Squat

One of the purest tests of strength, the squat incorporates almost all the muscles in your legs and core, says Yellin. The GIF above shows a bodyweight squat, which is a good way to nail down your form. Once your form is solid, you can add weight by holding dumbbells or a bar in front of your shoulders (front squat), resting a barbell on your back (back squat), or holding a weight in front of you (goblet squat).

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
• Lower your hips into a squat as you bend your knees and keep your back flat.
• Continue to lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Push into the floor through your heels to return to start. That’s 1 rep.
• Keep your heels flat and knees aligned with your second toe so they don’t cave in.

Deadlift

Deadlifts are considered hands-down one of the best exercises to train the backside of your body, namely your glutes and hamstrings. And because you’re working from a stable base, you can really load up the weight on these. There are a bunch of different varieties of deadlifts, like the Romanian (as pictured above, where you lower the weight as you hip hinge), traditional barbell (where you pull the weight from the floor), and sumo (with a wider stance and toes pointing out.)

Proper form is essential to protect your lower back, so it’s a good idea to practice this with a lighter weight in front of a mirror until you feel comfortable with the exercise. Remember to lift with your legs, not with your back. (That’s true for pretty much every exercise, but especially with the deadlift.) If you don’t have a barbell, you can use a pair of heavy dumbbells or even a loop resistance band.

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, and arms relaxed by the front of your quads, with a dumbbell in each hand. This is the starting position.
• Hinge forward at your hips and bend your knees slightly as you push your butt way back. Keeping your back flat, slowly lower the weight along your shins. Your torso should be almost parallel to the floor.
• Keeping your core engaged, push through your heels to stand up straight and return to the starting position. Keep the weight close to your shins as you pull.
• Pause at the top and squeeze your butt. That’s 1 rep.

Glute Bridge

Bridges target one of the biggest muscles in the lower half—the glutes, says Yellin. They’re also a major contributor in the development of power from the legs, as well as core stabilization.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and rest them right under your hip bones. This is the starting position.
• Squeeze your glutes and abs and push through your heels to lift your hips a few inches off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Hold for a second and then slowly lower your hips to return to the starting position. This is 1 rep.

Push-Up

Moving your own bodyweight is one of the best signs of strength, says Fagan. If a regular push-up from the floor is too challenging at first, you can modify it by elevating your hands on a step or a table—the higher your hands, the easier it will be. The push-up works all the pressing muscles in the upper body, including your chest, shoulders, and triceps, and can help you get stronger in the dumbbell or barbell chest press.

• Start in a high plank with your palms flat on the floor, hands shoulder-width apart, shoulders stacked directly above your wrists, legs extended behind you, and core and glutes engaged.
• Bend your elbows and lower your body to the floor. Drop to your knees if needed.
• Push through the palms of your hands to straighten your arms. That’s 1 rep

Bent-Over Row

This exercise uses all the pulling muscles in your upper body, including the back, shoulders, and biceps, says Yellin. “It also requires the legs and core to maintain a strong position,” he adds.

Working on increasing your rowing strength can also help you get to your first bodyweight pull-up—a challenging exercise that’s also a great indicator of strength, says Fagan. (A resistance band can help assist you with a pull-up to make it easier.)

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides.
• With your core engaged, hinge forward at the hips, pushing your butt back. Bend your knees and make sure you don’t round your shoulders. (Your hip mobility and hamstring flexibility will dictate how far you can bend over.)
• Gaze at the ground a few inches in front of your feet to keep your neck in a comfortable, neutral position.
• Do a row by pulling the weights up toward your chest, keeping your elbows hugged close to your body, and squeezing your shoulder blades for two seconds at the top of the movement. Your elbows should go past your back as you bring the weight toward your chest.
• Slowly lower the weights by extending your arms toward the floor. That’s 1 rep.

Hollow-Body Hold

“The hollow-body hold is such an amazing exercise to teach you how to create total body tension and really maintain that core stability,” says Fagan. This core strength translates to a stronger foundation for many of your other compound moves, like the pull-up and deadlift, she says. If the traditional hollow-body hold is too difficult, you can modify it by bending your knees or keeping your arms forward instead of overhead.

• Lie faceup on a mat with your legs extended and arms straight over your head, keeping them close to your ears.
• Contract your abs to press your low back into the ground.
• Point your toes, squeeze your thighs together, squeeze your glutes, and lift your legs off the ground.
• Lift your shoulders off the ground and keep your head in a neutral position so that you’re not straining your neck. Your legs and mid-back should both be off the ground, and you should be in the shape of a banana, with just your low back and hips on the ground.
• Hold this position for the prescribed amount of time.