AN AVERAGE WORKOUT has you standing in mostly one spot.
That's not just boring—if you consistently keep both feet planted on the floor, you're missing out on opportunities to work stabilizer muscles, improve proprioception, and hone athleticism, among other benefits.
Change that up by adding in lunges, crawls, leaps, and other exercises that have you going somewhere. You’ll strengthen those critical stabilizing muscles for healthier everyday movement—and have fun, too.
DIRECTIONS: Do this workout 4 or 5 days a week—but not more than 2 days in a row. Go for a 10-minute walk or run on non-workout days.
The Warmup
Walking Spiderman Lunge With Rotation
Start standing, then place your hands on the floor and walk them into pushup position. Step your right foot outside your right hand. Reach your right hand toward the ceiling. Reverse the movements back to pushup position, then walk your feet toward your hands. Stand up. Repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep; do 5.
The Workout
DIRECTIONS: Do the exercises in order, completing 4 sets of each move. Do each set for 40 seconds, then rest for 20 seconds.
Walking Pendulum Lunge
Start standing. Step your right leg backward and lower into a lunge. Stand back up. As you stand, step forward with your right leg; lower into a lunge. Stand back up. Repeat the pattern on the other side; that’s 1 rep. Do this until time is up.
Diagonal Skater Leap
Start standing, then lift your left foot off the floor. Shift it just behind your right foot. Take a small jump forward and to the left, landing on your left foot, knee bent. Shift your right foot behind your left and take another jump forward, this time leaping to the right. That’s 1 rep. Repeat until time is up.
Lateral Bear Crawl
Get on all fours, hands directly below your shoulders, knees in line with your wrists. Keeping your back flat, lift your knees so your shins are an inch off the floor. This is the start. Now step to the left, moving your right arm and left leg at once. Follow by moving your left arm and right leg to the left. When you’re out of space, repeat the pattern, this time moving back to the right. Continue doing this until time is up.
Pushup Plank Drag
Get in pushup position on a hardwood floor, hands directly below your shoulders, your feet on sliders or a towel or in a pair of socks that let you slide across the surface. Without bending your elbows, walk your right arm forward a few inches; follow by walking your left arm forward, dragging your feet as you go. Keep your hips and shoulders square to the floor. Repeat until time is up.
Finisher
Shuttle Run
Place 2 cones, sneakers, or other objects about 15 feet apart. Start with your hand touching the object to the left. Then dash to the other object and touch it. Immediately dash back to the start. Repeat this pattern for 60 seconds. Rest 2 minutes. Do 4 sets.
This story originally appears in the November 2022 issue of Men's Health.
Milo Bryant, CSCS, is a California-based trainer and an award-winning journalist.
