Let’s face it: you don’t spend all day in the gym. Want to stay fit without putting in too much effort? Try these exercises.
1. Deadlift Exercises
You might get stressed when you hear the word ‘deadlifts’ and immediately picture super-muscular men with big weights in front of you, but beginners can also try this exercise. And no, it doesn’t have to be that difficult: use two dumbbells instead of a barbell. Keep your arms stretched out next to your body, stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. You can decide how heavy they are. Keep your knees slightly bent and slowly lower your torso until it is almost level with the floor. Make sure your knees don’t bend. Pause this position for a moment and then come back up.
2. Sumo squats
Exercises like the sumo squat may sound complicated, but that is only because we are not yet so familiar with the action. It works like a regular squat, but with a small twist: you place your feet wide apart and make sure that your toes point outwards, at about 45 degrees. To do this, grab a bar (possibly with weights) or two dumbbells and rest them on your shoulders. Sink as deeply as possible through your knees and hold this position for a moment. Then push yourself up again with your glutes and repeat the exercise ten times.
3. Bird dogs
You don’t need any weights for this, just a yoga mat. Get on your hands and knees on the yoga mat, tense your upper body and stretch out one arm. While you do this, stretch out the opposite leg. So you use your right arm and your left leg at the same time, for example. Make sure that your body is in a straight line, and then lower the arm and leg. Then you switch limbs: you now use your left arm and right leg to stretch. By doing these types of exercises you train your entire torso.
4. Dumbbell step-ups
Exercises like this may seem easy, but they eventually become much harder than you think. And that’s exactly what makes it work so well: Hold a dumbbell in each hand, you can decide how heavy they are. Step onto a box about fifty inches high at the same time. Make sure you keep your back straight and that you lift your knee to hip width. Step off the box and repeat with your other leg. This will quickly give you results in your hamstrings, thighs and buttocks.
