an exercise that works just about every muscle in the body and when done in high reps sets of 25-30 will have you huffing and puffing in no time. Start the exercise by standing up and looking straight ahead. Go into a full squat and then do a half roll back.

Touch your feet to the floor behind your head and quickly reverse the motion. Roll forward into the bottom position of a squat. From there jump into the top position of a pushup. Do a pushup and then return back to the bottom position of the squat. Stand up and repeat. Save this exercise for the end of your workouts on the road as a finisher.

Try doing a circuit with the above exercises in which you go from one exercise to the next with short breaks. Do five circuits in one workout and keep the rep range between 5-10 on all of the exercises except for the Mahler Body Blaster. Save that for the end and work up to 25-50 repetitions in on set.

Workout Program

Try doing a circuit with the below exercises in which you go from one exercise to the next with short breaks. Do five circuits in one workout.

Handstand Pushups - 5-10 Reps
One-Arm Pushup - 5-10 Reps
Door Pull-up - 5-10 Reps
One Legged Squat - 5-10 Reps
Knee Jump - 5-10 Reps
Headstand Leg Raise - 5-10 Reps
Mahler Body Blaster - Work up to 25-50 Reps

Click here for a printable log of this workout! If you print it out then maybe you'll keep to it!

Bodyweight Exercises

There are plenty of websites detailing bodyweight exercises (no gym required). This is one of the best ones:

Since you're busy, the full body and bodyweight exercises here can be done in a space the size of your bathroom and need little or no equipment. The most you'll even need is an exercise ball or a medicine ball.

But why do bodyweight exercises?

Reason #1: Many people think they don't have the time to exercise.

One thing is true... many people don't have the time to exercise CONVENTIONALLY—which means 30 minutes a day, plus the time it takes to get to the gym and then the time it takes to shower afterwards. It seems like the demands of today's society have grown exponentially.

Bodyweight exercises give you the ability to exercise quickly and efficiently in your office, at home, outside, in a hotel room, or any other place you may be. It is a relief to many people to find out that you don't need to go the gym to have an awesome workout. Most bodyweight exercises can be done in a 6X6 space.

Bodyweight exercise - the wheel or full bridge

Reason #2: Many people have low energy and for that reason have trouble finding the reserves to exercise at all.

This is unfortunately a fact that stops many people from exercising, but just doing a few quick twists, push ups, tablemakers, squats and other bodyweight gems, you can get the energy you've been looking for—quick.

To understand why you have little energy if you are not working out or not keeping a steady schedule and why these bodyweight exercises work we need to look at exercise and energy at a very basic level.

Inside your cells (don't worry, we'll make this as simple as possible!), little powerhouses (called mitochondria) produce the energy your body uses to function. When you are inactive, the number of powerhouses in your cells is decreased because your body does not need them. If you don't exercise frequently, chances are your body is only efficient for what you do most... not exercise.

When you exercise, the mitochondria in your cells multiply because your body needs to produce more energy. When this happens, there are more powerhouses in your cells and you produce more energy. These powerhouses don't just go away after you exercise... they stay in your body and produce energy when needed.

This is how exercise gets you the energy you need to do the things you want!

The number of mitochondria start to decrease again only after a period of inactivity. So once you can sustain a level of exercise (changes in your physiology can start after your first minute of exercise), you will be able to sustain a level of energy that you may never have had before!

Bodyweight programs will give you the flexibility to workout more frequently without having to worry about where and when. They are perfect for the busy person.

Reason #3: The gym is not for everyone. And it's expensive!

The investment in a few bodyweight exercise programs and books can save you thousands of dollars a year in gym fees. The cost of an exercise book or DVD is less than any monthly gym fee I've seen recently and these exercises will last you a lifetime.

Reason #4: Gym equipment can get you injured and does not prepare you for everyday functional strength.

Bench press, squats with weight, dead lift, shoulder press, etc. We don't need to list all the exercises that will injure you at the gym. Adding weights to a workout that is just as demanding without them is a recipe for injury.

The merry-go-round is great for back pain.

Bodyweight exercises use your own weight as resistance. By doing these exercises you increase your flexibility, balance and strength all at once. You no longer need to separate stretching, abs, legs, chest, and warm-up. When you progress through a well thought out bodyweight plan, you will hit many of these places with two or three exercises!

Reason #5: Not everyone has the money for a personal trainer, but everyone has the equipment!

Personal Training is fantastic. It is wonderful to have someone with you and rooting for you the entire way through a physical transformation. It is also expensive. Some personal trainers can charge $100 or more an hour.

Again, you can pay $30-50 on a DVD and a book of bodyweight exercises that will last you just about as long as they continue to make DVD players.

You don't have to pay a dime for the equipment.

Reason #6: Some weight training programs have little flexibility. There is little freedom in a set exercise plan.

