Last time we talked about the pushup the outstanding - and free - exercise. (That column also reminded you to seek the advice of a doctor or certified trainer if you have any concerns about working out.)

This time we'll look at two more exercises that will round out your go-anywhere, do-anytime, pay-nothing for workout: the squat for your lower body, and the pullup for your back and biceps.

For each of these, you can follow the plan that I laid out last time for progressively increasing repetitions as you get stronger. 

Squats. This simple movement -- which you might have called a "deep knee-bend" back in P.E. class -- will build strength in virtually all the muscles of your legs and hips, plus your midsection. It's deceptively simple but extremely effective, even in the no-weights version we're discussing here.

Here's how you do it:

  • With your feet shoulder-width apart, perch on the edge of a bed or chair at a height that puts your thighbones parallel with the floor.
  • Lean forward slightly so that your shoulders and head are aligned directly above your knees and heels.
  • Keeping your back straight but not rigid, slowly stand up tall, keeping most of your weight on your heels. Keep your head up and look forward the whole time. (It may help to do the exercise in front of a mirror.)
  • Return slowly to the starting position -- but without putting any weight on your initial perch -- by bending at the hips and knees.
  • After a few repetitions to get used to the exercise, repeat it without anything to perch on. 

The reason to start from a perch of the right height is to train yourself not to go lower than you should. If you take your thighs lower than parallel with the ground, you can easily hurt your knees or your lower back. You also want to keep your lower back slightly hollowed out, never rounded or humped, to prevent excessive strain in the muscles there. If you do squats right, you may feel like you're sticking out your butt embarrassingly far. The solution to this: do the exercise where no one can see you!

Pullups. Many -- perhaps most -- people who can easily do pushups and unloaded squats have no hope of doing a full-fledged pullup, which requires hanging from a bar by your hands, then pulling your chin above the bar by contracting your biceps and back muscles. The exercise can be particularly hard for women of average or slight build, or for anyone who is overweight. 

The solution for all of us who can't do pullups is twofold:

  1. Don't worry about it. There are lots of great ways to exercise that will never impress serious athletes, but so what? Impress yourself with your own progress!
  2. Modify the exercise to suit your own abilities. 

The basic approach is just like what I suggested for pushups, except that you pull yourself toward something -- a fence post, a handrail, monkey bars at the park -- instead of pushing yourself away from it. 

Start by standing up straight next to a post or railing. Grab it firmly with both hands at about midriff level. Then, using your feet as a pivot and keeping your body in a straight line, lower yourself away from the bar until your arms are extended. Then use your biceps and the big muscles in the middle of your back (the latissimus and trapezius) to

For the pushup, you started at 90 degrees from horizontal and tilted farther forward as you got stronger. For the pullup, you do the same thing, except that you'll be tilting farther backward, to make your arms and back work harder as they support more of your weight. Follow the same progression of repetitions at lower angles that I prescribed for pushups.

Eventually, you'll be hanging down from, say, a handrail with your body horizontal and only your heels on the ground. Once even that's too easy, you can take on the bigger challenge of doing proper pullups from an overhead bar. You start that gradual process by using a foot placed on a stool, a branch, or whatever to give yourself a boost. As you get stronger over time, less boost. 

These three exercises, simple as they are, mimic the work of even the strongest weightlifters, who routinely split workouts between their chest, legs, and back. And that's why the humble pushup and its friends are not so humble.