Do you want to get stronger? Are you ready to try strength training, but you are not sure where to start? It is easy to overcomplicate things. This feels especially true in the age of social media. We see all sorts of people doing all sorts of crazy things to try to lose weight and get stronger. Let me help simplify strength training by breaking it down into a few fundamental movements. These are movements you do every day. Things like sitting down into a chair or bending over to pick up the cat food bowl from the ground. Let’s talk about how we can harness these simple movements to create an at home or office bodyweight workout that will help you move and feel better during your everyday actions.

But first, let me tell you a story. 

This is a story of my own progression with weights. 

In high school I was on the track and field team. I threw the shot put and discus. As part of my training I spent time in the weight room. I even learned some of the more compound weight lifting moves that you see in the Olympics. I was doing lifts with names like Clean and Jerk and Snatch.

In my junior year I went to a throws camp at UCLA. I learned from future Olympians and was pretty convinced I was going to go to be a part of a collegiate track and field team. 

It turns out that was not in the cards for me. I did well in my high school league, but I never developed enough to pursue it in college.

Fast forward to my time as a basketball coach. This time of my life brought me back to the weight room. The style of weight training we were doing then is what I have come to understand as more of a body building style. The lifting days were broken up more by body part, like chest day, back day, biceps and triceps. I was lifting 4 to 5 days per week.

None of those lifting styles I did in the past are wrong.

However, I am not an Olympic athlete, nor do I train Olympians. I also no longer coach young athletes with sport specific goals.

Instead I am an average individual and I train average individuals looking to move, feel and maybe look better. This means the type of training I do and promote has changed as well.

Instead of worrying about throwing around a barbell with big plates on it or worrying about training to get big biceps, I instead focus on movement patterns needed to function in everyday life. I want to help you move and feel better, far into the future.

What are those movement patterns?

Some of the basic movement patterns that we use on a daily basis are:

• Squat
• Hinge
• Push
• Pull
• Rotate/Anti-Rotation

Let’s break each of those down with examples and bodyweight movements you can do at home or in the office to start the process of building lasting strength.

The Squat

Think of the motion you use when you sit down or get up from a chair or the toilet. This is a squat movement pattern. The squat primarily uses the big muscles of the legs. The front of the upper legs, the quadriceps and the back side of the legs, the glutes and hamstrings.

Exercises:

Sit to Stand: Sit with your butt toward the front of a chair. Put both feet solidly on the ground and about shoulder-width or a little wider, apart, with your toes pointing slightly outwards. Lean your weight forward slightly so that your weight is over the middle of your foot. Think about pressing the floor away from you and stand up. Pause at the top, making sure to catch your balance. Then slowly lower yourself back down.

If you find this too difficult to start, you can use a taller chair or the edge of a table or desk. Even from the taller height, consistent practice will increase your strength so that you can eventually use a lower starting point.

Box (Chair) Squat: This move is very similar to the sit to stand, but we will start in the standing position. Position a chair behind you. This time you will start the movement by sending your butt backwards a bit, then start bending your knees to touch down to your chair. The key here is to not sit all your weight down on the chair. Simply tap the seat with your butt lightly, then stand back up.

Bodyweight Squat: This variation will have you squatting as deep as you can without using a chair or other target. Start with your feet shoulder-width or wider apart. Start the movement by sending your butt back behind you, then start to bend at the knees. Think about pressing the knees slightly outwards so they stay in line with your toes.

The goal is to get your thighs about parallel with the ground, while keeping your chest upright. If you can’t get that depth on your own yet, or you find yourself leaning forwards to get lower, keep practicing with the box squats until you get more comfortable. You can also try a slightly wider stance. That can help get a little lower in the squat.

The Hinge:

The squat utilizes the knees a lot to get the body into a lower position. The hinge focuses more on the hips. Imagine you have to bend down to pick something up off the floor. Or go ahead and take a minute to do it. I will wait.

Which body part bent?

Did you bend over at the waist? Did you bend your knees?

The hinge movement comes from the hips and is one of the best ways to use the muscles on our backside (called the posterior chain) to help bend over and lift things.

Imagine this for a minute. Imagine your arms are full and you need to close the car door. You turn your body around and use your butt to push the door closed. Think about how you would stick your butt back in that motion to bump the door closed. That move is how you should start thinking about the hip hinge.

Let’s practice:

Stand with your back facing a wall or door and your feet about 6 inches away. 

