The database
Every move, filtered to yours.
Start with where it hurts. Narrow by the minutes and equipment you have. Every card carries its dose on the face of it.
340 moves, from yoga, mobility work, stretching and strength. Each graded easy to extreme by what it assumes of you, not by how hard it burns.
30 animated guides · free, no account
Every move
Easiest first
Corpse Pose (Savasana)
You lie flat on your back, legs a little apart and rolled open, arms slightly away from the body with palms up, eyes closed. The work is deliberately releasing effort everywhere and staying awake for several unbroken minutes.
Lie for 5 to 10 minutes at the end of practice; set a timer so you can stop watching the clock.
Easy · 8 min · Floor space · Yoga
Crocodile Breathing (prone diaphragmatic breathing)
Lie face down with your forehead resting on stacked hands. Breathe so the lower ribs and belly press into the floor and widen sideways, then let the air fall out without pushing. Shoulders stay quiet.
5 minutes of easy nasal breathing, roughly 4 seconds in and 6 out.
Easy · 5 min · Floor space · Breath
Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch
Reach one arm straight across your chest at about shoulder height and use the other hand above the elbow to draw it gently closer. Keep the shoulder of the stretching arm drawn down away from your ear so the pull settles into the back of the shoulder.
Hold 30 seconds per side, 2 to 3 rounds.
Easy · 4 min · Nothing · Stretching
Dead bug · Anti-extension core
On your back, reach one arm and the opposite leg away while the low back stays flat. Most core work asks the trunk to move; this asks it to refuse to, which is what it actually does all day.
8 slow reps per side, ribs down
Easy · emerging · 3 min · Floor space · Strength
Doorway chest opener · Front line, chest
Forearm on the door frame, then turn your body away. Hours of reaching forward let the tissue across the front of the chest settle into a shorter shape, and the shoulder starts every movement from there.
3 holds of 30 seconds per side
Easy · emerging · 2 min · A wall · Stretching
Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
From hands and knees, tuck your toes and lift your hips up and back so your body makes an inverted V. Your arms press the floor away and your heels reach down without needing to touch.
Hold 30 to 60 seconds, 3 rounds, bending your knees generously if your back rounds.
Easy · 3 min · Floor space · Yoga
Dumbbell Biceps Curl
Stand or sit holding a dumbbell with your palm facing forward and your upper arm pinned to your side. Bend your elbow to bring the weight up toward your shoulder, then lower it all the way back to a straight arm under control.
2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps per arm, leaving 1 to 2 reps in reserve.
Easy · 5 min · A dumbbell · Strength
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, elbows slightly bent. Raise both arms out to the sides until your hands reach about shoulder height, then lower them slowly back down.
2 to 4 sets of 10 to 20 reps with a light weight, stopping 1 to 2 reps short of losing form.
Easy · 5 min · A dumbbell · Strength
Dumbbell Shrug
Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, arms relaxed and straight. Lift both shoulders straight up towards your ears as high as they will go, pause for a second, then lower them slowly all the way down.
2 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps with a pause at the top.
Easy · 6 min · A dumbbell · Strength
Easy Pose (Sukhasana)
You sit on the floor with the shins loosely crossed, one in front of the other, sitting bones grounded and the spine stacked. Raising the hips on a folded blanket tips the pelvis forward so the lower back can hold its natural curve.
Sit 2 to 3 minutes, then swap which shin is in front and repeat.
Easy · 5 min · Floor space · Yoga
Elephant Walks
Fold forward and rest your fingertips or palms on the floor, letting the knees bend as much as needed to get there. Keeping hips high and hands down, straighten one knee while bending the other, pressing the straightening leg's heel toward the floor, and alternate in a slow walking rhythm.
20 alternating bends (10 per leg), 2 rounds.
Easy · 4 min · Floor space · Mobility
Extended Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana)
From hands and knees you keep the hips stacked over the knees and walk the hands forward until your chest sinks toward the floor, arms long, forehead or chin resting down. It sits halfway between child's pose and downward dog.
Hold 45 to 60 seconds, 2 to 3 rounds.
Easy · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Face pull
Set a band or cable at about head height. Pull the handles towards your face with the elbows high and wide, finishing with your hands beside your ears and upper arms roughly level with your shoulders, then return slowly.
3 sets of 12 to 15 reps with a load you can still control at the finish.
Easy · 5 min · A band + an anchor point · Strength
Farmer's carry
Pick up a heavy weight in each hand, stand with your ribs stacked over your pelvis, and walk at a steady pace. Shoulders stay down, steps stay quiet, and you set the weights down before your posture breaks.
4 walks of 30 to 40 metres with a minute of rest between, starting around a quarter of bodyweight per hand.
Easy · 8 min · A dumbbell + a kettlebell · Strength
Foam Roller Thoracic Extension
Lie with a foam roller across your mid back, knees bent, hands supporting the head. Drape the upper back over the roller and breathe, then shift the roller a few centimetres and repeat at the next level.
5 to 8 breaths at each of 3 or 4 positions along the mid back.
Easy · 5 min · A foam roller · Mobility
Forearm plank
Support yourself on forearms and toes in one line from head to heels. Squeeze your glutes, draw your ribs towards your hips, and hold without letting your hips lift up or your lower back dip towards the floor.
3 holds of 20 to 45 seconds, ending each set the moment your hips start to sink.
Easy · 4 min · Floor space · Strength
Gate Pose (Parighasana)
Kneeling on one knee, you stretch the other leg straight out to the side with the foot flat, then side-bend the torso over the straight leg, lower hand resting on the shin while the top arm reaches overhead. The hips stay stacked over the kneeling knee rather than sitting back.
Hold 30 to 45 seconds per side, 2 rounds, with the kneeling knee on padding.
Easy · 5 min · Floor space · Yoga
Get Up and Down from the Floor
Lower yourself to sitting on the floor, then to lying, then reverse the process and stand. Use hands, knees and elbows freely at first. Over time, hunt for the routes that need less support.
5 to 8 slow down and up cycles, changing which leg leads.
Easy · 6 min · Floor space · Mobility
Glute bridge · Posterior chain
Feet planted, drive the hips up and squeeze at the top. Sitting shortens the front of the hip and switches the back of it off; this is the cheapest way to switch it back on, and the low back usually thanks you.
12 slow reps, 2-second squeeze at the top
Easy · emerging · 3 min · Floor space · Strength
Glute Kickback (Quadruped Hip Extension)
On all fours with a flat back, keep one knee bent at a right angle and drive that heel up towards the ceiling until the thigh is level with your torso. Squeeze the glute at the top, then lower the knee back down without letting your lower back arch.
2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps per side with a pause at the top.
Easy · 6 min · Floor space · Strength
Goddess Pose (Utkata Konasana)
Feet wide with the toes turned out, you bend both knees so they track over the middle toes, sink the hips toward knee height, keep the torso upright and hold the arms out with the elbows bent.
Hold 30 seconds for 3 rounds, or pulse slowly up and down 12 times.
Easy · 4 min · Nothing · Yoga
Half kneeling hip flexor stretch
Kneel on one knee with the other foot forward. Tuck your tailbone under so the low back flattens, squeeze the back glute, then glide your hips forward a few centimetres until the front of the back thigh pulls.
2 to 3 holds of 45 seconds per side.
Easy · 5 min · Floor space · Stretching
Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana)
Lying on your back, you draw your knees toward your armpits and take hold of the outer edges of your feet, soles facing the ceiling and ankles stacked over the knees. You ease the knees toward the floor beside your ribs while the whole spine stays resting on the ground.
Hold 60 to 90 seconds, rocking gently side to side if that feels good.
Easy · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Head to Knee Pose (Janu Sirsasana)
From sitting, straighten one leg and place the other foot at the inner thigh with that knee out to the side. Turn your chest to face the straight leg, then hinge forward from the hip creases over it.
Hold 60 to 90 seconds per side, 2 rounds.
Easy · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Hip Abduction Machine
Sit in the machine with the pads against the outside of your knees, starting from a width that feels comfortable. Push your knees apart against the resistance as far as you can, pause, then let them come back together slowly.
3 sets of 12 to 15 reps, pausing for a second at the widest point.
Easy · 6 min · A gym machine · Strength
Hip hinge fold · Superficial back line
Soft knees, long spine, fold from the hips and let the arms hang. This loads the best-evidenced fascial chain in the body, one continuous sheet from sole to scalp.
5 slow folds, 3 breaths at the bottom
Easy · strong · 2 min · Nothing · Mobility
Hip Windshield Wipers
Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat and set wider than your hips, arms out for balance. Let both knees fall slowly to one side and then the other, so one hip rolls into internal rotation while the other rolls out, keeping both feet on the floor throughout.
10 slow passes side to side, 2 rounds.
Easy · 4 min · Floor space · Mobility
Inchworm walkout
From standing you fold forward, walk your hands out to a push up position, then walk them back and stand up. The walkout loads your shoulders and trunk while the fold gives your hamstrings a moving stretch.
2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8 walkouts, usually at the start of a session.
Easy · 5 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Incline push up
Set your hands on a bench, step, or sturdy rail with your feet back so the body forms one straight slant. Lower your chest towards the edge under control, then push away until the elbows straighten.
3 sets of 8 to 12 reps at a height where the last two reps are slow but clean.
Easy · 6 min · A bench or box + a step · Calisthenics
Indoor Rowing (Rowing Machine)
Sit tall on the machine and drive in sequence: push with the legs first, then swing the body back from the hips, then draw the handle to the lower ribs. Reverse it on the way forward, arms away, body over, then knees bend. Keep the damper modest, around 3 to 5, and let the effort come from you rather than the fan setting.
3 rounds of 4 to 5 minutes at a pace you could just hold a conversation at, resting a minute between; add 1 minute harder intervals with equal rest once the stroke feels automatic.
Easy · 15 min · A gym machine · Conditioning
Isometric Neck Holds (four-way)
Press your head lightly into your own hand or a wall in four directions: forward, backward, and each side. No movement should happen. Build the force over two seconds, hold it, then release just as gradually.
5 holds of 10 seconds in each direction, starting around half effort.
Easy · 5 min · Nothing · Strength
Jaw release drill
Rest the tongue lightly on the roof of the mouth behind the front teeth. Let the teeth part and the jaw hang heavy, then open slowly with the tongue staying up and close just as slowly, keeping the path straight.
6 to 10 slow openings, two or three times a day.
Easy · 2 min · Nothing · Mobility
Jumping jack
From standing you jump your feet out wide while swinging your arms overhead, then jump back to the start in a steady rhythm. It is a light full body bounce that raises the heart rate without asking much of any one joint.
2 to 4 sets of 30 to 60 seconds, as a warm up or between other exercises.
Easy · 4 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Kettlebell Halo
Hold a light bell upside down by the horns at your chest and trace slow, tight circles around your head, keeping it close, ribs down and trunk still. Circle one way, then the other, letting your shoulder blades glide as the bell passes behind your neck.
2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8 circles in each direction with a light bell as part of a warm-up, moving slowly enough that nothing clunks.
Easy · 4 min · A kettlebell · Strength
Knee push up
Kneel with your hands under your shoulders and your knees back far enough that hips, spine, and shoulders make one line. Lower your chest until the upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor, then press up.
3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
Easy · 6 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Knee-to-wall ankle rock · Ankle dorsiflexion
Heel glued down, drive the knee forward past the toes toward a wall. Ankle range decides how deep you can squat and how much the knee has to compensate, and it is one of the fastest ranges to win back.
10 slow rocks per side, daily
Easy · emerging · 3 min · A wall · Mobility
Lat Pulldown
Sit at the pulldown station with your thighs snug under the pads and grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders. Pull the bar down to the front of your upper chest with your chest tall, then let it rise all the way back up under control until your arms are straight.
3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps, leaving 1 to 2 reps in reserve.
Easy · 8 min · A cable machine · Strength
Lateral Band Walk
Loop a band around your legs, just above the knees to start or at the ankles for more, and sit into a quarter squat. Step sideways, leading with one foot and following with the other, keeping tension in the band and your toes pointing forward the whole way.
2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 steps in each direction, until the sides of the hips burn but form holds.
Easy · 5 min · A band · Strength
Leg Extension
Sit with your back against the pad, the machine's pivot lined up with your knee joint and the roller resting on your shins just above the ankles. Straighten your knees until your legs are nearly fully extended, pause briefly, then lower under control.
3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, lowering over 2 to 3 seconds.
Easy · 6 min · A gym machine · Strength
Leg Press
Sit into the machine with your back and hips flat against the pads and your whole feet about shoulder width apart on the platform. Release the safety handles, lower the platform until your knees approach a right angle, then press it back, stopping just short of straight legs.
