Unfamiliar Bodyweight Exercises for Incrementing Total-Body Muscle Fortitude
Staying fit and active at home doesn't have to be limited to traditional exercises. Personal trainer Elle Linton has shared three uncommon bodyweight exercises that emphasize full-body engagement, functional strength, and coordination.
Bear Crawl
This full-body workout targets the core, shoulders, chest, legs, coordination, and balance. To perform a bear crawl, start on all fours with hands directly under shoulders and knees under hips. Lift your knees just off the floor, keeping your back flat and core engaged. Maintain a neutral neck and keep your elbows close to your ribs. Move by simultaneously moving the opposite hand and foot forward, crawling forward with control. You can either keep your hands on the ground or, in the Prisoner Bear Crawl variation, interlace your hands behind your head to increase core engagement.
Turkish Get-Up
The Turkish get-up is a full-body strength exercise that particularly focuses on the shoulders, core, hips, and legs. To perform this exercise, lie on your back holding a weight (dumbbell or kettlebell) in one hand with your arm fully extended directly above you. Bend the knee on the same side of the weight and keep the other leg straight. Push through your foot and roll onto your opposite forearm. Rise onto your hand and then lift your hips off the floor. Sweep your straight leg back into a half-kneeling position. Stand up fully while keeping the weight overhead and arm locked. Reverse the movement back down to the starting position.
For beginners, the Turkish get-up can be done without weights. For a half-Turkish get-up, stop after pushing through your left hand and lifting your torso off the floor.
Push-Up into Leg Lift
The push-up into leg lift is a combination exercise that targets the chest, triceps, shoulders, core, glutes, and hamstrings. Begin in a standard push-up position with hands shoulder-width apart, body in a straight line. Lower your chest toward the ground by bending elbows. Push back up to the starting position. After completing the push-up, lift one leg off the ground, keeping it straight and squeezing your glutes. Hold briefly, then lower the leg. Alternate leg lifts with each repetition or a set number of push-ups followed by alternating leg lifts.
This combo adds a core and glute activation element to a classic upper-body exercise, making it more of a full-body workout.
These exercises are excellent for varied and effective workouts beyond traditional movements. The recommended number of reps for bear crawl is 8-10 in both directions (forward and back). The push-up into leg lift exercise targets the core and lower body. While doing a push-up into leg lift, keep your body in a straight line from head to heels, and lift one leg followed by the other.
Incorporating these uncommon exercises into your home workout routine can help you maintain a balanced and effective full-body workout.
Yoga can be integrated into your health-and-wellness routine to enhance flexibility and balance, complementing bodyweight exercises such as the bear crawl and Turkish get-up. Science has shown that practicing yoga improves functional strength and coordination.
After a rigorous workout involving the bear crawl, Turkish get-up, and push-up into leg lift, consider winding down with a relaxing yoga session to facilitate recovery and overall health-and-wellness.
