Marine Corps Daily Seven Exercises

The Daily Seven is a calisthenics routine that the Marines use as a strength and endurance program. If recruits cannot complete 15 full repetitions of each exercise, it is considered a strength workout, while if they can do more it is considered an endurance exercise. Marines also use the Daily Seven as a warm up before other exercise such as jogging, by shortening the number of reps performed. The exercises should give light fatigue for a short time after completing them, unless you wish to train for endurance, in which case you can do more.

Side Straddle Hops and Wide Grip Push-Ups

The side straddle hop is another name for the jumping jack. Stand upright with your feet together and hands by your side. In one movement, spread your legs and raise your arm over your head. Then jump back to the starting position. To perform wide-grip push-ups, place your hands about shoulder-width apart on the ground, and lower yourself until your arms form a 90-degree angle. Then push back up to the starting position.

Crunches and Hand-to-Knee Squats

To perform the crunch, lie on your back, raise your feet off the ground and bend your legs to a 90-degree angle so that your shins are parallel with the ground. Cross your feet and cross your arms over your chest, then lift your shoulders off the ground. To do the hand-to-knee squat, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend at the knees until you can touch the outside of your knees with your hand, and then push back up. To make it harder, hold the squat position for 8 to 10 seconds.

Standing Calf Raises and Standing Toe Raises

For the standing calf raise, stand with your feet about eight inches apart and hands by your sides. Lift yourself up onto your toes, taking care to keep your balance. For the standing toe raise, use the same starting position, but this time alternately raise the toes of each foot as high as they can go. You can make these exercises more difficult by holding the raised position for 8 to 10 seconds.

Back Extensions

The back extension is also known as the dorsal lift. Lie on the floor facing down with your feet together and your hands on the back of your head. Use the lower back and buttocks muscles to raise your upper body and feet off the ground at the same time, then return slowly to the starting position. If you find this difficult, you can make this exercise easier by keeping the feet on the ground and only raising the upper body.