Use one of the best yoga mats, your body weight and these five moves to strengthen your abs and boost your metabolism.
Fast and effective to complete, this bodyweight workout is one of my lunchtime go-to's when I’m working from home and need a quick boost and break from my desk. Anyone can do it, but I've included some ways to scale below if you don't have full push-ups banked.
Follow along with the routine below and find out the benefits of bodyweight workouts that include explosive movement. And yes, really, you won't need weights to feel the fire with this one.
What is the 5-move bodyweight workout?
Set a timer for 15 minutes; you can go for shorter or longer depending on the time you have. Start with 2 reps of each exercise and perform them back to back, starting with the sprawls and finishing with hand-release push-ups. On the second round, increase the reps to 4, then increase by 2 reps every round.
If you manage 10 reps, reverse back down again.
1. Sprawls
Sprawls or “gorilla burpees” are explosive and you can drive the reps up fast. Your core muscles recruit to keep you stable and balanced while the exercise powers your shoulders, arms, chest, lower back and legs.
Sprawls also ramp up your heart rate, meaning you can get a cardio boost while strengthening your whole body. Avoid rounding your lower back. If you suffer from tight hips or lower back pain, practice stepping first, and stop if you find the exercise painful.
- Start in a plank position and brace your core
- Jump both feet to the outside of your hands and plant your heels
- Lower your bum and lift your chest
- Raise both hands in front of your chest
- Place both hands on the floor, then jump back to the plank position.
2. Plank toe taps
Plank toe taps are a core-stabilizing exercise. They also develop mobility and stretch out muscles down the back of the body as you move into a downward position to touch your toes, making it a full-body exercise. Move with control and without allowing your hips to sag in the plank position as you build momentum.
- Start in a high plank position, hands shoulder-width apart and your feet hip-width apart
- Engage your core, then lift your hips into a downward dog position
- Raise your right hand and tap your left foot, pressing through your left hand
- Return to the high plank, then repeat with your left hand and right foot.
3. Mountain climbers
Mountain climbers are killer on the core and shoulders and replicate running from a plank position, so your legs and hips get put to work as well. Again, avoid sagging through the hips or lifting them high and maintain a solid plank position as you drive your knees forward.
Drive the knee to the opposite elbow to engage more of your oblique muscles running down your waist.
- Start in a plank position and engage your core
- Bend your left knee and drive it forward toward your elbows
- Straighten your leg again and repeat on the other side
- Build up speed until you’re running your knees.
4. Burpees
Like sprawls, burpees are also explosive and work your chest, arms, shoulders, core, legs, hips and back. They help develop explosive power, ramp up cardio endurance and full-body strength without weights.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart
- Place your hands on the ground, then jump both feet back into a high plank
- Lower your chest to the floor
- Explosively push up and straighten your arms. Lift your hips and chest together and avoid arching your lower back
- Jump your feet forward, raise your arms above your head and jump into the air.
5. Hand-release push-ups
Hand-release push-ups improve upper body strength, pec engagement and pushing power. Keep full-body tension without collapsing to the ground and avoid dropping your legs down.
If you collapse into your lower back, use your knees until you build foundational strength and keep your thighs and hips lifted. Hand-release push-ups force you to push from the ground and generate explosive force, which can help improve your range of motion if you struggle to lower your chest fully during push-ups.
- Start in a push-up position
- Brace your stomach, glutes and quads
- Bend your elbows and lower your chest to the floor
- Keep your hips and legs lifted away from the ground and toes tucked
- Remove your hands from the floor, then place them down close to your ribs
- Push the ground away to return to the starting position.
Trainer tips
Power exercises use rapid-fire contraction of your muscle groups to generate movement. They can boost your metabolism for a short time after exercise, a process called EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) associated with high-intensity workouts. That said, while a healthy metabolism can be boosted, metabolism is impacted by things you can’t control (genetics) and can (lifestyle).
Explosive movement and plyometrics like jumping, sprinting, or throwing require fast-twitch muscle fibers to engage and sustain rapid and repetitive movements. The best way to train them? Use them.
Your fast-twitch muscle fibers fatigue quicker than slow-twitch, so you might find yourself tiring quickly at first during the workout. Keep a consistent pace and rest briefly between rounds as you reach higher reps.
If you currently have a back injury, are pregnant or post-natal, suffer from joint pain, or similar, explosive exercises can be high impact and might not be suitable for you. Always check with a qualified physician first.
If you don’t have any contraindications, these routines, performed over time, can help boost strength, endurance, balance, power and coordination. I recommend beginners stick to 15 to 20 minutes and build, switching out exercises to help keep things interesting.
More from Tom's Guide
- This 20-minute bodyweight workout builds full-body strength and it’s a great mood booster
- Stiff hips? This 5-move bodyweight walking workout builds flexibility and a stronger lower body
- I did dead hangs every day for one week, here's what I learned about my body