3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps, leaving about 2 reps in reserve.
Easy · 10 min · A gym machine · Strength
Legs-Up-The-Wall (Viparita Karani)
Sit side on to a wall, swing your legs up it and lie back so your hips sit close to the skirting and your legs rest vertically. Arms fall out to the sides with nothing working.
Rest 5 to 15 minutes, ideally at the end of the day.
Easy · 8 min · A wall · Yoga
Levator Scapulae Stretch
Sitting or standing, turn your head to look down toward one armpit, then drape the hand on that side over the back of your head and add a light nudge in the same direction. Let the opposite arm hang heavy or reach down behind you to anchor the shoulder blade the muscle attaches to.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 2 to 3 rounds spread through the day.
Easy · 4 min · Nothing · Stretching
Locust Pose (Salabhasana)
Face down with arms alongside your body, lift your chest, arms and both legs off the floor at once and hold there, reaching long through your fingers and toes rather than cranking upward.
Hold 15 to 20 seconds, 3 to 5 rounds with equal rest.
Easy · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Low Cobra (Bhujangasana)
From lying face down with hands under your shoulders, peel your head and chest off the floor using your back muscles while your hands stay light. Elbows stay bent and close to your ribs.
Lift and lower 8 times, holding 3 slow breaths at the top of each.
Easy · 3 min · Floor space · Yoga
Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
From a lunge you lower the back knee to the floor, let the hips sink forward and down, then sweep both arms overhead and lift the chest into a gentle backbend through the upper spine.
Hold 30 to 45 seconds per side, 2 rounds, or move gently in and out with the breath, with a folded blanket under the back knee.
Easy · 5 min · Floor space · Yoga
Machine Chest Fly (Pec Deck)
Set the seat so the handles sit at chest height, then, with a slight fixed bend in your elbows, sweep your arms together in front of your chest. Open back out with control until you feel a moderate stretch across your chest, no further, and repeat.
2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, leaving 1 to 2 reps in reserve.
Easy · 6 min · A gym machine · Strength
Machine Leg Curl
Set the pads so the machine's pivot lines up with your knees and the roller sits just above your heels, seated upright or lying face down depending on the machine. Bend your knees to pull the roller towards you, then let it back out slowly until your legs are nearly straight.
3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, taking about 3 seconds to lower each rep.
Easy · 6 min · A gym machine · Strength
McGill curl-up
Lie on your back with one knee bent, the other leg straight, and both hands under your lower back to preserve its natural curve. Lift your head and shoulders a couple of centimetres as one piece, hold, then lower.
3 rounds of 8, then 6, then 4 reps, each rep held 8 to 10 seconds, 30 seconds rest between rounds.
Easy · 6 min · Floor space · Strength
Mountain climbers
From a push up position you drive one knee towards your chest, then switch legs in a running rhythm while your hands stay planted. Your shoulders and trunk hold a plank the whole time while your hips and legs do the moving.
3 to 4 sets of 20 to 40 seconds at a pace you can keep smooth.
Easy · 5 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
You stand tall with feet together or hip width apart, weight spread evenly through both feet, legs gently engaged, ribs stacked over the pelvis, shoulders wide, arms hanging at your sides and the crown of the head lifting.
Hold 60 to 90 seconds, twice, breathing slowly. Add one round with the eyes closed once you feel steady.
Easy · 3 min · Nothing · Yoga
Neck CARs
Stand or sit tall and draw the biggest slow circle you can with your head: chin toward chest, ear toward shoulder, gaze rolling up and around to the other side. Keep the shoulders and ribcage completely still so only the neck moves, taking ten seconds or more per circle.
3 slow circles each direction, once or twice a day.
Easy · 4 min · Nothing · Mobility
Overhead side bend · Lateral line
Reach one arm overhead and bend away from it, keeping both feet heavy. You are opening the long seam that runs from ankle to armpit, one of the most under-stretched lines in a chair-shaped life.
3 slow bends per side, exhale into each
Easy · emerging · 2 min · Nothing · Stretching
Overhead Triceps Stretch
Reach one arm overhead, bend the elbow so your hand drops behind your neck, and use the other hand on the bent elbow to draw it gently back and toward the midline. Stand tall rather than letting the ribs flare forward to borrow range.
Hold 30 to 45 seconds per side, 2 rounds.
Easy · 4 min · Nothing · Stretching
Prone Y-T-W Raises
Lie face down with the forehead resting on the mat. Lift the arms just clear of the floor in three shapes: overhead in a Y, straight out in a T, and elbows bent in a W, pausing briefly at the top.
8 reps of each shape, 2 or 3 rounds.
Easy · 6 min · Floor space · Strength
Quadruped Wrist Rocks
On all fours, set the palms down with fingers pointing forward and rock gently forward and back so the wrist angle opens and closes. Repeat with the fingers turned out, then turned backwards, then on the backs of the hands.
10 slow rocks in each of 4 hand positions.
Easy · 5 min · Floor space · Mobility
Reclined Figure Four (Eye of the Needle, Sucirandhrasana)
Lie on your back with knees bent, cross one ankle above the opposite knee, then thread your hands behind the standing thigh and draw it toward your chest until the crossed hip opens.
Hold 60 to 90 seconds per side, 2 rounds each side.
Easy · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Reclining Bound Angle (Supta Baddha Konasana)
Lying on your back, you bring the soles of your feet together and let the knees fall open to the sides, arms resting wherever they are comfortable. A cushion or folded blanket under each thigh lets the legs hang on support rather than on the groin.
Hold 2 to 5 minutes with support under each thigh.
Easy · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Ring row
Set the rings around waist height and take them with straight arms, walking your feet forward until your body leans back in one straight line. Pull your chest up to the rings, letting your wrists rotate naturally as you pull, then lower under control. Walk the feet further forward to make it harder, back to make it easier.
3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12, steepening the body angle as sets get easy.
Easy · 8 min · Gymnastic rings · Calisthenics
Rucking (Loaded Walking)
Load a sturdy backpack so the weight sits high and snug against your upper back, then walk at a purposeful pace. Start at about 10 per cent of bodyweight, keep your normal walking posture rather than hanging off the straps, and use routes and hills to set the difficulty.
2 rucks a week of 30 to 45 minutes at about 10 per cent of bodyweight, adding either load or time in small steps, never both at once.
Easy · 15 min · Something with weight · Conditioning
Scapular Push Up
In a plank or on your knees with straight arms, let the chest sink between the shoulder blades, then push the floor away so the upper back rounds slightly. The elbows stay locked so only the shoulder blades move.
3 sets of 10 with a one second pause at the top.
Easy · 4 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Seated bent-knee calf raise (soleus raise)
Sit with knees bent to roughly a right angle and a weight resting on your thighs just above the knees. Push through the balls of your feet to lift the heels, hold briefly, then lower until the heels are fully down.
3 sets of 15 to 20 controlled reps with a pause at the bottom.
Easy · 8 min · Something with weight · Strength
Seated Cable Row
Sit at the low cable with your feet braced on the platform and knees slightly bent, holding the handle at arm's length. Pull the handle to your lower ribs, drawing your shoulder blades back and down, then let your arms straighten fully without collapsing your chest forward.
3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps, leaving 1 to 2 reps in reserve.
Easy · 8 min · A cable machine · Strength
Short foot + toe splay · The foot's own muscles
Barefoot, lift the arch without curling the toes, then spread the toes wide and set them back down. The foot has its own core, and waking it changes how everything above lands.
10 lifts + 10 splays, daily, anywhere
Easy · emerging · 2 min · Nothing · Mobility
Shoulder CARs (controlled articular rotations)
Standing or on all fours, take one arm slowly around the biggest circle it can make: forward and up, rotating the palm as it passes overhead, then back and down behind you. Everything else in the body stays still.
3 slow circles each direction per arm, 20 to 30 seconds per circle.
Easy · 6 min · Nothing · Mobility
Shoulder Dislocates with a Strap
Hold a strap or broomstick wide in front of you with straight arms, take it slowly overhead and behind your body, then return along the same path. Widen your grip until the trip is smooth with no shrugging or bent elbows.
2 sets of 10 slow passes.
Easy · 4 min · A bar to hang from · Mobility
Side-Lying Leg Raise
Lie on your side with your body in one straight line and the bottom leg bent for balance. Raise your top leg to about 45 degrees with the heel leading and toes pointing forward, not up, then lower it slowly without letting the leg drift in front of you.
2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 slow reps per side, pausing briefly at the top; add an ankle weight when 15 becomes easy.
Easy · 5 min · Floor space · Strength
Side-lying Open Book Rotation
Lie on your side, knees bent and stacked, arms straight out in front. Keep the knees pinned together while you sweep the top arm across the body and open the chest towards the ceiling, following the hand with your eyes.
8 to 10 slow openings per side, pausing 2 seconds at the end.
Easy · 4 min · Floor space · Mobility
Single arm dumbbell row
With one hand and one knee on a bench, let a dumbbell hang from the free arm. Pull it towards your hip, leading with the elbow and letting the shoulder blade slide back, then lower until the arm is straight.
3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side.
Easy · 10 min · A dumbbell + a bench or box · Strength
Single Leg Stand
Stand tall next to a counter, shift your weight onto one foot and lift the other just clear of the floor. Keep the standing knee soft and the hips level. Fingertips touch the surface only as much as you need.
3 holds of 20 to 30 seconds per leg, progressing to no hands, then eyes closed near a wall.
Easy · 5 min · A wall · Mobility
Sit to Stand from a Chair
Sit on a firm chair with your feet flat beneath your knees. Lean your chest forward over your toes, press through the whole foot and stand up tall, then lower back down under control instead of dropping onto the seat.
3 sets of 8 to 10 stands, resting a minute between sets.
Easy · 5 min · A step · Strength
Slow calf raise · Calf + Achilles, full range
Toes on a step, lower the heel below the edge, rise all the way up, three slow seconds each way. Heavy, slow calf work is the backbone of every Achilles protocol for a reason: tendon loves load it can predict.
2 sets of 12 per side, slower than feels right
Easy · strong · 4 min · A step · Strength
Snapdown to Athletic Landing
From tall standing on the balls of your feet, drop quickly into a quarter squat and freeze: feet flat, shins forward, knees tracking over the middle toes, chest up. No jump, just the landing shape found fast and held.
3 sets of 6 reps, holding each landing for 2 silent seconds.
Easy · 5 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Soleus Wall Stretch
Take the same stance as the wall calf stretch, hands on the wall and one leg back with the foot pointing straight forwards, but keep the back knee bent and the heel pressed down. Sink the hips down and forwards until a deep, dull stretch appears low in the calf.
3 holds of 45 seconds per leg, most days.
Easy · 5 min · A wall · Stretching
Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)
Lie face down and place your forearms on the floor with elbows under or slightly ahead of your shoulders. Press the forearms down to lift your chest. Legs stay heavy and hips stay on the ground.
Hold 30 to 60 seconds, rest, repeat 3 times.
Easy · 3 min · Floor space · Yoga
Staff Pose (Dandasana)
Sit with both legs straight in front, feet flexed, thighs pressing down into the floor, hands beside the hips. You lift the breastbone and lengthen upward as though a wall ran the full height of your back.
Hold 30 to 60 seconds, rest, repeat 3 times.
Easy · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Stair Climbing
Climb a few flights of stairs briskly, one step at a time, using the rail for balance if you want it, then come back down at an easy pace as the recovery. Vigorous is the target: quick enough that you are breathing hard by the top.
3 brisk climbs of about 60 steps spread through the day, most days of the week; or, as a single session, 6 to 8 climbs of 30 to 60 seconds using the walk down as recovery.
Easy · 8 min · A step · Conditioning
Standing hip CARs
Hold a wall, brace your trunk, and lift one knee to the front, carry it out to the side, rotate the shin down and sweep the leg behind you, then reverse the circle. The rest of your body stays still.
3 slow circles each direction per hip, 20 to 30 seconds a circle.
Easy · 6 min · A wall · Mobility
Standing Quad Stretch
Stand tall with one hand on a wall, bend the other knee and draw that heel toward your buttock, holding the ankle with the same-side hand. Keep your knees together and your tailbone tucked under so the stretch lands on the front of the thigh rather than in your lower back.
Hold 30 to 45 seconds per side, 2 rounds.
Easy · 4 min · A wall · Stretching
Step Up
Face a low step and place one whole foot on it. Press through that heel to stand up on top without pushing off the trailing foot, then lower yourself back to the floor slowly. Alternate legs each set.
3 sets of 8 per leg, adding height before adding weight.
