A few days ago I discussed 9 fun family exercise ideas you could try this Christmas. However, sometimes it is just too cold or too icy to go outside. In fact sometimes you just don’t fancy the cold and would prefer to stay inside.

If that happens don’t worry – you can still fit in some exercise. Whilst a gym and open spaces certainly give you more options when it comes to exercise, they are not essential. Today I am going to be proving that point by listing 12 weightless workouts you can perform within the comfort of your own home. You don’t need any equipment for these workouts – just you and your bodyweight.

1) BRIDGE

The bridge is a great stretch for your lower back. It can improve posture and help to relieve lower back pain associated with poor posture and sitting on a chair for too long. To perform the bridge watch the video and follow the instructions below.

Video:

Instructions:
- Lie flat on your back with your legs and arms outstretched.
- Bend your arms and legs so that your hands and feet are flat on the floor.
- Push up with your arms and legs and arch your back.
- Hold for 30 seconds.

2) BOX SPLITS

The box splits are a stretch most guys probably think are reserved for girls. However, there are plenty of advantages of doing box splits for guys as well. They increase your range of motion, reduce your chances of injury when playing sports and much more. To perform box splits watch the video and follow the instructions below. If you are struggling use the cushion trick in the video:

Video:

Instructions:
- Stand with your legs as wide as they can go without becoming uncomfortable or causing you to lose your balance.
- Place your hands on the floor.
- Slowly widen your legs even further. This will feel slightly uncomfortable as you are pushing your legs past their normal range of motion. However, if it starts to feel painful stop immediately.
- Hold for 30 seconds.

3) HAMSTRING STRETCH

The hamstring stretch is another great way to improve your functional flexibility for sports. It also helps with day to day things such as putting on your shoes and socks (it’s much easier to do this when you can touch your toes without bending your legs). To perform the hamstring stretch watch the video and follow the instructions below:

Video:

Instructions:
- Sit with your legs straight out in front of you.
- Try to touch your toes with your hands whilst keeping your legs straight.
- If you cannot do this, touch as far down your legs as possible whilst keeping them straight.
- If you can do this, try to touch your head to your knees whilst keeping your legs straight.
- Hold for 30 seconds.

4) SHOULDER STRETCH

The shoulder stretch improves the flexibility of your chest and shoulders. To perform the shoulder stretch watch the video and follow the instructions below:

Video:

Instructions:
- Whilst standing place one arm horizontally across your chest.
- Hook this arm with your other arm and pull it towards your chest.
- Hold for 30 seconds.
- Repeat with your second arm.

5) TRICEP STRETCH

The tricep stretch is a great stretch for both your upper back and your triceps. To perform the tricep stretch watch the video (exercise 1a) and follow the instructions below:

Video:

Instructions:
- Whilst standing place one arm behind your head and bend your elbow so that your hand is touching your upper back.
- Push down on your elbow with your other arm.
- This will feel slightly uncomfortable as you are pushing your tricep and shoulder past their normal range of motion. However, if it starts to feel painful stop immediately.
- Hold for 30 seconds.
- Repeat with your second arm.

6) GOMUKHASANA ARMS

This strange sounding stretch is one of the best I have ever come across. It improves the flexibility of your arms, shoulders and upper back. To perform gomukhasana arms watch the video and follow the instructions below. If you are struggling use a belt, strap or towel as shown in the video:

Video:

Instructions:
- Whilst standing place one arm behind your head and bend your elbow so that your hand is touching your upper back.
- Place your other arm behind your lower back and bend your elbow so that your hand is also touching your upper back.
- Try to touch your hands together.
- Hold for 30 seconds.
- Repeat with your arms the other way around.

7) PRESS UPS

Press ups are an old but effective weightless workout that can strengthen your chest and triceps. To perform press ups watch the video and follow the instructions below:

Video:

Instructions:
- Lie flat on your stomach, place your hands parallel to your chest and straighten your legs out behind you.
- Raise your body off the floor and support your weight with your feet and hands.
- Keep your body straight and slowly bend your elbows until your nose touches the floor.
- Slowly extend your arms and raise your body back to the starting position.
- Repeat for as many repetitions as possible and try increase your reps each time you do press ups.

