High knees
High knees combine the typical running motion with exaggerated knee lifts. They are often used by runners and other athletes to improve running form as well as lower body speed, power, and flexibility. Perform high knees as a component of your warm-up or prolong the exercise and add them to your workout routine to really get your heart rate going. There are several variations of the high knees exercise you can implement into your fitness routine.
Basic high knees can be performed while running in place or moving over a distance. Stand in place with your feet hip-width apart. Drive your right knee toward your chest and quickly place it back on the ground. Follow immediately by driving your left knee toward your chest. Continue to alternate knees as quickly as you can. If you are incorporating this exercise into your warm-up, begin with slower, controlled movements to prevent a pulling a muscle. Perform this exercise for a designated amount of time or over a specified distance. For example, you could run in place with high knees for one minute or run 30 feet with high knees.
Push Ups
1 Lie on the floor face down and place your hands about 36 inches apart while holding your torso up at arms length.
2 Next, lower yourself downward until your chest almost touches the floor as you inhale.
3 Now breathe out and press your upper body back up to the starting position while squeezing your chest.
4 After a brief pause at the top contracted position, you can begin to lower yourself downward again for as many repetitions as needed.
Variations:
If you are new at this exercise and do not have the strength to perform it, you can either bend your legs at the knees to take off resistance or perform the exercise against the wall instead of the floor.
For the most advanced lifters, you can place your feet at a high surface such as a bench in order to increase the resistance and to target the upper chest more.
Plank
1 Get into a prone position on the floor, supporting your weight on your toes and your forearms. Your arms are bent and directly below the shoulder.
2 Keep your body straight at all times, and hold this position as long as possible. To increase difficulty, an arm or leg can be raised.
Mountain Climbers (internal cross)
1 Begin in a pushup position, with your weight supported by your hands and toes. Flexing the knee and hip, bring one leg until the knee is approximately under the hip. This will be your starting position.
2 Explosively reverse the positions of your legs, extending the bent leg until the leg is straight and supported by the toe, and bringing the other foot up with the hip and knee flexed. Repeat in an alternating fashion for 20-30 seconds.
Sumo Squats
1 keep your arms close to your body and elbows tucked in. Your feet should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointing slightly outward. Keep your back straight and abdominals tight. This will be your starting position.
2 Pushing your hips back, slowly bend the knees and lower your legs until your thighs are just below parallel to the floor. Make sure to inhale during this portion of the exercise.
3 Press through the heel of the foot and push your hips through to return to the starting position. Breathe out during this phase of the exercise.
4 Repeat for recommended number of repetitions.
Lunges
  1. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Engage core.
2. Take a big step forward with right leg and start to shift weight forward so heel hits the floor first.
3. Lower body until right thigh is parallel to floor and right shin is vertical (it’s okay if knee shifts forward a little as long as it doesn’t go past right toe). If mobility allows, lightly tap left knee to ground while keeping weight in right heel.
4. Press into right heel to drive back up to starting position.
5. Repeat on the other side.
Chair or Bench Dips
1 For this exercise you will need to place a bench behind your back. With the bench perpendicular to your body, and while looking away from it, hold on to the bench on its edge with the hands fully extended, separated at shoulder width. The legs will be extended forward, bent at the waist and perpendicular to your torso. This will be your starting position.
2 Slowly lower your body as you inhale by bending at the elbows until you lower yourself far enough to where there is an angle slightly smaller than 90 degrees between the upper arm and the forearm. Tip: Keep the elbows as close as possible throughout the movement. Forearms should always be pointing down.
3 Using your triceps to bring your torso up again, lift yourself back to the starting position.
4 Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Variations: You can place your legs on top of another flat bench in front of you in order to make the exercise more challenging. If that variation also becomes easy, then you can have a partner place plates on top of your lap. Make sure that in this case the partner ensures that the weights stay there throughout the movement.
Shoulder Push ups
Step 1
Get into the standard push-up position on the floor — arms straight and hands shoulder-width apart.
Step 2
Lift your hips up so that your body forms a V-shape, similar to the downward facing dog yoga position. Keep your legs and arms as straight as possible in this position.
Step 3
Bend your elbows and slowly lower your upper body towards the floor. Your goal is to get your head as close to the ground as possible.
Step 4
Take a brief pause, and then push yourself back up. Stop once your arms are straight.
Butt Kicks
1 Start standing tall and bring one heel off the floor towards your glutes, the opposite hand comes up towards you shoulder like running arms, then switch to the other side.
2 This exercise is working your hamstrings so you should feel this in the glutes and the back of the legs as you pull the heel in.
Lying Back Extension
Start by lying on the floor with your face down and your hands by your head, elbows wide. Keep your feet on the floor, and engage your glutes and core to support your lower back. Then activate your back muscles all the way along the length of your spine to lift your shoulder, head and chest up away from the floor and hold this top position for the required duration.
Aim to squeeze your shoulder blades together on your back by contracting your upper back muscles. Also avoid lifting your chin up to look forward, instead keep your chin slightly tucked and look down on the floor just in front of you.