Complete HIIT & Bodyweight Training: 100+ Exercises, Marine

Having a straight back is essential in order to get the most out of these exercises. Not all the exercises in this section call for a straight back, but it is nonetheless important to be familiar with the concept. 

Push ups are easily the most well known body weight exercise in existence. What isn't so well known however, is how to properly execute a push up. Start with your hands directly beneath your shoulders, fingers pointed directly ahead. If needed, rotate hands outward until shoulders feel most comfortable. Spread fingers. Maintain a straight back, not arched, not sagging. Lower yourself down, ensuring that elbows flare out at a roughly 45 degree angle, until your chest touches the ground. Push back up until your elbows lock out. 

Spider push-ups add in leg moment to the standard push up. During the lowering portion of the movement, attempt to make one knee touch your elbow on the same side, then return leg to original position. Push back up. Repeat on opposite side. 

The Rolling Push Up is a fun variation of the standard push up. Start in the down position of a standard push up. Push up to the top, lower back down, then roll to your right, push back up to the top, then repeat. 

The leaning tower push up emphasizes the pectoral muscle on one side, and takes the other out of the equation. Get into standard push up position, then place one elbow on the ground. From there, lower yourself. You'll notice that your body will drift to the side with the hand on the ground. Push back up, and your body will torso will shift back towards the other side.

Hindu Push Ups are an all encompassing, nearly complete upper body workout in one movement. Starting in a downward dog position, keeping your head between your arms, and your back straight, leading with your chest. Dip your chest down, brush the ground lightly, and continue to push forward and up, in a U motion. Return to downward dog position. 

Heart Push Ups are a variation of the diamond pushup that gets more shoulder involvement. Get into a pushup position. From there, make a diamond with your hands, and place the diamond at heart level. Spread your legs for balance. Lower your body, allowing your elbows to flare out to the side. Push back up to the starting position. 

The Frog Push Up is another variation of the standard push up that places emphasis on your shoulders. Starting on all fours, with your knees and elbows about 6 inches apart, lower yourself headfirst diagonally forward, letting your head touch the floor, then pushing back up. 

Earthquake push ups are more of a core exercise than a push up, however, it does involve pushing. Starting from a standard push up position, lower one elbow to the ground, followed by the elbow on the other side. Next, raise the first elbow off the ground, then the second. The idea is to keep your back straight as possible while you are put in unstable positions. 

The Stretch Push Up is a challenging variation of the standard push up, which takes away leverage, and forces the muscles in your arms to work harder to keep your body elevated. Start in the standard push up position. Slowly walk your hands out forward as far as you are able while staying elevated. From there, lower your body in a push up manner, then push back up to the starting position. 

The Stretch Walk Push Up emphasizes your core triceps, shoulders and chest. Starting from a standard push up position, walk your hands forward slowly as far as you can, keeping your back straight. Walk your hands back to the starting point. 

The Grand Canyon Push Up is used to place greater emphasis on your chest. Hand width can be adjusted to preference. Start from a modified push up position, in which your hands are spread farther apart than shoulder length. Then, keeping your elbows flared diresctly out to your sides, lower yourself to the ground until your chest touches. Push back up to the starting position. 

Diamond Kiss Push Ups are yet another more difficult version of the standard push up. This particular variation is designed to destabilize you, forcing your arms to work harder to keep you elevated. Starting in a modified push up position, with your feet spread for balance, your hands in diamond shape, directly beneath your mouth. Lower yourself down until your nose touches the back of your hands, then push back up to the starting position. 

The Clap Push Up is designed to develop explosive strength in your chest and triceps. Starting from a standard pushup position, lower yourself down to the ground, until your chest touches. From there, explode up off the ground, launching your upper body off the ground. While in mid air, quickly clap your hands once before you fall back down. Repeat at a quick and consistent tempo. 

The Three Prong Push Up is designed to involve your flutes one at a time, as well as develop balance. Starting from a standard push up position, lower yourself down to the ground, while at the same time elevating one leg off the ground. Push back up to the starting position, repeat, while alternating legs. 

Condensed push ups are designed to place emphasis on your triceps. Starting from a standard push up position, keeping your elbows tucked against your sides, lower yourself down to the ground, until your chest touches, then push back up to the starting position. You want your upper arms to maintain contact with your sides at all times. 

Rocker Push Ups are a hybrid of the Bear Squat, and a traditional Push Up. Start in a modified push up position, with your feet slightly spread. Lower yourself down, then push back up. When you push back up, push yourself all the way back into the starting position of a bear squat. 

