Stream Notes: Bodyweight Exercises At Home
These are the stream notes from a recent 1L2L Facebook Live Stream
I promised our viewers from that stream I would upload my notes from the last episode.
It’s a simple checklist but perhaps in the future I will link back to this page once again and update each exercise with an animated image showing what each exercise looks like. For now check out the Live Stream video above at the 2 hour mark to see me explain these exercises Live (with video examples).
GOOD EXERCISES
- Push ups
- Easier:
- Pushups from knees (keeping butt down and back straight) or leaning on a counter/bench/couch
- Harder:
- Dive bomber pushups (same thing with Cobra push ups) or rotational push ups
- Cobra Pushups (really emphasizes the triceps)
- Plyo Push ups
- Banded Push ups
- Easier:
- Pike Pushups
- Train the shoulders
- Pull ups and Chin Ups
- Easier:
- Band assisted
- Harder
- Add a weight using a dip belt or slotting a dumbbell in between your feet
- Easier:
- Inverted Rows
- (Broomstick between two couches or chairs)
- Make easier by choosing a more upright angle
- Ab crunches / Planks / Any core exercise done on the floor
- Bicycle Crunches
- V-ups
- Leg Lift circuits (flutter kicks, scissor kicks, bicycles, double leg lifts, thrusters, V-ups etc)
- And grabbing on to a pol behind you to do dragon flags/pullovers (actually works you lats too)
- Lower back core strengthening
- Supermans/Sky Divers/Human Canonballs/Swimmers
- Bird Dogs and Fire Hydrants
- Knee Tucks Prone on floor w/ socks (slide your feet towards your waist to engage the abs)
- Mini Dips with shoulders spread apart are OK
- Squats (try doing 1/4 reps focusing on the bottom RoM)
- Lunges
- Bulgarian Split Squats (rear foot elevated)
- Step ups on high step (think of it as a front foot elevated split squat, do not alternate steps)
- Pistol Squats (minor asssist with a bench or couch under you)
- Wall Sits (warm up or burnout)
- Bridge Ham Curls with socks on
- Drinking Birds (aka Single Leg Deadlifts)
- Reverse Hypers (hanging off bench)
- Hip Thrusts / SL Hip thrusts
- And elevated hip thrusts with feet on a bench (or back on bench)
- Calf Raises
- Lateral Plank walks
- “Forearm Side twist planks”
- Step Ups if you have a step
- Cardio is always a great idea and these use body weight only
- Mountain Climbers
- Jumping Jacks
- Air Ropes
- Jogging
- High Knees
- Stance Switches
- Mule Kicks
(dbl leg kick prone starting from a plank position with your hands planted)
- Glute kickbacks
- Nordic Ham Curls
- Hip Thrusts against resistance
"BAD" EXERCISES
Technically there’s no such thing as a “bad” exercise. It’s just that most of these don’t have a good reisk/reward ratio in my book, or they are just designed to be overly fatiguing (although some people like Boot Camp style exercises, and if you’re in the military or a CrossFitter, by all means go for it).
- Any handstand / headstand exercises
- Dips with shoulders rotated
- Instead of putting your arms behind your body to do a dio, try grabbing the sides of the chair, or better yet get two chairs side by side and use them to keep your hands and shoulders in a more comfortable position
- Burpees
- overrated cardio, most people do it wrong anyways because they’re too tired and hurt their back/knees
- Curtsy Squats
- Wide Grip Push ups (bad for shoulder)
- Close Grip “Diamond” Push ups (bad for elbow)
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