You won’t need any special equipment for these body strengthening exercises. What’s even better is these are oldies but goodies – you already know how to do them. That means no excuses, you can do them anytime, anywhere. Let’s get started.
Push-ups
Push-ups work as a strengthening exercise because you’ll be lifting about 60% of your body weight when you do them. Add these to your fitness repertoire to build and tone your chest, triceps, and core. Pay attention to your form for best results, your hands should be under your shoulders. Your spine should be straight. It is better to do fewer push-ups in perfect form than to complete a lot with poor form.
Squats
Although squats are typically thought of as a lower body exercise (think about that thigh burn) they are of benefit for the entire body. Sure, you’ll recruit muscles in your calves, quads and glutes, but you’ll also speed up fat burning and build muscle in your entire body – including your abs. Squats improve functional fitness, too, so every day tasks feel easier.
Kettlebell swings
Pick up a kettlebell for a total body workout that combines both cardio and strength training for great results. Start slowly to master form. At 10 swings per minute, you will burn about 100 calories in 5 minutes. After you get the hang of swinging, work your way up to a 20 or 25lb kettlebell. When you swing the heavier weight at a faster rate, you can expect to burn more than 500 calories in just 30 minutes.
Burpees
This is the exercise everyone loves to hate. Do them anyway because they work. You’ll improve your endurance and tone while you burn fat and calories. Burpees tone your arms, quads, chest, glutes, abs. They boost functional fitness, overall exercise and fitness performance and metabolism, too.
These four exercises are a must for total body strengthening and toning. Do them at least three times weekly for an effective workout that benefits your heart and health. Bonus – feeling strong helps you feel more sexy and confident. Not a bad tradeoff for a little exercise.
