The name of the game for fitness is efficiency. Boot-camp exercises require minimal, if any, equipment, and they can be done anywhere. Plus, you can mix and match the exercises to create quick, calorie-scorching workouts.
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With an arsenal of solid boot camp moves in your repertoire, you’ll always have a good workout up your sleeve. Below are eight boot camp moves to add into your rotation. Mix them into a lineup of moves you know, complete the exercises for time or repetitions, and integrate them into an exercise program that feels good for you.
1. Burpee Pushups
To start, stand up with your hands by your sides. Jump down into a plank position with your hands a little bit wider than your shoulders. From the plank position, lower down into a pushup position. To do this, lead with your chest and stop when your chest barely touches the ground and your elbows hit 90-degree angles. Push back up into the plank position and pull your legs forward under your body. Pop back up into an upright position to complete one repetition.
If you’d like more of a challenge, increase the amount of pushups. To make the exercise easier, omit the pushup portion of the movement.
2. 3-Point Pushups
A boot camp workout isn’t complete without a classic pushup exercise. 3-point pushups up the ante by toning the chest muscle from different angles.
Start in a plank position with shoulders over hands, a tight core, and feet hip-width distance apart. Perform one pushup by lowering your chest to the ground with your elbows at 90-degree angles. Push back up to the starting position and bring your left hand to a wide angle outside the left shoulder. Complete one pushup in the wide left-dominant position. After coming back up, return the left hand to the original start position and position the right hand to a wide angle outside of the right shoulder. Lower down into a right-dominant pushup and come back up. Return to starting position for the completion of one repetition.
This movement is advanced, so take as many breaks as necessary to finish the movement with proper technique.
3. Quick Feet To Plank
Want a move that will increase your heart rate? This exercise will take of your cardio needs with an added bonus of core work.
Stand up with your knees slightly bent and your feet wider than your hips. Get moving by shifting your weight from the right foot to the left foot as quickly as possible. Continue the quick-feet motion for about 10 seconds. Drop down into a plank position with your hands below your shoulders, core tight, and back in a horizontal position. Hold the plank for three breaths and jump back up into another round of quick feet.
4. Bridge Lift
To isolate the hamstring and glute muscles, try adding the bridge lift into your rotation. Lie down on your back with your knees bent at 45-degree angles and feet hip-width apart. Leave your hands at your sides as you raise your hips into a full extension. Hold in this position for three counts and lower back down into the starting position to finish out one repetition.
To increase the challenge, hold the bridge for more than three counts.
5. Jumping Lunge
The jumping lunge packs a cardio punch while strengthening your leg muscles.
Start in a standing position and jump your right leg forward into a 90-degree angle while simultaneously jumping your left leg backward. You should end up in the lunge position. From there, push off with your leg strength into a lunge on the the other side—with your right leg forward and your left leg backward. Repeat this back and forth motion without stopping for either a set amount of repetitions or time.
6. Squat Kick
To continue the leg and glute burn, complete the squat-kick move.
Stand in an upright position with legs slightly wider than hip-width apart. Sit back into a squat and make sure your knees don’t go over your toes. Come back up to standing and kick your right leg forward. Sit back down into your bodyweight squat and rise back up with a left-leg kick. One repetition is complete after two squats and a right and left leg kick. To increase the challenge of the movement, kick more than once on each leg or hold the squat position for 5 to 10 seconds between kicks.
7. Reverse Crunch
No boot camp workout is complete without an ab-specific exercise. The reverse crunch works your rectus abdominis or your “six-pack” muscles. Begin by lying down on your back with your palms facing up and knees bent into a 90-degree angle above the floor. Roll back and bring your knees up to your chest before lowering back into the starting position. Complete as many repetitions as possible.
8. Triceps Pushups
The triceps variation on a classic pushup, works the back of your arms. This advanced movement is key to toning up your arm muscles with just your body weight. Start in a plank position with your hands under your shoulder and feet hip-width apart. Keep your arms parallel to your body and hug them in close to your sides as you lower into a push-up position. Push back up to the starting position to complete one repetition. As with the traditional push-ups, your chest should touch the ground. Elbows should point straight back throughout the entire movement. To make this movement easier, come down to your knees instead of the full plank position.