From the very old days until today, floor exercise has always been one of the best ways to strengthen your muscles. Personally, is one of my favorite forms of exercise.
And one of the best advantages of floor exercise, is that it can be performed by almost everybody: people with extra weight, with disabilities, elderly people (if laying on the floor is too much for them, they can perform the exercises on their bed). The reason it can be performed by the majority of population, is that it gives no stress to the joints and you don’t have to carry your weight since everything is done on the floor.
Floor exercise work the muscles by making them long and lean, not bulky.
Next, I will be giving you a variety of floor exercises that will strengthen your entire body, and that you can easily perform in the comfort of your home.
All you need is a comfortable mat, or as I mentioned above, if laying on the floor is too much for you at the beginning, start on your bed, and as you slowly feel more comfortable, move on to the floor.
1. Knee Raise (can also be used as a warm up)
Lay on your back with the knees bend. Engage your abdominals so you won’t feel your waist moving up and down. Inhale, and as you exhale lift one knee towards your chest. Inhale as you step down again, and exhale as you bring the other knee in. Alternate and repeat 20 times on each leg (total 40).
2. Pelvis Lift
Lay on your back, bend the knees and bring your heels a little closer to your butt. Relax your arms by your sides. Inhale first, and then squeeze the butt and start lifting up towards the ceiling as you exhale.
Try to lift the back as well and have a straight line from shoulders to knees. This means you need to lift the entire back as well. If it is too hard at the beginning to go all the way up, then go as far as it feels comfortable and slowly work your way up. Inhale as you lower back down slowly, softly tap the bottom to the ground and go back up again.
Keep your movements slow and smooth, not sharp. Perform 20 repetitions.
3. Crunches
The most common and simple exercise for abs. Lie down on your mat with the knees bend. Put your hands on the back of the head to support the head and neck.
Take a breath in and as you exhale lift the head and upper torso from the floor. As you inhale go back down and repeat.
Tips to keep in mind so you perform the exercise with good technique: Imagine holding an apple with your chin while lifting up. This way you should always have some space between your chin and your chest.
The most common mistake I see is pushing your head inwards towards your chest. This puts a lot of stress on the neck, which should be relaxed when coming up. Imagine your abdominal muscles lifting you up, instead of lifting by using your hands.
Also, your elbows and chest should be open, and you should be looking a bit diagonal on the ceiling, not straight up. Perform 20 repetitions.
4. Side Crunches
Same position as in crunches but instead of lifting straight up, you turn to one side. Think of taking the shoulder to the opposite knee.
Perform 20 repetitions (10 on each side).
5. Side Crunches With Knee Lift
Same position and technique as in side crunches, but this time, when you turn to one side, you lift the knee on the side that you turn.
Again remember to keep the chest open, as well as the elbow that turns, do not close the elbow in towards your ear.
Another tip that might help you with this one is to keep one shoulder blade on the floor, and push on that shoulder blade to lift the other. Then do the same on the other side. Whether you alternate sides or do one side and then the other is up to you. It does not make much difference.
Perform 20 repetitions, 10 on each side.
6. Leg Extensions
Lie on your back, but this time lift your legs up in 90 degrees.
Very important tip, whenever you have both legs in the air, you need to engage your abdominals and put your lower back down, so there is no space between your lower back and the floor. This rule goes for all exercises that have both legs in the air.
Now inhale, and as you exhale extend one leg. Inhale as you bring back in, and exhale as you extend the other leg. Perform 20 repetitions, 10 on each side.
Always remember, when extending the leg, you only lower the leg down to the point where your lower back does not lift off the floor. If you feel your lower back lifting, then you should extend a bit higher.
7. Pushups
Go on your hands and knees for this exercise.
Put your hands a bit wider that your shoulders. Bend your elbows out to the side so you lower your torso towards the floor, and push back up again. When you are down, your elbows should be at 90 degrees.
There are three levels to this exercise: beginner, intermediate and advance. For the beginner level, your knees should be under the hips. For the intermediate level your knees should be a bit further back than the hips. For the advance level, you should be on your toes with your body in a straight line.
This is a great exercise as it strengthens the entire upper body – chest, back, arms, shoulders, and abdominals. Perform 15-20 repetitions.
8. Inner Thighs
Lay on your side and step the top leg back so that it gets out of the way. Now lift the bottom leg up and down, making sure that the toes are facing forward, not up.
Perform 30-50 repetitions on each side.
9. Outer Thighs
Lay on your side as in the previous exercise. Bend and relax the bottom leg, and extend the top leg so that is in one line with the torso. The knee should be straight and you should feel the front of the leg, the quads, strong and engaged.
Now perform 30-50 repetitions up and down. Switch sides and repeat.
10. Opposite Arm-Leg Raise
Go onto your knees in table-top position. That is putting your hands and knees down, so your body looks like a table. You need to have a straight back so engage your abdominals in and lift your butt back and up slightly. Your eyes should be facing down so you won’t put any stress on the neck.
From here inhale first, and as you exhale slowly lift right hand and left leg (opposite arm and leg). Inhale as you go back down and switch. Your arm and leg should be at the same height as your torso. If you feel like you are out of balance, then maybe one of the two parts (arm or leg), or both, are at the wrong height.
Alternate 20 repetitions.
11. Leg Raises (for lower back)
Lay on your belly. Put one hand on top of the other and relax your head on your hands.
Inhale, and as you exhale, lift one leg up (knee also), making sure the leg stays straight, by squeezing the bottom. Lower down and switch legs.
This exercise works the lower back, bottom and back of the legs.
Alternate 20 repetitions.
12. Back Lift
Lay on your belly. Your arms could either relax by your sides, or you can put your hands close to your ears, with bend elbows out to the side. Inhale first, and as you exhale lift your head, arms, and upper torso slightly off the floor.
When you are lifting up, your eyes should be facing down so there is no stress on the neck. You should feel the lower back muscles working. Go back down and repeat.
If it is difficult to lift at the beginning, you can leave your hands touching down instead of lifting them up, and as you slowly get stronger, then take them off the floor. Perform 20 repetitions.
All the exercises above work your entire body, without the stress of carrying your body weight, since everything is performed on the floor. They are all easy exercises that most people can follow without any difficulty.
You can do these exercises three times a week or more if you like.
They will make your body feel stronger, so give them a try, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below.
You might also like my post on how to strengthen your back with easy exercises, so you have more exercises to work with. Enjoy.