Whether you live in a small apartment, spend time in hotels for business or don’t have access to a gym, prison exercises can give you an effective full-body workout.“You don’t need fancy equipment to work out,” says James Thomas, Les Mills Master Trainer. “Using your own body can be such a challenging and powerful tool to amplify your training and make yourself even stronger. Have fun with it!” Ready to get your strongest body ever? Here are 17 prison workouts to try.
Prison workout
Bolt pushup
“This exercise is excellent for upper body, core and leg strength,” notes Thomas. How to:
Set up with the hands slightly wider than shoulders, abs braced and back long strong and flat.Keeping the knees an inch off the ground, sit hips back to heels then “bolt” forward and into a pushup.
Lateral lunge with block jump
“This move works lower body strength and flexibility,” Thomas explains. “It’s also great for explosiveness.” How-to:
Hips and shoulders remain square to the front.Take a long step to the side, toes turn slightly out and hinge form the hips as you lower into the lunge. Inside knee stays slightly bent with the inside foot fully planted. Drive off the outside leg, bringing feet under hips then jump high to block, landing with soft knees. Repeat on the other side.
Two-stage oblique crunch
How-to:
Lying flat on back, tuck chin in and open the elbow wide. Aim to first move your shoulder toward your kneeReset, then aim to reach fingertips to toes
Squats
“A fitness staple, squats are excellent for building leg strength and strengthening pelvic floor, notes from Joy Puleo, MA, PMA-CPT, Balanced Body Education Program Manager. “For this exercise, you can choose between narrow and wide squats.” How-to: Narrow
Stand with legs hip width or slightly wider, feet parallel.Lower into a squat by bending at hips, knees and ankles. Spine remains straight as torso tilts over thighs.At the bottom of the squat you should feel work in quadriceps and hamstrings, and weight should be balanced over legs.
Wide:
Open legs wider than hips and slightly turn out legs.With a wider stance you can lower further down.
Try 10 repetitions, then on the final repetition, hold position and count to 10 slowly. You can also pulse in a squat position. Try lifting heels as you pulse and wow, quads on fire!
Modified burpee
“It’s an incredible bang for your buck with this full-body movement,” says Jenna Coker-Jones, Certified Group and Personal Trainer, Certified Holistic Health Coach from the School of Integrative Nutrition and Founder of the Glowing Fox. How-to:
Stand upright.Jump or step your feet back to a plank, hands pressing into the floor.Jump forward.Stand all the way up and stand, go onto your tippy toes (pictured), or jump.
Plank to downward dog
How-to: Start in a plank position. Wrist directly below shoulders, legs fully extended and straight behind you. When you’re read, press back into the heels, lifting your booty nice and high like there is a string around your waist pulling you up. Press back into this V like position until your feet are fully flat or you’ve reached the length of your calf muscles. Go right on the same track you pushed back on to get right back where you started in that plank.
Tricep dips
“Not only are tricep dips effective at hitting all three heads of the tricep - lateral, long, and medial - but they are also a simple bodyweight movement that you can do just about anywhere to strengthen the back of the arms!” saysHannah Daugherty, Certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach. How-to:
Begin by sitting on the edge of a bench or box, shoulders down and back and chest upright.From here, place your hands on either side of you, with fingers pointing forward and the edge of your palms on the box or bench.Walk your feet out straight in front of you and lift your hips off of the bench, with your weight in your heels and on your palms.Keeping shoulders down and back (and resisting the urge to shrug), slowly bend your elbows, angling them behind you, while lowering yourself straight down.Lower yourself down until your elbows reach a 90-degree angle (or less, depending on flexibility and proper form), then press through your palms to return to the starting position.
The handstand push-up
“The handstand push-up is an advanced movement that isn’t for the faint of heart,” says Michael Julom, CrossFit Level 1 trainer, ACE-certified personal trainer, and founder of ThisIsWhyImFit.com. “It requires an activated core, strong shoulders, and the courage to be upside down.” How-to:
Find a clear wall.Place your hands palm-width away from the wall and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.Using one foot, kick up towards the wall. Your other foot should follow suit. Bring yourself upside down with arms and legs fully extended. Both your heels should be resting against the wall.Make sure your body is tight while in the upside-down position by engaging your core.While maintaining your core lower yourself until your head lightly taps the ground.Push yourself back up with arms fully extended and repeat.
Spiderman push-up
“The Spiderman push-up is a level up from your regular push-up,” Julom explains. “Apart from working your chest and triceps, it’s an amazing exercise for the abs and obliques.” How-to:
Assume the regular push-up starting position with arms fully extended and body in a straight line from head to toe.As you lower yourself to the ground, bring your left leg up and try to touch your knee to your left elbow.Push yourself up and return your left leg back to its starting position.Repeat with the right leg.