Staggered Push Ups force your chest and triceps to work in different ways than the standard push up. Start in a traditional push up position. Place one hand above the shoulder, the other below. From there, lower yourself to the ground, then push back up. 

The Dive Bomber is very similar to the hindu push up. The key difference is the position of the hands and elbows. Starting from a modified downward dog position, with your head between your arms, imagine you're going under a fence and move your torso, leading with your head in a U shaped motion. From there, reverse, and push yourself backwards up into the starting position. 

The Half Dive Bomber is very similar to the hindu push up. The key difference is the position of the hands and elbows. Starting from a modified downward dog position, with your head between your arms, imagine you're going under a fence and move your torso, leading with your head in a U shaped motion. From there, raise your butt and return to the starting position. 

The One Arm Push Up Hold is the first step in the progression up to a true one handed push up. Start in a modified pushup position, with legs spread far apart for balance, and one hand on the ground, centered under your sternum. Place your other hand behind your back. From there, hold the position, concentrate on your triceps and chest. If this position is too easy, slowly lower yourself down until you can't any longer, then push back up, and repeat. Over time, you will be able to do more and more, ultimately resulting in a true one handed push up. 

Table Push Ups are a departure from the usual face down position of most push up variations. Instead, start by sitting on your butt, with your hands braced on the floor on either side, just behind your hips. Place your feet on the ground in front of you, with your knees elevated. From there, thrust your hips upward, so that your back and hips are straight, your arms are straight, and your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Your body should somewhat resemble a table. Lower your body back to the starting position, then repeat. 

The Crab Walk builds on the table push up concept, and introduces total body movement. Get into a table push up position, with your hips slightly sagging. Staying in this position, walk from point A to point B. 

The No Arm Push Up utilizes your upper back and chest, and takes your arms out of the movement. Get into a modified push up position, with your elbows on the ground. From there, raise and lower your body, using only your chest and upper back and shoulder blades. 

The Chinese Push Up is designed to emphasize your shoulders and triceps. Getting into a modified downward dog position, with your hands in a diamond shape, lower yourself down head first, keeping your head in between your arms. Touch your head to the ground, keeping your elbows tucked to your sides, then push back up to the starting position. 

Sun Gods are a very simple shoulder exercise. There are three working positions. The first is with your hands out to either side at shoulder level. The second is with your hands out in front of you at shoulder level. The last is your hands straight up in the air. In all positions, arms will be fully extended. The idea is to move your hands in small circles, as quickly as possible. Hands should be rotated in one direction, then the other. It is recommended that the three positions be done one after the other, for a predetermined amount of time.  

The Shoulder Press is very similar to the Chinese push up. The only difference is the position of the elbow. Starting from a modified downward dog position, hands placed slightly wider than shoulder width apart, lower yourself down head first, keeping your head in between your arms. Keep your elbows pointed straight out to your sides, then push back up into the starting position. 

The Thumbs Up exercise emphasizes your triceps, by changing the hand positioning. Get down into a modified push up position, with your hands making the thumbs up sign. Your hands will naturally be forward if your shoulders. From there, lower yourself down to the ground, then push all the way back up. 

The Claw Push Up is specifically designed to work on your hand and finger strength. Start in a standard push up position, with your weight on your fingers, instead of your palms. From there, lower yourself down in a standard push up motion, then push back up. 

The X Push Up is designed to involve your core more in the movement. Get into a push up position, with your hands and feet spread as far apart as you're comfortable with. From there, lower yourself to the ground, then push up to the top. 

The One Arm Push Up is the most difficult exercise in this section. It requires tremendous triceps strength. Start in a modified pushup position, with legs spread far apart for balance, and one hand on the ground, centered under your sternum. Place your other hand behind your back. Lower yourself to the ground as low as possible, then push back up to the starting position. 

The Helicopter Exercise forces you to stay balanced while in an unstable position, additionally working your core with a twisting motion. Start in a modified push up position, with your feet spread for balance. From there, take one hand and place it behind your head. Leading with your elbow, twist your body from side to side, going as far as possible in either direction. 

Mountain climbers are a great exercise for your core, because it forces your abdominals to hold your torso up in a plank position, while also stabilizing the torso as your knees are brought up towards your chest. Start in a push up position. Bring one knee up towards your chest, leaving the other still. Begin by quickly alternating the positions of your legs, in a jumping motion, between your chest, and the straightened out position. Can be a timed exercise, or done to a predetermined number of reps. 

