The Only 12 Exercises You Need To Get in Shape
The Only 12 Exercises You Need To Get in Shape
The Only 12 Exercises You Need To Get in Shape
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Learn these moves and youll never need to pay for a gym membership
again.
posted on Jan. 1, 2015, at 5:40 p.m.
Sally Tamarkin
BuzzFeed Staff
Chris Ritter
BuzzFeed Staff
Carolyn Kylstra
BuzzFeed Staff
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed / Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed
Bodyweight exercises are moves that use only your bodys weight as resistance,
such as pushups and lunges no equipment needed. Theyre a staple in many
high-intensity circuit training (HICT) workouts. HICT workouts are intense and quick
like crazy quick. Like, you do them in less than 30 minutes quick. That means
you can get in great shape without going to the gym, spending hours working out,
or using any workout equipment at all. (Seriously; its science.) Youve just gotta
know the right moves.
BuzzFeed Life reached out to personal trainer and exercise physiologist Albert
Matheny, C.S.C.S., founder of SoHo Strength Lab, and asked him to come up with a
list of 12 exercise moves that are essential for anyone who wants to be able
to do a workout anywhere and anytime. He also came up with nine different
workouts that are various combinations of these moves. But you can think of these
12 moves as the building blocks for tons of variations of quick, do-anywhere HICT
workouts.
Some of these moves have instructions for how to make them easier and others
dont. For the moves that dont have make it easier instructions, just perform the
movements as well as you can. Know that its better to do just a few reps of each
movement perfectly, rather than doing many reps of the movements wrong. Cool!
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed. Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed.
Do
Place your hands directly under your shoulders.
Position your feet hip-width apart.
Maintain a plank position; your body should be in a straight line from from the back
of your head to your hips.
Keep your neck neutral, keeping it in line with your shoulders.
As you lower, keep your elbows close to your body.
Dont
Let your butt sag or stick up.
Tilt your head up or tuck it in.
Allow your shoulders to come towards your ears.
Make it easier
Widen the distance between your feet for better stability.
Or perform the pushup as described above, but rather than starting in and returning
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to a plank position, do the pushup with your knees touching the ground. Just make
sure to keep your back and thighs in a straight line.
2. Plank
Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed. Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed.
Do
Plant your hands under your shoulders, or slightly wider apart.
Squeeze your glutes. (That would be your butt.)
Keep your body in a straight line from the top of your head through your feet.
Tighten your core.
Tuck your chin.
Fix your gaze on the floor, either between or just beyond your hands.
Dont
Let your butt lift or sag.
Lift your head.
Hold the position if your form is suffering the only good exercise move is one that
you do right.
Make it easier
Hold the position for a shorter period of time.
3. Glute Bridge
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed / Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed
Do
Lie on your back.
Place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, toes pointing forward, with your
knees bent.
Contract your abs.
Push through your heels to lift your hips off the floor.
Dont
Stop contracting your abs.
Push your hips so high that the neutral position of your hips and back becomes
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compromised.
4. Spider Lunge
Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed. Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed.
Do
Start in the top of a pushup position.
Bring your right foot to the outside of your right hand.
Land with a flat foot.
Bring your foot back to the starting position.
Repeat on other side.
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5. Plank Tap
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed. Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed.
Do
Begin in a plank position.
Lightly tap your left shoulder with your right hand.
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6. Squat
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed. Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed.
Do
Position your feet somewhere between hip- and shoulder-width apart.
Turn your toes out as needed to accommodate flexibility through the movement.
Keep your chest tall.
Look ahead and slightly up.
Be sure your knees are tracking in line with your toes.
Squat as deep as your flexibility allows.
Dont
Let your knees travel forward past your toes.
Let your knees buckle inwards.
Lift your heels off the ground.
Shift your weight to your toes.
Make it easier
Keep the squat shallow if going deeper is difficult or pulling uncomfortably.
7. Side Lunge
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed. Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed.
Do
Keep your chest up.
Shift your weight through your midfoot and heel.
Lunge as low as your flexibility allows.
Dont
Let your knees travel forward past your toes.
8. Squat Jump
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed. Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed.
Do
Squat until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
Keep your chest up.