Cross your arms over your chest. 

Bend your knees slightly. 

Lean your butt back until you gently tap the wall or door.

Squeeze your butt to stand back up

Practice this movement pattern until it feels comfortable. Then step about a foot away from the wall/door and try it again. This is the basis of all hip hinge movements. Once the movement feels comfortable, you can try some of the exercises below.

Exercises:

Romanian Deadlift (RDL): Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly. Place your hands on the fronts of your legs. Start the movement just like you did when you were standing in front of the wall/door, by sending your butt behind you. Slide your hands down your legs until just below the knees. Make sure you keep your back in a neutral, not rounded position. Pause briefly at the bottom. Then squeeze your butt to push the hips forward and stand back up.

Split Stance RDL: This move is very similar to the one above, but it works on one leg at a time. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart. Now move one foot slightly backwards, but still keeping width between the legs. Think of standing on railroad tracks, not a balance beam. The back foot should be for balance only. You should be up on the toes on the back foot.

For this exercise the weight should be in the front leg. Have a slight bend in the knee. Follow the same movement pattern as above, but you will feel all the work in the front leg. Again, put your hands on the front of your legs and slide them down your legs as you go. Once your hands have reached just below the knees, pause and squeeze the butt and push the floor away with the front leg to stand back up. 

Do a few on one leg, then switch to the other.

Single Leg RDL: This move is very similar to the Split Stance RDL, only this time the back leg is going to come off the ground as you hinge at the hips. Start in the same staggered stance as the Split Stance RDL. Put your hand on the thigh of the front leg. The opposite arm can be out to the side to help with balance. Start the move by sending your hips back towards the wall, letting the back foot come up off the ground. Think about reaching that foot towards the wall behind you, not up towards the ceiling.

Do a few on one leg, then switch to the other.

The Push

There are two different pushing motions we use regularly. First imagine you need to return a heavy mixing bowl to the cupboard above the sink. In order to get it there you put it in both hands and push up above your head and then slide it forward onto the shelf. This is considered a vertical push, where you are pushing upwards. Next, imagine that car door again. One arm is full and you need to get the door closed with the other. You will likely position your body weight behind the door and push it forward with the free hand. This is a horizontal pushing motion.

Exercises:

Hands Elevated Push Up: Find a counter, desk, couch or chair that is securely anchored and stand facing it. Put your arms straight out in front of you, palms facing out. Now pull those hands back towards your armpits, making sure your elbows stay tucked close to your body. Don’t let them flare out to the sides. This is your lowered positioning for a push up. Now place your hands on that elevated surface and pull your feet away from it a bit. Slowly lower your body towards the elevated surface, keeping your hands and arms in that same position from before. Make sure your body stays in a straight line. Don’t bend at the waist or let your hips dip too low. Once your chest touches or gets close to the surface, push yourself back up to the starting position.

If this feels too difficult, you can try the same movement pattern against a door or wall until you get a bit stronger. As you get stronger try doing them on lower and lower surfaces until you are ready to progress to the floor.

Cluster Set Push Ups: Once you become comfortable with hands elevated push ups, bring yourself down to the floor. The positioning is similar, start with your hands near your armpits and your elbows close to your body. The good news is, with cluster sets you don’t have to be able to do a bunch of push ups in a row. Instead, do 2 or 3 reps, rest for 10 seconds, do 2 or 3 more, rest again, then do 2 or 3 more.

In this way you have done 6 to 9 reps of push ups from the floor, but with rest to allow you to build up strength.

The Pull

Pulling motions utilize the muscles on your back. You use them when you need to pull something towards your upper body. These muscles are also used for good posture to keep you upright. They are especially important for people who sit at a desk for their job.

Similar to the Push movement pattern, you can think of the pull in both the vertical and horizontal direction. A classic pull movement is a chin-up or pull up. While that may not be a common movement for your every day life, you may reach up to close a garage or rear hatch on a car. You also may reach up to pull a heavy book from a shelf above your head. These would involve vertical pulling motions.

The horizontal pulling motion is more common. Have you ever had to pull your suitcase off the baggage claim conveyor belt? This is an example of a horizontal pull. Another example is pulling open a heavy car door, or pulling your child or grandchild in a wagon.