Easy · 8 min · A step · Strength
Supine hamstring stretch with a strap
Lie on your back with one leg flat on the floor. Loop a belt or towel over the raised foot, straighten that knee, and draw the leg towards you until the back of the thigh tightens, keeping the pelvis quiet.
3 holds of 45 to 60 seconds per leg.
Easy · 6 min · Floor space · Stretching
Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)
Lying on your back, you hug one knee to your chest and guide it across your body toward the floor with the opposite hand, arms wide and both shoulders staying heavy. The head can turn away from the knee or stay neutral.
Hold 60 to 90 seconds per side, 1 to 2 rounds.
Easy · 5 min · Floor space · Yoga
Supported Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, supported)
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Lift your hips, slide a block or firm cushion under your sacrum, then let your weight settle onto it and rest with your arms relaxed out to the sides.
Rest 2 to 5 minutes, breathing slowly through the nose.
Easy · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Tandem Stance and Heel-to-Toe Walk
Place one foot directly in front of the other so the heel touches the toes, and hold. Then walk a straight line the same way for ten to twenty steps, arms out wide or a hand light on a wall.
Hold 20 seconds with each foot forward, then 3 walks of 15 steps.
Easy · 4 min · A wall · Mobility
Thoracic rotation · Spiral line
Arms wide, hips still, rotate the ribcage and let the head follow. Rotation is the first range a desk life loses, and the spiral line that wraps your trunk is how walking stores its energy.
6 rotations per side, moving with the breath
Easy · emerging · 2 min · Nothing · Mobility
Thread the Needle
From all fours, slide one arm underneath the other until the shoulder and the side of your head rest on the floor. The hips stay stacked over the knees while the upper back rotates towards the ground.
hold 45 seconds per side, 2 rounds.
Easy · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Tibialis raise · Front of the shin
Lean back against a wall, heels a foot out, and lift the toes toward the shins. The tibialis is the muscle that brakes every step you take, and this knees-over-toes staple is nearly the only exercise that trains it.
2 sets of 15 to 20, slow
Easy · emerging · 3 min · A wall · Strength
Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
Standing on one leg, you place the other foot on the ankle, calf or inner thigh, press foot and leg together, keep the hips level and hold the hands at the chest or overhead.
Hold 30 to 45 seconds per side, 2 rounds each. Keep fingertips on a wall while you are learning.
Easy · 4 min · A wall · Yoga
Triceps Pushdown
Stand facing a high pulley holding a bar or rope attachment, elbows bent and pinned to your sides. Push your hands down until your arms are straight, then let them bend back up to about chest height while your elbows stay still.
3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, leaving 1 to 2 reps in reserve.
Easy · 6 min · A cable machine · Strength
Upper trap release · Neck side line
Anchor one shoulder down, tilt the head away, and let the side of the neck lengthen. This is where mental load lives: the muscle that shrugs is the one that switches on first under stress and off last.
2 slow holds of 30 seconds per side
Easy · emerging · 2 min · Nothing · Stretching
Wall angel · Front line release
Back against a wall, slide the arms from a W to a Y without losing contact. This lengthens the chest and shoulder fascia that hours of screens quietly shorten.
8 slow slides, ribs soft, evening reset
Easy · emerging · 3 min · A wall · Mobility
Wall calf stretch (gastrocnemius)
Stand an arm's length from a wall with both hands on it and one leg back, that knee locked straight and the heel pressed down. Point the back foot straight forwards and shift your hips towards the wall until the calf pulls.
3 holds of 45 seconds per leg, most days.
Easy · 5 min · A wall · Stretching
Wall push up
Stand about an arm's length from a wall with your hands flat at chest height, slightly wider than your shoulders. Bend the elbows to bring your chest towards the wall, keeping the body in one line, then press back out.
3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, resting a minute between sets.
Easy · 5 min · A wall · Calisthenics
Wall Sit
Stand with your back flat against a wall, walk your feet out and slide down until your knees are near a right angle. Hold there with your weight through your heels, breathing normally rather than gripping your breath.
3 to 4 holds of 30 to 60 seconds, resting a minute or two between.
Easy · 6 min · A wall · Strength
Wide-Legged Standing Forward Fold (Prasarita Padottanasana)
Standing with the feet wide and roughly parallel, you hinge from the hips and let the torso hang between the legs, hands on the floor or on a raised support, allowing the head to release toward the ground.
Hold 45 to 60 seconds for 2 rounds, hands on blocks or a chair seat if the floor is far away.
Easy · 4 min · A step · Yoga
Wrist & forearm flow · The reaching line
Take the wrists slowly through the range a keyboard never asks for: full bend, full extension, and rotation both ways. Typing is a small, constant, unvarying load, which is exactly the kind connective tissue tolerates worst.
10 slow reps each direction, hourly if you type
Easy · emerging · 2 min · Nothing · Mobility
Wrist Curls
Rest your forearm on a thigh or bench with the palm facing up and the hand hanging off the edge, holding a light dumbbell. Curl the wrist up as far as it will go, then lower slowly until the wrist is fully extended.
2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 slow reps per side, 2 to 3 times a week.
Easy · 6 min · A dumbbell · Strength
Wrist Extensor Eccentrics
Rest your forearm on a thigh or bench, palm facing down, holding a light weight. Lift the wrist with help from your other hand, then lower it slowly under its own power over three to four seconds.
3 sets of 15 slow lowers per side, most days.
Easy · 6 min · A dumbbell · Strength
Wrist Flexor Stretch
Place one palm flat against a wall at chest height with the arm straight and the fingers pointing down, then lean in gently until the pull spreads up the underside of the forearm. The same stretch works kneeling with palms on the floor and fingers turned back towards your knees.
Hold 30 seconds, 2 to 3 rounds per side, repeated through long desk days.
Easy · 4 min · A wall · Stretching
90/90 hip lift-off
Sit in the 90/90 position and, keeping the torso still, lift the back shin off the floor using the hip alone. Hold a few seconds, lower slowly, then repeat by lifting the front leg's knee instead.
3 holds of 5 to 8 seconds each way per side.
Medium · 8 min · Floor space · Mobility
90/90 switch · Hip rotation
Seated, both knees bent to right angles, sweep the legs from one side to the other. Internal and external rotation are the hip's forgotten dials, and this trains both in one slow windshield-wiper motion.
10 slow switches, pause at the ends
Medium · emerging · 3 min · Floor space · Mobility
Back extension on a 45 degree bench
With ankles fixed and the pad just below your hip bones, hinge forward until you feel your hamstrings lengthen, then drive back up with your glutes until your body is straight. Finish at straight, not arched.
3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, adding a light weight held at your chest once bodyweight feels easy.
Medium · 6 min · A bench or box · Strength
Backward sled drag
Facing the sled with straps or handles in your hands, you walk backwards and pull it along, staying low with soft knees and driving through the front of the foot on every step.
4 to 6 trips of 20 to 30 metres with a light to moderate load.
Medium · 12 min · A sled · Strength
Bar hang · Spine decompression
Hang from a bar and let gravity do the opposite of what your day does. It lengthens the whole back line at once and asks the shoulders for the overhead range that sitting quietly removes.
Accumulate 60 to 90 seconds a day
Medium · emerging · 2 min · A bar to hang from · Mobility
Barbell Back Squat
With a bar resting across your upper back, brace your trunk, then squat down and stand back up while keeping the bar stacked over the middle of your feet. Begin with an empty bar and add load slowly.
3 sets of 5 to 8 reps, adding small increments when every set feels controlled.
Medium · 15 min · A bar to hang from · Strength
Barbell Deadlift
Stand with the bar over the middle of your feet, hinge down and grip it just outside your legs. Push the floor away and drag the bar up your shins and thighs until you stand tall, then lower it back down the same path under control.
3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps, leaving 2 to 3 reps in reserve; add weight only when every rep looks the same.
Medium · 12 min · A barbell · Strength
Barbell Good Morning
With a light bar on your upper back and knees slightly bent, hinge forward from the hips until your torso is somewhere near parallel with the floor, then drive your hips forward to return to standing.
3 sets of 8 to 10 reps with a load you could repeat several more times.
Medium · 10 min · A bar to hang from · Strength
Barbell Hip Thrust
Sit on the floor with your upper back against a bench and a padded barbell across your hips. Drive through your heels until hips, knees and shoulders line up, squeeze the glutes hard, then lower under control.
3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps with a pause at the top.
Medium · 12 min · A barbell + a bench or box · Strength
Bear Crawl
On hands and toes with the knees hovering just off the floor and the hips low, travel forward by moving the opposite hand and foot together. Keep the back flat and the hips quiet, as if balancing a glass on your lower back.
4 travels of 8 to 10 metres, forwards and backwards, resting as needed.
Medium · 8 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Bench press
Lie on a bench with your feet flat on the floor and grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders. Unrack it over your chest, lower it under control until it touches near the sternum, then press back up to straight arms.
3 to 5 sets of 5 to 10 reps, leaving 1 to 2 reps in reserve.
Medium · 12 min · A barbell + a bench or box · Strength
Bent-Over Barbell Row
Hinge forward at the hips with soft knees until your torso is between 45 degrees and horizontal, arms hanging straight down to the bar. Pull the bar to your lower ribs without lifting your torso, squeeze your shoulder blades, then lower it back to a straight arm.
3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps, leaving about 2 reps in reserve.
Medium · 8 min · A barbell · Strength
Bent-Over Reverse Fly
Hinge forward at the hips until your torso approaches horizontal, with a light dumbbell hanging from each hand. With elbows slightly bent, raise both arms out to the sides until they are level with your back, squeeze your shoulder blades together, then lower slowly.
2 to 4 sets of 12 to 20 reps with a genuinely light weight, leaving a couple of reps in reserve.
Medium · 6 min · A dumbbell · Strength
Boat Pose (Navasana)
Sitting balanced just behind your sit bones, you lift the legs, shins parallel to the floor or straight for the full pose, and reach the arms forward, keeping the spine long rather than rounded. The shape is a V held against gravity.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds, 3 rounds; bend the knees the moment the low back starts to round.
Medium · 5 min · Floor space · Yoga
Bodyweight Get Up
From lying, press one arm to the ceiling and stand up in stages: roll to the elbow, to the hand, bridge the hips, sweep the back leg through to a kneeling lunge, then stand. Reverse the same way.
5 slow reps per side, pausing at each stage.
Medium · 10 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
Lie face down, bend your knees and take hold of your ankles from the outside. Kick your feet back into your hands so the pull lifts your chest and thighs off the floor together.
Hold 10 to 20 seconds, 3 rounds with full rest between.
Medium · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Box Drop Landing
Step off a low box, land on both feet at once and freeze in a quarter squat. Ball of the foot first, heel down, knees over the toes, no rebound at all. Listen for a quiet landing.
4 sets of 5 drops from a 20 to 30 cm step, with full rest between sets.
Medium · 8 min · A step · Calisthenics
Box Jump
Stand a short step back from a sturdy knee height box, swing your arms and jump up to land softly with both feet fully on top. Stand tall to finish, then step down and reset; never rebound off the top or jump back down.
3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 jumps on a modest box, fully resetting between reps, done while fresh rather than at the end of a session.
Medium · 8 min · A bench or box · Calisthenics
Bretzel Stretch
Lie on your side with the top leg bent to ninety degrees at hip and knee and resting on the floor in front of you, then bend the bottom knee and reach back with your top hand to hold that ankle. Keeping the top knee pinned down, rotate your chest open toward the ceiling and breathe.
5 slow breaths in the stretch, then 3 gentle further rotations, 2 rounds per side.
Medium · 8 min · Floor space · Mobility
Burpee
From standing you drop your hands to the floor, kick or step back to a push up position, bring the feet back in, and jump up with your arms overhead. Each rep cycles you between the floor and full extension, which is what makes it so demanding.
3 to 5 rounds of 30 to 60 seconds at a steady pace, with equal rest between rounds.
Medium · 10 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Cable Fly
Set two pulleys at about shoulder height, take a handle in each hand and step forward into a staggered stance so the cables pull from slightly behind you. With a fixed, slight bend in your elbows, sweep your hands together in front of your chest, then open back out until you feel a deep but comfortable stretch.
3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, leaving about 2 reps in reserve.
Medium · 8 min · A cable machine · Strength
Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
Kneel upright with hips over knees and hands on the back of your pelvis, or reaching to your heels. Push your hips forward as your chest lifts so the bend spreads through your upper back.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds, 3 rounds, hands on your pelvis before you try reaching your heels.
