5 Secret No-Sweat Exercises

Walk into any gym and you’ll see plenty of bench-pressing, crunching, and curling. But you probably won’t see anyone doing these five exercises. Which is a shame, because they work your muscles in a way that shores up common weak spots—the ones most likely to suffer injury, and sidetrack your fitness goals. Stay on track with this countdown of the most productive—but most ignored—exercises on the planet. I guarantee that they’ll rev up your metabolism, melt fat, prevent injury and improve your health. Best of all, you can do them at home, with nothing more than a couple of dumbbells and your own body weight.

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5. The Core Hold

Want to tighten your abs? Just resist the twist, with this exercise called the core hold. Unlike many ab exercises in which you twist your torso to the left or the right, the point of this move is to actually keep your body from rotating.  So you hold your core still as you move a light weight around your body. This forces your to abs to constantly fight to keep you from falling over. The end-result: You work your core from every angle, without doing a single crunch.  Do the exercise 3 times a week. Perform the move as directed for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds, and repeat one to two more times.

For more great core exercises, check out The Best Ab Workout You’ve Never Done. 

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat. Hold a light weight plate straight out from your chest.

Lean back so your torso is at a 45-degree angle to the floor.

Brace your core and rotate your arms to the left as far as you can, pause for two to three seconds, then reverse your movement and rotate your arms all the way back to the right as far as you can.

(Your shoulders and belly-button should point straight ahead the entire time.) Continue to alternate back and forth.

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4. The Pushup and Row

Like any other pushup, this variation hits your chest, shoulders, and triceps. But the rowing portion of the exercise also targets your back muscles. So with every set, you work twice as much muscle--and as result, burn twice as many calories, for a leaner, fitter body. What’s more, the exercise works just about all the other muscles in your body, too. That’s because your abdominal, lower back, and hip muscles have to contract forcefully to keep your body stable each time you lift the dumbbell.

Too hard? Just try the rowing portion of the exercise, and work your way up to the pushup. Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions, resting 60 seconds between sets.

Want to see more variations of the pushup? Click here.

Place a pair of hex dumbbells at the spot where you position your hands for a pushup. Grasp the dumbbell handles and set yourself in pushup position.

Lower your body to the floor, pause, then push yourself back up.

Once you’re back in the starting position, row the dumbbell in your left hand to the side of your chest, by pulling it upward and bending your arm. Pause, then lower the dumbbell back down quickly, and repeat the same movement with your right arm. That’s one repetition. (Your torso shouldn’t rotate as you row.)

3. The Goblet Squat

Plenty of people are intimidated by the squat. But this version couldn’t be easier to learn how to do--especially since it only requires a single dumbbell. It’s named for the way you hold the dumbbell, like a giant goblet in front of your chest. This makes it safe and simple, yet still every bit as effective as the classic barbell squat. And once you master this move, you’ll be sold on it forever. That’s because the squat burns more calories per repetition than almost any other exercise. What’s more, besides melting the flab that covers your six-pack, Canadian researchers determined that squats work your core harder than many ab and lower-back exercises.

A good place to start: Do two to three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions, twice a week.

Grab a dumbbell and hold it vertically in front of your chest, with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

Keeping your back naturally arched, push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body until the tops of your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.

(Your torso should stay as upright as possible throughout the movement.) Pause, then push yourself back up to the starting position. That’s one repetition.

2. The Dumbbell Shoulder Raise and Shrug

Sculpt shoulders worth showing with just a pair of light dumbbells.

This clever combination move targets your deltoids—the shoulder muscles that cap the tops of your arms and that leave you looking great in a sleeveless top. But it also works the muscles that help control the movement of your shoulder blades. That may sound clinical, but here’s why it matters: Strengthening these oft-neglected muscles can help improve poor posture and keep you from slouching—a benefit that makes you look even more fit.

Try doing two to three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions twice a week.

Stand holding a pair of dumbbells with your feet shoulder-width apart. Let the dumbbells hang at arm’s length next to your sides, your palms facing each other and your elbows slightly bent. That’s the starting position.

Without changing the bend in your elbows, raise your arms at a 30-degree angle to your body (so that they form a “Y”) until they’re at shoulder level.

At the top of the movement, shrug your shoulders upward.

(Imagine that you’re trying to touch your shoulders to your ears without moving any other part of your body.) Pause, then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.

1. The Dumbbell Swing

Who said exercise can’t be fun? You’ll have a blast doing this movement (really!), and you’ll burn a ton of calories at the same time. That’s because this exercise targets the muscles of your hips and thighs, including your glutes—which happen to be your body’s largest muscle group. After all, your muscles need energy to contract--so the more muscle you work, the more calories you burn. And as bonus, swinging the weight back and forth will get your heart and lungs pumping, too--for a terrific cardio workout.

Give it a try: Choose a challenging weight and do as many repetitions as you can in 30 seconds. Then rest for 30 seconds and repeat two more times.

Also be sure to sign up for the Exercise of the Week newsletter, for exercises just like this delivered straight to your inbox.

Grab a dumbbell with an overhand grip and hold it in front of your waist at arm’s length. Set your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your lower back slightly arched, bend at your hips and knees and lower your torso until it forms a 45-degree angle to the floor. Now swing the dumbbell between your legs.

Keeping your arm straight, thrust your hips forward, straighten your knees, and swing the dumbbell up to chest level as you rise to standing position. Reverse the movement and swing the dumbbell back between your legs again. That’s one rep. Continue to swing the weight back and forth forcefully.

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