Places like Curves and Slender Lady work on a circuit training system where you do the same exercises every time in an allotted time. I think that's pretty boring. There are thousands of bodyweight exercises that you can bring into your toolbox and use when you're tired of others.

We suggest you try to incorporate as many bodyweight exercises in your workouts. If you don't like one, there are most likely 2 or 3 others that work the same muscles, so you don't have to worry that you're missing out on a body part!

Reason #7: Incredible benefits!

Once you start using bodyweight exercises in your weekly routine, here are only a few things that will happen to you:

• You will feel more energized during the day.
• You will wake up with energy.
• You will be more productive at work or at home.
• You will find more time to do the things you want to do and have the energy to do them.
• You will have better relationships.
• You will have more self-confidence.
• You will have better sex.
• You will feel great and smile more often (I promise!)

You can browse the bodyweight exercises by category or just scroll down this page.

• Stretches
• Full Body and Bodyweight Exercises
• Bodyweight Exercises for Chest, Arm, Back, Shoulders, and Upper Body
• Bodyweight Exercises for Legs, Butt, Thighs, and Lower Body
• Core and Abs Bodyweight Exercises
• Exercise Ball Exercises
• Medicine Ball Exercises

Full Body and Bodyweight Exercises - The Stretcher This exercise is like the Tablemaker, but is harder. The Stretcher will also bring you a little bit of soreness the next morning in places you never knew existed. . . . keep reading

Full Body and Bodyweight Exercises - Wall Walk We are convinced that wall walking works every muscle in your body! Do this exercise and you will begin to increase your energy levels right away by opening up your spine loosening years of muscular stress. . . . keep reading

Full Body and Bodyweight Exercises - Wings of Fire The Wings of Fire is a great warm up exercise to get oxygen into your lungs and upper extremities and to get your heart pumping. This exercise requires a type of breathing called "Breath of Fire." This is a very quick and deep breath taken in from your belly through your nose and then forced out quickly, again, through your nose. . . . keep reading

Full Body and Bodyweight Exercises - Yoga Squat This squat alternative for your legs and entire body is nice on the knees and great for the heart. . . . keep reading

Full Body and Bodyweight Exercises - The Tower The Tower is a yoga position that is not for the faint hearted! Do this to perfect your balance, strengthen your neck and strengthen your core. Be sure you know how to bail out of this exercise, so you don't injure yourself. . . . keep reading

Medicine Ball Exercises - Wall Chair Ball Toss Add a pushup to the Squat Thrust and you have a serious whole body workout. If you can do 100 it's like a marathon for all your muscles! (Though 6-10 is extremely sufficient!) . . . keep reading

Stretches - Yoga Quad Stretch Yoga Quad Stretch will really get your hip flexors and quadriceps loose and limber! This stretch will help you do many of the other exercises in this program with ease and flexibility. You should do this and the Core Loosener often! . . . keep reading

Medicine Ball Exercises - Squat Thrust with Ball Add a pushup to the Squat Thrust and you have a serious whole body workout. If you can do 100 it's like a marathon for all your muscles! (Though 6-10 is extremely sufficient!) . . . keep reading

Medicine Ball Exercises - Squat with Ball Overhead The squat is the essential lower body exercise. You do not need heavy WEIGHT to make this effective, contrary to popular belief. Bodyweight squats will increase circulation and allow you to have increased stamina and energy. . . . keep reading

Stretches - Standing Quad Stretch The Standing Quad Stretch will lengthen your hip flexors so you will have greater range of motion and reduce the chance of injury while doing any activity. . . . keep reading

Medicine Ball Exercises - Single Leg Pick Up Single Leg Pickups are great for strength in your legs, your core and your arms. Do a bunch of these and you will no longer have to worry about losing your balance! If you loose your balance during this exercise, don't get frustrated... recognize when you loose it and concentrate more on being centered. You'll get it, we promise! . . . keep reading

Stretches - Side Back Stretch This back stretch will loosen up your lower back quickly and safely! . . . keep reading

Medicine Ball Exercises - Side to Side Crunch Haven't seen your six pack in a while? Try these out for a few weeks and see the results. . . . keep reading

Medicine Ball Exercises - Push Up on Medicine Ball This exercise is done just like a regular pushup, except you bring your hands in closer and balance on the ball. This will work your chest as well as your triceps and shoulders. Vary different pushups and you'll find that you can do more and more with greater ease. You can also do a modified version of this on your knees. . . . keep reading

Medicine Ball Exercises - Rise and Shine with Medicine Ball This form of sit-up doesn't let you cheat! You have to focus on using only your abs to lift you upright. When you get better at these, you will notice your abs becoming rock solid and your balance and posture getting better! . . . keep reading

Stretches: One Leg Squat Stretch
The One Leg Squat Stretch not only opens up your hips, it also helps with your balance. . . . keep reading