Exercise Mat - 10 Exercises for a Toned Body

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TV coach and personal trainer Arne Derricks isn't the only one who feels transported back to his childhood when the gym mat evokes nostalgia. In this video, Arne shows you his top ten exercises for a powerful full-body workout.

Exercise 1: Balance Step Back

The first exercise trains your leg stability, including balance. To do this, roll up the mat. The ARTZT Vintage Series exercise mat is significantly thicker than a regular exercise mat and, when rolled up, is ideal for stability and coordination training.

Now, stand slightly squatting on the roller and balance yourself with your upper body tilted forward and upward. From this position, perform backward leg taps: To do this, extend your leg straight back and then pull it back in. You can use your arms for dynamic balancing; that is, when you bring your leg back, extend your arms forward and upward, in line with your upper body. When you place your leg back on the mat with your arms bent, return them to your upper body.

This exercise can be varied as desired, for example, by keeping your leg on the floor and mat during repetitions instead of resting it. After 20 repetitions, switch sides. This exercise trains balance and coordination equally, and the variations offer numerous training stimuli for the entire body.

Exercise 2: Kneeling Squat

For the second exercise, roll out the exercise mat on the floor again. The thick mat provides excellent cushioning, making it ideal for the next exercise: kneeling squats. Stand at the front, narrow end of the mat with your back straight in an open squat position. Your feet are parallel to the right and left sides of the mat, and your clasped hands are held in front of your torso with your arms bent.

Now go into kneeling squats on the mat and back up to the starting position. To keep your thighs working, keep your upper body low throughout the entire exercise. If you perform ten repetitions starting with the right and left leg, you'll get an effective leg workout.

Exercise 3: Downlooking Dog

Now Arne's full-body workout focuses on the upper body, and his following exercise is based on one of the most popular and effective yoga poses, the downward-facing dog.

To do this, get into a stretched-out quadruped position, feet slightly wider than hip-width apart behind the mat. From this quadruped position, push yourself backward and upward with your arms. This should raise your buttocks, lengthen your back, and push your hips backward and upward. Keep your legs and arms straight, and—very important—keep the soles of your feet on the floor to effectively stretch the back of your legs.

Now, from this position, bring your right hand under your torso to your left foot and back again, followed by a powerful Flowing Pushup and then directly back into Downward Looking Dog. Repeat this sequence of movements with your left hand.

Too strenuous? Then you can start by doing a flowing pushup, bringing your knees to the floor. 20 repetitions will definitely get you closer to your training goal!

Exercise 4: Side Plank Knee

Now it's time to work the oblique abdominal muscles. Lying on your side, your feet form a small scissors position, with your upper leg in front. Support yourself on the mat with your left elbow. Important: Your entire body—hips, torso, shoulder girdle—forms a straight line, with your legs stretched out on the floor. First, move into a side plank, pushing yourself upwards with your hips. You can practice the following exercise at two levels of difficulty:

In Level 1, you stabilize yourself with your free arm, meaning you place your hand on the mat. Then, with your lower leg bent, pull it toward the elbow and return to the starting position.

If that's not a problem for you, extend your free arm vertically upwards for Level 2. Ideally, you'll do 20 repetitions of this exercise first on one side, then move directly to the diver.

Exercise 5: Diver

For the diver, you get into a slightly stretched-out quadruped position. Your knees and hands are on the mat, your feet on the floor. Here, too, there are two levels for you, depending on your fitness level.

Level 1: Pull your buttocks back toward your feet, back straight, arms stretched forward, nose almost touching the mat; in yoga, this is the prayer pose. Now push yourself forward—elbows bent, nose parallel to the mat—and then lift your sternum and head upward, arms extending. Imagine surfacing from the water. Your upper body goes into a slight backbend, similar to the cobra pose in yoga. Then lift your buttocks and return to the starting position with a straight back. Allow the movement to flow smoothly through the repetitions.

Level 2: You start in Downlooking Dog (see above) as your starting position. From there, you move forward and downward, pulling your nose forward parallel to the mat, and with your sternum raised, return to Downlooking Dog without resting. Arne demands 15 repetitions in this rather strenuous flow.

Exercise 6: Side Plank Knee

Now, do the side planks from top 5 on the other side. Don't forget: look forward and extend your lower leg. Important: keep your upper body in a straight line. 20 repetitions complete the set.

Exercise 7: Jumping Jack

Things get a bit more comfortable in the prone position. Here, too, you'll notice how comfortable the ARTZT Vintage Series exercise mat is. The next exercise is the classic jumping jack, but lying down: Stretch your arms and legs slightly raised, then pull your elbows back to the sides, opening your legs in a scissor-like position. Your back and buttocks are activated; pull your stomach in forcefully. Important: Your cervical spine should form an extension of your back.

You can easily do 20 repetitions here!

Exercise 8: Triceps Push

Of course, arms are a must for a full-body workout. To do this, sit on the mat with your legs slightly bent, heels planted, and toes pointing upwards. Support your arms behind your back, fingers pointing toward your feet.

In Level 1 , you lift your buttocks off the floor, then alternately bend your elbows slightly—your buttocks lower—and straighten your arms again—your buttocks rise. Your stomach is firm, your back straight. You set the pace.

Level 2: For this exercise, the range is not only expanded but also significantly more challenging. After the triceps push, once your arms are straight again, extend your legs, pushing your glutes backward and balancing your stretched torso between your arms, which are placed on the mat.

From this position, push yourself forward again—your buttocks off the mat—and perform the next triceps push. Can you do 10 reps here too?

Exercise 9: Wiping Legs

Now it's time to work your abs. To effectively strengthen them, sit in the starting position with your legs stretched out and slightly raised on the mat, and your arms placed behind your back for support. With your legs stretched out, sweep them to the side and then pull them toward your upper body (the upper body will straighten slightly). Then, with your legs stretched out, stretch them back over your middle to the other side and pull them toward you. Keep your legs in the air the entire time! This exercise is particularly effective because of the sideways movement and engages all of your abdominal muscles.

Tip: 10 repetitions on each side provide great abdominal and core muscles.

Exercise 10: Full Crunch & Hold

And even more abdominal training! After a short break lying on your back, continue: Lie on the mat with your arms and legs stretched out above your head. Pull yourself up using the strength of your abdominal muscles and touch the mat with your fingertips at the level of your heels with your legs now raised. This variation of this exercise is more challenging: Here, you come up with straight legs and arms – similar to the classic jackknife movement, but with your arms extended forward. Hold briefly.

Both exercises can also be combined and should be repeated 10 times in total.