Medium · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
Same start as low cobra, but you press through your hands until your arms are nearly straight with hips still touching the floor. Aim to spread the bend from the mid back upward instead of hinging at one point.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds, 3 rounds, backing off the moment your low back pinches.
Medium · 3 min · Floor space · Yoga
Contract relax hamstring stretch (PNF)
Take a supine straight leg stretch to a mild limit with a strap or a partner. Push the leg back into the resistance at roughly a quarter effort for six seconds, relax completely, then take up the new slack. Repeat three rounds.
3 rounds per leg: 6 second push, 20 second hold, 2 to 3 times a week.
Medium · 8 min · Floor space · Stretching
Cossack squat · Adductor length + strength
Wide stance, shift all the way over one leg while the other stays long. Half stretch, half single-leg squat, it builds strength through the inner line's full length instead of just pulling on it.
6 slow shifts per side, hold the last one
Medium · emerging · 4 min · Nothing · Mobility
Couch stretch · Hip flexor line
Rear knee near the wall, shin up it, torso tall, and breathe. This is the direct antidote to the sitting position: the hip flexors and the fascia down the front of the thigh, opened at length.
1 to 2 minutes per side, most days
Medium · emerging · 4 min · A wall · Stretching
Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)
Stack one knee directly above the other with both feet drawn out beside the hips. For the arm version, reach one hand over the shoulder and one up the back to link fingers, or hold a strap between them.
Hold 60 to 90 seconds per side, swapping legs and arms each round, 2 rounds.
Medium · 7 min · Floor space · Yoga
Crab Reach
Sit with your hands behind you, fingers pointing away, feet flat, and lift your hips into a tabletop position. Drive the hips up as you reach one arm over your head toward the opposite side, letting the chest open and your eyes follow the hand, then lower and swap arms.
5 reaches per side, alternating, 2 rounds.
Medium · 6 min · Floor space · Mobility
Crab Walk
Sit with your feet flat and hands behind you, fingers pointing towards your heels. Lift the hips to make a table, then travel forwards or backwards moving opposite hand and foot. The hips stay up throughout.
4 travels of 6 to 8 metres, resting 45 seconds between.
Medium · 6 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Crow Pose (Bakasana)
From a squat, hands on the floor shoulder width apart, rest your knees high on the back of your upper arms. Shift your weight forward over your hands until your feet leave the ground, elbows bent and back rounded.
6 to 10 attempts of 5 to 15 seconds, with something soft in front of you.
Medium · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Cuban Rotation
Raise your elbows to shoulder height, bent to ninety degrees with the forearms hanging down, holding light dumbbells or a band anchored under your feet. Keeping the elbows completely still, rotate the forearms up until your knuckles point at the ceiling, pause, and lower under control.
2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 slow reps.
Medium · 6 min · A dumbbell + a band · Mobility
Deep squat hold · The whole net
Sink as low as comfortable, heels down if you can, and sway gently. The resting position humans used for millennia loads ankles, hips, and back in one shape.
Accumulate 2 minutes a day, sway often
Medium · emerging · 2 min · Nothing · Mobility
Diamond push up
Take a normal push up position but bring the hands together under your sternum so index fingers and thumbs form a rough triangle. Keep the elbows brushing past your ribs as you lower, then press straight back up.
3 sets of 5 to 10 reps.
Medium · 6 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Dolphin Pose (Ardha Pincha Mayurasana)
Downward dog on your forearms. Elbows sit shoulder width apart with forearms parallel, hips lift high, and your head hangs free between your upper arms without resting on the floor.
Hold 30 to 45 seconds, 4 rounds.
Medium · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Dumbbell Bench Press
Lie on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand at chest level, feet planted on the floor. Press both weights up until your arms are straight above your chest, then lower them under control until your hands are about level with your torso.
3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps, leaving about 2 reps in reserve.
Medium · 8 min · A dumbbell + a bench or box · Strength
Dumbbell Pullover
Lie along a bench holding one dumbbell in both hands above your chest, arms nearly straight. Lower the weight in an arc behind your head until you feel a stretch through the chest and lats, then pull it back over your chest.
2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 slow reps, leaving about 2 reps in reserve.
Medium · 6 min · A dumbbell + a bench or box · Strength
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Hold weights in front of your thighs with knees softly bent and fixed. Push your hips backwards and let the weights travel down your legs until you feel a strong stretch behind the thighs, then drive your hips forward to stand.
3 sets of 8 to 10 reps, lowering for 3 seconds and stopping before your back rounds.
Medium · 10 min · A dumbbell · Strength
Eagle Pose (Garudasana)
You bend the knees, cross one thigh over the other and hook that foot behind the calf if it reaches, then cross the arms at the elbows, press the palms toward each other and lift the elbows while sitting down slightly.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 2 rounds each way. Cross only at the elbows if the full arm wrap is out of reach.
Medium · 4 min · Nothing · Yoga
Eccentric heel drop
Rise onto both toes on a step, shift your weight onto one leg, then lower that heel slowly below the step over three to four seconds. Use both legs to come back up, and repeat on the other side.
3 sets of 15 per leg, twice daily, in both straight-knee and bent-knee versions.
Medium · 10 min · A step · Strength
Extended Side Angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)
From a wide stance with the front knee bent, you tip the torso sideways over that thigh, resting the forearm on the thigh or a hand on a block, while the top arm reaches over the ear in one long diagonal.
Hold 30 to 45 seconds per side, 2 rounds, forearm resting lightly on the thigh or hand on a block.
Medium · 4 min · A step · Yoga
Fire Log Pose (Agnistambhasana)
Sit and stack the shins one above the other, ankle over knee and knee over ankle, with both feet flexed. Sit up on a folded blanket, then hinge forward with a long spine only if the hips allow it.
Hold 60 to 90 seconds per side, 2 rounds.
Medium · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Fish Pose (Matsyasana)
Lying back with legs extended, you prop yourself on your forearms, arch the chest toward the ceiling and let the crown of the head rest lightly on the floor. The forearms and elbows carry the weight; the head only touches.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds, 2 rounds, weight on the forearms rather than the head; a block or thick book under the upper back gives a gentler supported version.
Medium · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Forward Shoulder Roll
From a low lunge, place one hand down, tuck your chin towards the opposite shoulder and roll diagonally across your back, shoulder to opposite hip. The head never touches the ground. Finish sitting or standing.
3 sets of 5 slow rolls per side on a mat.
Medium · 8 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Frog rock · Deep adductor opening
Knees wide on the floor, forearms down, rock the hips back toward the heels and return. The rocking keeps it a movement rather than a hang, which the tissue tolerates far better.
12 slow rocks, breathe into the floor
Medium · emerging · 3 min · Floor space · Stretching
Goblet Squat
Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell against your chest with both hands. Squat down between your knees until your elbows pass inside your thighs, keeping your torso upright, then stand back up without letting the weight drift forward.
3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps, leaving about 2 reps in reserve.
Medium · 10 min · A dumbbell + a kettlebell · Strength
Half Frog Pose (Ardha Bhekasana)
Lying on your front, propped on one forearm as in sphinx, you bend the opposite knee, reach back for that foot and press it gently towards the outside of the hip, so the front of the thigh stretches while the chest stays lifted in a mild backbend.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 2 rounds, pressing the foot only as far as the stretch stays in the thigh.
Medium · 5 min · Floor space · Yoga
Half Handstand at the Wall (Ardha Adho Mukha Vrksasana)
Sit with your back to a wall to measure your leg length, place your hands where your heels were, then walk your feet up the wall until your hips are over your shoulders and your body makes an L.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds, 4 rounds.
Medium · 5 min · A wall · Yoga
Half Lord of the Fishes (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
One foot crosses over the opposite thigh and stands flat on the floor while the other leg folds in toward the hip. You lengthen upward, then rotate toward the top knee, using the arm as a light lever rather than a crowbar.
Hold 45 to 60 seconds per side, 2 rounds.
Medium · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Half-kneeling Pallof press
Kneel side-on to an anchored band or cable with hands at your chest, then press straight out and back in. The band tries to twist you towards the anchor. You refuse, keeping shoulders and hips square.
3 sets of 8 presses per side with a 3 second hold at full reach.
Medium · 6 min · An anchor point · Strength
Hanging knee raise
Hang from a bar with active rather than fully slack shoulders. Draw your knees up towards your chest by curling your pelvis, then lower slowly and come to a full stop before the next rep.
3 sets of 8 to 10 controlled reps with a dead stop at the bottom.
Medium · 5 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Heel-elevated deep squat (slant board squat)
With your heels raised on a slant board or small plates, squat as deep as the knees comfortably allow, letting them travel forward past the toes while the torso stays fairly upright. Stand back up under control.
3 sets of 8 to 10 slow reps, bodyweight before any load.
Medium · 10 min · A step · Strength
Hero Pose (Virasana)
Kneel with the knees together and the shins apart, then sit down between your heels with the tops of the feet flat. A block or bolster under the sitting bones raises you until the knees are comfortable.
Start with 30 seconds sitting on a block and build toward 2 minutes.
Medium · 3 min · Floor space · Yoga
High Lunge (Crescent Lunge, Ashta Chandrasana)
From a long split stance you bend the front knee over the ankle, keep the back leg straight with the heel lifted, draw the back hip forward and reach both arms up alongside the ears.
Hold 30 to 45 seconds per side, 2 rounds. Lower the back knee to the floor if the balance is the limiting factor.
Medium · 4 min · Nothing · Yoga
Hill Sprints
Find a moderate hill, warm up thoroughly, then run hard up it for 8 to 10 seconds, driving the knees and arms, and walk back down. The slope does the coaching: it forces a forward lean, short strides and a lower top speed.
6 to 8 uphill runs of 8 to 10 seconds at a strong but unhurried effort, walking down slowly as the recovery.
Medium · 12 min · Nothing · Conditioning
Hollow body hold
Lie on your back, press your lower back flat, then lift head, shoulders, and legs into a shallow banana shape. Arms reach past your ears only once your back can stay pinned to the floor.
4 holds of 15 to 30 seconds, tucking knees or arms in the moment your back lifts off.
Medium · 5 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Humble Warrior (Baddha Virabhadrasana)
From warrior one, front knee bent and back foot flat, you interlace your hands behind your back, then fold your torso down inside the front leg while the clasped arms sweep up and over your head.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 2 rounds; hold a strap between your hands if they do not meet behind your back.
Medium · 4 min · Nothing · Yoga
Incline Dumbbell Press
Set a bench to roughly a 30 degree incline and lie back with a dumbbell in each hand at upper-chest level, feet planted on the floor. Press both weights up until your arms are straight above your upper chest, then lower them under control.
3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps, leaving about 2 reps in reserve.
Medium · 9 min · A dumbbell + a bench or box · Strength
Inverted row
Lie under a waist height bar or a pair of rings, grip it, and hang with your body straight and heels on the floor. Pull your chest to the bar, hips level with the shoulders, then lower until the arms straighten.
3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps at a bar height where the last rep is genuinely hard.
Medium · 8 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Jump Rope (Basic Bounce)
Turn a rope with small circles of the wrists, elbows close to your ribs, and clear it with a low two footed hop of a few centimetres, landing on the balls of the feet. This is rope work, not the no rope step and hop drill: the rope sets the rhythm and punishes any jump that is too big or too slow.
5 rounds of 30 to 60 seconds with equal rest, growing total time by no more than a few minutes per week.
Medium · 10 min · A jump rope · Conditioning
Jump squat
You sit into a squat, then drive up hard enough to leave the floor, and land softly back into the next squat. Each rep trains your legs to produce force fast and then absorb it again on landing.
3 to 4 sets of 5 to 8 jumps with full rest between sets, landing quietly on every rep.
Medium · 8 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Kettlebell Clean
Hike the bell back between your legs like a one-arm swing, snap your hips, and as the bell rises keep your elbow close and guide the handle so the bell rolls gently around your wrist into the rack: handle across the palm, bell resting on forearm and chest. Drop it back into the next swing by opening the elbow and letting the hips take it.
3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 per side with a bell light enough to land quietly; when it stops bruising your forearm, the weight is right.
Medium · 8 min · A kettlebell · Strength
Kettlebell Swing
Hinge at the hips and hike the kettlebell back between your thighs, arms relaxed like ropes. Snap your hips forward hard so the bell floats to chest height, then let it fall and hinge again as it swings back; the arms steer while the hips do the work.
5 to 10 sets of 10 to 15 hard swings, resting until the next set can be just as crisp.
Medium · 10 min · A kettlebell · Strength
Kettlebell Windmill
Press the bell overhead, turn both feet about 45 degrees away from that arm, and push your hip out under the bell. Keeping the overhead arm locked and your eyes on the bell, hinge sideways and down, sliding your free hand along the inside of the front leg toward the floor, then drive back up tall through the hip.
