Mobility Training Home Workout to Build Lean, Useful Muscle
Focus on movements – not body parts
If you’ve noticed a lot more “movement coaches” recently, you’re not alone. There’s a good reason for it: more and more athletes are focusing on training movements, rather than muscles, to improve full-body co-ordination and build real-world strength.
Thankfully, though, you don’t have to be a professional athlete to give it a try. The home workout here, designed by bodyweight training expert Todd Kuslikis, will get the job done with minimal fuss.
How it works
This is a full-body workout, designed to teach your body to work as a unit. Do it at low speed for one round to get used to the movements, then up the pace to burn fat and build cardio.
Directions
Do each move for 30 seconds, then repeat the whole circuit, giving a five-minute round. Rest for one minute, repeat twice, then collapse to the floor as necessary.
1 Helicopter
Start in a press-up position but with your feet wider apart than normal. Bring one hand up to your head, then swing your raised elbow towards your other arm and back again – you’ll feel it in your obliques.
2 Dolphin press-up
Drop into a plank position so you’re resting on your forearms, and bring your feet in slightly. Arch your hips upward to form an inverted V-shape with your body, then use your upper arms and shoulders to push yourself back down.
3 Bear squat
Back up onto your hands again. Hold yourself there as you squat back, touching your calves with your hamstrings at the bottom of the move.
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4 Sit-out
From the press-up position, take your left hand off the floor and bring your right foot under your body, turning up towards the ceiling as you kick through. Return to the start, then repeat on the other side and continue to alternate sides.
5 Grasshopper
Return to a press-up position. Bring your left knee across your body to your opposite elbow, then put your foot back on the floor. Repeat on the other side.
Model: Freddie Abrahams @WAthletic
From 2008 to 2018, Joel worked for Men's Fitness, which predated, and then shared a website with, Coach. Though he spent years running the hills of Bath, he’s since ditched his trainers for a succession of Converse high-tops, since they’re better suited to his love of pulling vans, lifting cars, and hefting logs in a succession of strongman competitions.