Learn to master these four bodyweight exercises to build strength and muscle at home
These simple moves can be the foundation of your strength training
Strength training, as with everything in life, should be built on a solid foundation.
That means there are some fundamental exercises that you should master before progressing (and even returning to if you skipped ahead). These are the bedrock on which you will build the rest of your routine.
Ngo Okafor, a celebrity trainer and founder of Iconoclast Fitness, suggests four bodyweight exercises that are a good starting point.
They are perfect for beginners and once you have mastered proper form, you can easily scale them up to increase the challenge.
A single set of this series of exercises also makes a great full-body warm-up to get your body ready to lift weights.
Here, Okafor takes Fit&Well back to basics with his choice of four bodyweight exercises.
No-equipment strength exercises every beginner should master
- Squat
- Straight arm crunch
- Leg raise
- Push-up
Once you have mastered the move, you can level up the difficulty by adding resistance.
This can be done by holding a weight for exercises like squats and crunches. Adding ankle weights or holding a dumbbell between your feet for the leg raise.
You can also increase the number of reps to make the exercise more challenging.
Complete three sets of each exercise and you’ve got yourself a great strength workout.
Here’s how to do each exercise correctly.
1. Squat
Sets: 3 Reps: 10
Muscles targeted: quadriceps, glutes, core, hamstrings
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Engage your core.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower.
- Pause when your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as close as your mobility allows.
- Push through your heels to return to standing.
Okafor says: “Squats are one of the best functional lower-body exercises because they strengthen the legs, glutes and core simultaneously, while improving balance, mobility and overall athleticism.”
2. Straight arm crunch
Sets: 3 Reps: 10
Muscles targeted: upper abdominals, deep core muscles
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with your arms extended overhead, your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Press your lower back into the floor to engage your core.
- Reach toward the ceiling, lifting your shoulder blades off the floor.
- Lower slowly with control.
Okafor says: “This movement strengthens the core while encouraging spinal control and abdominal engagement.”
3. Leg raise
Sets: 3 Reps: 10
Muscles targeted: lower abdominals, hip flexors, core stabilizers
How to do it:
- Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and together.
- Press your lower back into the floor to engage your core.
- Lift your legs as high as your mobility allows.
- Slowly lower your legs to the floor without arching your lower back.
Okafor says: “Leg raises strengthen the lower abdominal region and improve core control and stability.”
4. Push-up
Sets: 3 Reps: 10
Muscles targeted: chest shoulders, triceps, core
How to do it:
- Get on your hands and knees, then step each foot back so your body is in a straight line from head to heels and your hands are slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Engage your core.
- Bend your elbows to lower your body.
- Keeping your core tight and body aligned, slowly lower your chest toward the floor (don't let your elbows flare out).
- Push back up with power.
Tip: Adjust the difficulty to suit your ability with one of these push-up modifications.
Okafor says: “Push-ups develop upper-body pushing strength and core stability using bodyweight resistance.”
Ngo Okafor is a qualified personal trainer and the founder of Iconoclast Fitness, a private training facility on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. It is frequented by celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Brooke Shields.