8) CHIN UPS

Chin ups are another old but very useful way to strengthen your biceps and upper back. To perform a chin up you will need a chin up bar. Once you have the chin up bar watch the video and follow the instructions below:

Video:

Instructions:
- Grab the chin up bar with your palms facing towards you.
- Bend your knees so that your feet are off the ground and hang from the chin up bar.
- Slowly bend your elbows and arms and raise your chin above the bar.
- Slowly extend your elbows and arms and lower yourself down to the starting position.
- Repeat for as many repetitions as possible and try to increase your reps each time you do chin ups.

9) DIPS

Dips are a great weightless workout for your triceps. Simply grab a chair and you are good to go. To perform dips watch the video and follow the instructions below. If you want to really up the intensity use 2 chairs as shown at the end of the video:

Video:

Instructions:
- Sit on the floor with a chair behind you and your legs out straight in front of you.
- Place your hands on the chair with your palms facing down.
- Extend your arms and your legs so that your bum and legs are raised off the ground.
- Slowly bend your elbows and lower your body whilst still keeping your bum and legs off the ground.
- Straighten your elbows and raise your body back to the starting position.
- Repeat for as many repetitions as possible and try to increase your reps each time you do dips.

10) HAND STAND SHOULDER PRESS

This one is probably the most difficult exercise on the list but it is well worth it as it gives your shoulders a brilliant workout. To perform the hand stand shoulder press watch the video and follow the instructions below:

Video:

Instructions:
- Perform a hand stand against a wall with your back against the wall.
- Get as close to the wall as possible and try to keep your back and legs straight.
- Bend your elbows and lower your body until just before your head touches the floor.
- Extend your arms and raise your body back to the starting position.
-Repeat for as many repetitions as possible and try to increase your reps each time you do hand stand shoulder presses.

11) SQUATS

Squatting is usually a resistance exercise but if you increase the reps it still gives your legs a perfectly good weightless workout. To perform squats watch the video and follow the instructions below. If you are struggling use the chair trick from the video to get started:

Video:

Instructions:
- Stand up straight with your arms out in front of you and your feet parallel to your shoulders.
- Slowly bend your legs whilst keeping your upper body straight until your knees and bum are parallel.
- Slowly extend your legs and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for as many repetitions as possible and try to increase your reps each time you do squats.

12) PLANKS

Planks are a very underrated abdominal exercise. To perform planks watch the video and follow the instructions below:

Video:

Instructions:
- Lie flat on your stomach, bend your elbows and place your forearms beside your chest.
- Raise your body off the floor and support your weight with your feet and forearms.
- Keep your body straight and hold for as long as possible. Try to increase the time you hold this for each time you do planks.

SUMMARY

If you are not a fan of cold weather then I hope these weightless workouts have helped give you an exercise plan you can use. If you do each of these 12 exercises on a daily basis you will be able to improve your strength and flexibility over the festive period without ever leaving your house.

Now I want to hear from you guys. Do you prefer working out from home or do you brave the outdoors? Do you have any additional weightless workouts that you would like to suggest? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Hello everyone.  As regular readers of Free Fitness Tips will probably know I have been participating in the Slendertone 6 Week Plan.  I am now almost at the end of the 6 weeks but have still not fully explained the exercise routines that are part of the plan (despite numerous promises that I would do this in previous posts).  So today I am finally going to discuss these exercise routines in greater detail.

INTRODUCTION

As I discussed in my initial post on the Slendertone 6 Week Plan, it consists of two main parts:
- 1) Five Weekly Slendertone System-Abs Toning Sessions.
- 2) Three 30 Minute Exercise Sessions.

