Home Exercises to Build a Bullet-Proof and Burn Calories
Sculpting a lean and toned mid-section is one of the ultimate aesthetic goals of most people. Whether we want to admit it or not, that’s the way it is.
Here, you’ll learn how to perform home exercises that will help you develop core strength, burn Calories, and carve out that 6-pack of yours. (Trust me, it’s in there. Everybody has a rectus abdominis. I’ve checked the literature.)
Reminder 1: You don’t need shredded abs to be healthy, and having them doesn’t inherently make you healthier… but still, it’s OK to want abs. You’re not alone.
Reminder 2: All the best abdominal exercises in the world cannot undo a bad diet. You will build your core while training, but you will sculpt it while eating and moving.
These exercises will work best when periodized into an effective training program. If you need help creating your personalized plan for success, please consider coaching.
*Don’t forget to save the demo videos to your smartphone for future reference. Troubleshooting: Try using Safari as your web-browser. Press and hold the “DOWNLOAD” button under the video, then click “Download Linked File” to save.
Burpees
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Start standing tall with your knees slightly bent, back straight, and feet shoulder-width apart.
Squat and reach down until your hands nearly touch the ground. Plant your hands in front of your feet.
Jump your feet back into plank position and execute a controlled push-up.
At the top of your push-up, jump your feet back up towards your hands and immediately propel your body into the air with a brief squat-jump, reaching your arms overhead.
This is one rep.
Repeat until winded. This one is more of a metabolic calorie-burner than a strength-training exercise. It’s a great “finisher” after a hard workout.
And yes… I am “the burpee guy” from YouTube. Sorry.
Dead Bugs
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Start lying down with your spine straight, shoulder-blades retracted, and tailbone pressed against the floor.
Lift your legs so that your knees are over your hips. Lift your arms so that your hands are over your shoulders and your palms are facing each other.
Slowly lower your right leg and left arm until they nearly touch the floor. Slowly bring them back up to the starting position.
This is one rep. You can perform all reps on one side of the body before switching, or you can alternate sides as you go.
Don’t let your spine twist along the way. Stay straight and flat. Remember: you’re dead… well, you’re a dead bug at least.
You should feel a burning sensation in the deep stabilizing muscles of your core and lower back.
If this movement becomes too easy for you, try adding a mobility stick for the “Isometric Dead Bugs” exercise detailed below.
Floor Press w/ Mobility Stick
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Start standing tall with your back straight, your feet shoulder-width apart, your knees slightly bent, and your shoulders retracted.
Tightly grip your mobility stick vertically and in front of your body at chest-height. Keep a slight bend in your elbows.
On an exhale, drive your stick into the ground as hard as you possibly can. Create tension in your core. Flex those abs to your best ability.
Refrain from bending at the hips and leaning forward. Stay tall and keep your posture aligned.
After a 5-ish second floor press, let your body relax. Breathe in. Relieve yourself of tension and switch up your grip before continuing.
This is one rep. Repeat until your core feels exhausted. Your arms should also be feel pretty active here.
This movement may seem quite strange at first, but if you can add it to a few workouts per week for a month or so, you’ll develop “old man strength’ like you’ve never known before
Frogees
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This is a regression of the “Burpee” exercise detailed above.
For this movement, you will keep your feet a bit wider than shoulder-width. Refrain from performing a push-up after jumping your feet into plank position.
This is a good primer movement if you don’t have a lot of upper-body pushing power yet.
Still, it’s a good, full-body Calorie-burner that can be added to the end of any workout for a nice sense of accomplishment.
Hanging Knee-Raise w/ Tailbone Tuck
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This is a progression of the “Reverse Crunch” exercise (coming soon).
Start by hanging from a pull-up bar with a wide grip and knees bent. Engage your lats by retracting and depressing your shoulder blades to your best ability.
Using your core, pull your tailbone towards ribcage to raise your knees to your chest. Shrink your core like an accordion.
As your knees ascend, lean your spine back until your toes are overhead and nearing the bar height.
Be careful not to swing your legs. Stabilize your lats and keep tension in your core to reduce swinging.
If this is too easy (which it shouldn’t be), you can straighten your legs… but you shouldn’t have to unless you’ve got a REALLY strong core.
Heels to the Heavens
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This exercise targets your lower abs.
Start by laying on your back with your palms face-down at your sides – press into the ground for stability. Extend your legs straight up towards the ceiling.