The Plank position is a basic static hold position that targets your entire core. Starting from a push up position, lower yourself down to your elbows. From there, you simply maintain the position, keeping your back straight, and your hips off the ground. Challenge yourself, and see how long you can hold the position. 

Six Inches is a common abdominal conditioning exercise in most sports. Start by lying flat on your back, with your hands under your butt, for lower back support. From there, keep your feet together, and raise them approximately six inches off the ground, and hold the position for as long as you can, or for a predetermined time. 

The Scissors exercise is another modification of the six inches position. Starting from the six inches position, with your hands under your butt for lower back support, spread your legs, then bring them back to the center, crossing them. Spread again, and cross, this time with the other leg being on top. Spread, and continue to alternate the leg on top. Keep your core tight throughout. 

The Hello Dollie is a variant of the six inches concept. Starting in the six inches position, with your hands under your butt for lower back support, spread your legs apart as wide as possible, then bring them together again. Repeat. Maintain a tight core. 

The Lunge Sit Up is a variation of the standard crunch. Lie down on your back, place your hands behind your head, and lift your legs off the ground, and bring your knees towards your chest. 

 Under the arch is great for developing balance. Start from a downward dog position. Keeping your balance, touch your left elbow and your right knee. Return to starting position. Touch your right elbow and your left knee. Return to starting position. 

Flutter kicks are a variant of the six inches concept. Lie down flat on your back. Place your hands under your butt for lower back support. Raise your legs, and begin alternating them up and down, kicking as if you were swimming. 

 The Horse Sit Up is a common exercise in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Lie flat on your back. Raise your legs off the ground, spread them, and bring your knees in toward you chest, until they're in line with your hips. Freezing your legs in place, touch your toes, then lower back down. 

The Hip Dip is essentially the same concept as the side plank, with added movement. Starting from a side plank position, lower your hips to the ground, touch, and lift back up until your back is straight. 

Bicycle Crunches incorporate dynamic twisting movements into the basic crunch. Lie down on your back, place your hands behind your head. Touch your left elbow and right knee, rapidly switch, touching your right elbow to your left knee, and continue to alternate. 

Grandfather Clocks are another great way to challenge your obliques. Lie flat on your back, and raise your legs straight up in the air. Keeping them together, lower both to one side as far as possible, then raise back up and lower them to the opposite side. Imagine you are drawing a rainbow shape with your feet. 

The Fallen Cross is the easiest variation of the fallen cross exercise. Set one hand on the ground, face to the side, keeping both arms straight, as well as your back. Hold for as long as you can, then repeat on opposite side. 

The Dolphin Push Up is essentially a Plank, but with movement added in. Begin in a plank position. From there use your abs to raise your butt straight up in the air. Lower back down to the starting position. Your upper arms will shift slightly at the shoulder joint, this is normal. 

Grasshoppers are a more dynamic version of the mountain climber. Start in a push up position. Bring one knee up towards your chest, leaving the other still. Begin by quickly alternating the positions of your legs, in a jumping motion, between your chest, and the straightened out position. When you bring your knee up to your chest, swing it underneath your body and out the opposite side as well. 

Russian Twists force your abdominals to hold your body up, while you twist from side to side. Lie flat on your back, bring your knees closer to your chest, feet elevated. Place your hands behind your head. Do a standard crunch, holding yourself in the up position. Turn your body side to side as far as you can go, for as long as you can. 

The Crunch is the most basic of all the core exercises. Lie flat on your back. Place both hands behind your head. Do not grab onto your neck or head. Bring your knees closer to your chest. From there raise your torso off the ground, until you reach about a 45 degree angle. Lower back down to the ground. 

Leg Lifts are an extremely simple exercise. Lie flat on your back. Place your hands under your butt for lower back support. Lift your legs until they're completely vertical, then lower back to six inches. Do not touch the ground. Repeat. 

The Superman Exercise is designed to target the muscles that line your spine, and your lower back. Lie flat on your stomach. Fully extend and join your hands and feet, respectively. Keeping your arms and legs straight, lift them both off the ground as high as you can. Return to starting position, and repeat. 

S&M Push Ups are a great exercise for improving balance. Start in a modified push up position, with your feet spread for balance. At the same time, taking care to maintain your balance, raise and fully extend your right arm and left leg. Return to start. Raise your left arm and right leg. Return to start. 