These three 30 minute exercise sessions are actually two different workout plans that are alternated three times a week over the 6 week period as follows:
- 1) Week 1:- Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 1.
- 2) Week 2:- Plan 2, Plan 1, Plan 2.
- 3) Week 3:- Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 1.
- 4) Week 4:- Plan 2, Plan 1, Plan 2.
- 5) Week 5:- Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 1.
- 6) Week 6:- Plan 2, Plan 1, Plan 2.

Each workout plan is basically a 30 minute circuit training routine that can be performed within the comfort of your own home.  Below I will be discussing each plan in greater detail.

WORKOUT PLAN 1

Workout plan 1 consists of 11 exercises in total each of which is explained below:

1) Skipping (1 Minute):- This exercise can be performed with or without a rope.  If you do not have a rope simply replicate the skipping motion with your body.

2) Step Ups (2 Minutes Total – 1 Minute on the Left Leg, 1 Minute on the Right Leg):- Use your staircase and step up two steps then down two steps.  Lead with your left leg for one minute and then lead with your right leg for a further minute.

3) Half Jacks (1 Minute):- To begin step to the right and place your weight on your right leg.  As you do this raise both arms sideways so that they are parallel to the floor.  Then return to your starting position and repeat the same motion but stepping to the left.  Continue performing half jacks for one minute alternating between your left and right side.

4) Leg Curls (1 Minute):- To begin step to the right, moving your left foot behind your right foot.  Then step to the right again moving your right foot back to the normal standing position.  After this curl your left leg towards your buttock and remain balanced on your right leg.  Then return your left leg to the ground and step to the left, moving your right foot behind your left foot.  After this step to the left again moving your left foot back to the normal starting position.  Then curl your right leg towards your buttock and remain balanced on your left leg.  Continue performing leg curls for one minute alternating between left and right leg curls.

5) Knee and Kick Combo (10 Minutes):- To begin raise your right knee towards your stomach, taking your right leg off the ground and balancing on your left leg.  Then extend your right leg from the knee in a kicking motion.  After this bend your right leg and return it to the ground.  Then repeat the same motion with your left leg and balance on your right leg.  Continue performing this combo for 10 minutes alternating between left and right knee and kick combos.

6) Wide Squats (3 Minutes):- To begin stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips and have your knees in line with your toes.  Then bend your knees and lower yourself into a squatting position, keeping your back as straight as possible.  After this slowly return to a standing position, tightening your abdominals and gluteals as you come up.  Continue performing this squatting motion for three minutes.

7) Seated Reverse Flyes (3 Minutes):- For this exercise you will need a chair and two food tins (beans, peas, soup etc).  To begin sit in the chair and hold the food tins.  Then lean forward and stretch your arms towards the floor with your palms facing inwards.  After this slowly lift your arms to the sides, keeping them as straight as possible on the way up.  Once you reach shoulder height nip the shoulder blades together and slowly return them to the starting position.  Continue performing flyes for three minutes.

8) Press Ups (1.5 Minutes):- To begin get on all fours with your hands directly beneath your shoulder and your fingers pointing forwards.  Then straighten your legs and bring your knees off the ground so that your hands and feet are fully supporting your body.  After this bend your elbows and lower your body towards the ground, stopping once your nose touches the ground.  Then straighten your elbows and return your upper body to the starting position.  Continue performing press ups for one and a half minutes.

9) Chest Press (1.5 Minutes):- For this exercise you will need two food tins.  To begin lie on the floor with your knees bent, your feet flat and a food tin in each hand.  Then place your elbows on the floor at chest level with your knuckles pointing towards the ceiling.  After this push towards the food tins towards the ceiling, keeping your hands parallel to your chest.  Stop just before the food tins touch and then slowly lower your elbows back towards the ground.  Continue performing chest presses for one and a half minutes.

10) Lateral Lift (3 Minutes):- For this exercise you will need two food tins.  To begin stand with your feet at hip width and hold a food tin in each hand, keeping your arms by your sides.  Then slowly raise your arms to shoulder height, keeping them straight but avoiding locking the elbows.  After this slowly lower your arms back down to your sides.  Continue performing lateral lifts for three minutes.

