Lift Yourself Up

You don't need gym weights to build your body






3. Chinup Grip a bar with your hands shoulder-width apart and your palms facing you. Pull up until your chest reaches the bar. Hold the position for 3 seconds, and then take 5 to 6 seconds to lower yourself. Do 5 to 15.


4. Plank Assume a pushup position, but with your elbows bent and your weight resting on your forearms. Your body should form a straight line. Brace your abs as if you're about to be punched in the gut. Hold for 30 to 90 seconds.


Instant Upgrade: Body-weight exercises

Balance yourself
Perform these exercises on one limb at a time, whether it's single-leg squats or one-arm pushups (one hand on a medicine ball and the other on the floor). You'll increase flexibility and overcome weaknesses.

Do moves back-to-back
By pairing moves, you build strength and endurance. Try this: Do as many squats as you can in 20 seconds, and then immediately do 10 seconds of pushups. That's 1 set. Repeat 7 times, without resting.

Slow it down
Hold the toughest position of an exercise for 5 to 10 seconds during each rep. You'll increase difficulty without adding weight.

Source: Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S., owner of Turbulence Training

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