If you want to get really good at something, it’s all about practice, practice, practice.
It seems obvious, but to achieve mastery, you need to practice every day. That goes for playing a musical instrument, learning a foreign language and exercise.
This simple, yet effective, 30-day program features three basic exercises: the squat, the lunge and the pushup and targets your entire body without any equipment other than your own bodyweight.
Here’s how it works:
THE EXERCISES
SQUAT
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your toes turned slightly out.
- Hold your arms out in front of you or put your hands on your hips for balance.
- Push your knees out over your pinky toes and sit your hips back slightly as you start to lower yourself toward the floor.
- Bend your hips and knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor (or lower if you’re comfortable).
- Stand back up to the starting position and repeat.
LUNGE
- Stand with your feet directly under your hips.
- Take a long step forward with one foot and bend both knees until your back knee touches the ground.
- Make sure you keep a straight line from your knee to your ankle on your front leg, and lean forward slightly to prevent arching your lower back.
- Return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite leg.
PUSHUP
- Start with your arms straight and hands on floor (or an elevated surface like a chair or bench) directly under your shoulders.
- Keep a straight line from head to toe by making a double chin, bracing your abs and squeezing your glutes.
- Lower yourself down slowly, keeping your elbows tucked at 45 degrees to your sides, until your chest hits the floor or bench.
- Push yourself back up to the starting position without letting your elbows flare out or lower back arch.
READ MORE > 5 STEPS TO YOUR FIRST PUSHUP
THE 31-DAY PLAN
Start by doing 10 reps of each exercise on Day 1, and then add one rep per exercise every day for 30 days. By Day 30, you’ll be doing 40 reps of each exercise, adding up to a whopping 120 reps that day — and 420 reps over the course of a month.
TIPS FOR STAYING ON TRACK
- Get a wall calendar and mark a big X through each day you complete. The visual of finishing each day will help keep you from missing workouts.
- Set an alarm on your phone for the same time each day as a reminder to do your workout.
- If you miss a day, don’t worry; just double up on the next day! The exercises are simple and light enough that you won’t exhaust yourself.
- Stick with your bodyweight only. While it might be tempting to add weight, trust that your bodyweight is enough to make serious strength gains over 30 days.
GEAR UP FOR YOUR NEXT WORKOUT
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