Create tension in your core and push your hips straight up off the floor. Fully extend your knees and drive your heels as high as you possibly can. Reverse this motion back to the starting position.
This is one rep.
*In this video, I’m using a little body english – allowing my legs to swing as I perform reps. This makes it easier. Aim to reduce leg swing over time by focusing on only moving your heels vertically.
Hollow Body Rocker
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Having trouble “creating tension” in your core? Look no further. This will help.
Start by laying on your back, flattening your spine, and drawing your belly button in towards your spine. Brace your core.
Fully extend your limbs and raise them to ~45 degrees. Lock your limbs into position. Keep your biceps just outside your ears. Keep your legs extended.
Rock back and forth by transferring your bodyweight from your upper torso to your lower torso. Do not swing your limbs. All of the action happens in your core.
Keep rocking until your core is exhausted.
*This is a tricky one. If you are a new to this exercise, it may take several workouts before you can truly perform it. For many people, just getting into the “Hollow Body” position is enough. No rocking necessary.
Ice-Skaters
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This side-to-side metabolic movement will burn loads of Calories while building your leg strength. Plus it’s kinda’ fun.
Begin by standing tall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Brace your core and prepare for action – or skating.
Leap to the left. Land softly on your left foot and swing your right foot behind your body, past your left foot. Lunge down until your knee touches the ground softly.
Extend out of your lunge and propel yourself to the right. Repeat this movement on the right side.
This is one rep.
Maintain upright posture throughout the entire movement by using your arms to counterbalance your momentum – as demonstrated in the video clip.
Aim to perform 10-20 reps per side, or simply repeat until your legs are exhausted and your lungs feel winded.
Happy skating!
*Also featured in the Lower Body section.
Isometric Bird-Dogs w/ Wall Touch
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This progression of the “Plank” exercise will get you a developed core and toned arms – all at once.
Setup in a plank position near a wall. Maintain a straight spine and tense core. Your fingertips should be facing forward and your hands should land just outside your shoulders.
Alternating one side at a time, extend an arm and opposite leg up and away from your body. Plant your hand on the wall and reach your toes towards the sky.
Hold for a brief moment, then reverse back to the starting position.
This is one rep
Keep your spine and limbs as straight as possible throughout the movement.
Repeat until your core and arms are on fire. Add a weighted backpack if needed.
Isometric Dead Bugs
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This is a progression of the standard “Dead Bug” exercise detailed above.
This time, you will use a mobility stick to create as much tension as possible between your static arm and opposite leg.
Drive from the core. It’s up to you to make this difficult. Every rep can be challenging as you choose to make it.
Instead of performing alternating reps on opposite sides of your body, you should perform all reps on one side before switching to the other to avoid clumsy transferring of the mobility stick.
Plank Shoulder Touch
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This progression of the “Plank” exercise will get you burning Calories and building your shoulders all at once.
Start in a plank position with a straight spine. Your fingertips should be facing forward and your hands should land directly beneath your shoulders. Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart.
Alternating one side at a time, touch your hand to your opposite shoulder. Hold for a brief moment, then reverse back to the starting position.
This is one rep.
Repeat until your core and shoulders are on fire. Add a weighted backpack if you can exceed 20 reps per side.
Keep your spine as straight as possible throughout the movement.
Plank w/ Rotation
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This progression of the “Plank” exercise will strengthen your core and improving your overall balance, while emphasizing arm stability.
Start in a plank position with a straight spine. Your fingertips should be facing forward and your hands should land just outside your shoulders. Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart.
One side at a time, lift your outer arm towards the sky and rotate your body 90 degrees. Shift onto the sides of your feet during this transition.
Create and maintain tension between your arms. Reach as high as you can with your lever arm before rotating back to the starting position.
This is one rep.
Repeat until form begins to fail. Be careful to avoid over-reaching because a lot of your weight rests on your shoulders during this movement.
Plank Walks
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This progression of the “Plank” exercise will get you burning Calories and building your arms all at once.
Start in a plank position with a straight spine. Your fingertips should be facing forward and your hands should land just outside your shoulders.
One side at a time, lower yourself down onto your forearms. Keep stability and control. Be soft on your joints.
Once you’ve landed on both forearms in an extended plan position, reverse the exercise back to the starting position.
This is one rep.
Repeat until your core and arms are on fire. Add a weighted backpack if needed.