11) Lunges (3 Minutes):- To begin stand with your feet at hip width with your right foot forward and your left foot back.  Keep your hands by your side or placed firmly on your hips.  Then lift the heel of your left foot slightly off the ground and lower your body down by bending your knees.  When your left knee reaches a right angle stop bending and raise yourself back up to the starting position.  After this place your left foot forward and your right foot back.  Repeat the same motion with your right leg.  Continue performing lunges for three minutes.

WORKOUT PLAN 2

Workout plan 2 consists of 11 exercises in total each of which is explained below:

1) Jabs (2.5 Minutes):- To begin the jabs stand in a normal position and do a quick punch with your left arm whilst slightly twisting your torso.  Repeat this motion with your right arm.  Continue jabbing for two and a half minutes.

2) Half Jacks (2.5 Minute):- Same exercise as the half jacks described in workout plan 1.  Continue performing half jacks for two and a half minutes alternating between your left and right side.

3) Skipping Combo (5 Minutes):- This exercise can be performed with or without a rope.  If you do not have a rope simply replicate the skipping motion with your body.  To begin raise your left heel to your left buttock.  Then raise your right heel to your right buttock.  Repeat this motion eight times.  After this skip forward eight steps and then skip back eight steps.  Repeat this motion eight times.  Then do eight skips on the spot.  After this start at the beginning of the cycle and raise your left heel to your left buttock.  Continue performing this skipping combo for five minutes.

4) Grapevine/Kneelift (1 Minute):- To begin step to the right with your right leg, keeping your left foot behind your right foot.  Then lift your left knee towards your stomach and lower it back down.  After this step to the left with your left leg, keeping your right foot behind your left foot.  Then lift your right knee towards your stomach and lower it back down.  Continue performing this motion for one minute alternating between your left and right legs.

5) March and Kick Combo (5 Minutes):- To begin march on the spot three times and do a front kick with your left leg.  Then march on the spot another three times and do a front kick with your right leg.  After this repeat the above motion with side kicks instead of front kicks.  Then repeat the above motion with back kicks instead of side kicks.  Continue performing these march and kick combos for five minutes.

6) Easywalk & Wide Squat (2 Minutes):- To begin take one step forwards and one step backwards.  Then perform a wide squat (as described in workout plan 1).  Continue performing this combo for two minutes.

7) Bicep Curl (3 Minutes):- For this exercise you will need two food tins.  To begin stand with your feet at shoulder width with your arms by your sides, holding a  food tin in each hand.  Make sure you keep your elbows tight to your side at all times.  Then curl your left hand towards your bicep by bending your elbow.  Once it is fully flexed slowly lower your left hand back towards your side.  Then repeat this motion with your right hand.  Continue performing bicep curls for three minutes.

8) Tricep Dip (3 Minutes):- For this exercise you will need a chair which is placd against a wall.  To begin have your back to the chair and place your hands behind you to touch the edge furthest away from the wall.  Then straighten your legs in front of you whilst keeping your body raised off the ground so that it is fully supported by your hands and feet.  Slowly bend your elbows and lower your body until your buttocks are just above the ground.  Once you reach this position slowly straighten your elbows to return to the starting position.  Continue performing tricep dips for three minutes.

9) Wide Squats (3 Minutes):- Same exercise as the wide squats described in workout plan 1.  Continue performing wide squats for three minutes alternating between your left and right side.

10) Chest Flyes (3 Minutes):- For this exercise you will need two food tins.  To begin lie on your back with a food tin in each hand.  Then stretch your arms above your chest and keep your palms facing inwards.  After this slowly lower your arms till they are almost touching the floor.  Then slowly raise them back to the starting position above your chest.  Continue performing chest flyes for three minutes.

11) Back Extension (3 Minutes):- To begin lie on your stomach and place your hands behind your back.  Then raise your upper back off the floor but make sure you do not overarch your lower back.  Hold this position for a second then return to the starting position.  Continue performing back extensions for three minutes.

