7 Exercises To Get Your Body in Shape

In this article, you’ll learn and discover the 7 best exercises to do to get your body in shape.

Walking

You can walk anywhere, anytime, either on a treadmill or with no equipment other than a good pair of shoes. How to: Beginners should start by walking five to 10 minutes at a time, gradually moving up to at least 30 minutes per session. As you progress, lengthen the time of your walks before boosting your speed or incline.

Interval Training

Adding interval training to your cardio workout can boost fitness, burn more calories, and help you lose weight. The basic idea: Vary the intensity of your aerobic workout to challenge your body instead of loafing in your comfort zone.

How to:

Push up the pace for a minute or two, then back off for 2-10 minutes, depending on the length of your workout and how much time you need to recover. Do this throughout the workout.

Squats

Squats work multiple muscle groups – the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteals – at the same time.

How to:

Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your back straight. Bend your knees and lower your rear as if you were sitting down in a chair, keeping your knees over your ankles.  Tip: Practice with a real chair to master this move. First, sit all the way down in the chair and stand back up. Next, do not sit all the way down; barely touch the chair’s seat before standing back up. Lastly, graduate to doing squats without a chair.

Lunges

Like squats, lunges work all the major muscles of the lower body. Lunges also help improve your balance.

How to:

Take a big step forward, keeping your spine straight. Bend your front knee to approximately 90 degrees. Keep weight on your back toes and drop the back knee toward the floor – but do not let it touch the floor.

Push-ups

Push-ups strengthen the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core muscles.

How to: Facedown, place hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Place toes or knees on the floor, creating a smooth line with your body, from shoulders to knees or feet. Keeping rear-end muscles and abdominals engaged, lower and lift your body by bending and straightening your elbows, keeping your torso stable throughout the move.

Abdominal Crunches: 

Type 1

Begin by lying on your back with feet flat on the floor and palms supporting your head. Press your lower back down. Contract abdominals and raise first your head (tucking your chin slightly), then your neck, shoulders, and upper back off the floor.

Type 2

Do crunches with your feet off the floor and knees bent. This technique may help you avoid arching your back; it also engages your hip flexors.

Abdominal Crunches

Keep your neck in line with your spine. Do not stick your chin out. Do not hold your breath. To keep chest and shoulders open, keep your elbows out of your line of vision.

Bent-Over Row: 

The bent-over row works all the major muscles of the upper back, as well as the biceps.  How to: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, bend knees, and flex forward at the hips, then engage the abdominals and extend spine to add support. Hold weights beneath the shoulders with hands shoulder-width apart. Flex elbows and lift both hands toward the sides of the body. Pause, then slowly lower hands to the starting position.

Tips for Beginners

Beginners should perform the move without weights. If you have trouble doing this exercise standing up, support your weight by sitting on an incline bench, facing backward.