10 Exercises You Can Do Almost Anywhere
Who says you need a gym to get fit? Exercises that can be done anywhere mean taking your workout wherever you go. Location need not apply. Whether you have a little room or a lot, these ten exercises can be done almost everywhere.
1 Squats
The quintessential exercise for getting fit anywhere, anytime. Squats have a number of variations that can be done with or without any extra weight. Since the move requires flexibility, core strength, posterior chain mobility, and leg strength, firming your backside could not be easier.
All you need to do is find a place with enough space to stand with your feet at least shoulder width apart and to send your tailbone back as you bend your knees. Do squats in bathroom stalls, stairwells, hotel rooms, at the office, in the storage closet, outside, at the park, or when lifting a bulk item from the shelves at the wholesale market.
2 Push-ups
Where squats work the lower body perfectly, push-ups are an all-encompassing upper body and core stability move with a plethora of modifications. Doing just 10-15 bodyweight push-ups a day is enough to help you maintain upper body strength. And since push-ups are bodyweight, you can drop and give 10 wherever you see fit.
Never fear about having to do the traditional, knees-of-the-floor way all the time, either. Mix it up with decline push-ups, wall push-ups, inverted push-ups, and placing your hands in various positions.
If you do not have the strength to do a military push-up, drop to your knees.
3 Plank
Nothing beats a good plank when it comes to working the core, glutes, quads, shoulders, and arms simultaneously. Plus, plank is all about holding up your bodyweight for a set period of time, so there is no dynamic movement.
Further, you do not need equipment (unless you are on a hard surface and need padding for the elbows or hands). With all the variations, like forearm plank, side plank, and movements like hip dips and raises or mountain climbers, plank can be customized to fit your needs and space. Just remember to keep the wrists in line with the shoulders.
4 Jumping rope
While you may need to bring a jump rope along for the journey, you will not notice the few extra ounces in your bag. Jumping rope is a wonderful way to fit in some cardio when taking your workout outside on hikes, to the park, or to a beach boardwalk, for example. Granted you have enough space, you can even do jump rope indoors on rainy days.
The better you get a jump rope, the more variations you can try. Change your hands, your jumping pattern, or add twists. You can even pair jumping rope with squats and push-ups for a combination that scorches major calories.
5 Table top leg extension
This is an enjoyable stretch and strengthener. Because you are on your hands and knees, table top is a compact position. Moreover, isometric exercises like table top leg extension can have the difficulty increased by merely lifting points of contact from the floor.
When just starting out, you may only want to pulse one leg at a time. As you get more stable, try removing the opposite hand from the ground at the same time as you lift. Breathe and draw the elbow to the knee. Then, you can eventually work to doing the same thing in plank pose.
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6 Downward dog knee pull
Similar to the table top leg extension, the downward dog knee pull is a wonderful strengthener and also stretches the back and hamstrings. However, you will need a bit more room. Outside yoga, anyone?
In the inverted V position, you raise one leg. Then as you bend the knee, you bring it towards the nose. Allow the spine to curve. Extend back out. Repeat with the one leg at least 12 times. Switch the opposite side afterward. Be sure to know how to do Downward Dog correctly first. It will make positioning yourself in knee pull much simpler.
7 High knees
Need to get your heart pumping but find it difficult to go out for a run or do not have the time? High knees should do the trick. Unlike just jogging in place, high knees make you think “knee to chest,” and have you powering through the legs, stabilizing the core, and getting some airtime.
You don’t knee a lot of space for high knees because you never move from where you started. And if you roll through the feet correctly, you do not have to worry about making much noise either. If you get bored doing just high knees, switch between these and butt kickers (heels to bum as you run in place).
8 Jump squats
Unless you are underneath a low ceiling that can be punched through, the squat jump is an explosive movement without much lateral movement. Take your squat position, engage the core, and push up through the feet to jump into the air. When you land, allow the body to naturally soften back into the squat position.
The goal is the land as quietly as possible, as this means controlling the body. 10-15 repetitions, 2-3 sets. Go! Nursing an injury or trying to be stealthy? Do not jump. Just launch yourself onto your tippy-toes, balance for a moment, then roll back through the feet to return to the squat.
9 Lunges
Forward and reverse lunges work the legs and core exceptionally well. Whether you choose to do walking lunges at the park or on a trail or opt for lunges at home alongside the dresser, this is a lower body exercise to know.
The muscles of the legs work together to keep you stabilized as both knees bend to a 90-degree angle. Keep your hands on your hips or raise them overhead as you step forward or back. If you have the space, try around-the-clock lunges, which take your movements to the forward, side, and rear.
10 Dead bug
Move aside crunches, the dead bug exercise is a minimal space gamer changer. As long as you have room to lay down, you have room to work. With this move, you will tighten your midsection, whittle the waistline, and even strengthen the hip flexors. To do this move, you can either have your legs extended or bent at a 90-degree angle.
As one leg moves down, the opposite arm moves in the opposite direction (overhead). The other alternative is bringing the leg into the chest and twisting the opposite arm to reach it. Play around, and work those abdominals.
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Do not let your setting and space hold you back from getting fit. These ten exercises require minimal to no equipment, and moving through them does not require much space. Do them in any order or jumble them up. Either way, you are going to get fitter and more toned wherever you are.