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Transform your body with just 4 moves!

These 4 exercises will have you feeling fit and strong in no time.

STARTING TO shape up for summer? Just in time, here are my four favorite strength exercises for total body transformation. That's right, with these fabulous four, you can transform your body, especially if you clean up your diet.

These classic strength builders never go out of style and never fail to deliver optimal results. Here's your recipe for a toned, tight bod.

Push-ups

Any exercise in which you use your arms to push your own body weight will strengthen your chest and core. Shoulders and triceps, too. The classic push-up never goes out of fashion, but there are variations to try, such as wide-grip push-ups, triceps push-ups, staggered push-ups, and alligator push-ups, to name a few. You can modify them by leaving your knees on the floor or mat.

For the classic push-up, lie on your stomach, feet together, with your hands slightly below your shoulders. Push yourself up off the floor and then return, allowing only your chest to tap the floor before you push right back up again, and repeat. The objective is to maintain your body in a straight line.

Dips

Dips work the three muscles in the back of the arm that make up the triceps. Toned triceps don't require any fancy equipment. You can easily perform dips using a chair, steps, bench, or the parallel bars at the playground. Like push-ups, dips are a great exercise that can be modified to simpler or more complex forms.

With your back to a chair, place your palms on the edge of the chair, knuckles pointing forward. Walk your feet out until your butt is about one inch from the chair, then slowly lower your body, bending only your elbows, until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Now, push your arms back up until straight and repeat.

Make sure the chair is secure before you begin.

Squat thrusts

Compound movements like squat thrusts (aka Burpees) are undoubtedly challenging. This exercise works the front and back of your thighs, butt, calves, hip flexors, core, back, shoulders, chest, and triceps.

Stand straight with your feet together. Next, squat down to the floor and place your hands on the floor in front of you. Hop both feet back behind you so you land in the classic push-up starting position.

Jump your feet back toward your chest, landing in the squat position, and finish with a jump into the air.

Like all bodyweight exercises, you can modify this by walking the feet back one at a time, or by simply standing up instead of jumping up.

To increase the intensity, you can add a push-up and/or a pull-up.

Stationary lunges with dumbbell curls

The stationary lunge is a classic strength exercise that tightens the buns, front and back of the thighs, calves, and biceps.

Start standing with feet together and a dumbbell at your side in each hand. Take a giant step with your right leg and slowly bend both knees, lowering your body until your forward leg reaches a 90-degree angle, while simultaneously performing dumbbell curls. Then slowly press back up to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.

Regarding curls, keep your elbows at your sides as you raise the dumbbells, slowly rotating the forearm until palms are facing the shoulders. Lower dumbbells to the down position as you come to the starting position of your lunge. Be sure to maintain good posture, and lunge down only as low as you can comfortably.

Ideally, repeat each exercise for 12-15 reps of two to three sets.

(Note: Remember to check with your doctor before embarking on a new exercise routine.)

Kimberly Garrison is a wellness coach and owner of One on One Ultimate Fitness in Philadelphia. Her column appears Wednesdays.