Gymnastic Leg Lifts are extremely challenging for your lower abdominals, one of the hardest areas to target. Sit on the ground with your legs together and straight out in front of you. Place your hands on the ground outside your legs, at or near knee level. Lean back slightly, and raise your legs as high as possible, keeping them firmly straight and together. 

The Table Stretcher is good for your entire back, your glutes, hamstrings, and triceps. Sit down with your legs fully extended in front of you. Place your hands at your sides, at hip level. Thrust your hips forward, and straighten your back, so that all your weight is placed on your heels, and your hands. Your entire body, with the exception of your arms, should be in line. 

The Spider Man Walk is a total body exercise that relies on your core to stabilize your body. Your hands and feet should be the only points of contact with the ground. Crawl as low as possible from point A to point B, flaring your elbows and knees out to the sides. 

The Bear Crawl is essentially the opposite of the Spider man walk, in that your body should be rather high off the ground. Start in a modified downward dog position. Keeping your back arched, crawl on your hands and feet from point A to point B. 

When doing any pull up variation, it is essential that you do complete repetitions. Your chin must clear the bar at the top of the movement, and your arms must be straight at the bottom, with your elbows locked out. 

The Pull Up is one of the staple exercises in the Marine Corps. We do pull ups because they are a true measure of upper body strength. You just can't fake a pull up. Pull ups engage your back and biceps. Start by grasping the bar, palms facing away from you, slightly wider than shoulder width. From there, pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar, making sure to control your body movement, so that you don't swing back and forth. Lower your body back to a dead hang, elbows locked out. 

The Wide Grip Pull Up is the same as the standard pull up, only with a wider grip. Start by grasping the bar, palms facing away from you, much wider than shoulder width. From there, pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar, making sure to control your body movement, so that you don't swing back and forth. Lower your body back to a dead hang, elbows locked out. 

The Narrow Grip Pull Up follows the same steps as the standard pull up, only with a narrower grip. Start by grasping the bar, palms facing away from you, less than shoulder width apart. From there, pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar, making sure to control your body movement, so that you don't swing back and forth. Lower your body back to a dead hang, elbows locked out. 

The Side To Side Pull Up is a somewhat difficult pull up variation that further emphasizes your back muscles, by placing them under dynamic tension. Start by grasping the bar, palms facing away from you, slightly wider than shoulder width. From there, pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar. Holding yourself in the top position, move your body from side to side, as if you were trying to touch your hands with your chin. Move to each side, return to the center, then lower your body back to a dead hang, elbows locked out. 

The Alternating Pull up is a pull up variation that allows you to emphasize one side of your back at a time, which can help prevent imbalances in muscle development. Stand sideways under the pull up bar, so that the bar runs over your head from front to back. From there, grasp the bar with your palms facing each other, but staggered. Pull yourself up so that your head is on one side of the bar, then lower. Pull up again, this time with your head on the other side of the bar. Repeat. 

The Chin Up differs from the pull up in the way you grip the bar. Your palms will face towards you. Grasp the bar, hands at shoulder width. From there, pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar, making sure to control your body movement, so that you don't swing back and forth. Lower your body back to a dead hang, elbows locked out. 

The Wide Grip Chin Up is the same as the standard chin up, just with a wider grip. Grasp the bar, palms facing you, wider than shoulder width. From there, pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar, making sure to control your body movement, so that you don't swing back and forth. Lower your body back to a dead hang, elbows locked out. 

The Narrow Grip Chin Up is just like the standard chin up, only with a narrower grip. Grasp the bar, palms facing you, less than shoulder width. From there, pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar, making sure to control your body movement, so that you don't swing back and forth. Lower your body back to a dead hang, elbows locked out. 

Front Lever Pull Ups are a fun pull up variation that changes the angle of movement. Gripping the bar palms facing away, at shoulder width, swing your body upward, and bring your knees to your chest. Your back should be facing the ground. Keeping that position, pull yourself up towards the bar, then lower. As you get stronger, you'll be able to move your knees farther away from your chest, eventually straightening one leg completely, then the other. This position is known as the front lever in gymnastics.

The Gymnastic Pull Up is a challenging pull up variation. It is essentially a pull up with your legs fully extended in front of you. Start by grasping the bar, palms facing away from you, slightly wider than shoulder width. Keep your legs and feet together, and raise them straight out in front of you. From there, pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar, making sure to control your body movement, so that you don't swing back and forth. Lower your body back to a dead hang, elbows locked out. 