Exercises:

Simulating pulling exercises is one of the most difficult to do without any equipment. I will list a couple, but if you are interested in taking these up a notch and aren’t ready to join a gym just yet, getting either resistance bands or a suspension trainer system (like TRX) can be incredibly helpful in providing options to work on these pulling movements. Both bands and a suspension trainer are small and very portable!

Bodyweight Row (Inverted Row): For this exercise you would need to find a sturdy, horizontal bar or table. Lie underneath the bar or table with your legs extended out. Grab hold of the bar or table and pull your body weight up. This would work well at a park with a playground.

Place your hands about shoulder width apart on the bar or table. Think about pulling the bar or table towards your chest. Keep the elbows close to the body, don’t let them flare out towards the side.

You can also do a bodyweight row by placing a bed sheet over a door frame. Tie a knot in one end, place it over the door and close and lock the door. Stand facing the doorway. Grab the sheet with both hands and keeping your body straight, pull your chest towards the door. The closer you put your feet to the door, the harder the movement will be.

Chin Ups/Pull Ups/Assisted Chin/Pull-Ups: While this cannot be done without at least access to a bar, you can commonly find one in a park.

If you cannot do a full chin up yet, starting with inverted/bodyweight rows is the best bet. However, you can also start with the eccentric or lowering portion of the chin up to practice. In this version you will need a way to jump or step up to the top portion of the movement where your chin is above the bar and the arms are bent. Once you are at the top of the movement, practice slowly lowering your body, using your strength to control the downward motion.

If you do have access to a bar but can’t do full chin ups yet, I recommend getting resistance bands to help progress this exercise. Put the band around the bar and put your foot or knee in the bottom of the band. The tension from the bar will remove some of the weight you need to lift and lower. This may allow you to practice the movement before you are strong enough to do it on your own!

Rotation and Anti-Rotation

These movements focus on your core muscles. Having a strong core is about so much more than having six-pack abs. Your core is key for being able to move and feel well. Some of these exercises require you to get down on the ground. Having a yoga mat, blanket or towel might make it more comfortable.

Exercises:

Plank Variations: I recommend a plank from your elbows. For this exercise you will need to be laying on your belly on the floor. Place your feet, toes into the ground, about shoulder width or wider. Push your body weight up off the floor, resting on your elbows.

The position of your elbows is important here. You want your elbows and shoulders to be stacked in a straight line off the floor. Don’t lean too far forward, or backwards.

Keep your body in a straight line, don’t bend at the waist or drop your hips. Hold the position for as long as possible, aiming to increase over time.

Russian Twists: You can do these seated at the edge of a chair or on the floor. In a chair you will place your feet out in front of you a bit, resting them on the heels, not flat on the floor. You want to get a slight lean backwards. Then raise your arms straight out in front of you. Think of the Frankenstein walk pose.

From this position you want to rotate your upper body and arms to one side. Careful to keep your lower body and hips from rotating. As you turn, your arms should stay straight, but will drop slightly towards the ground. Rotate back towards the middle, pause and then rotate the other direction.

Progression

All of the exercises listed can be done in a gym while holding weights. This would be a sure fire way to add difficulty over time, or what we call progressive overload.

But never fear, I told you from the beginning these are exercises you can do from home or from the office and without weights. 

Another way to add more difficulty is to play with tempo and pauses. In any of these exercises you can slow down the lowering phase. For example, count from 3-5 seconds as you sit down on the chair and then stand back up on a 1 second count. Slowing down the lowering phase will make the muscles work for longer, which will add increased tension. 

Another option is to add a pause to the lowering phase. This can add a serious amount of difficulty depending on how long you hold the pause. Imagine you are doing a hands elevated push up. Start from the top position, lower yourself half way and hold for a few seconds. Then lower all the way and hold again. Then push back up to the top. Doing those two pauses will add a good deal of time under tension, which will add to the difficulty of the move.

Putting it all together

You know the movements, you have some exercise examples, so now what?

The idea behind these simple at home or in the office bodyweight movements is to help you add some functional strength and mobility into your day without needing to sign up for a gym.

I recommend choosing one exercise from each category for a single session. Do the exercises in a circuit style. Do 8-10 reps of the first exercise, followed by 8-10 reps of the second and so on until you have completed all 5 exercises. Take a 1-2 minute rest. Then repeat the circuit. Try to complete 2-4 circuits.

Aim to do a session 2-3 times per week, with at least one rest day in between. These at home or office exercises can help you practice and get stronger in functional movements that will help you move and feel better in your day to day activities.