Push-Through Crunches
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Your abdominal muscles are designed to bring your ribs towards your waist. Unlike standard sit-ups, these crunches will actually develop your six-pack muscles.
Begin by lying on your back with your feet planted on the floor, about hip-width apart. Create some space between your knees and extend your arms in front of your body, interlocking your hands.
Exhale and reach your hands through your knees while lifting your chest up. Try to keep your head and neck relaxed.
When your hands are between your knees, pause for a moment and focus on contracting your core muscles.
Inhale and slowly lower yourself back to the starting position.
This is one rep.
Repeat until your core is feeling exhausted. You should notice the brief pause becomes unbearable after a certain rep range. Aim to increase reps over time.
Russian Twists
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This exercise is an excellent “finisher” to blast your core at the end of a workout.
Sit tall with a tense core and stable spine. Lean your torso back to a 35-45 degree angle. Lift your legs to balance out your body. Clasp your hands together.
Twist your torso from side to side, making impact with the ground with each twist. Each impact counts as one rep per side.
Keep your head facing straight ahead while twisting. Avoid rounding your lower back and/or letting your shoulders fall forward.
Aim for as many reps as possible while maintaining good form. Stop the movement if your spine loses stability.
Maintaining adequate tension in your core is more important than getting an extra 10 reps in. Be smart and listen to your body.
Scissor Leg Levers
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Begin by laying on your back with your palms face-down at your sides. Press your hands and your lower back into the ground for stability.
Extend one leg straight up towards the ceiling. Extend your other leg away from your body so that your heel hovers just above the ground.
Hold this position for 2 seconds, then transition your legs in a slow and controlled manner. Maintain tension in your core throughout the movement.
Each transition counts as one rep per side.
Repeat until your abs are exhausted and/or your legs start to bend. *If you cannot extend your vertical leg to 90 degrees, regress to 45 degrees and work your way up over time.
Side Crunches
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This exercise will work your obliques (or side abs). Begin by laying down with your entire back pressed against the floor and your legs bent at 45 degrees.
Bring one hand behind your head, bending at your elbow. Create tension in your core and inhale. Reach your elbow towards your opposite knee, while also raising your knee towards your elbow.
When your core is fully flexed (or “crunched”), pause for a brief moment before exhaling and slowly returning to the starting position.
This is one rep.
Repeat for 10-20 reps on each side of your body, or until your core is to exhausted to maintain proper form at a slow and controlled pace. Perform all reps on one side before switching to the other side.
Slow-Release Leg Levers
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Begin by laying on your back with your palms face-down at your sides. Press your hands and your lower back into the ground for stability.
Extend both legs straight up towards the ceiling. Slowly lower your legs while keeping them as straight as possible.
When your heels meet the floor, you have completed one rep. Keep your pause between reps as brief as possible.
Maintain tension in your core throughout the movement by pressing your lower back into the ground.
Repeat until your abs are exhausted and/or your legs start to bend. *If you cannot extend your vertical leg to 90 degrees, regress to 45 degrees and work your way up over time.
Stability Ball Crunches
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This exercise expresses the true function of your 6-pack muscles – flexing your spine to bring your ribs towards your hips.
Begin by lying on a stability ball in a supinated position (back down, face up).
Externally rotate your hips and raise your butt towards the sky. This should activate your glutes. Maintain this tension throughout the movement. *Most people miss this step!
Position your hands behind your head and lean your torso back to a comfortable extension. Now, curl your torso upwards towards your hips, while keeping your head and neck in line with your upper spine. *This is NOT a neck exercise.
At the top of each rep, pause for a moment while creating as much tension as possible in your abdominal muscles. Then, slowly return to the starting position.
This is one rep.
Repeat until your abs are exhausted and/or you cannot maintain your hip lift.
Standard Crunches
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Back to basics for the mother of all proper ab training exercises – the standard crunch!
Begin by lying on the ground in a supinated position (back down, face up).
Position your hands behind your head and curl your torso upwards towards your hips. Imagine that there is a string pulling your upper chest towards your hips.
Emphasize the flexion of your spine while keeping your head and neck in line with your upper spine. *This is NOT a neck exercise.
At the top of each rep, pause for a moment while creating as much tension as possible in your abdominal muscles. Then, slowly return to the starting position.
This is one rep.
Repeat until your abs are exhausted. Stop if you feel it in your neck.
