Think back to when you were a tyke hopping, swinging and bouncing around the playground. Though you may not have realized it then, you were involved in physical activity that would give even the most steadfast of enthusiasts pause if attempted today. Exercise was fun, especially when you let your imagination soar. Remember “monkeying around” or crawling around on all fours like a dog? You could play for hours and hours and not realize that you were burning hundreds of calories.

Fast-forward to today. Exercise is dull. You head to the gym, hop on a treadmill and run and run and run without going anywhere. Or, maybe you prefer to lie down on a bench and struggle to push as much weight off your body as possible. Many of you may find these activities invigorating, maybe even enjoyable. But my guess is the majority of you are bored stiff. What happened to the joy of movement you experienced as a kid? Well, I’m here to help you get it back with this full-body, animal-inspired workout that will improve your strength, flexibility, endurance, cardiovascular capacity and more.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The oft overlooked warm up is the most essential aspect of any workout you perform. It helps ready the body and the mind for the tasks you are about to perform. The warm up will help you increase blood flow, raise your core temperature and wake up those stiff muscles. Sample warm up exercises include marching in place, jumping jacks, lunges, squats and even a few pushups.

This inchworm exercise is excellent for improved shoulder stabilization and endurance, as well as full-body flexibility. It is also one of those deceptively challenging exercises. Start in the push-up position. Keep your legs as straight as possible and slowly walk your toes in while lifting the hips up toward the sky. Once the body is shaped like an “A,” begin walking your hands out until you return to the push-up position. Start with about five repetitions and slowly work your way up to 10 or more.

It’s time to get down and dirty with this combination exercise. The mule kick/dirty dog combo targets the muscles of the butt, hamstrings and hips and, when done properly, can activate the abdominals as well. First, we’ll start with the mule kick. Begin on all fours, with your hands directly underneath your shoulders and your knees directly underneath your hips. Slowly extend your right leg (without arching your back) until it is completely straight. Reverse this motion and bring your knee in toward your chest while contracting your abdominals. Perform 15 repetitions and switch to the other leg.

The dirty dog begins in the same position. Keeping your knee at a 90 degree angle, raise the leg out to the side until the knee is level with your back (just like a dog doing his business on a hydrant), hold and return to start. Perform 15 repetitions and switch legs. For added “kick,” alternate dirty dog and mule kick.

This challenging movement incorporates the whole body. Start in a push-up position with your hips raised a bit higher than the rest of your body. Simultaneously walk your right arm and left leg forward, and then walk your left arm and right leg forward. This movement can be difficult to get right at first so be patient. Keep practicing and you’ll be crawling like a bear in no time.

OK, so this exercise is really known as the 100-yard dash, but it’s more fun when you’re pretending to be a ferocious predator. As mentioned in last week’s article, sprints are great for enhancing cardiovascular endurance and power, and can also supercharge fat-burning efforts. Intersperse this exercise several times throughout your workout for intense and effective intervals.

This is another great movement for shoulder stability and strength. It also works the muscles of the back, arms, butt and legs. Get on all fours – this time facing the sky. Face your fingers toward your toes and lift your hips up as high as you can. You will move sideways toward your right (just like a crab) by moving an opposite arm and opposite leg in unison. Move about 10 yards and head back to your start point.

This exercise is an absolute killer for the lower body. Similar to a lunge, the goal is to keep your body as low to the ground as possible. Avoid bouncing up and down as you switch legs by imagining you are moving underneath a very low bridge.

The alligator crawl may be the most challenging of all these exercises because it incorporates coordination as well as a grip of strength. It is similar to the bear crawl, except you keep the body low and perform a push up each time you take a step forward. Start by taking six to eight steps forward and rest.

Working out with these exercises based on animal movements will improve strength, cardiovascular capability and stability. When done correctly they can also serve to help you improve your ability to move more naturally. The greatest benefit of these animal-inspired exercises is that they’ll give you a much needed respite from the typical, mundane workout program.