2 to 4 sets of 3 to 5 slow reps per side with a light bell, treated as mobility with a little load rather than a lift to push.
Medium · 6 min · A kettlebell · Strength
Lateral Monkey Travel
Squat low, plant both hands to one side, take your weight into the arms and swing both feet across to land beside the hands. Repeat side to side, keeping the swing low and the landings soft.
5 sets of 6 passes, resting a minute between sets.
Medium · 8 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Lizard Pose (Utthan Pristhasana)
Step one foot to the outside of the same hand in a low lunge, drop the back knee if you like, then lower onto forearms or blocks so the front hip sinks and the inner thigh opens.
Hold 60 to 90 seconds per side on forearms or blocks, 2 rounds.
Medium · 7 min · Floor space · Yoga
Negative pull up
Step or hop so your chin starts above the bar, then lower yourself as slowly as you can until the arms are completely straight. Step back up to the top rather than trying to pull, and repeat.
4 to 5 sets of 3 reps, aiming for a 5 to 10 second lower each time.
Medium · 10 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
One-Arm Kettlebell Push Press
Clean the bell to the rack, brace, dip a few inches by bending the knees, then drive up through your legs and punch the bell to lockout overhead as the leg drive spends itself. Lower it back to the rack under control between reps.
3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 per side, done fresh; when reps start to grind, the leg drive has gone and the set is over.
Medium · 8 min · A kettlebell · Strength
Overhead carry (waiter's walk)
Press one weight overhead with the elbow locked and your arm near your ear, then walk. Keep your ribs down instead of arching your lower back, and look forward rather than up at the weight.
3 walks of 15 to 20 metres per arm with a light to moderate weight.
Medium · 6 min · A dumbbell + a kettlebell · Strength
Overhead lat stretch at a bench
Kneel in front of a bench, step or sofa. Set the elbows on it about shoulder width apart with the hands together, then sink the chest towards the floor while the hips stay back over the knees.
3 holds of 45 seconds.
Medium · 5 min · A bench or box · Stretching
Pancake good morning · Adductors + back line
Seated straddle, chest tall, hinge forward from the hips with a long spine and return. Borrowed from the ATG playbook: loading the fold, not just falling into it, is what makes the range stick.
8 slow hinges, no rounding
Medium · emerging · 3 min · Floor space · Stretching
Patrick step-down · Knee over toe, loaded
Stand on a step, reach the free heel slowly toward the floor in front, and press back up through the standing leg. Slow single-leg step-downs are a staple of patellofemoral rehab, and the knees-over-toes entry point for building the knee's forward range.
2 sets of 8 slow reps per side
Medium · strong · 5 min · A step · Strength
Pigeon Preparation (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana prep)
From hands and knees, slide one shin forward under the chest with that knee angled out, extend the other leg straight behind, and level the hips before lowering onto forearms, a block or a bolster.
Hold 90 seconds to 3 minutes per side, with a cushion under the front hip.
Medium · 8 min · Floor space · Yoga
Pike push up
From a push up position, walk your feet in and lift your hips so the body makes an upside down V. Bend the elbows to lower the top of your head towards the floor ahead of your hands, then press up.
3 sets of 5 to 10 reps, raising the feet onto a step once ten feels easy.
Medium · 6 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Pogo Hops
Bounce in place on both feet with the legs long and stiff, using the ankles as the spring. Aim for tall posture, minimal knee bend, short ground contacts and quiet landings on the balls of the feet.
5 sets of 15 hops with a minute rest, chasing quiet contacts rather than height.
Medium · 8 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Poliquin step-up · Knee over toe, loaded
Step up onto a low platform with the heel of the working foot down and the knee travelling forward over the toes. The complement to the step-down: it builds the same forward range in the lifting direction.
2 sets of 8 slow reps per side
Medium · emerging · 4 min · A step · Strength
Push Press
Hold a barbell at your collarbones as if to press, then dip a few inches by bending your knees while keeping your torso vertical. Drive up hard with your legs and use that momentum to punch the bar to a locked-out position overhead, then lower it back to your shoulders.
3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 reps, leaving 1 to 2 reps in reserve, resting fully between sets.
Medium · 10 min · A barbell · Strength
Push up
From a plank with hands just outside the shoulders, lower your whole body as one piece until the chest is a fist's height from the floor, elbows tracking back at roughly forty five degrees, then press up.
3 to 4 sets of 5 to 12 reps, stopping two reps short of failure.
Medium · 8 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana)
In a short split stance with the hips facing forward and both legs straight, you fold over the front leg with the hands on blocks, the floor or clasped behind your back.
Hold 30 to 45 seconds per side, 2 rounds, with a soft bend in the front knee if the hamstring protests.
Medium · 4 min · A step · Yoga
Rabbit Pose (Sasangasana)
Kneeling with your hips on your heels, you fold forward, place the crown of your head lightly on the floor near the knees, hold your heels with both hands and lift the hips, so the spine rounds into a deep, even curve from neck to tailbone.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds, 2 rounds, gripping the heels firmly so your arms, not your neck, carry most of the weight.
Medium · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat (Bulgarian Split Squat)
Rest your back foot on a bench or step behind you and stand far enough forward that the front shin stays comfortable. Lower until the back knee approaches the floor, then drive up through the front leg.
3 sets of 6 to 10 per leg, adding dumbbells once bodyweight feels smooth.
Medium · 12 min · A bench or box + a step · Strength
Reverse crunch
Lie on your back with knees bent and hands beside your hips. Curl your pelvis towards your ribs so your hips lift slightly from the floor, then lower one segment at a time. No swinging, no bouncing.
3 sets of 10 to 12 slow reps with a brief pause at the top.
Medium · 4 min · Floor space · Strength
Reverse Lunge
From standing, step one foot backwards and lower until the back knee is close to the floor, then push through the front heel to return to standing. The front foot never moves during the repetition.
3 sets of 8 per leg, alternating or completing one side at a time.
Medium · 8 min · Nothing · Strength
Reverse Nordic · Quads, eccentric
Kneel tall and lean back from the knees, slowly, keeping the hips open. The mirror image of the Nordic curl and a knees-over-toes staple: it loads the front of the thigh at a long length, which is exactly where it is usually weak.
2 sets of 5 slow reps
Medium · emerging · 4 min · Floor space · Strength
Reverse Warrior (Viparita Virabhadrasana)
Holding a Warrior II stance, you slide the back hand down the rear leg, lift the front arm up and back, and arc the torso toward the back of the mat without letting the front knee straighten or drift.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 2 rounds, moving in and out slowly the first time.
Medium · 3 min · Nothing · Yoga
Revolved Chair Pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana)
From a chair pose squat you bring the palms together at the chest and turn the ribcage, hooking one elbow across the opposite thigh while both knees stay level and the hips stay back.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 2 rounds, twisting only as far as you can keep the knees even.
Medium · 3 min · Nothing · Yoga
Revolved Head to Knee Pose (Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana)
With one leg straight and the other folded in, lean sideways along the straight leg, turn the chest up toward the ceiling, and reach the top arm overhead toward the foot while the bottom hand rests on the floor or shin.
Hold 45 to 75 seconds per side, 2 rounds.
Medium · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Ring push up
Set the rings a little above the floor and take a plank on them with straight arms. Lower your chest between the rings, keeping them pulled in so they do not drift wide, then press back up and finish tall with the rings turned slightly out.
3 to 4 sets of 5 to 12; raise the rings to make it easier, elevate your feet to make it harder.
Medium · 8 min · Gymnastic rings · Calisthenics
Ring support hold
Press up to the top of the rings with straight arms, rings beside your hips and feet off the floor. Push your shoulders down away from your ears, then turn the rings out so your palms face slightly forwards and the crease of each elbow points ahead. Hold still.
Accumulate about 60 seconds in holds of 10 to 20, keeping the rings neutral at first and earning the turnout gradually.
Medium · 6 min · Gymnastic rings · Calisthenics
Scapular pull up
Hang from a bar with straight arms. Without bending the elbows, pull the shoulder blades down and back so your body rises an inch or two, hold that for a moment, then let them travel back up under control.
3 sets of 6 to 10 slow reps with a one second hold at the top.
Medium · 5 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana)
Sit with both legs straight, hinge from the hip creases, and reach along the legs to hold the shins, the feet, or a strap looped around the soles. The spine stays long first and rounds only as far as feels calm.
Hold 90 seconds to 3 minutes, 2 rounds, using a strap if your hands do not reach.
Medium · 7 min · Floor space · Yoga
Segmental Roll Down
Stand tall, nod the chin, then peel down one vertebra at a time until you hang forward with soft knees. Rebuild the stack from the tailbone upward and let the head arrive last.
5 or 6 full roll downs, about 20 seconds in each direction.
Medium · 4 min · Nothing · Mobility
Shuttle Runs
Set two markers 10 to 20 metres apart and run between them, slowing, planting and turning at each end. The turns are the exercise: you decelerate, drop your hips, push off and accelerate again, over and over.
4 to 6 rounds of 30 to 40 seconds of continuous shuttles at half to three quarter pace, resting a minute or two between rounds.
Medium · 12 min · Nothing · Conditioning
Side plank
Lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from ear to ankles. Stack or stagger the feet, and stop your top hip drifting backwards.
3 holds of 15 to 40 seconds per side, knees bent for a lighter version.
Medium · 5 min · Floor space · Strength
Single Leg Calf Raise from a Step
Stand on one foot at the edge of a step with the heel hanging free and fingertips on a wall. Lower the heel below step level until you feel a stretch, then press up as high as the joint allows.
3 sets of 10 to 15 per leg, slow up and slower down; add a dumbbell past 20.
Medium · 8 min · A step · Strength
Single Leg Glute Bridge
From the bridge position, hold one knee towards your chest and lift your hips using the planted leg only. Keep the pelvis level rather than letting the free side drop, then lower slowly and repeat.
3 sets of 8 to 12 per side with a 2 second hold at the top.
Medium · 8 min · Floor space · Strength
Single Leg Hop and Stick
Hop from one foot and land on the same foot, sticking the landing with no extra hop, wobble or touchdown of the other foot. Work forward, sideways and diagonally, keeping the knee over the foot.
3 sets of 5 hops per direction per leg, sticking each landing for 2 seconds.
Medium · 10 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Single Leg Reach Matrix
Balance on one leg and reach the free foot as far as you can control: forward, then behind and out to the side, then behind and across. Touch lightly each time, then return to tall without planting.
3 rounds of 5 reaches per direction per leg.
Medium · 8 min · Nothing · Mobility
Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
Stand on one leg with a soft knee. Hinge forward while the free leg travels back as a counterweight, until torso and rear leg are roughly level, then return to standing. Keep the hips square to the floor.
3 sets of 6 to 8 per leg, then hold one dumbbell in the opposite hand.
Medium · 10 min · Nothing · Strength
Skipping
Travel forward with a step then a hop on the same leg, alternating sides. Drive the lead knee up, keep the contact under your hip, land on the ball of the foot and let the ankle stay springy.
6 travels of 20 metres, walking back to recover.
Medium · 10 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Skull Crusher (Lying Triceps Extension)
Lie on a bench holding a dumbbell in each hand, or a bar, with your arms straight above your chest. Keeping the upper arms still, bend at the elbows to lower the weight towards your forehead, or just past it towards the bench behind you, then press back to straight.
2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps, leaving 2 reps in reserve; the elbows, not the muscle, set the weight.
Medium · 8 min · A dumbbell + a bench or box · Strength
Sled Push
Grip the sled uprights with stiff arms, lean into it at roughly 45 degrees with a long line from head to heel, and drive it forward with short, punchy steps, pushing the ground away behind you.
6 to 10 pushes of 15 to 20 metres with a load you can keep moving briskly, walking back between efforts.
Medium · 12 min · A sled · Conditioning
Sleeper Stretch
Lie on your side with the bottom shoulder stacked under you, that arm straight out in front and the elbow bent to ninety degrees. Use the top hand to press the bottom forearm slowly toward the floor, rotating the shoulder inward while your body weight holds the shoulder blade still.
Hold 30 seconds, 3 rounds on the tight side only, at gentle pressure.
Medium · 4 min · Floor space · Stretching
Slider Hamstring Curl
Lie on your back with heels on sliders, towels or a smooth floor. Bridge your hips up, then slide your heels away until the legs are nearly straight, and pull them back in without letting your hips sink.
3 sets of 6 to 10 slow reps; progress by sliding out on one leg and returning with two.
