Top 6 Wonderful Exercises to Get a Summer Body

Summer is almost here. So if you need a highly effective training plan to blitz yourself into beach body shape, you’re in the right place. The faster you try to lose weight, the faster it will come right back. So don’t wait, start today and get in shape for summer the healthy way.

Exercises to Get a Summer Body

1. Side–to–side pushups

Photo: Marino Basic

Side push-ups are a one-arm push-up variation designed to help build strength in your triceps and chest muscles.

Side push-ups are bodyweight exercises that involve lying on your side and using one arm to lift your upper body off the ground. Side push-ups use the same basic principles as a standard push-up to build upper-body and core strength, but they place more emphasis on your chest muscles and obliques.

Consider a few of the benefits of practicing side push-ups.

1.Side push-ups are a less intense one-arm push-up variation. Side push-ups are a less intense type of one-arm push-up, allowing novice athletes to build up their arm muscles for more advanced variations.

2.Side push-ups tone your upper arm muscles. When performed properly, side push-ups relieve some of the strain on your back while still allowing you to tone your triceps and deltoids in your upper arms.

3.Side push-ups are a full-body workout. The particular range of motion involved in side push-ups works out more muscle groups than regular push-ups. In addition to toning up your core, shoulder, and arm muscles, side push-ups also strengthen your upper back, glutes, and obliques.

4.Side push-ups are a versatile home workout. You don't need to go to the gym or own fancy equipment to start building muscle in your triceps. Side push-ups do not require any special equipment and can be practiced anywhere that allows for a full range of motion.

How to Do Side Push-Ups With Proper Form

For side push-ups, begin by performing 2–3 sets of 8–12 repetitions on each side. Choose your sets and repetitions based on your ability to maintain good technique throughout.

Lie on your right side on an exercise mat. Place your left hand on the floor in front of your chest. Wrap your right arm across the front of your body and place it on your ribcage to create space for the push-up.

Maintain a neutral head and neck position. Your chin should remain tucked throughout the movement, as if you were holding an egg under your chin. Your legs should be fully extended or bent and stacked on top of each other. Your pelvis should be slightly tucked and your ribs should be down. Engage your core. Your body should form a straight line from your knee to your shoulder or your top foot to your shoulder. All repetitions should begin from this starting position.

While keeping your lower body in contact with the ground, squeeze your left triceps and push your left hand into the ground to straighten your left elbow, pushing your upper body off the exercise mat. Squeeze your left triceps at the top of the movement.

Lower under control back to the starting position. Repeat for your desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.

2. High plank leg lifts

Photo: Greatist

The classic plank exercise is cool and all, but plank leg raises really take it to the next level. Adding leg raises (aka leg lifts) can boost the intensity and activate more of your abdominal and lower-body muscles. Butts and guts, watch out — plank leg raises are coming for you!

1.Start in plank position with hands shoulder-width apart. Your shoulders, hips, and ankles should be in a line.

2.Keep abs engaged and raise right leg off the floor until it’s at about hip height. Keep right foot flexed.

3.Pause and feel the burn. Then lower your right leg back to the floor.

4.Repeat with your left leg.

Aim for 3 sets of 10 reps, alternating legs. If that’s too hard, start with fewer reps and work your way up. Too easy? Add more sets.

Benefits of plank leg raises

Adding leg raises can help activate your ab muscles more than regular planks, and they’re effective at strengthening your core. With a strong core comes good posture, better balance, and even a healthier back.

Beyond the muscles in your abs, plank leg raises also work out your:

• glutes
• hamstrings
• quads
• shoulders

Get your form in check

You don’t reap the benefits of plank leg raises if you don’t do the exercise properly. Making sure your form is on point means you’re less likely to get injured.

Some major plank mistakes to avoid:

lifting your head up and craning your neck

dropping your hips or raising your butt too high

not keeping your neck and spine straight

holding your breath

3. Burpees

Photo: Elite Fitness

Despite the funny name, and perhaps not being as well-known as pushups or squats, burpees are a challenging exercise that work many of the major muscle groups in your body.

A burpee is essentially a two-part exercise: a pushup followed by a leap in the air.

Doing several burpees in a row can be tiring, but this versatile exercise may be worth the payoff, especially if you’re looking for a way to build strength and endurance, while burning calories, and boosting your cardio fitness.

How to do a burpee

The easiest way to describe a burpee is to think of it as a pushup followed by a jump squat.

How to do a burpee with correct form

1.Start in a squat position with your knees bent, back straight, and your feet about shoulder-width apart.

2.Lower your hands to the floor in front of you so they’re just inside your feet.

3.With your weight on your hands, kick your feet back so you’re on your hands and toes, and in a pushup position.

4.Keeping your body straight from head to heels, do one pushup. Remember not to let your back sag or to stick your butt in the air.

5.Do a frog kick by jumping your feet back to their starting position.

6.Stand and reach your arms over your head.

7.Jump quickly into the air so you land back where you started.

8.As soon as you land with knees bent, get into a squat position and do another repetition.

If a standard burpee is too challenging at first, you can make some adjustments to dial down the intensity. Try these variations if you’re new to burpees:

Skip the pushup and jump. Start with a squat thrust. It starts out just like a burpee, but instead of doing a pushup and then jumping up, you simply begin in squatting position, kick your legs back so you’re in a pushup position, and then return to your starting stance.

Skip the jump. Instead of jumping into the air after the pushup, just return to the squat position.

