Burpees
Toughness level: Beginner
What it works: The full body! Burpees engage the core, hips, legs, butt, triceps, shoulders, hamstrings, and abs
Recommended workout: Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps
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1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, chest up, and arms by your side. Squat down by pushing your hips back and lowering your body until your butt is a few inches from the ground. Place your hands on the ground in front of you.
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2. Kick both legs back simultaneously to move into a push-up position.
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3. Keeping your hands in place, jump forward to return to a squat position.
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4. Stand up, extend your arms above your head, and hop once.
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Windmills
Toughness level: Intermediate
What it works: The core
Recommended workout: Do three sets of 20 rotations from side to side
Not recommended: If you suffer from back pain
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1. Lie flat on your back, hands out to your sides on the ground. Your legs should be fully extended at a 90-degree angle to your body. Bend your knees.
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2. Tighten your core and slowly lower your legs to the left until your knees are two to three inches off the ground. Pause for half a second.
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3. Raise your legs back into the starting position, then slowly lower them to the right. Repeat.
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Inchworms
Toughness level: Beginner
What it works: The core, shoulders, chest, and triceps
Recommended workout: Do two to three sets of five reps separated by 30-second breaks
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1. Stand up straight with your feet together. Bend forward at the waist, keeping your legs as straight as possible.
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2. Place your hands on the ground, then walk them forward. Move them as far away from your body as possible while keeping your abs tight.
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3. From this position, lift your butt. Then take small steps toward your hands until you are back in position 1. Repeat.
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Duck Walks
Difficulty level: Intermediate
What it works: The quads and calves
Recommended workout: Move a distance of 15 to 20 feet three times
Not recommended: If you suffer from knee pain
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1. While standing, place your hands behind your ears and drop into a squat, keeping your heels up. Your hamstrings should be touching your calves.
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2. Keeping your chest up, take tiny steps from where you are to a distance roughly 15 to 20 feet away. Then, keeping your heels off the ground, come to a stand by pushing through your quads. Enjoy the burn. Turn around and repeat.
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Spider-Man Push-Ups
Difficulty level: Intermediate to advanced
What it works: The core and upper body
Recommended workout: Do three sets of 12 to 20 reps
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1. Begin in a push-up position, with your hands just outside your armpits. Extend your right hand six inches forward, past your shoulders.
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2. Lift your left knee out to your side, bringing it to your elbow.
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3. Lower your body by bending your elbows until you are two inches from the ground. Pause.
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4. Extend your arms to complete the push-up.
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5. Plant your left foot on the ground.
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6. Now extend your left hand forward, past your shoulders. Shift your weight forward, lift your right knee out to your side, bringing it to your right elbow, and repeat the push-up.
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Up, Up, Down, Down
Difficulty level: Intermediate
What it works: The core, shoulders, chest, and triceps
Recommended workout: Do three sets of 20 reps
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1. Start in a plank position with your body straight as a board and resting your weight on your forearms and toes.
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2. Plant your right hand on the ground.
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3. Shift your weight to plant your left hand on the ground. Both arms should be fully extended.
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4. Return to the plank position by returning your right forearm and then your left forearm to the ground. Repeat, leading with your left hand instead of your right.
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Photogrpahs by Israel Lemus
Meet Our Workout Guru
Justin “Jay the Trainer” McLeod has been a personal trainer for seven years. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Maryland, the Studio City-based 25-year-old—who was caught lifting five-pound weights by his mother when he was just five—became a fitness buff in high school because he dreamed of being a professional wrestler. Sharing workout tips with friends revealed a passion for helping others and led him to training people professionally. His top workout tip: “Start slow. If fitness is new to you, putting in 15 minutes is a great way to start.”
To find out how McLeod helped Los Angeles magazine editor-at-large Amy Wallace achieve her ideal body–plus workout tips from fitness pioneers, previews of new exercise classes, and more–read “The Power Playbook for Getting Fit in L.A.“
