It is best to exercise 5-6 times a week. However, if you can manage just 4 days or every alternate day, fine; but not exercising at all is not good. In case you are too busy or you just can’t pull yourselves out of bed early in the morning or are always traveling, worry not. Just do four bodyweight exercises and you are done for the day.
Chair dips, squats, pushups, and planks – these four exercises provide complete body toning and strengthening in only a few minutes. They boost your energy and elevate mood. You feel active and ready to take up the day’s challenges after doing these exercises.
According to fitness trainers, moves of these exercises use weight of the body for resistance. So, they, in a way, make for resistance training too.
Best things about these 4 exercises:
- These exercises are simple to do, yet challenge your body.
- They help to tone muscles and burn calories.
- They require no gym equipment.
- You can do them anytime, anywhere.
- They activate your whole body.
- They can be done in a total time of 10-15 minutes or even less.
These four exercises hit all your major muscle groups. These exercises feature integrated muscle movement. So, you feel energetic, refreshed, and all toned up after doing them.
Exercise #1: Chair Dips
It tones your core and triceps.
- Sit with legs together on the edge of a stable chair.
- Keep your knees bent and your feet resting flat on floor.
- Grip chair edges with your hands.
- Slide your butt off the chair at the front in a manner that your upper body points straight down.
- Pull in your ab muscles. Let your head be firm between shoulders.
- Your elbows should be bent behind you and you must lower yourselves off the chair in a straight line.
- As your upper arms become parallel to the floor, return to the original sitting position.
Exercise #2: Squats
It tones your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
- Stand with feet hip-width apart.
- Lower your body by bending your knees, as if you are about to sit on a chair.
- Your knees should be behind your toes. Make a 90 degrees angle with your bent knees.
- Slowly return to original standing position by squeezing your glutes and pressing through your heels.
Exercise #3: Pushups
It tones your abs, back, hips, triceps, shoulders, and chest
- Hold your body in a basic pushup position. Your hands should be directly under shoulders and your body should be in a straight line.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows out to sides. Lower yourselves as much as you can. Try to almost touch the floor.
- Make sure your body is in a straight line and keep your abs tight.
- Hold for a second.
- Then push your body upwards.
Women, who have never exercised before, may find it difficult to do standard pushups. In this case, you can do pushups on knees. Keep your knees bent at 90 degrees on the floor while doing pushups. Make shallow and controlled movements, if you are unable to go down upto the floor.
For those who find this difficult too can do pushups against a wall. When you gain the strength, you can progress to doing it on the floor.
Exercise #4: Planks
It tones your shoulders, chest, forearms, back, and abs.
- Hold your body in a pushup position.
- Shift your body weight on balls on feet and hands.
- Your wrists should be directly beneath shoulders. Your arms should be straight. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to heels.
- Hold in this position for as long as you are able to. Try to extend up to 60 seconds.
Planks are great for getting a flat tummy.
As you do these exercises daily or 4 times a week or alternate days, you will slowly build up energy and muscle tone. You will begin to feel stronger. Do not strain yourselves. Initially, listen to your body’s capacity. Gradually, you will be able to do more.
Once you become habitual of these 4 exercises, you can add more to your regime.