Hold your arms straight in front of you as you squat, pushing them behind your back
as you jump.
Jump as high as you can.
Exhale as you jump.
Land softly.
Dont
Allow your knees to travel past your toes.
Shift your weight to your toes while squatting.
9. Jumping Lunge
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed. Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed.
Do
Keep your front knee at 90 degrees.
Lunge as low as flexibility allows without the back knee touching the floor.
Maintain a vertical torso.
Keep your weight evenly distributed between your front and back foot.
Jump to switch your foot positioning front foot goes back, back foot goes front.
Coordinate arm movement so that the front arm pumps forward while the opposite
leg lunges back.
Land softly.
Dont
Allow your knee to touch the floor.
Make it easier
Dont jump just do regular lunges.
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed. Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed.
Do
Maintain a flat back.
Keep your core tight.
Keep your weight evenly distributed in your planted leg.
Raise one leg straight behind you, keeping your toes pointed down, as you bend
forward, hinging at the hips.
Bend only as low as your flexibility allows.
Pull yourself back to standing using the hamstring (the back) of your planted leg.
Keep your head neutral.
Dont
Reach for the floor by leading with your fingertips, which causes your back to round
instead, focus on keeping the back flat and hinging at the hips.
Try to touch the floor if your flexibility will not allow it.
Alternate legs between each rep stick to one leg per set, and then switch to the
other leg for the next set.
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed. Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed.
Do
Start in a straight standing position.
Step one foot backwards.
Keep your front knee at a 90-degree angle.
Keep your chest up.
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12. Walkout
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed. Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed.
Do
Keep your legs as straight as your flexibility allows.
Keep your back flat.
Bend at the waist and place your hands on the floor in front of you.
Maintain a tight core as you walk your hands forward until youre in plank position
and then backward to standing.
Push your hips as high as possible and press your heels into the ground as you
walk your hands back in.
Dont
Walk your hands past the pushup position.
Allow your hips to sag below neutral.
Sway side to side from your hips.
Bring your shoulders up toward your ears.
Make it easier
Bend your knees slightly if youre unable to reach the ground, with the goal of
increasing your flexibility over time and working toward straight legs.
Format A.
30 seconds on, 10 seconds off; youll need 3 exercise moves total.
Movement 1: 30 seconds
REST: 10 seconds
Movement 2: 30 seconds
REST: 10 seconds
Movement 3: 30 seconds
Complete the circuit 10 times.
Heres an example of Format A:
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed / Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed
Format B.
Youll need 4 exercise moves total for this type, and you break them apart into 2
moves for PART A MINI-CIRCUIT and PART B MINI-CIRCUIT. Then you do 10 reps
of each move in a mini-circuit, repeat the mini-circuit 8 times. Rest, and move on to
the next mini-circuit. It looks like this:
PART A MINI-CIRCUIT
Movement 1: 10 reps
Movement 2: 10 reps
Repeat PART A x 8
Rest 2 minutes
PART B MINI-CIRCUIT
Movement 3: 10 reps
Movement 4: 10 reps
Repeat PART B x 8
Heres an example of Format B:
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed / Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed
Format C.
Do each round of moves starting on the minute for 4 minutes; youll need 4 exercise
moves total.
Start the clock: do 10 reps of movement 1
When youre done with your 10 reps, do jumping jacks until minute 1
Starting at minute 1: 10 reps of movement 2
When youre done with your 10 reps, do jumping jacks until minute 2
Starting at minute 2: 10 reps of movement 3
When youre done with your 10 reps, do jumping jacks until minute 3
Starting at minute 3: 10 reps of movement 4
Rest.
Repeat x 5
Heres an example of Format C:
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Photos by Lauren Zaser for BuzzFeed / Design by Chris Ritter for BuzzFeed.
YOUR REACTION?
Tagged:bodyweight exercises, bodyweight workouts, exercise moves, fitness, original health project, original life project, viral, win,
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Contributions
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hypermusictv
about 3 weeks ago
Omg listen this actually works,Ive been doing this for 2 months and have been
getting complements on my arm muscles lately,I went to the gym ages 14-16 ish
and was always just skinny.
18 now,1+ years vegan,190cm(63) guy.
