Deciding to embark on a physical fitness journey is one thing, but dedicating oneself wholly and completely to this mission is nothing less than a celebratory feat. It is because committing to a consistent physical fitness routine requires blood, sweat, and tears, as one must change one’s lifestyle, carve out time, and push the boundaries of one’s limits to achieve desirable fitness levels.  

Now, when it comes to committing to a consistent routine, people usually visualize going to gyms, lifting heavy weights, consuming proteins, and whatnot! But if you are someone not a gym enthusiast and looking for flexibility to work out at your convenience, then military-style workouts are for you! And no, when we say military-style workout, we do not mean heavy-duty workouts that prepare you for physical combat with the enemy of the state. These military workouts for beginners are simple and easy to incorporate into daily life and do not require any equipment.  

Military-style Fitness Workout: A Beginner’s Guide to Achieve Fitness 

While starting a physical fitness routine religiously requires effort, just getting up and performing even a single exercise is no less than a feat. No, seriously! It shows that you are willing and committed to keeping your body healthy and in good shape. We believe that success does not lie in perfection but in consistent progress, and you should be proud of taking your fitness to the next level.  

Now, being a beginner at fitness routines comes with a lot of confusion. You might be confused about which exercise to begin with and which exercises align with your fitness goals, especially when you do not want to tie yourself to an expensive gym membership! If you are going through this turmoil, we’ve got you.  

We have compiled the 5 best exercises that are or have been a part of the army physical fitness routine. It is a multi-purpose list that will help with diverse intentions – From getting in shape for a friend’s wedding to achieving military-style fitness.

 1. Hindu Squats 

In addition to being performed by Indian military personnel, this exercise has been incorporated into the fitness training routine of Indian wrestlers for a long time. Hindu squats vary from traditional squats, as the former involves coordinating inhaling and exhaling breathing patterns. It is a functional bodyweight exercise that strengthens muscles, improves balance, control, and coordination, and increases endurance. In terms of strengthening muscles, this exercise targets quads, hamstrings, quadriceps, shoulders, hip flexors, core, and glutes. In our opinion, it is a complete-package workout that targets various aspects of your body. However, we recommend beginners should proceed gradually to prevent straining their bodies.   

Hindu Squats 

To perform Hindu squats, you need to:

  1. Breathe, perform a warm-up routine, and stretch your body before performing the Hindu squats.  
  2. Once you have done your warm-up routine, you need to stand with your feet apart at shoulder-width. Don’t worry, everybody’s squat stance varies, so don’t worry about the shoulder width.  
  3. Raise and extend your hands outwards in front of you. 
  4. Inhale, slowly bend your knees and lower your hips and body downward. Also, move your arms backward (to the level of your back pocket) and make sure that while you are doing this, your torso and head should maintain an upright position.  
  5. Upon reaching the bottom of the squat, lift your heels and balance yourself on the balls of your feet. Also, swing your arms and bring them back to their original position, i.e., perpendicular to your body.  
  6. Swiftly push yourself above by pushing through the balls of your feet and extending your legs. Bring yourself to your original starting position and repeat this process conveniently.  

 2. Push-Ups 

It is one of the most convenient exercises that does not require visiting gyms or even playgrounds. You can perform push-ups even in the vicinity of your home. This set of exercises strengthens diverse muscles, including the chest, shoulders, glutes, triceps, and biceps. Moreover, this convenient exercise will help you burn calories faster, enhance core stability and upper body strength, improve posture, and boost cardiovascular health.  

Push-Ups 

To perform push-ups, you need to: 

  1. Take the tabletop position with your face down and body straight.  
  2. Put your palms on the ground and keep them shoulder-width apart (at least 12-14 inches apart). Keep your arms and back straight.  
  3. Extend your legs backward and ensure that only your toes touch the ground, and your feet are hip width apart. Make sure that your spine is in line with your neck.  
  4. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees to lower your body toward the ground. Then, push up by pressing through your hands and get back to the plank position.  
  5. Repeat this 10-15 times and gradually increase the count to enhance the effect of this exercise.  

 3. Running 

One of the most popular forms of exercise, running adds years to life. Many studies suggest that this vigorous exercise reduces all-cause mortality by a significant margin. It burns calories and strengthens your bones, boosts cardiovascular health, reduces stress, releases happy hormones called endorphins, stimulates the brain and ensures psychological well-being. The muscles targeted during running are hip flexors, glutes, core, quadriceps, upper body, and hamstrings. By incorporating running into your daily fitness routine, you can improve your sleep cycle, maintain a healthy weight, and even improve your immunity.  

Running

Now, if you are a beginner, you can begin at your pace and cover a convenient distance. Once you are accustomed to a consistent running routine, you can gradually increase the distance and speed of your run to reap more benefits. 

4. Burpees 

Now, this exercise is a bit challenging for people with a sedentary lifestyle. But with consistency, you can master burpees to enhance your overall physical fitness. It is a complete full-body workout that improves cardiovascular fitness, builds muscle strength, burns calories, loses excessive weight, enhances endurance, and increases bone density. This high-intensity exercise targets shoulders, core, quads, glutes, chest, lower and upper back, and even improves balance and coordination.   

The Burpee

To perform burpees, you need to: 

  1. Stand straight with your feet at least shoulder-width apart. 
  2. Then, squat down by bending your knees. Keep your back straight and put your hands on the floor outside your feet. 
  3. Use your hands as anchors, kick your feet back, and land in a plank position where your body is balanced on your hands and toes only.  
  4. Now, keep your spine in line with your neck and your legs straight to perform one push-up by lowering your chest toward the ground. Make sure that your butt is not popped out and your back is straight.  
  5. Now, keep your hands anchored on the ground, but pull your feet back in to acquire the squat position.  
  6. Finally, stand up, raise your arms above your head, and jump into the air.  
  7. When you land on the group, repeat the process by bending your knees, placing your arms on the floor, and acquiring the squat positions. In the beginning, perform only till the count of 10 but as you develop a consistent routine, increase the count to a convenient number.  

 5. Swimming 

It is the perfect aerobic activity to boost your cardiovascular system by keeping blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check, improving flexibility, managing weight, strengthening your lungs, enhancing sleep quality, and having stronger bones. Swim strokes utilize a variety of muscles, including the shoulder, hamstrings, glutes, triceps, chest, lower and upper back, and more. In addition, swimming is appropriate for pregnant women and people with injuries.  

It is an activity that requires an instructor’s guidance. Hence, to perform this one of the best military workouts for beginners, we recommend getting in touch with a swimming instructor to learn the right strategies and develop the required skills to perform swimming by yourself. Once you learn it, you can experiment with diverse swimming styles, including backstroke, butterfly stroke, sidestroke, and breaststroke, to reap multiple physiological benefits.  

Conclusion 

If you aim to attain army physical fitness, you must be determined and stay committed to your fitness routine. While it might feel strenuous in the initial days, being consistent in your efforts will help you achieve your desirable shape! 

Good luck!