Possible exercises for each muscle group:I have tried to choose exercises here which require minimal equipment. However, some do require equipment such as dumbells and raised surfaces. If you do not have weights, canned food or containers filled with rocks/water is a good alternative.
Majority of these exercises can be found at
Shapeshift and some have links to animated pictures for the exercises that I could not explain properly. There are a lot of exercises listed on the site, so choose which ones are more benificial for you and if you have gym equipment such as dumbells, barbells, smith machine etc then you will have a wider variety of choices.
For some further information, for those who do not own any weight equipment, choose exercises that have no equipment listed in their discription, or choose those with dumbell as then you can use a weighted object in their place
IMPORTANT: All of these exercises are to be done at your own risk. The biggest pieces of advice I can give you is to:
1. Use light weights or none at all if you are starting out
2. Always keep a neutral back - A straight back with minimal curve (perfect back posture when standing tall)
Back:Dumbell good mornings - Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and arms down by your side. Bend forwards at your hips until you are paralell to the floor, and allow your arms to follow (remaining vertical to the floor). Raise back up and repeat
Chest:Pushups (upper chest) - When doing the pushups, stick your elbows out away from your body and have your feet on a raised surface (bed, chair)
Pushups (middle chest) - Same as upper chest pushups, but on a level surface (floor)
Quads (front of thighs):Step ups - Need a platform of some type (stacked books, step, porch...). Simply step up onto the platform with one leg and bring up the other. Return to the start and repeat on the opposite leg
Jump squats - Starting in a squat position, jump as high as you can. Return to the squat position and repeat
Glutes (bum):Lying butt lifts - Lie on your back with your knees bent. Place your arms down the side of your body on the ground for support. Push your hips up into the air while squeezing your butt muscles. Lower and repeat
Squats - Stand with your feet shoulder width. Bend down at your knees into a squat (exact same motion as sitting down on a seat - bending forward at the hips). Contrat your butt muscles and push back up (can do with or without weights)
Reverse dumbell lunges - Stand with your feet together, step backwards with one leg and bend down. Contract your butt muscles and push back up with your back leg. Repeat on the other leg
Hamstrings (back of thighs):Lunges - Stand up straight with both feet together, step forward with one leg and bend down. Push back up with the front leg to the starting position. Repeat with the opposite leg
Biceps (front of upper arm):Chin ups - Grab onto a bar and lift yourself up with only your arms (keep your body as still as possible - no swinging)
Dumbell curls - While standing (or sitting), hang your arms down towards the ground. Bring the weight up to your shoulder and lower, repeat
Triceps (back of upper arm):Dips - Find a low surface (eg. chair, bench, step). Turn your back to it and place your palms on the edge. Now move your legs out away from your body (the further away, the harder the exercise). Lower your body with your arms and push back up again, repeat
Pushups - Complete pushups and have the arms in close to the body unlike with the pushups for the chest (the closer your arms stay to the body, the more they work the triceps, further away from the body, they work the chest. Hands remain in the same position though)
Two arm lying dumbell extensions - Lie on your back, and hold your arms up straight in the air (with weights). Bring the weights into your chest by bending outwards at the elbows and push out again, repeat
Deltoids (shoulders):Front dumbell raises (front of deltoids) - Start with your arms straight down by your body (holding your weights), raise them forward up till you are level with your shoulders, lower and repeat
Standing two arm dumbell press (middle of deltoids) - Hold your arms up so your hands at just above your shoulders (elbows bent in towards the body), push the weights up above your head and lower back to the start, repeat
Bent over rear deltoid raises (back of deltoids) - Sit down on a chair that allows your knees to be bent at 90 degrees (thighs paralell with the ground). Bend over your legs and have your arms hanging down to the ground. Raise your arms up to the side of your body and lower, repeat
Abs (stomach):Situps (upper abs) - Lay on back, feet firmly on the floor, knees bent at around 90 degrees. Arms crossed in front of chest or fingers at ears (do NOT link your hands behind your head as it causes neck pain). Pull your body up just above halfway keeping your back as straight as possible and go back down, stop just before resting on the floor and pull up again
Leg raises (lower abs) - Lay on your back, place your hands under your bum to support your lower back (you will need to adjust this to see what is most comfortable for you). Raise your legs up off the floor and into the air to about 60 degrees, lower your legs till they're just off the floor and raise again
Flutter kick oblique crunches (obliques - sides of abs) - Lay on your back, place your fingers at your ears and stick your elbows out. Raise your legs up to 90 degrees (feet off the floor - 90 degrees at hips and knees) and raise your shoulders off the floor. Stick out your right leg straight as you bring in your left knee to your chest. At the same time, turn your body so that your right elbow is touching your left knee. Now swap your legs over and elbows at the same time. Keep your legs and shoulders off the floor.
Plank (back and stomach): Hold a pushup position for an extended amount of time (aim for 10 seconds, then 20 seconds, then 30 etc). You can either do this on your hands, or your elbow, but you should be on your toes every time
Reply
