The best bodyweight circuit
No-bell prizes
Challenging your body doesn’t always require the use of bars and weight plates – as MH readers have proved. We asked for your favourite adaptations of staple bodyweight moves, then selected the five most effective to create this workout. It engages your body from head to toe, with no need to set foot in the gym.
For the best results, perform three full circuits, resting for 90sec between each of them.
1: The skydive pike roll
Hard – 30sec
A) Perform a dorsal raise: lie down, then lift your legs and chest up so you look like a skydiver in freefall. This stretches your abs and works your lower back.
B) Now roll over into a pike position, without letting your arms or legs touch the floor. This hits your obliques and forms an ab crunch to boot. Return to the skydive and repeat, keeping your limbs off the ground.
Jordan White, 27, London
2: Round the clock pull-up
Hard – 4 reps
A) Grab a pull-up bar with a wide, overhand grip. Pull up and touch your right shoulder to your right hand. Pause for a beat. Moving to one side works your biceps harder than normal.
B) Without dropping up and down, shift your body so that your left shoulder touches your left hand. Pause again, then lower your body to the centre. Repeat anti-clockwise.
Gary Clifton, 32, Lancashire
3: Star plank get-up
Easy – 30sec
A) From a side plank with straight arms, lift your non- weight-bearing arm and leg into a star position.
B) Now move the leg behind your body and onto the floor, keeping your hips pushed up towards the ceiling. Your body now resembles the ‘T’ position of a Turkish get-up. From here, reverse the moves back to the start, then roll onto the other side. Alternate back and forth.
Sam Pedder, 27, Sussex
4: Power press-up
Medium – 8 reps
A) Hold a press-up position with your hands on a bench. Explosively push up so your hands leave the surface. Keep your body rigid so that your hips don’t cave in.
B) As soon as your hands return to the bench, bend at the elbows and explode back up again. This will generate maximum muscle recruitment in your upper body for improved strength.
Thomas Finley, 26, London
5: Jump split squat
Hard – 30sec
A) Perform a split squat, then jump up forcefully, switching legs in the air and landing with the other foot forwards. Make sure your front knee doesn’t roll inwards when you land.
B) Repeat, landing with the first foot in front again. Repeat for 30sec to fire more fast-twitch muscle fibres in your legs and glutes than Sir Chris Hoy running late for work.
Pete Brewe, 25, Essex
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