Medium · 8 min · Floor space · Strength
Split Squat
Take a long stride with the back heel lifted. Lower straight down until the back knee nearly brushes the floor and the front leg is loaded, then drive through the front foot to stand. Both feet stay planted throughout.
3 sets of 8 per leg, fingertips on a wall until balance settles.
Medium · 8 min · A wall · Strength
Standing Broad Jump with Stuck Landing
From both feet, swing the arms, load the hips and jump forward as far as you can control. Land on both feet in a quarter squat and hold still for two seconds before you stand up.
5 to 6 single jumps with full rest, every landing held.
Medium · 8 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Standing Figure Four (Chair Pigeon, Eka Pada Utkatasana)
Standing on one leg, you cross the other ankle above the standing knee, turn that knee outward, then sit the hips back and down as far as your balance allows while the chest stays lifted.
Hold 30 seconds per side, 2 rounds, fingertips on a wall or the back of a chair.
Medium · 3 min · A wall · Yoga
Standing overhead press
Standing with a barbell or two dumbbells at shoulder height, brace the ribs down, then press the weight straight overhead until the arms lock and the biceps sit near your ears. Lower under control to the shoulders.
3 to 4 sets of 5 to 8 reps, adding a small amount of weight once the top set feels easy.
Medium · 12 min · A barbell + a dumbbell · Strength
Suitcase carry
Hold one heavy weight at your side and walk without leaning away from it. Shoulders and hips stay level, the free arm hangs quietly, and the weight stays close to your leg rather than swinging.
3 walks of 20 to 30 metres per side with a weight you can hold upright the whole way.
Medium · 8 min · A dumbbell + a kettlebell · Strength
Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskar A)
A fixed sequence you repeat as a flow: mountain pose, standing fold, half lift, step or jump to plank, lower through chaturanga, upward dog, downward dog for five breaths, then step forward and rise back to standing. Each movement is paired with an inhale or an exhale.
3 to 5 rounds at one breath per movement as a warm-up, building toward 10 continuous rounds.
Medium · 10 min · Floor space · Yoga
Sun Salutation B (Surya Namaskar B)
You link chair pose, a standing fold, chaturanga to upward dog and downward dog, then step to warrior one on each side with a vinyasa between, one movement per breath, finishing back through the fold and chair to standing.
3 to 5 rounds at one breath per movement, resting in downward dog or standing between rounds; drop the knees in chaturanga whenever form fades.
Medium · 10 min · Floor space · Yoga
Suspension trainer fallout
Lean into two suspension straps with arms in front of you. Let your arms travel overhead as your body falls forward in one line, then return by pressing the handles down and pulling your ribs towards your hips.
3 sets of 6 to 10 reps, stepping your feet further forward to make it harder.
Medium · 5 min · An anchor point · Strength
Toes tucked kneeling
Kneel with all ten toes tucked under and the heels up, then sit back gradually towards the heels so the big toe joints and the soles take the stretch. Keep weight in the hands to lighten it as needed.
60 to 90 seconds, backed off to a level you can breathe through.
Medium · 3 min · Floor space · Stretching
Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana)
With straight legs in a wide stance, you reach the torso long over the front leg then tip sideways, lowering one hand to the shin, floor or a block while the other arm points up and the chest turns open.
Hold 45 seconds per side, 2 rounds. Hand on a block or the shin, never resting on the knee joint itself.
Medium · 4 min · A step · Yoga
Tuck L-Sit
Sit with your hands on the floor or on low blocks beside your hips. Press down through straight arms, lift your seat clear of the ground and hold with the knees tucked towards the chest, shoulders pushed away from the ears.
5 holds of 10 to 20 seconds, resting a minute between.
Medium · 6 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Upward Plank Pose (Purvottanasana)
Sitting with legs extended and hands on the floor behind your hips, fingers pointing toward your feet, you press the hips up until the body forms one straight line from shoulders to heels, chest open. The head stays neutral, or drops back only if the neck is comfortable with that.
Hold 15 to 30 seconds, 2 to 3 rounds; use reverse tabletop with bent knees to build up.
Medium · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
Arms straight, hands under shoulders, thighs and hips lifted clear of the floor so only your hands and the tops of your feet touch. Shoulders roll back and down as your chest travels forward between the arms.
Hold 15 to 30 seconds, 3 to 5 rounds, or one rep per breath inside a sequence.
Medium · 3 min · Floor space · Yoga
Walking Lunge
Step forward into a lunge, lower until the back knee is close to the floor, then drive through the front leg and swing the back foot through into the next step. Keep travelling in a straight line.
3 sets of 10 steps per leg, holding dumbbells when bodyweight gets easy.
Medium · 10 min · Nothing · Strength
Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)
The front knee bends over the ankle while the back foot turns in and stays flat on the floor, the back leg straightens, the pelvis turns toward the front of the mat and both arms reach overhead.
Hold 30 to 45 seconds per side, 2 rounds. Widen the feet sideways or lift the back heel onto a folded mat if the hips will not turn forward.
Medium · 4 min · Nothing · Yoga
Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
Feet wide, front foot pointing forward and back foot turned slightly in, you bend the front knee toward a right angle, keep the torso stacked over the pelvis facing sideways and hold both arms out at shoulder height.
Hold 45 to 60 seconds per side, 2 rounds. Reduce the depth before you let the front knee collapse in.
Medium · 5 min · Nothing · Yoga
Wide-Angle Seated Forward Fold (Upavistha Konasana)
Sit with the legs wide apart, kneecaps and toes pointing at the ceiling, then walk your hands forward and hinge from the hips so the torso travels out along the floor rather than collapsing down.
Hold 1 to 2 minutes, 3 rounds, sitting upright to rest between.
Medium · 7 min · Floor space · Yoga
World's Greatest Stretch
Step one foot forward into a long lunge and plant both hands on the floor inside the front foot, back leg reaching long behind you. Sink the hips, drop the elbow nearest your front foot toward the floor, then rotate that arm up toward the ceiling, letting your chest and eyes follow the hand.
4 slow reps per side, moving with the breath, 1 to 2 rounds.
Medium · 5 min · Floor space · Mobility
Ab wheel rollout from knees
Kneel with an ab wheel or loaded barbell under your shoulders. Roll forward as far as you can while keeping your ribs down and lower back flat, then pull yourself back by drawing your hips towards your hands.
3 sets of 5 to 8 reps, going only as far as you can hold your back flat.
Hard · 6 min · An ab wheel + a barbell · Strength
Active pancake lift off
Sit in a wide straddle and fold forward as far as you honestly go, resting the chest on a block or the floor. Lift the torso and both legs away from the ground using your own muscles, hold briefly, then lower.
4 sets of 5 lifts, holding 3 to 5 seconds each.
Hard · 8 min · Floor space · Mobility
Alternate Leg Bounding
Run in exaggerated leaps, pushing off one leg and landing on the other with a long float in between. Drive the knee, swing the arms, and land under a tall body with an active foot strike.
5 runs of 20 to 30 metres with a full walk back between.
Hard · 12 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Archer push up
Set your hands much wider than usual. Bend one elbow and shift your chest towards that hand while the other arm stays nearly straight and slides out sideways, then press back to centre and swap sides.
3 sets of 3 to 5 reps per side.
Hard · 8 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
ATG split squat · Knee over toe, hip long
A deep split squat where the front knee travels well past the toe while the rear hip stretches long. The signature move of Ben Patrick's knees-over-toes method: strength at the exact range most training avoids. Go only as deep as stays comfortable, and elevate the front foot to ease it.
2 sets of 5 slow reps per side
Hard · emerging · 5 min · Nothing · Strength
Barbell Front Squat
Rest the bar in the groove of your front shoulders with your elbows driven high, holding it with fingertips under the bar or arms crossed over it. Squat down keeping your chest up, because if the elbows drop the bar rolls forward, then drive back to standing.
3 to 4 sets of 3 to 6 reps, leaving about 2 reps in reserve; the rack position usually gives out before the legs do.
Hard · 12 min · A barbell · Strength
Chin up
Hang from a bar with palms facing you, hands about shoulder width apart. Pull until your chin clears the bar, keeping the ribs down rather than swinging, then lower all the way back to straight arms.
4 to 5 sets of 1 to 5 reps, using a band or a partner's help while reps are still low.
Hard · 10 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Clap push-up
You press out of a push up hard enough that your hands leave the floor, clap, and catch yourself back in the start position. The catch is a landing for your arms, absorbed rep after rep.
3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 explosive reps on fresh arms, with full rest between sets.
Hard · 8 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Compass Pose (Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana)
Seated, hook one leg high onto the same side shoulder, take the outer edge of that foot with the opposite hand, then straighten the leg out to the side while turning the chest open and up.
3 to 5 slow breaths per side, 2 rounds, after a full warm-up.
Hard · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Copenhagen plank
Lie on your side with your top leg supported on a bench or step and prop yourself on your forearm. Lift your hips and your bottom leg until your body is straight, with your inner thigh holding the load.
3 sets of 5 to 8 slow reps or 10 to 20 second holds per side, starting with the knee-supported version.
Hard · 6 min · A bench or box · Strength
Crane Pose (Bakasana, straight arms)
Crow taken further. Your knees climb toward your armpits and your arms straighten, so your hips lift high over your hands and your upper back rounds strongly.
5 to 8 attempts of 10 to 20 seconds.
Hard · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Dancer Pose (Natarajasana)
Standing on one leg, you catch the same side foot behind you, press that foot back into your hand and tip the chest forward, so the lifted thigh rises and the front of the body opens into a backbend.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 2 rounds, with a strap around the foot if your hand cannot reach it.
Hard · 5 min · Nothing · Yoga
Depth Jump
Step off a box, land on both feet and rebound upward as fast as you can, spending as little time on the ground as possible. The aim is a quick, quiet contact, not the deepest possible squat.
4 sets of 4 jumps from a 30 cm box, 2 minutes rest, stopping when contacts get slow.
Hard · 12 min · A step · Calisthenics
Double Unders
Jump slightly higher than a basic bounce and spin the rope from the wrists fast enough to pass it under your feet twice before you land. The body stays tall and quiet; the speed comes from the hands, not from kicking the heels back or piking at the hips.
5 to 10 minutes of short practice sets, stopping each set before the form frays; once consistent, 5 rounds of 20 to 30 reps with generous rest.
Hard · 8 min · A jump rope · Conditioning
False grip hang
Hook your wrists over the rings so each ring presses into the heel of the hand and the hand curls over the top with the wrist deeply bent, as if trying to see your own knuckles. Hang with as much weight as the wrists allow, shoulders engaged, using your feet on the floor to take some of the load at first.
5 to 8 hangs of 5 to 15 seconds, feet supported until full weight feels comfortable, two or three times a week.
Hard · 6 min · Gymnastic rings · Calisthenics
Forearm Stand (Pincha Mayurasana)
From dolphin with forearms parallel, walk your feet in, lift one leg and float the second up until you are vertical on your forearms, with your heels touching or near a wall.
15 to 30 second holds, 4 to 6 attempts, with a wall behind you.
Hard · 8 min · A wall · Yoga
Four-Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana)
From plank you shift slightly forward and bend the elbows straight back along your ribs, lowering until the upper arms are about parallel to the floor, body one straight line hovering above it. You stop there rather than lowering to the ground.
3 to 5 slow lowers, or a 10 second hover, with knees down until the full version is clean.
Hard · 5 min · Floor space · Yoga
Front splits (Hanumanasana)
From a low lunge, slide the front heel forward and the back knee back with both hip bones facing the front. Take weight through blocks or hands, lower a little over weeks, and keep the back hip pointing down rather than rolling open.
3 holds of 60 seconds per side on blocks, 3 to 4 times a week.
Hard · 10 min · Floor space · Stretching
German Hang
From a hang on rings or a bar, pull the knees through your arms, roll over backwards, and finish hanging face down with straight arms behind you. Stop wherever the shoulders take the stretch without pain.
3 holds of 10 to 20 seconds.
Hard · 8 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Half Lotus (Ardha Padmasana)
Sitting cross-legged, lift one foot onto the opposite thigh near the hip crease with the sole turned up, while the other shin stays on the floor. The rotation has to come from the hip, with the knee only following.
Sit 1 to 2 minutes per side, swapping legs, on a cushion that lifts the hips.
Hard · 5 min · Floor space · Yoga
Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)
Balanced on one leg with the lower hand on a block or the floor, you lift the other leg to about hip height, stack the top hip over the bottom one and open the chest sideways with the top arm reaching up.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 2 rounds, bottom hand on a block set well forward of the standing foot.
