Military Boot Camp Exercises

Military basic training consists of rigorous workouts to prepare new recruits for the challenges of warfare. Basic training has inspired boot camp workouts that provide intense total body workouts with little to no equipment needed. Military boot camp exercises build muscle while increasing your heart rate to encourage fat loss. If your workouts are getting stale, incorporate military boot camp exercises to kick up the intensity and increase results.

Push-Ups

Push-ups recruit the chest, arms and core. Start on all fours. Press up onto your toes so your hands and feet are supporting your body weight. Your spine should be in a straight line. Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor. Pause for one second at the bottom of the movement. Press your body up until your arms are straight, returning to the starting position. Repeat for four sets of 20 repetitions.

Burpees

Burpees work your arms, legs, chest and core muscles. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hands resting at your sides. Place your hands on the floor in front of you. Snap your feet back, leaving your body in a push-up position. Perform one push-up. Whip your feet in toward your hands. Stand up and perform one rocket jump with your feet straight in the air. Do four sets of 20 repetitions.

Jump Lunges

Jump lunges engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves and core. Start with your feet together and hands placed on your hips. Jump up and land in a split stance with your right foot in front and left in back. Lower your left knee toward the ground until your right knee is bent at 90 degrees. Explode up and switch your feet in the air. Land with your left foot in front and right in back. Continue to alternate legs for four sets of 20 repetitions each.

Prisoner Squats

Prisoner squats stimulate all of the muscles in the lower body. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms extended straight in front of you. Bend from the hips and sit back until your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Keep your weight focused in your heels and press up until your legs are straight. Repeat for four sets of 20 repetitions.

Sit-Ups

Sit-ups target the abs. Lie on the ground with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head to support your neck. Squeeze your abs and sit up, bringing your chest toward your knees. Slowly lower your upper body down to the starting position. Repeat for four sets of 20 repetitions.