A One Stop Full Body Workout
Full body exercises are great to include in a workout routine. First of all, you get a full body workout all at once as they target most of your major muscle groups together. By combining several movements together, full body exercises also help build coordination and stamina. If you want to be more athletic and build real world strength, give these exercises a try.
Full Body Exercises
Burpee: Also known as the squat thruster, the burpee is the mother of all full body exercises. The burpee hits your chest, shoulders, arm, abs, legs, as well as your cardiovascular system. To begin, stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Squat down and place your hands on the ground in front of your feet. Shift your weight to your hands, and kick your feet back so that you are in a push up position. After doing a push up, hop your legs back up towards your hands. From that crouched position, spring up into the air as high as you can.
Pull Up Burpee: The back is the one muscle group the original burpee ignores. The pull up burpee remedies that oversight, making it a true full body exercise. Start by doing a regular burpee underneath a pull up bar. When you jump up, grab the pull up bar and do a pull up, using the momentum from the jump. Drop down from the bar and go right into the next repetition.
Broad Jump Burpee: This variety of burpee adds extra emphasis on your leg muscles. Instead jumping straight up, jump forward in a broad jump. As you land, go right down into the push up position.
One-Legged Burpee: The one-legged burpee increases the challenge by making it harder to balance and stabilize yourself. The motion is the same as a regular burpee, except that one foot stays off of the ground the entire time. Switch feet halfway through the set.
Sit Up Burpee: Squat down, but instead of moving forward for a push up, roll backward unto your bottom, and then lie flat. Sit up and get back onto your feet. Try not to use your hands. Spring into the air.
Mountain Climbers: Start in a push up position. Bring one foot forward so that is just behind your hand. Shift your weight onto your hands. Kick your feet off the ground and at the same time, bring your rear foot forward and thrust your front foot back. Continue hopping up and switching your feet.
Single Leg Dips: Dips are commonly thought of as a triceps exercises, but this variation engages your chest, arms, and abdominals, making it a full body exercise. With your back to a chair, hold onto the seat with your feet out in front. Raise one foot off the ground and hold it extended. Perform a dip by lowering yourself down with your arms until your upper arms are level with the ground. Switch legs halfway through the set.
Full body exercises are not for the faint hearted. Chances are they will wear you quickly when you first get started. Stick with them and you’ll quickly make progress in these full body exercises and in your other athletic endeavors.