SUMMARY

Overall, the Slendertone 6 Week Plan workouts provide you with an effective, quick, full body workout that can be performed with minimal equipment in your own home.  Whilst this has obvious benefits I personally prefer working out at the gym.  However, if you are a fan of bodyweight training you might want to give them a try for yourself.

I will be back tomorrow with my final week 6 update on the Slendertone 6 Week Plan.  If you do decide to give the above workout plans a try be sure to let me know what you think by leaving a comment on this post.

In my last few posts I mentioned that I had put together a simple bodyweight routine whilst I was back at my parents house for Christmas.  Today I am going to be fully explaining this bodyweight routine.

The creation of this routine came about because I had no access to a gym at my parents house.  In the past I have just accepted this and not worked out at Christmas.  However, this year I wanted to be a bit healthier and do some exercise.  My first thought was to go jogging but the pathways were very icy and I didn’t want to be slipping and sliding all over the place.  So with jogging out I thought about what else I could do.  I then remembered a post that I had read way back in August on bodyweight burpees (see the video below for a demonstration – apologies for the cheesy music).

I had done bodyweight burpees in the past and knew that they would provide me with a good all round workout.  However, I did not feel they were enough on their own and wanted to create a full routine.  Later that day I was reading Andrew Rubalcava’s concluding post on free weights vs machine exercises which featured the awesome training video from Rocky IV.  This gave me some inspiration.  I thought I need to come up with a workout like Rocky’s that gets me outside, involves some resistance training/heavy lifting but also involves some running/cardiovascular exercise.  In other words a good all round workout that can be performed outside with little or no equipment.  After a bit of thinking I came up with ‘Bodyweight Soccer Sprints’.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PERFORM BODYWEIGHT SOCCER SPRINTS:
- A set of soccer goalposts (or something similar) that facilitates pull ups.
- A rucksack (optional).
- Bottles of water (optional).

HOW TO PERFORM BODYWEIGHT SOCCER SPRINTS:
- 1) Go outside.
- 2) Find a set of soccer goalposts (or something similar) that facilitates pull ups.
- 3) Choose the number of bodyweight burpees that you will be starting with (bear in mind your overall fitness when picking this number).
- 4) Grab the top bar of the soccer goalposts and pull yourself up.
- 5) Lower yourself down.
- 6) Place your hands on the floor.
- 7) Kick your legs out and assume the push up position.
- 8) Perform a push up.
- 9) Pull your legs in.
- 10) Jump up and grab the top bar of the soccer goalposts.
- 11) Congratulations.  You have just performed your first bodyweight burpee.  Now repeat until you reach the number of bodyweight burpees you chose in step 3.
- 12) Once you have finished the final bodyweight burpee of the set sprint to the opposite soccer goalposts and then sprint back.
- 13) Perform another set of bodyweight burpees that is one less than the number you started with.  For example, if you chose ten bodyweight burpees in step 3 go down to nine this time.
- 14) Once you have finished the final bodyweight burpee of the set sprint to the opposite soccer goalposts and then sprint back.
- 15) Repeat this process until you get down to one bodyweight burpee.
- Note: If you want to add resistance to this workout you can also wear a rucksack and fill this with a few bottles of water (or something similar that will add weight to the rucksack).

The first time I did bodyweight soccer sprints they absolutely kicked my ass.  I thought I was quite fit and this workout would not be too much trouble but trust me it’s a lot more difficult than it seems, especially when you add the weighted rucksack.  The last few sprints are an absolute killer.

Currently, I’m starting my workout with ten bodyweight burpees and then working my way down to one whilst wearing a rucksack containing 3.5 litres of water.  I plan to keep the number of bodyweight burpees I do constant and add 0.5 litres of water to the rucksack each week.  So by the end of January I will be on 5-5.5 litres.