Hard · 5 min · A step · Yoga
Handstand at the Wall (Adho Mukha Vrksasana, chest to wall)
Place your hands a hand's width from the wall and walk your feet up it backwards until your chest, hips and toes are close to the wall and your body is one straight line from wrists to heels.
Hold 20 to 40 seconds, 5 rounds, with a minute of rest between.
Hard · 8 min · A wall · Yoga
Hang Power Clean
Stand tall with the bar at your hips, then hinge it down to just above the knees, back flat and shoulders over the bar. Snap your hips forward, shrug, and pull yourself under to catch the bar on the front of your shoulders in a quarter squat, elbows whipped high, then stand up.
3 to 5 sets of 2 to 4 fast reps, resting 2 minutes; stop the set the moment bar speed drops.
Hard · 10 min · A barbell · Strength
Hanging straight-leg raise
Hang from a bar and lift straight legs to hip height or higher, curling your pelvis at the top rather than only hinging at the hips. Lower under control with no swing and no kick into the next rep.
3 sets of 5 to 8 strict reps with a dead stop between reps.
Hard · 6 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Hip airplane
Balance on one leg with the torso hinged forward and the other leg extended behind you in a line. Rotate the pelvis open towards the ceiling, then close it back down under control while the standing foot stays planted.
2 sets of 5 slow rotations per leg.
Hard · 8 min · Nothing · Mobility
Jefferson curl
Standing on a box holding a light weight, roll down one segment at a time starting from your neck, letting your spine round fully while your knees stay straight. Reverse it slowly, stacking from the bottom up.
3 sets of 5 very slow reps, starting at 2 to 5 kg and adding load over months, not weeks.
Hard · 6 min · A dumbbell + a step · Mobility
Kettlebell Snatch
Hike the bell back and snap your hips as in a hard swing, keeping the bell close as it rises. Near the top, punch your hand through so the bell rolls softly onto the back of your wrist with the arm locked overhead, then lower by letting it flip off and swing back between your legs into the next rep.
Intervals suit it: 15 seconds of snatching, 15 seconds of rest, alternating hands, building from 6 toward 20 minutes; or 5 sets of 8 to 10 per side with full rest.
Hard · 10 min · A kettlebell · Strength
L-sit
Sitting on the floor or on parallettes, press down through straight arms to lift your hips, then hold your legs straight and roughly parallel to the ground with toes pointed away from you.
5 holds of 5 to 15 seconds, starting with one or both knees tucked.
Hard · 5 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Lotus (Padmasana)
Both feet rest high on the opposite thighs, soles turned up, knees settling toward the floor and the spine stacked upright. All of the shape must come from deep external rotation at both hip joints.
Once you can enter it without pain, sit 1 to 3 minutes, alternating which leg crosses first.
Hard · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Marichyasana D
With one foot in half lotus and the other knee upright and close to the chest, you rotate toward the upright knee, wrap that arm around the shin and clasp the other hand behind your back.
Hold 5 slow breaths per side, 2 rounds, only on days the hips are already warm.
Hard · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Nordic curl · Hamstrings, eccentric
Ankles anchored, kneel tall, and lower the whole body forward as slowly as the hamstrings allow, hands ready to catch. The single best-evidenced injury-prevention exercise in sport: programs built on it roughly halve hamstring injuries.
3 sets of 3 to 5, twice a week
Hard · strong · 5 min · An anchor point · Strength
Overhead Squat
Hold a bar or dowel overhead in a wide grip with arms locked, and squat as deep as you can while the bar stays over the middle of your foot. Push up into the bar the whole time, chest tall and knees tracking over the toes, then stand without letting it drift forward.
3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 slow reps with a dowel, empty bar or light load; add weight only when the position stops wobbling.
Hard · 8 min · A barbell · Strength
Parallel bar dip
Support yourself on two parallel bars with straight arms and ribs locked down. Bend the elbows to lower until your upper arms are about level with the floor, leaning the torso slightly forward, then press back to the top.
3 to 4 sets of 3 to 8 reps, using a band or assisted machine until you can do five clean.
Hard · 10 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Pistol Squat
Stand on one leg with the other extended in front. Squat all the way down until the back of your thigh meets your calf, then stand back up without touching the free foot down. Arms reach forward to balance.
3 to 5 singles per leg, sitting to a box or holding a strap, then removing the help gradually.
Hard · 12 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Plow Pose (Halasana)
Lying on your back, you lift the legs up and over your head until the toes reach the floor behind you, hips stacked over the shoulders, hands supporting the back or clasped on the floor. The weight belongs on the shoulders and upper arms, never on the neck.
Hold 30 to 60 seconds, once, with folded blankets under the shoulders so the neck stays off the floor.
Hard · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Power Clean
Start with the bar over your mid-foot, hips higher than a deadlift. Push the floor away, and as the bar passes your thighs, extend hard through your hips as if jumping, shrug, and pull yourself under, whipping your elbows around to catch the bar on the front of your shoulders in a quarter squat. Stand up to finish.
3 to 5 sets of 2 to 3 crisp reps at a weight you can move fast, done early in the session while fresh, resting 2 to 3 minutes between sets.
Hard · 12 min · A barbell · Strength
Prone Swimmers
Lie face down with your forehead supported and your arms stretched overhead, hovering off the floor. Sweep both arms in a wide arc down past your sides until the backs of your hands stack on your lower back, rotating the palms as they travel, then reverse the circle without anything touching down.
4 to 5 slow circles, 2 rounds, resting between rounds.
Hard · 6 min · Floor space · Mobility
Pseudo planche push-up
You do push ups with your hands turned out beside your hips and your shoulders leaning well in front of your wrists. The lean shifts extra body weight onto your shoulders and hands, mimicking the loading of a planche.
3 to 5 sets of 3 to 8 reps, adjusting the lean so the last rep is hard but clean.
Hard · 10 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Pull up
Hang from a bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than your shoulders. Pull your chest towards the bar until the chin passes it, with the elbows driving down towards your ribs, then lower fully under control.
4 to 6 sets of 1 to 6 reps, two or three times a week, stopping before form breaks.
Hard · 12 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Reclining Hero (Supta Virasana)
From hero pose, sitting between your heels with the knees together, you walk your hands back and lower the torso towards the floor, resting on your elbows or eventually on your back, so the front of both thighs and hips stretch at once.
Build from 30 seconds towards 2 minutes, reclining only as far as a bolster or stacked cushions comfortably allow; press up on your hands to come out rather than twisting.
Hard · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Revolved Half Moon (Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana)
Balancing on one leg with the same side hand down on a block, you lift the back leg to hip height and turn the chest toward the standing leg instead of away from it, opening the other arm upward.
Hold 15 to 20 seconds per side, 2 rounds, bottom hand on a block, near a wall at first.
Hard · 4 min · A step · Yoga
Revolved Side Angle (Parivrtta Parsvakonasana)
From a lunge with the back heel lifted, you turn your torso across the front thigh and hook the opposite elbow outside that knee, palms pressed together at the chest, so the whole trunk twists against the anchored legs; the full version takes the lower hand to the floor outside the foot.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 2 rounds, back heel lifted so the hips can square.
Hard · 5 min · Floor space · Yoga
Revolved Triangle (Parivrtta Trikonasana)
In a short split stance with straight legs and level hips, you hinge forward and rotate, bringing the opposite hand to a block outside the front foot while the other arm reaches toward the ceiling.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 2 rounds, hand high on a block with the front knee softly bent.
Hard · 4 min · A step · Yoga
Ring dip
From a support hold on the rings, bend your elbows and lower until your upper arms are about level with the floor, letting the rings drift just outside your torso, then press back to straight arms and finish with the rings turned slightly out.
3 to 4 sets of 3 to 8, using a band under the feet or partial range until five clean reps come easily.
Hard · 10 min · Gymnastic rings · Calisthenics
Ring fly
Set the rings just above the floor and take a push up position on them, from your knees at first. Keeping a slight bend in the elbows, let your arms open out to the sides so your chest sinks between the rings, then squeeze the rings back together along the same wide arc.
2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8, rings low and range shallow at first, adding depth over weeks rather than within sessions.
Hard · 8 min · Gymnastic rings · Calisthenics
Scale Pose (Tolasana)
Sitting in lotus, you plant your hands beside your hips, press down and lift the entire folded package of pelvis and legs off the floor, hanging from straight arms like the pan of a scale.
Lift and hold 5 to 10 seconds, 3 to 5 attempts, hands on blocks; cross the legs simply if lotus is not available.
Hard · 4 min · Floor space + a step · Yoga
Side Crow (Parsva Bakasana)
From a squat with knees together, twist until both thighs rest across one upper arm, then tip your weight forward onto both hands until your feet lift and your legs stack out to the side.
5 attempts per side of 5 to 15 seconds, alternating.
Hard · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Single Leg Pogo Hops
Hop in place on one leg with a stiff ankle and a nearly straight knee. Keep the contacts short and rhythmic, the hips level, and the hopping foot landing underneath your body rather than out in front.
4 sets of 15 to 20 hops per leg with a minute between sets.
Hard · 8 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Skater Squat
Stand on one leg with the other trailing behind. Sit back and down, letting the rear knee reach towards a cushion behind you while your torso tips forward, then stand back up on the working leg alone.
3 sets of 5 to 8 per leg, touching a folded towel behind you, light weights held in front for balance.
Hard · 10 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Sots Press
Sit in the very bottom of a deep squat with a bar resting on the back of your shoulders in a wide grip, or a light dumbbell at one shoulder. Staying at full depth, press the weight overhead to a firm lockout, pause, and lower it under control without letting it crash back down.
3 sets of 3 to 5 reps with an empty bar or light dumbbell.
Hard · 8 min · A barbell + a dumbbell · Mobility
Split Jerk
With the bar racked on your shoulders, dip a few inches straight down, then drive up hard through your legs and punch the bar overhead while splitting your feet, one forward and one back, landing with arms locked and the bar over the back of your head. Recover the front foot, then the rear, and stand still before lowering.
3 to 5 sets of 1 to 3 reps at a weight you can lock out every single time, resting 2 to 3 minutes.
Hard · 12 min · A barbell · Strength
Split squat jump
From a lunge you jump straight up, switch legs in the air, and land in a lunge with the other foot forward. Each landing is caught in a narrow stance with most of the load on the front leg, which is what makes it a demanding plyometric.
3 to 4 sets of 4 to 6 jumps per side, stopping while landings are still quiet.
Hard · 8 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Sprint Intervals
After a long warm up of drills and progressively faster build up runs, run near flat out for 10 to 15 seconds, then walk until you are fully recovered and repeat a handful of times. The rest is the point: this is repeated quality, not sustained suffering.
4 to 6 efforts of 10 to 15 seconds at about 90 per cent, walking 2 to 3 minutes between; hold that back for a month or more before flirting with full speed.
Hard · 15 min · Nothing · Conditioning
Standing Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)
Standing on one leg, you lift the other knee, take hold of the big toe or loop a belt around the foot, straighten that leg forward, then in the second stage open it out to the side while staying upright.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 2 rounds, with a belt around the foot until the leg straightens on its own.
Hard · 5 min · Nothing · Yoga
Standing Splits (Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana)
From a forward fold over one leg you lift the other leg high behind you, hands on blocks or the floor, working toward a vertical split while the standing leg stays straight and the hips stay reasonably level.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 2 rounds, hands on blocks. Height of the lifted leg matters less than a straight standing leg.
Hard · 5 min · A step · Yoga
Sugarcane Pose (Ardha Chandra Chapasana)
From half moon pose, balanced on one leg with the lower hand on a block, you bend the lifted knee, reach back with the top arm to catch that foot, then press the foot into the hand so the chest opens and the whole shape curves like a drawn bow.
Hold 15 to 20 seconds per side, 2 rounds, bottom hand on a block set well forward of the standing foot.
Hard · 5 min · A step · Yoga
Supported Shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana)
From lying on your back, swing your hips up, support your back with your hands and stack your legs over your shoulders. Folded blankets under the shoulders keep your head lower and protect the neck curve.
Hold 30 to 60 seconds at first, building toward 2 minutes, once per session.
Hard · 5 min · Floor space · Yoga
Tortoise Pose (Kurmasana)
From a wide seated position with the knees bent, slide the arms under the knees and out to the sides, then walk the chest and chin toward the floor as the legs slowly straighten over the shoulders.
3 to 5 breaths, 2 rounds, only after 15 minutes of hip and hamstring preparation.
Hard · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Tuck back lever
Hanging from a bar, you roll back through an inverted hang, tuck your knees to your chest and lower until your back faces the floor with your arms straight behind you. You hold that horizontal tucked position, resisting rotation through straight arms.