The Flexed Arm Hang is an excellent exercise for building up the necessary strength to eventually do a full pull up or chin up. Grip and hand spacing are entirely up to you. With your selected grip, jump up to the top position, with your chin over the bar, and hold. Hold that position for as long as possible. Even as your strength lessens, continue to try and hold position for as long as you can, until your arms are eventually straight and locked out at the bottom. 

The Reverse Shrug is a great way to build up strength to eventually be able to do a chin up or pull up. Grip and hand spacing are up to you. With your chosen grip, come to a dead hang on the bar. Keeping your elbows locked, pull your body up slightly, imagining you are shrugging your shoulders. Once this becomes easy, pull yourself up to a comfortable height, then lower back down. Eventually, you'll build up enough strength to get your chin over the bar. 

Interval timing is an essential part of High Intensity Interval Training. The amount of time spent working, and resting determines how long you'll be able to sustain the movements, as well as the effectiveness of the workout. The most effective interval timing is known as the Tabata protocol, or the Tabata. The Tabata consists of 20 seconds of work, and 10 second of rest. This protocol can be effective when implemented as a 2 to 4 minute total workout time. 

The Burpee is a total Brady movement that is very taxing. Starting in a standing position, quickly drop down into a push up position. Execute a push up, quickly get back to your feet, and jump as high as possible, while reaching for the sky. This is done as quickly and fluidly as possible. 

High Knees are a common conditioning exercise. The idea is to bring your knees up to your chest, in alternating fashion, as fast and as high as possible. 

Star Jumpers are very challenging to sustain over longer periods of time. They're great for your quads and glutes. Start with your feet together, and your fingers touching the ground. In one explosive movement, jump up into the air, come into a spread eagle, or star position with your hands and feet spread, then bring them back together, landing in the same position you were in before you jumped. You will start and finish the movement with your feet together, fingers touching the ground.

Four Count Bodybuilders can be thought of as a slower, broken up version of the Burpee. You may want to use this exercise as a build up to the burpee, if you are not properly conditioned. The exercise is broken up into four distinct movements, hence the name. One, drop down into a low squat, hands on the ground. Two, kick your legs back out, so you're in a push up position. Three, bring your legs back to a low squat. Four, stand back up. It is best to follow a consistent rhythm when doing this exercise. You can also count out loud to keep yourself on time. 1 2 3 1, 1 2 3 2, 1 2 3 3, 1 2 3 4, etc. 

Eight Count Bodybuilders are just a more complicated version of the Four Count Bodybuilders. One, drop down to a low squat. Two, kick out your legs into a push up position. Three, lower yourself to the ground. Four, push back up. Five, spread your feet in a quick, hopping motion. Six, bring your feet back together. Seven, bring your knees to your chest in a low squat. Eight, stand all the way back up. Follow a consistent rhythm throughout the exercise. 

Quarter side jumps are a great way to build up leg strength, and explosive power. Start standing up, and jump sideways as far to the left as you can, as high as you can. When you land, hip hinge a quarter of the way down. Jump back to the right in the same fashion. As soon as you land, jump immediately to the other side. 

Half Side Jumps are the next step in the side jump progression. This time, when you land, you'll hip hinge half way down. Each time you land, explosively jump to the other side. 

Full Side Jumps are the most difficult level of the side jump progression. In this exercise, each time you land, you will executes full hip hinge on the way down. Explode back up and jump to the other side. 

Quarter squat jumps are the easiest level of the squat jump progression. Execute a quarter hip hinge one the way down, then explode up and jump as high as possible. Jump again immediately after landing. 

Half Squat Jumps are the next level in the Squat Jump progression. Execute a half hip hinge on the way down, then explode up and jump as high as possible. Jump again immediately after landing. 

Full Squat Jumps are the highest level in the Squat Jump progression. Execute a full hip hinge, then explode up, jumping as high as possible. Jump again immediately after landing, in a continuous cycle. 

The Jumping Lunge is a dynamic movement that takes all the mechanics of a standard Lunge, and incorporates explosive movement. Beginning by stepping forward as if doing a standard Lunge, jump off the ground as hard and fast as possible, switch leg positions in mid air, drop down into a lunge again, and repeat. 

This is your three month daily workout guide! Do one block of exercises each day. Days 1 and 5 of the work week will be High Intensity Interval Training. I recommend downloading a "Round Timer" app to help you with your interval timing. It can be set for 20 second rounds with 10 seconds of rest in between. Two rounds with two rest periods adds up to a minute. Click on the resources below to get your workout plan!