Regardless of whether you are an athlete, recreational exercise enthusiast, or someone who hasn’t lifted anything but small children or everyday household items, using your body weight as resistance is one of the best ways to get and keep your body in tip-top shape for years to come.
What Is Bodyweight Training?
Bodyweight training or workout uses your body as resistance and is essential for gaining and maintaining muscles, especially as you age. According to the National Institute of Health, beginning as early as age 30, we gradually lose muscle mass and strength as a natural part of the aging process.[1] The rate of loss varies from person to person and will increase due to a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutritional selections. If you don’t do anything about it, the average human will lose 3% to 5% of their muscle mass each decade. But there is excellent news. With the addition of daily movement, weekly strength training, and proper nutritional choices, gaining muscle is more straightforward than you will expect. If you want to build confidence, endurance, move better, feel stronger, and lose weight, start with bodyweight workouts. Your body is one of the most fantastic fitness machines ever created to handle life’s physical demands and challenges, and it is always available to you. With a bit of effort, consistency, and proper progressive programming, you will not only improve your fitness level, but you will also continue to feel mentally focused, and you might even minimize the effects of the aging process. Need more convincing? Jane M. Taylor, MS, CSCS, PN L1, Owner/Coach of Raw Fitness Performance, says:
Benefits of Bodyweight Exercises
Here are 12 benefits that will motivate and excite you to put your body to work. First, can you get in position? In other words, do you have proper mobility and stability? You do? Great. Next, can you get in and out of position? That’s bodyweight strength—movement with control. Spending time practicing bodyweight workouts is time well spent. Not worrying about an external load allows you to groove the movement, laying down the foundation and establishing the fundamentals to eventually express more significant amounts of strength with weights when you are ready to progress. Not only that, no matter where you go, you’ll NEVER miss a workout!”
Will I Build Muscles With Just My Body Weight?
Yes!! Following an intense workout, muscle fibers break down and need to repair. It’s during this repair phase that the muscles will strengthen and grow. Note that for this process to occur, the body must be pushed outside of its comfort zone. Using external resistance, aka free weights, barbells, or bands, will speed up this process and is a fantastic addition to any strength program, but it is doable with just your body weight. As you improve, the trick is to continue changing your training variable (sets, reps, intensity, time under tension). Once you have mastered your technique, it is time to take it to the next level by mixing high-intensity exercises with exercises performed slowly, focusing on engaging the muscle during the contraction phase, which I will demonstrate in the video. Let’s break down a few beginner exercises and body parts to get you started. First, there are seven basic movements the body can perform; pushing, pulling, hinging, squatting, twisting, skipping, jumping. From these seven, there are many different variations for each body part which I will show you below. With bodyweight workouts, you work all your muscles, including your heart, as you elevate your endurance.
Designing a Bodyweight Workout Program
With bodyweight workouts, the variety is endless and can be applied to any current life situation. Whether you have 10 minutes or an hour, use the simple format below to keep your muscles constantly guessing. If you are just starting, begin with 20 minutes twice a week for two to four weeks. As your fitness level improves, increase the time and amount of days/week. The greatest thing about bodyweight workouts is there are multiple variations, and you will never get bored. Select an exercise from each category. Always starting with a movement that works numerous muscles at once ex push-ups and squats, then move to exercises that work smaller muscles, aka dips for the triceps.
Best Beginner Total Body Workout
Beginner: two times a week (Repeat 2 x 10 to 15 repetitions)
1. Plank Push-Ups
2. Push-Ups
3. Step-Out Squat
4. Stationary Lunge
5. Hip Bridge
6. Isometric Knee Press
Depending on your core strength, begin with one side at a time or both legs on a tabletop.
Level 1: Single-Leg Knee Press
Level 2: Double Knee Press
Conclusion
If your goal is to move and feel better in your body and continue to progress to an advanced fitness level, begin with bodyweight workouts. Not only will it lay down a solid foundation, but it will also help you minimize injury and give you the confidence to keep progressing to more challenging workouts. Commit to yourself and future strength gains by incorporating bodyweight workouts into your weekly routine. I promise you won’t be sorry.
More Beginner Workouts You Can Try
12 Best at Home Workouts (No Equipment Needed) 6 Best Fat Burning Exercises at Home to Push Your Limits 30-Minute HIIT Workout You Can Do At Home (Without Equipment)
Featured photo credit: Fortune Vieyra via unsplash.com