4 to 6 sets of 5 to 10 second holds, on fresh arms.
Hard · 8 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Tuck Front Lever
Hang from a bar, pull the shoulders down and back, and lift the hips until your back is horizontal with the knees tucked into your chest. The arms stay straight and the body hangs level underneath the bar.
5 holds of 5 to 12 seconds, resting 2 minutes between attempts.
Hard · 10 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Turkish Get-Up
Lying on your back, press a kettlebell or dumbbell to a straight arm and keep it locked overhead while you stand up in stages, onto the elbow, the hand, into a kneeling position, then upright, and then reverse every stage back to the floor. Your eyes stay on the weight for most of the journey.
3 to 5 single reps per side, done slowly and fresh, never to fatigue.
Hard · 12 min · A kettlebell + a dumbbell · Strength
Wall walk
From a push up position with your feet at the wall, you walk your feet up the wall while walking your hands in towards it, finishing near a chest to wall handstand, then walk back down under control. How close you walk to the wall sets the difficulty.
3 to 5 sets of 1 to 3 slow walks, stopping well short of the wall at first.
Hard · 8 min · A wall + floor space · Calisthenics
Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)
From a standing or lunging start you hinge forward until the torso and the lifted back leg make one long line near horizontal, hips level, arms reaching forward, back along the body or out to the sides.
Hold 15 to 25 seconds per side, 3 rounds, hands on a wall at hip height while you are learning the shape.
Hard · 5 min · A wall · Yoga
Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)
Lying on your back with feet flat and hands beside your ears, fingers pointing toward your shoulders, press evenly through hands and feet until your arms straighten and your hips lift into a full arch.
Hold 10 to 20 seconds, 3 rounds, resting fully between.
Hard · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Wild Thing (Camatkarasana)
From a side plank base you step the top foot over and behind you onto the floor, lift the hips and let the chest arch towards the ceiling, so one hand and both feet hold you in an open backbend while the free arm reaches past your ear.
Hold 10 to 20 seconds per side, 1 or 2 rounds, entering and leaving slowly rather than flipping over in one movement.
Hard · 4 min · Floor space · Yoga
Back lever
From an inverted hang you lower your fully extended body until it is horizontal and face down, held only by straight arms behind you. Your shoulders, biceps and trunk work together to stop you rotating any further.
4 to 6 sets of 3 to 8 second holds with long rests, a few times a week at most.
Extreme · 10 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Barbell Snatch
Take a wide grip, start over mid-foot, and keep the bar close as you stand. As it passes your hips, extend violently, shrug, and pull yourself under, punching the bar overhead in one unbroken motion to catch it locked out above the back of your head, then stand up with it still locked.
5 to 8 sets of 1 to 2 reps at weights you can move perfectly, early in a fresh session; the snatch punishes tired practice.
Extreme · 15 min · A barbell · Strength
Bird of Paradise (Svarga Dvijasana)
From a bound side angle you walk the feet together, stand up while keeping the bind around the thigh and torso, then slowly straighten the bound leg out to the side while balancing on the other foot.
Hold 10 to 20 seconds per side, 2 attempts, after a thorough warm up. Use a strap for the bind rather than forcing the hands together.
Extreme · 6 min · Nothing · Yoga
Dragon flag
Lying on a bench, grip behind your head and lift your body until only your upper back stays in contact. Lower yourself as one rigid line with hips and knees locked, then raise back up without folding at the waist.
4 sets of 3 to 5 slow lowers, tucked or with one leg bent until the straight version is honest.
Extreme · 6 min · A bench or box · Calisthenics
Drop-Back to Wheel
From standing, hips press forward and your chest lifts as you lower backwards under control until your hands reach the floor, then press back up to standing. Your legs and back brake the whole descent.
3 to 5 controlled drop-backs with a spotter or a wall, once or twice a week at most.
Extreme · 8 min · A wall · Yoga
Eight-Angle Pose (Astavakrasana)
From sitting, you hook one leg over the same-side upper arm, cross the ankles, plant both hands, then bend the elbows and tip forward until the hips leave the floor and both legs squeeze that arm as they extend to the side. You balance on bent arms in a chaturanga-like position, body turned sideways.
2 to 3 attempts of 5 to 15 seconds per side, done fresh rather than fatigued.
Extreme · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Firefly Pose (Tittibhasana)
From a wide forward fold, work your shoulders behind your thighs and place your hands flat behind your feet. Sit your weight back onto straight arms and extend both legs forward until they are nearly straight.
5 attempts of 5 to 15 seconds, only once your hamstrings are properly warm.
Extreme · 8 min · Floor space · Yoga
Flying Pigeon (Eka Pada Galavasana)
From standing you cross one flexed ankle above the opposite knee, squat down and plant both hands, hook the shin high on the upper arms, then lean forward until the standing foot floats and the back leg extends straight behind you.
Hold 5 to 10 seconds per side, 2 or 3 attempts, with a cushion in front of your face while you are learning to lean.
Extreme · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Freestanding Handstand
Kick or press up and balance on your hands with no support, correcting constantly through your fingers and wrists to keep your hips stacked over your hands.
10 to 15 short attempts of 5 to 20 seconds, a few sessions a week, always with a practised bail-out.
Extreme · 15 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Front Lever
The full version of the same hang: body straight from heels to head, horizontal underneath the bar, arms locked, hips level with the shoulders. Nothing bends and nothing sags.
6 attempts of 3 to 8 seconds spread across a session, after a thorough warm up.
Extreme · 12 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Full Nordic Curl
The same lowering as the eccentric version, but you control the entire descent to the floor and pull yourself back up on hamstring strength alone, with no push from the hands and hips staying open throughout.
2 to 3 sets of 3 to 5 reps once a week, only after months of eccentric only work.
Extreme · 10 min · An anchor point · Strength
GHD sit-up
With your feet fixed in a glute-ham machine and hips over the pad, lower your torso through a long backward arc until your hands pass beyond your head, then flex back up and finish sitting tall.
Start at 3 sets of 5 partial-range reps, add range before volume, and take several weeks to reach full range.
Extreme · 6 min · An anchor point · Strength
Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana)
Forearms down, hands clasped, the crown of your head lightly on the floor inside your hands. Walk your feet in until your hips stack over your shoulders, then lift your legs, with a wall close behind you.
Hold 20 to 30 seconds at first, building slowly toward 1 to 2 minutes; come down before your form fails.
Extreme · 5 min · A wall · Yoga
Human flag
Gripping a vertical bar with one hand high and one low, you press with the bottom arm and pull with the top arm until your body holds horizontal, side on to the floor. Your whole body works as one rigid lever off the pole.
4 to 6 sets of 1 to 3 attempts or 3 to 8 second holds on fresh arms.
Extreme · 10 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
King Dancer Pose (full Natarajasana, both hands overhead)
The full version takes both arms overhead, catches the lifted foot from above with both hands and draws it toward the head, so the spine holds a deep backbend while you balance on one leg.
Work with a teacher watching. When genuinely ready, 10 to 15 seconds per side, 2 rounds, only after a full warm up.
Extreme · 6 min · Nothing · Yoga
Middle splits (side splits)
Slide the feet apart sideways with the legs straight and the pelvis stacked over them until the inner thighs approach the floor. Most people arrive through a wall assisted straddle or a slow supported slide with the hands taking weight.
Progressive sessions of 10 to 15 minutes, 3 to 4 times a week, over a year or more.
Extreme · 12 min · Floor space · Stretching
Muscle up
From a hang, pull explosively high enough that your chest clears the bar, then turn the wrists over so your elbows come above it and press out to a straight arm support at the top.
4 to 6 sets of 1 to 3 attempts on fresh arms, with transition drills on separate days.
Extreme · 15 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
One arm push up
With feet wide and one hand behind your back, lower your chest towards the floor on a single arm while fighting the rotation that wants to open your hips and shoulders, then press back to a straight elbow.
4 to 6 sets of 1 to 3 reps per side, treated as a strength skill rather than conditioning.
Extreme · 12 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
One-arm Dead Hang
Hang from a bar with one hand, the other resting on your wrist or off the bar entirely. Keep the working shoulder engaged rather than fully slack, and resist the slow spin of the body.
3 holds of 5 to 15 seconds per side, resting two minutes between.
Extreme · 8 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
One-Legged King Pigeon (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, full)
From the pigeon shape, the back knee bends and the foot is caught overhead with one or both hands, so the spine arches deeply while the front hip stays turned out and the back hip extends.
3 to 5 breaths per side, once, after thorough backbend and hip preparation.
Extreme · 8 min · Floor space · Yoga
Peacock Pose (Mayurasana)
Kneeling, you place your palms on the floor with fingers pointing back toward you, bend the elbows into your belly, then lean forward until your torso and extended legs balance horizontally on the elbows alone. The whole body is held rigid like a plank pivoting on two points.
2 to 3 attempts of 5 to 15 seconds, with a cushion on the floor in front of your face.
Extreme · 5 min · Floor space · Yoga
Ring muscle up
From a hang in a false grip, pull the rings down your midline until they reach your sternum, then drive your chest forward and over your hands so you catch deep in the bottom of a dip, shoulders sinking between the rings, and press out to a straight arm support.
3 to 5 sets of 1 to 2 attempts on fresh arms, and practise the transition on low rings on separate days.
Extreme · 12 min · Gymnastic rings · Calisthenics
Scorpion Pose (Vrschikasana)
From a forearm stand, you arch the spine, bend the knees and reach the feet toward the back of your head, chest pressing forward through the shoulders and gaze lifting toward the floor ahead. It is a free-balancing inversion and a deep backbend at the same time.
Brief 5 to 15 second shapes from forearm stand at a wall, a few attempts per session, fully warm.
Extreme · 8 min · Floor space + a wall · Yoga
Shrimp Squat
Stand on one leg and hold the other foot behind you with the same side hand. Lower until the trailing knee touches the floor, then stand back up without releasing the foot or reaching for support.
3 to 5 singles per leg, only once the hand assisted version feels easy.
Extreme · 12 min · Nothing · Calisthenics
Skin the Cat
Hanging from rings, tuck the knees, roll backwards through your arms into a German hang, then pull the same path in reverse to return upright. The whole trip is driven by the shoulders and trunk, not swing.
3 to 5 slow repetitions, resting a full minute between.
Extreme · 10 min · A bar to hang from · Calisthenics
Sleeping Tortoise (Supta Kurmasana)
From tortoise, the ankles cross behind the head or neck while the hands clasp behind the back, folding the body into a closed bundle with the legs holding the head down.
3 to 5 breaths, once, and only within a supervised practice.
Extreme · 5 min · Floor space · Yoga
Standing ab wheel rollout
From standing, hinge down to place the wheel, roll out until your body is almost a straight line just above the floor, then pull yourself back and stand up without dropping your hips or touching your knees down.
4 sets of 2 to 5 reps, rolling out to a wall or up a slight incline at first to shorten the range.
Extreme · 6 min · An ab wheel · Strength
Tuck Planche
From a support on the floor or parallettes, lean your shoulders well past your hands, round the upper back slightly and lift the knees and feet off the ground into a compact tuck, balanced only on the hands.
6 attempts of 3 to 10 seconds with 2 to 3 minutes rest, after wrist and elbow preparation.
Extreme · 12 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
V-sit
From an L-sit you raise your straight legs towards your face and lean back slightly until your body forms a V, supported on straight arms. It demands hard compression from the hip flexors and abs on top of real hamstring flexibility.
4 to 6 sets of 5 to 10 second holds, with compression and pike flexibility drills on separate days.
Extreme · 8 min · Floor space · Calisthenics
Visvamitra's Pose (Visvamitrasana)
From a lunge you work the shoulder under the front thigh, plant that hand, grip the front foot with your top hand, then straighten the front leg towards the ceiling while the back leg and bottom arm hold you sideways off the floor, part side plank, part compass pose.
Hold 10 to 15 seconds per side, 1 or 2 attempts at the end of a thorough warm up; a strap looped around the lifted foot is a legitimate version.
Extreme · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
Wall handstand push up
Walk your feet up a wall until your chest faces it and your body is stacked vertically. Bend the elbows to lower your head towards the floor under control, then press all the way back to straight arms.
4 to 6 sets of 1 to 5 reps, starting with slow lowers only and stepping back up.
Extreme · 12 min · A wall · Calisthenics
Yoganidrasana
Lying on your back, both legs are drawn behind the head with the ankles crossed there, the arms wrap underneath and the hands clasp behind the back, so you rest on the upper back folded closed.
5 to 8 slow breaths, once, inside an experienced practice.
Extreme · 6 min · Floor space · Yoga
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