The V-up
“The v-up is another advanced movement that makes your regular sit-up look like a cakewalk,” says Julom. “It’s great for building core strength by engaging both upper and lower abdominals at the same time. It also works the quads and hamstrings and requires more flexibility than a simple sit-up.” How-to:
Lie down on your back with your arms pointed above your head and your toes pointed. Keep your hands and feet slightly above the ground to maintain core activation.Simultaneously raise your legs and upper body from the ground and try to touch your toes with your hands. Try to keep the legs as straight as possible.Lower yourself back to the starting position and repeat.
Straight-leg donkey kicks
“Performing this exercise is a great way to add shape and roundness to your glutes,” Amy Kuphal, ACE Certified Personal Trainer, explains. How-to:
Begin in the tabletop position with your hands and knees on the ground.Extend your right leg back as far as you can while keeping the toes of your right foot on the ground.Lift your straight right leg up until it is in line with your torso.Hold this position while squeezing your gluteal muscles for the count of two.Lower your leg until your toes tap the ground before bringing the leg upward again.Once you have performed 10-15 straight-leg donkey kicks with your right leg, repeat this process with your left leg.
Glute bridge
“A glute bridge not only strengthens your glutes, but also strengthens your lower back muscles,” says Kuphal. How-to:
Start by laying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.Raise your hips upward until there is a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Try not to push your hips higher than this position because it puts unneeded stress on your lower back.Hold the straight-line position for two seconds while squeezing your glutes.Lower your hips to the ground and start again.Complete 10-15 repetitions.
Bulgarian split squats
“In addition to working your glutes, this exercise is also great for strengthening your quadriceps muscles and creating firm toned legs,” notes Kuphal. How-to:
Begin the exercise with your front foot flat on the ground and your back foot on a bench.Once in position, lower yourself into a deep lunge while keeping your chest up.Return to the starting position by pushing through the heel of the front foot while using your back foot to help maintain balance. The majority of your weight should be on your front leg.Once you complete 10-15 repetitions with one leg, switch legs and perform an equal number of repetitions on the opposite leg.
Fire hydrants
“Fire hydrants work to strengthen your gluteus medius (the less famous, but equally important gluteal muscle),” says Kuphal. How-to:
Start in the tabletop position with your hands and knees on the ground.Keep your back straight and look directly at the floor.Keeping your legs bent, lift your right knee out to the side until you reach a 45-degree angle.Slowly return your leg to the starting position.Repeat this movement 10-15 times on the right leg before switching to the left leg.
Step-ups
Performing the step-up works your glutes while also challenging your balance,” Kuphal explains. “As we age, it becomes increasingly important to incorporate balance training into your workout routines.” How-to:
Start by standing facing a bench, stair, or another stable object.Place your right foot flat on the bench and your left foot on the ground.Step up onto the bench with your right foot as you bring your left knee upwards until you reach the top position. Hold the top position for a count of two. This will force you to use your core and leg muscles to balance and stabilize yourself.Once you have counted to two, return your left leg to the ground.Repeat this movement 10-15 times, keeping your right foot on the bench.Once you have completed 10-15 repetitions, repeat this exercise with the left foot on the bench.
Plié zip
“One of the most foundational movements in barre is the plié,” says Ariana Chernin, co-founder and co-CEO of The Barre Code (NASM certified personal trainer). “Depending on the variation, theplié can target a variety of muscles including your glutes, hamstrings, quads and core—which makes it the perfect bodyweight exercise. Get your blood pumping and whole body working with this HIIT variation on the plié zip!” How-to:
Lower down in a plié, keep your knees in line with your toes, reach the arms to the ground.Then, to gain momentum, jump up and zip your inner thighs together while you pull your hands up to shoulder height.Repeat this jumping exercise for 10-15 times, then rest.Repeat 2 to 3 more times after that.
Thigh dancing “You’ll definitely feel the burn with this exercise!” saysJillian Lorenz, co-founder and co-CEO of The Barre Code (NASM certified personal trainer) How-to:
Begin with your knees on the ground, keeping them apart and have your toes pointing down.Keep your upper body tall with your shoulders over the hips, then extend your arms out in front of you and exhale to begin slowly leaning back, squeezing the glutes and hinge back until you feel the fire in your quads.Hold this movement for a few breaths and slowly lift yourself back up.Repeat this movement for 8 to 12 times.
Next, read up on easy at-home workouts for beginners.
Sources
James Thomas, Les Mills Master TrainerJoy Puleo, M.A., PMA-CPT, Balanced Body Education Program ManagerJenna Coker-Jones, Certified Group and Personal Trainer, Certified Holistic Health Coach from the School of Integrative Nutrition and Founder of the Glowing FoxHannah Daugherty, Certified Personal Trainer and Health CoachMichael Julom, CrossFit Level 1 trainer, ACE-certified personal trainer, and founder of ThisIsWhyImFit.comAmy Kuphal, ACE Certified Personal TrainerAriana Chernin, co-founder and co-CEO of The Barre Code (NASM certified personal trainer)Jillian Lorenz, co-founder and co-CEO of The Barre Code (NASM certified personal trainer)