Skip the pushup. If your chest muscles or shoulders aren’t ready for pushups, hold a plank position for a couple of seconds instead of doing a pushup. You could also do a partial pushup until you build up more strength.

4. Jackknife

Photo: Howcast

The jackknife is an excellent way to work your rectus abdominis (your 'six-pack' muscles), but it'll also require the work of your deeper core – your transverse abdominis – which is notoriously tricky to target. Trust us, you'll feel this one in the morning.

The jackknife is winner for targeting your core, but as previously mentioned, other muscles get involved too, depending on your chosen variation.

Transverse abdominis

Rectus abdominis

Obliques

Glutes

Lower back

How to do a jackknife

Build up to it with a hollow hold

‘The full, straight-leg jackknife is a very difficult move for beginners,’ says trainer Casper van Heerden. ‘First, aim to master the hollow hold – a go-to move for gymnasts – where you lie on your back with your arms and legs raised off the ground, arms stretched out past your head.

'It’s the optimal beginning and end position you want to achieve if you’re executing the straight-leg jackknife correctly. If your core isn’t quite there yet, the jackknife motion is likely to divert strain elsewhere, such as your back and neck.’ Hello, injury.

Level up with a bent-leg jackknife

Once you’ve hollow-held your way to a jackknife-up-ready middle, test the waters with a bent-leg jackknife. Start by lying on your back with your arms extended above your head. Draw your belly button in towards your spine and lift your legs off the mat slightly.

Now bend your knees and using your abs, exhale and draw your knees in towards your chest, keeping your feet stay together. At the same time, bring your arms in towards your feet, slowly lifting your head, shoulder blades and upper back off the mat. Reverse the move to get back to your starting position and repeat.

5. Mountain Climbers

Photo: Insider

Climbing a mountain would be a daunting workout to most, but what if the mountain is the floor? That's the concept behind mountain climbers. Performed from a plank position, you'll alternate bringing one knee to your chest, then back out again, speeding up each time until you're "running" against the floor.

While the move sounds simple, mountain climbers exercise almost the entire body and raise your heart rate. You can easily add mountain climbers to your morning workout at home or the gym, in a hotel room while you're traveling, or even squeeze in a few in the break room at work. The basic move is great for beginners, but more experienced exercisers can take things up a notch with variations.

Benefits

Mountain climbers are great for building cardio endurance, core strength, and agility. You work several different muscle groups with mountain climbers—it's almost like getting a total-body workout with just one exercise.

As you perform the move, your shoulders, arms, and chest work to stabilize your upper body while your core stabilizes the rest of your body. As the prime mover, your quads get an incredible workout, too. And because it's a cardio exercise, you'll get heart health benefits and burn calories.

Step-by-Step Instructions

When you're just starting out, try the classic variation of the exercise:

Get into a plank position, making sure to distribute your weight evenly between your hands and your toes.

Check your form—your hands should be about shoulder-width apart, back flat, abs engaged, and head in alignment.

Pull your right knee into your chest as far as you can.

Switch legs, pulling one knee out and bringing the other knee in.

Keep your hips down and run your knees in and out as far and as fast as you can. Alternate inhaling and exhaling with each leg change.

Bouncing on Your Toes

You need to exercise with proper form not only to maximize effectiveness but prevent injury. For example, a common beginner mistake with mountain climbers is to bounce on your toes as you perform the move. The bouncing might feel like a harder workout, but it actually requires less engagement of your core muscles.

Not Allowing Your Toes to Touch the Floor

Another form error you might find yourself making, especially as the move speeds up, is failing to fully complete the movement by letting your toes touch the ground as you bring your knees into your chest. If the toes don't touch the ground, you won't get the full benefit of the exercise and could risk injury.

Shifting Your Weight Back

If you're not used to this movement, it is easy to let your weight shift back so that your body ends up in a down-dog kind of movement. Keep the weight balanced and shoulders over your wrists.

6. Superman Pull

Photo: EVO Fitness

The superman exercise is an effective and efficient exercise for people of all fitness levels. It targets your lower back muscles, glutes, hamstrings, and abs.

What’s more, it complements other core exercises — such as leg raises and situps — that mostly focus on the abdominal muscles in the front of your body.

That said, you may wonder how to do it properly and safely to ensure you’re targeting the right muscles without hurting yourself.

This article reviews the superman exercise, its benefits, how to do it, and some common mistakes.

Though you may not become a superhero by doing this exercise, you’ll definitely have a super-strong core after adding it to your fitness routine.

The superman is a move that you can easily try today. Here’s how:

1. Lie on the floor in a prone (facedown) position, with your legs straight and your arms extended in front of you.

2. Keeping your head in a neutral position (avoid looking up), slowly lift your arms and legs around 6 inches (15.3 cm) off the floor, or until you feel your lower back muscles contracting. Engage your glutes, your core, and the muscles between your shoulder blades simultaneously.

3.Aim to lift your belly button slightly off the floor to contract your abs. A good way to picture this is to imagine you’re Superman flying in the air.

4. Hold this position for 2–3 seconds. Be sure you’re breathing the entire time.

5. Lower your arms, legs, and belly back to the floor. Repeat this exercise for 2–3 sets of 8–12 reps.

It’s important to lift only as far as your body feels comfortable. Though you may be able to lift just a few inches off the floor, you’ll still get a great workout. If you find this move too difficult, try lifting only your arms off the floor.

What’s more, avoid lifting your head or hyperextending your neck, which can lead to pain or discomfort.

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