A common topic that my dad brings up are the physical problems that his friends are having.

“Bill is having some trouble standing up from a chair. Is there anything he can do?”

“Jack is having some shoulder problems. It’s bad. Can you take a look at him?”

“My friend fell. This is the second time he fell. Are there any exercises you can show him?”

“You were easily the most popular kid in high school. Way more popular than that one captain of the baseball team.”

Okay, maybe he didn’t say that last one. The point here is that I did just fine in high school and that everyone needs to exercise a little more. The problem is that most exercise programs suck, and they tend to be little too complicated.

Add in the fact that if any of these programs require a gym membership or equipment, the barrier to entry is that much higher.

My aim is to try and amend that.

No Gear, No Problem

This is the simplest of workouts. I will not use any equipment. Bodyweight training, commonly called calisthenics, is a good introduction to exercise. In fact, there are many jacked people who rely solely on calisthenics. One need not look any further than gymnasts to see what sort of progress you can make with just your bodyweight.

We need to acknowledge that there are definite limitations to this plan. Simple equipment such as bands or a pull up bar can add a ton of variety to an exercise or training plan. However, we will discuss that when we get there.

The Simplest of Simple

Squat – 3 sets x 5-20 reps

This is one of the cardinal movement patterns of the lower body. It doesn’t get more simple. Squat down, then stand back up.

Initiate this movement by breaking at the hips first. Push your butt back towards the back wall then start bending at the knees, tracking them over your toes. Keep both feet flat on the floor the entire time. Allow your torso to lean forward naturally. If your knees naturally pass your toes, that’s fine. Knees past the toes is not dangerous or damaging to the knees.

Glute Bridges – 3 sets x 8-20 reps

If there’s an exercise I over-prescribe in my practice, it’s flute bridges.

Dammit, not flute, I mean GLUTE.

Auto correct really needs a medical expansion pack.

The gluteus maximus is one of the largest and powerful muscles of the body. Let’s get over the technical language. It’s your butt muscle.

If there’s any muscle weakness that causes more problems than any other, it’s the flutes (God DAMMIT). The glutes extend your hip, help you stand upright, walk longer, run, jump, and help support your low back. It’s the power muscle of athletes, and everyone can benefit from stronger glutes.

Lay on your back with your knees bent. Tighten your abs and squeeze your butt. Lift your hips and imagine pushing your pelvis up to the ceiling. Try and isolate the contraction to your butt. You shouldn’t feel your low back tightening excessively. This is one of those exercises where if you feel it in the right place, you’re probably doing it right.

Pro tip: an EMG study showed greater glute activity during bridges when the heels are closer to the butt. Bend those knees as much as you can.

Push Ups – 3 sets x 5-10 reps

Ah, a classic that is often botched. The concept is simple: get into plank position on your hands, lower your body, and lift it back up. we nary see this properly done.

The common faults here include the hips turning into an A-frame, sagging through the hips, and excessively moving through the shoulder blades.

Start in a plank position on your hands. Find the right shoulder blade position by letting your body sag all the way down, pushing your body away from the floor as far as you can, and then finding the happy middle ground. Maintain that position.

Lower your body by bending the elbows and tucking them at about 45 degrees to the body. Go as low as your mobility will allow, and then press yourself back into the starting position. If this is too hard, elevate your hands onto a chair or countertop. Most people will opt for push ups off the knees, but these change the leverages too drastically and reduce its effectiveness.

Airplanes – 3 sets x 10 reps x 10 second holds

Until I discovered pull ups, working out the back was a mystery to me. Then again, I was 12 at the time so I didn’t even know there were muscles on the back.

Most back exercises will require some equipment. This exercise will do for now.

Start by laying face down with your arms straight out to your sides. You can place a towel roll against your forehead if your nose is getting crushed against the floor.

Lift your arms off the floor by first squeezing your shoulder blades together. If you skip this first step, the exercise becomes useless and stressful on the front of the shoulders. Lift your arms off the floor and pretend you’re an airplane for 10 seconds. Lower your arms back down.

The Next Level Up

Once those exercises get easy or you get bored, here are a collection of some harder exercises.

Burpees – 3-5 sets x 5-20 reps

This the opposite of a crowd favorite. People have cursed burpees ever since humans learned to lay prone and get back up. The hatred for this exercise was renewed in 1939 when Royal H. Burpee officially coined and described the movement as a way to evaluate an individual’s measure of cardiovascular fitness.

Start standing. Squat down so your hands are on the floor and then kick your feet behind you so you end in a push up position. Then tuck your feet back in and stand up. That’s one rep.

If this isn’t hard enough, you can add a push up when you’re on your hands and jump when you return to the standing position. You sadistic bastard.

Lunges – 3-5 sets x 5-20 reps

This is an underrated exercise. Everyone from bodyweight beasts to crossfitters to bodybuilders do lunges.

Start in a normal stance. Step forward with one leg and allow it to bend down. The back knee will travel down towards the floor. Either come up with the back leg or return the working leg to the starting position. That’s one rep.

Make sure your hips stay straight and they don’t rotate and veer off to the side.

Incline Push Up – 3-5 sets x 5-15 reps

Oh so regular push ups are “too easy”, huh? Get your feet up onto a chair to increase the challenge. Nothing else changes except now you need to make sure that you don’t hit your head on the floor.

Prone Presses – 3-5 sets x 10-20 reps

This is a progression from the prone airplanes. You start in the same position, only now you have your elbows bent to 90 degrees. Lift them off the floor while squeezing your should blades back. While the arms are up and off the floor, move them into an overhead position. Return to the start position.

This will work all of the muscles around the shoulder blade. Too many people hit all of the muscles they can see in the mirror while denying the existence of their backs. Never skip back day!

Get To It

Many problems of old age will go away if only people strength trained more. It is my belief that 99% of orthopedic problems would go away if people just lifted weights.

Keep in mind that there is a ceiling of progress when you train with absolutely no equipment. It’s better than nothing, but even those who stick with bodyweight-only training will use pull up bars, suspension systems like rings or TRX, blocks for handstand push ups, etc.

My dad has always had knee pain when sitting down, coming up off a low chair, or squatting during Kendo. Most of that pain is essentially gone now that he’s been lifting with me for a few months.

You’re never too old to lift weights.

Me