1) Press-ups
How to do the exercise
- Set up with your weight supported on your toes and hands beneath your shoulders, body straight.
- Take care to keep your core locked so a straight line forms between your head, glutes and heels.
- Lower your body until your chest is an inch from the ground then explosively drive up by fully extending your arms.
Why
Perform 20 reps of this classic blubber-burner. "Press-ups are a great exercise movement to help improve upper-body pushing strength," says Zack George, CrossFit athlete & the UK’s fittest man.
2) Overhead Crunch
How to do the exercise
- Lie on your back with your arms extended straight over your head so your body forms a straight line.
- Bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor then – keeping your arms locked – contract your abs to crunch your shoulders off the floor.
Why
By extending your arms, your upper body becomes longer, which makes the move more challenging – if you do it right, that is. "The most important thing with this exercise is that you consider your arms an extension of your body – ensure the crunch is performed using your abs and not leading with your arms," says Chris Heron, head coach and founder of The Engine Room London.
3) Pistol Squat
How to do the exercise
- Stand with your arms straight out in front of your body at shoulder level, parallel to the floor. Raise your right leg off the ground and hold it in front of you.
- Push your hips back and lower your body as far as you can. Pause, before pushing your body back to the starting position.
Why
This advanced bodyweight move offers posterior bang-for-buck, challenging your glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip adductors, calves, and core muscles in equal measure. It's an exercise that tests your mobility, balance and stability. It's an advanced movement, so if you need to regress the exercise we recommend using a TRX for additional support.
4) Dips
How to do the exercise
- Grab your dip bars with your palms facing inward and your arms straight.
- Slowly lower until your elbows are at right angles, ensuring they stay tucked against your body and don't flare out.
- Drive yourself back up to the top and repeat.
Why
Dips are arguably the best of all bodyweight exercises for developing upper-body strength and size. They sear your triceps – which make up around 60 per cent of your upper arms, so they're well worth paying attention to – but rep out a few sets of dips and the muscles in your chest, shoulders and back will make themselves known.
5) Star Plank
How to do the exercise
- From a press-up position, walk your palms and toes out and away from your body until they form an x-shape.
- Brace your core to keep a flat line from your head to your hips and toes.
- Hold for the required time then walk back to a normal press-up position.
Why
you might find traditional bodyweight exercises don't offer the same ab-smoking burn. Rather than planking for hours on end, crank up the resistance – and create a new muscle stimulus – with a variation like the star plank.
6) Sit-ups
How to do the exercise
- Lie on the floor with your knees bent.
- Place your hands behind your head and tense your core as you lift your torso up so your upper body forms a V shape with your thighs.
- Lower under control back to the start position.
Why
Focus on engaging your core muscles rather than using momentum to lift your torso. Avoid using your arms to pull your head up as this can put strain on your neck.
7) Superman
How to do the exercise
- Lie face down with your arms extended out in front of you.
- Raise your arms, legs and chest a few inches off the floor and pause at the top of the rep.
- Squeeze your lower back and then lower to the starting position.
Why
The superman strengthens your back – specifically the erector muscles that run along the spine – recruits your glutes and hamstrings, and rocks your core. "Aim to start each repetition by squeezing your glutes and then lifting your limbs off the floor," says Heron.
8) Glute kickback
How to do the exercise
- Kneel on the floor with your hands in a press up position. Slowly lift up one of your legs until your hamstrings are in line with your back.
- Contract the glutes through the move and hold stretch for a second once fully extended.
- Return to the starting position and repeat with your other leg.
Why
Glute kickbacks primarily benefit your gluteal muscles – the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus – but also targets your hamstrings and oils up your hips.
9) Wide-grip Pull-ups
How to do the exercise
- Grab the bar with your palms facing away from you and your arms fully extended.
- Your hands should be as wide as you can comfortably get them.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together, exhale and drive your elbows towards your hips to bring your chin above the bar.
- Lower under control back to the start position.
Why
Normal pull-ups are great back-builders. But why not bring your shoulders into the equation too? Wide-grip pulls-ups are the perfect lat attacker, ramping up the effort needed for every rep compared to your normal pull-up.
10) Mountain Climbers
How to do the exercise
- Drop into a press-up position with your arms completely straight. Brace your core as if you are about to be punched in the gut.
- Without changing your lower-back posture, lift your right foot off the floor and raise your knee to your chest.
- Touch the floor with your right toes. Then simultaneously jump your right foot back to the starting position while bringing your left knee to your chest this time. Alternate back and forth.
Why
As bodyweight exercises go, mountain climbers are a solid all-rounder – building both strength and fitness. "They're great for targeting the core and upper body as well as working on your cardiovascular system," Elliot says. "Make sure to keep your back flat and shoulders directly above your hands.
