Strengthening Exercises

Strength Training Exercises You Can Do At Home

These strengthening exercises can all be done at home without the need for any special equipment except for simple dumbbell weights (required only for two of these exercises, Bicep Curls and Overhead Press). These exercises have been around for many years, and they are still used by millions because they work! Some of you may remember doing them at junior school.

CDC (Center for Disease Control) has helpfully provided a guide to these exercises and some how-to videos too, and I have made use of that public information in preparing these exercise guidelines. Used together in a regular program, these simple exercises can add strength to a range of motor muscle groups.

  • Strengthen legs, feet and ankles: Toe Lift, Half Squat, Superman
  • Hips and the pelvic area: Half Squat, Superman
  • Back and neck: Superman, Overhead Press • Chest: Push-ups
  • Abdomen (tummy muscles): Sit-ups
  • Shoulders: Push-ups, Overhead Press
  • Arms and wrists: Bicep Curls, Push-ups, Overhead Press.

Toe Lift

Good for: Strengthens lower legs (calves, ankles, feet) improves foot and toe flexibility. Also provides some exercise for thigh muscles. Helps improve balance.

Time: Two to three minutes.

Hints: Best on a hard floor (wood or tile) or exercise mat. If you need to, support yourself using a table or chair or countertop until you’ve built up strength. Keep your shoulders back and head up to improve posture and balance. Try it with and without shoes: you may find that doing this exercise without shoes improves the flexibility of your toes and feet.

Action:

  1. Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Raise your heels up so you are standing on your toes and balls of your feet.
  3. Count the seconds (one thousand and one, one thousand and two…)
  4. Lower your heels slowly (under control) to the floor so you are back in the starting position.
  5. Pause and repeat.

Start level: Start with two seconds for your heels raised and five seconds paused. Do as many repeats as feels good to you. Make a note of your achievement!

Move up: Every session, aim to increase the time in the raised position, reduce the pause time, and increase the number of repeats.

Target level: Two sessions per week. Up to ten seconds with your heels raised and as little as two seconds paused, with as many repeats as you can do in two minutes while staying balanced and in control. Even more? Increase repetitions by reducing the resting time between lifts, while keeping the time raised on toes to between five and ten seconds. Extend each session, up to three minutes.

Credit: CDC and Dave Patania.

Video: CDC Toe Lift video

Half Squat

Good for: Strengthens lower legs, upper legs and hips. Also provides some exercise for thigh muscles. Helps improve balance.

Time: Two to three minutes.

Hints: Best on a hard floor (wood or tile) or exercise mat.

Action:

  1. Stand upright with your feet separated at slightly wider than shoulder width, and reach your arms out to in front of you, parallel to the floor and parallel to each other. Look straight ahead.
  2. Keep your back straight and heels on the floor, then steadily (and under control) bend your knees and squat down as far as is comfortable.
  3. Pause in the squatting position and count the seconds (one thousand and one, one thousand and two…)
  4. Rise slowly and under control so you are back in the starting position.
  5. Pause and repeat.

Start level: Start with two seconds paused in the squatting position and five seconds paused in the standing position. Do as many repeats as feels good to you. Make a note of your achievement!

Move up: Every session, aim to increase the time in the squatting position slightly, lower the pause time in the standing position, and increase the number of repeats.

Target level: Two sessions per week. Up to ten seconds in the squat position and as low as two seconds paused, with as many repeats as you can do in two minutes while staying balanced and in control.

Even more? Increase repetitions by reducing the resting time between squats, keeping the time in the squat position at around five to ten seconds. Extend each session, up to three minutes.

Credit: CDC and Dave Patania.

Video: CDC Half Squat Video

Bicep Curls

Good for: Strengthens arm muscles and wrists.

Time: Two to three minutes.

Dumbbells:

You can buy a set of dumbbell weights at any athletic or sports store. Dumbbells are really the best option for this exercise, but if you don’t have dumbbells or can’t get to them (for example if you are away from home) you can use a couple of strong shopping sacks containing cans of food (unopened!) which conveniently are marked with the weight, or bricks, or sand or pebbles from the beach.

If you are shopping for your first set of dumbbells, attempt this exercise with some home-made weights (or borrow some dumbbells) first, to get an idea of your starting weight. Remember these strength exercises are intended to stress your muscles over a short period of time and so you might eventually need heavier weights.

Hint: Your fingers, curled round the dumbbell, should touch your thighs at the lower position, and should touch or be close to the front of your shoulders at the upper position. In other words, always keep the back of your hands pointing away from your body.

Action:

  1. Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your shoulders back and look straight ahead. With a dumbbell in each hand allow your arms fall to your sides allowing your fingers to touch your thighs.
  2. Keep your your elbows and your upper arms in position close to your body, and steadily raise the dumbbells towards the front of your shoulders.
  3. Pause and hold the dumbbells in the raised position and count the seconds (one thousand and one, one thousand and two…)
  4. Lower the dumbbells under control so you are back in the starting position.
  5. Pause and repeat.

Start level: For your first session choose a dumbbell that feels about right. If it’s too heavy or too light you’ll know within two minutes! Pause for one or two seconds in the raised position and whatever feels necessary in the lowered position. With this exercise it’s the movement that adds strength, so do as many repeats as you can in two minutes. Make a note of your achievement!

Move up: If you made it to ten repeats in a session without any feeling of muscle stress, increase the weight for the next session. (Or go ahead and do another session straight away with the next dumbbell size up.) If you didn’t make it to ten repeats, choose a dumbbell one size lighter. Every session, aim to increase the number of repeats you achieve in the two minutes

Target level: Two sessions per week. More than ten repeats in two minutes with the largest weight you choose to work with.