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MHZayed
about a month ago
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ibisnoxkai
about 3 months ago
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normar4fa4515c3
about 4 months ago
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Anisah786x
about 4 months ago
This is perfect. Ive been searching all over for good exercises to get back in
shape and these are the best ones yet!
Thank you BuzzFeed.
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amazingsain
about 6 months ago
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anilb2
about a year ago
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emilys46d985b36
about a year ago
Love thes
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phillipc45b74cd08
about a year ago
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ricard
about a year ago
There are many pushing and lowerbody exercises, but I miss pulling / upper back
exercises: traps, deltoids, spine erectors, among others. Theyre harder to come
up on body weight alone, but imho necessary because modern life makes us
crouch otherwise. Find some bar in the park or buy a pullup bar.
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superkane
about a year ago
Years ago my mom was doing #6 Squat when she lost balance and fell over edge
and down the stairs. This mishap broke her collar bone and wrist. Take care of
where you do your exercises, kids.
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Abrenoite
about a year ago
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Eevee4550
about a year ago
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alexanderf4e3f963f1
about a year ago
I guess so if being in shape means moderately flexible and not so weak that
you cant support your own weight. If being in shape means more than that,
youll need a little more than this.
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thejadeshow
about a year ago
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hannahk49b2466de
about a year ago
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lisal32
about a year ago
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PunkiiBrewster
about a year ago
I was thinking the same thing. His butt is not out and his knees are forward
over his toes.
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harrietteeulaliaa
about a year ago
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harrietteeulaliaa
about a year ago
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carriek5
about a year ago
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carriek5
about a year ago
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Cici33
about a year ago
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beauh4dee17119
about a year ago
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twenty87
about a year ago
Pretty much. But I agree, as much as everyone hates them, Burpees should be
on this list.
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eladiac
about a year ago
This all the training I got in Basic training in the Army and it got me in the best
shape I have ever been.
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dejaa2
about a year ago
Love
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ashleyc4d3106415
about a year ago
However if you have a shoulder injury and neck and back injury your fucked and
cant do these. Awesome something else that wont help. Yay
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laurae4ce2d98c3
about a year ago
?
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shegotyouhigh
about a year ago
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MissTrixi1105
about a year ago
Thank you for using models who look healthy and fit but not totally (and maybe
unhealthily?) addicted to exercise!!
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puteriarivia
about a year ago
Greatt!!!
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IAmCharlene2000
about a year ago
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donnas4a4cb7adb
about a year ago
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tomk4f57a71ba
about a year ago
No burpees? Fail. Burpees are fucking atrocious - one if the toughest and most
effective bodyweight exercises out there, they train your whole body and are as
much a cardio as a strength workout. I hate burpees. But my body loves them!
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andread14
about a year ago
The problem is that I wont do any of these at home, and outside there is
NATURE. But I will do them at the gym. Paying LA Fitness money each month is
what motivates me top actually work out.
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Tyler C
about a year ago
I need to go to the gym first to get in enough shape just to do these properly
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jjenniferp
about a year ago
hannahk49b2466de
about a year ago
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Nerdilista Neda
about a year ago
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glitterbabe
about a year ago
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resty
about a year ago
ive done squats lunges push up and planks thanks for the others!
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margnavarro
about a year ago
any possibility of this being made into an app? would love to have this mobile :)
Love it.
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shomarij
about a year ago
Try 7 minute workout. Pretty similar and there are lots of apps
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jetstarfanter
about a year ago
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Benajnimectralonum
about a year ago
I have seen these exercises burn out the most seasoned athletes. If you are not
feeling a burn when doing these, increase intensity and change the succession
you are doing them in. I have tricked myself into thinking I have advanced beyond
these exercises but they are fundamentals that should not be forgotten about.
Additionally, there are modified variances for all of these that can make them
more simple for beginners or more difficult for the advanced.
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beautyism
about a year ago
so wheres the part that tells us how each exercise is good for our bodies and the
areas each exercise focuses on. Why would anyone do this if they dont know
what results to expect?
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taysic
about a year ago
with the exception of the jumping moves.. add some deep breathing and this is
yoga.
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badayeppeo
about a year ago
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