Mid & Upper Body Strengthening

• 1). Pick up a couple of large jugs of milk, bleach or laundry detergent. Begin by tucking your elbows into your side, lifting the jugs toward your chest and back down again. Do as many sets of 10 as you can, resting in between each set. As time goes on, you should be able to increase the amount of sets you do in each workout. The goal is to increase the resistance, as well as the repetitions.
  
  
• 2). Perfect your push-up: Push-ups are still one of the most effective ways to build upper body strength. Depending upon your current level of physical fitness, there are a handful of different ways in which to accomplish this, beginning with the standing push-up, performed by pushing your body weight away from a wall. You can also do a standard push up from the floor, only with your knees pressed into the ground. And of course there is the standard push-up with long, straight legs.
  
  
• 3). Lie down on the floor with your arms to your sides, palms pressed into the floor. Your head, neck and shoulders should be in constant contact with the floor throughout this exercise. Slowly lift your legs until they are at a right angle from your hips then lower them until they are just a few inches from touching the floor. From this position, slowly raise them again, repeating up to 20 per set.
  
  
• 4). Practice the plank position: In order to strengthen your core, position yourself on the floor, resting all of your body's weight on your forearms and toes. Keep your torso raised, maintaining a straight line from your nose to your toes without any wilting of your legs or middle. Relax your head, eyes to the floor. Hold this position anywhere from 10 to 60 seconds at a time, building duration as you become stronger.
  
  

Lower Body Strengthening

• 1). Sink into a power lunge: Feel the burn of your quadriceps, increasing the resistance with the help of a workout buddy. With your workout buddy riding piggy-back, take a steady step forward with your left leg until your thigh is parallel to the floor. Be careful not to position your knee past your toe. Push off from the same leg, ending in your starting position. Repeat the same steps with your right leg, doing 10-15 repetitions per leg.
  
  
• 2). Position yourself into a wall sit: The wall sit is a strengthening exercise designed specifically for the quadriceps. Lean your body against the wall at a 45-degree angle; bend your legs at the knee and slide your back down until your legs are positioned at a 90-degree angle. Hold the position for 30-90 seconds at a time. For increased resistance, have your workout buddy sit in the center of your lap, each leg wrapped around the outside of your legs.
  
  
• 3). Get stepping with step ups: Stand before a sturdy chair or bench, and begin by stepping up onto the chair with your left leg, lifting your right knee to meet your left elbow, and then returning back to the starting position on the floor. Then repeat the step starting with your right leg stepping up onto the chair, lifting your left knee to meet your right elbow and then returning back to the starting position on the floor.