Even more? Buy a set of heavier dumbbells. Extend each session to three minutes.

Credit: CDC and Dave Patania.

Video: CDC Bicep Curls Video

Superman

Good for: Strengthens back muscles, also exercises pelvic area, upper legs and neck.

Time: Two to three minutes.

Action:

  1. On the floor, face down, stretch your arms out ahead of you. (Yes, like Superman.)
  2. Lift your right arm and left leg off the floor. Do not twist or raise your head: keep head, neck and back in a straight line.
  3. Pause in that raised position and count the seconds (one thousand and one, one thousand and two…)
  4. Return your arm and leg to the floor
  5. Pause in the rest position.
  6. Now the opposite side. Lift your left arm and right leg off the floor. Do not twist or raise your head: keep head, neck and back in a straight line.
  7. Pause in that raised position and count the seconds.
  8. Return your arm and leg to the floor
  9. Pause in the rest position, then repeat.

Start level: Start with two seconds paused in each raised position and five seconds paused in the resting position. Do as many repeats as feels good to you. Make a note of your achievement!

Move up: Every session, aim to increase the number of repeats you achieve in the two minutes, while also increasing the count in the raised position to around five seconds.

Target level: Two sessions per week. More than ten repeats in two minutes with five seconds in each raised position.

Even more? Increase repetitions by reducing the resting time between raises while keeping the raised time between two and five seconds. Include repeats with both arms and both legs raised at the same time. Extend sessions, up to three minutes. Get a superman outfit.

Credit: CDC and Dave Patania.

Video: CDC Superman Video 

Sit-ups

Good for: Strengthens abdominal muscles.

Time: Two to three minutes.

Hints: Despite what this exercise is called, do not actually sit right up completely as you’re doing it. Raising your head and shoulders works your abdominal muscles most effectively. Make your abdominal muscles do all the work: don’t try to pull your head up with your arms! Breathe in time with your actions. Breathe out as you raise your head, breathe in as you lower it and rest.

Action:

  1. On the floor, face up, bend your knees up so you can keep your feet flat on the floor. Hands behind your head, elbows pointing out to the sides.
  2. Slowly raise your head, hands and shoulders off the floor while breathing out.
  3. Pause in that raised position and count the seconds (one thousand and one, one thousand and two…)
  4. Return your head to the floor.
  5. Pause in the rest position, then repeat.

Start level: Start with two seconds paused in each raised position and five seconds paused in the resting position. Do as many repeats as feels good to you. Make a note of your achievement!

Move up: Every session, aim to increase the number of repeats you achieve in the two minutes, while also increasing the count in the raised position.

Target level: Two sessions per week. More than ten repeats in two minutes with five seconds in each raised position.

Even more? Raise your legs high to bring your feet right off the floor, cross your lower legs, and keep your lower legs parallel to the floor. Increase repetitions by reducing the resting time between raises while keeping the time in the raised position to between two and five seconds. Extend sessions, up to three minutes.

Credit: CDC and Dave Patania.

Video: CDC Sit-ups Video

Push-ups

Good for: Strengthens chest, shoulders, arms.

Time: Two to three minutes.

Hints: The described version of push-ups described is usually OK for most beginners, but if you’d like something even easier, do push-ups against a wall instead. It sometimes helps to breathe as you raise your body, out as you descend.

Action:

  1. On the floor, on your knees. Lean right forward and place your hands flat on the floor shoulder width apart or a bit more, in line with your head, with fingers pointing straight ahead. In this starting position your body should be held just slightly of the floor, perhaps just touching the floor, but not resting on it.
  2. Keep your knees on the floor raise your entire body from the knees up as high as you can without actually locking your elbows, keep your upper legs, body and head in line. 3. Pause and then return to the lower position.
  3. Pause in the rest position, then repeat.

Start level: Start with one second paused in the lower position and five seconds paused in the higher position. Do as many repeats as feels good to you. Make a note of your achievement!

Move up: Every session, aim to increase the number of repeats you achieve in the two minutes.

Target level: Two sessions per week. More than ten repeats in two minutes.

Even more? Instead of lifting your body from the knees up, keep your legs straight and lift your entire body from the toes up. Extend sessions, up to three minutes.

Credit: CDC and Dave Patania.

Video: CDC Push-ups Video

Overhead Press

Good for: Strengthens arms, shoulders, upper back.

Time: Two to three minutes.

Hints: See the notes on buying dumbbells in the description of Bicep Curls Although some people like to do this exercise sitting down, I suggest that you do this standing up, which is more likely to benefit posture and balance.

Action:

Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. With a dumbbell in each hand raise your arms so the dumbbells are just above your shoulders. 2. Steadily raise the dumbbells up until your arms are fully extended. Keep your head up, and owards the front of your shoulders. 3. Pause and hold the dumbbells in the raised position and count the seconds (one thousand and one, one thousand and two…) 4. Lower the dumbbells under control so you are back in the starting position. 5. Pause and repeat.

Target level: Two sessions per week. More than ten repeats in two minutes with the largest weight you choose to work with.

Move up: If you made it to ten repeats in a session without any feeling of muscle stress, increase the weight for the next session. (Or go ahead and do another session straight away with the next dumbbell size up.) If you didn’t make it to ten repeats, choose a dumbbell one size lighter. Every session, aim to increase the number of repeats you achieve in the two minutes

Even more: Buy a set of heavier dumbbells. Extend each session to three minutes.

Credit: CDC and Dave Patania.

Video: CDC Overhead Press Video