I would not recommend doing bodyweight soccer sprints every day.  The first time I did them I was very sore the following day so I would suggest doing them every other day instead.  Also you do not need soccer goalposts to to bodyweight soccer sprints.   Anything which you can do a pull up on is fine.  In fact since I have come back to my house in Salford I have been using the climbing frame in my local park because I can’t reach the goalposts (they must be bigger here).  However, bodyweight climbing frame sprints doesn’t have quite the same ring to it :-).

Another thing I must emphasise is the importance of proper form when doing bodyweight soccer sprints.  I found the first time I did them the sprints really tired me out.  After two or three sprints when I came to do the bodyweight burpees I noticed I was not doing proper pull ups and not getting all the way down with my push ups.  Therefore, to make sure my form is consistent I have a little rest and get a drink of water when I notice it slipping.  Just make sure your rest periods are brief and do not compromise the intensity of your workout.

So there you have it…my very first bodyweight routine.  Bodyweight soccer sprints work most of the major muscle groups (biceps, triceps, back, shoulders, legs, abdomen), provide you with a good cardiovascular workout and can be completed in about 30 minutes.  Plus, they’re extremely versatile.  You can add weight to the rucksack and do more reps to make bodyweight soccer sprints more difficult.

Give them a try and let me know what you think.  I’m pretty sure you will be amazed at how tough they turn out to be.

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Click Here to Download The Original Turbulence Training Bodyweight Workout!!

Bodyweight training is one of the most effective ways to burn fat and build muscle. When our weight gets to a certain level many of us decide that we need to join the gym or purchase training equipment. However, it is actually possible to train using your own bodyweight and achieve similar results. Many people neglect the potential of bodyweight training and in this article I intend to change that and make you aware of the benefits bodyweight training has to offer.

Bodyweight training can help improve your physique by starting with as little as 15-20 minutes work a day. As you get used to the training you should allocate more time which will in turn yield more impressive results. To ensure that you are getting adequate training time you need to make bodyweight training part of your daily schedule. Maybe you could get out of bed 20 minutes earlier or perhaps you could watch TV for 20 minutes less each day. As your bodyweight training progresses you should be able to come up with more creative ways to fit in your training times. If the appearance of your body is important to you then you will always be able to find the time. Stick with it, do it every day and you will begin to notice surprising results.

One of the main concerns with bodyweight training is the frequency with which you exercise. Many people think that you should exercise 3-4 times a week or every other day. This is partially true. Bodybuilders who participate in high intensity, high volume workouts require the additional rest between training and therefore should only train 3-4 times a week. However, bodyweight training is much less intensive. If you train for 15-20 minutes each day you will have a significant 1,420-1,425 minutes to recover. This is plenty of time. Plus, your overall training time for the week will be between 2-4 hours – a reduction compared with the time you would spend in 3-4 sessions at the gym.

So now that I have introduced you to bodyweight training and its benefits you are probably wondering what do I actually do? Well there are plenty of exercises you can do, many of which are similar to those done in the p90x2 workout, but I’ve outlined one of my favourites below:

THE BURPEE CHIN UP COMBO:

- To begin stand under a chin up bar (if you do not currently own one adjustable chin up bars can be purchased very cheaply on eBay or from the majority of department stores).

- Slowly squat down, bending your knees and keeping your back straight.

- Place your hands on the floor in front of you.

- Kick back with your feet so that you are in a push up position.

- Do a push up.

- Jump your feet back under your chest and stand up rapidly.

- Grab the chin up bar with your palms facing towards you.

- Do a chin up.

- Squat back down and repeat.

Try and keep this up for 15 minutes and you will quickly realise how tough bodyweight training can be. If you do this exercise every morning you will start to notice changes within the week. It will help you burn fat and build muscle in a very short space of time.

Bodyweight training has almost limitless possibilities. It does not stop at this one exercise. If you check out this Bodyweight Training Forum there are lots of great bodyweight training discussions happening which contain plenty of advice and exercises that you can use in your own routine. To progress with your bodyweight training set a feasible goal for each week. Once you achieve it set a new one for the next week. As long as you put in the effort you can burn fat and build muscle without attending the gym.