Most of you have probably never heard of bodyweight training or workout. Well, bodyweight workouts are mainly focused on the basics. In fact, you can actually become very strong when training with just your bodyweight, and I’ll tell you why.
Regardless of how advanced you are, your body will almost always draw back on its source level of strength. Your general bodyweight strength will, at all times, become the foundation and will drive all of your other strengths and skills.
If you want to do a bodyweight workout, you should at least be familiar with essential movements like squats, push ups, pull ups, lunges, rows, and plank. In addition, you should also know how to climb, sprint, jump, and crawl. It should be fairly easy since these are all primal movements.
Clearly, there are numerous variations for every basic bodyweight workouts out there, but it all still boils down to one thing: being able to perform the basics. In this article, I will provide a sample bodyweight workout that will be great for you, beginner or not.
A Note On Weighted Clothing
Before we get into our perfect body weight workout, we want to call out weighted clothing. If you’re someone who is pretty fit, you may feel that this simple body weight exercise routine won’t give you a good workout. Indeed, if you are at an intermediate or advanced fitness level but you still want to feel the benefits of body weight workouts, you should consider buying weighted clothing. BestHealthGear is the world leader when it comes to fitness weights, ranging from ankle weights to weighted belts, to weighted vests, and more.
Clothes with weights attached to them are great because they force the body to work harder to support the added-on weight. Vest weights, for example, put additional weight resistance on the lower body while running, making your lower body work harder. Similarly, wearing a weighted vest while doing push-ups will add additional weight to your core area, making your upper body work harder. These are just a few examples of how weighted clothes can kick your body weight workout into overdrive.
Now, let’s dive into the body weight workout!
25 Squats
Let’s start with squats. First, plant your feet flat on the ground. Keep your feet just barely wider than a shoulder-width, and then straighten your back while angling your feet a little outward. Please remember that you should avoid standing with your feet in a straight position.
Then, slowly bend your knees. You can pretend that you are going to sit on a chair. Always keep your heels firmly on the ground and pull in your abs. Please remember that you should keep your back straight in a neutral position all throughout the exercise.
After that, lower yourself in a controlled manner. Push your hips back as your body goes down. Now, you can go as low as you can tolerate, but remember that it is important that you keep your shins in a vertical position and your heels flat on the ground.
From this position, you should push up off your heels and slowly rise up while leaning forward in order to maintain your balance. Repeat these steps for at least twenty-five times.
25 Lunges
Now, we move on to lunges. You can start by standing up straight, keeping your feet hip-width apart and flat on the ground. Remember to relax your shoulders and let your shoulder blades to sink down towards your hips. One thing I can suggest to keep yourself in this position is to flex a
Next, take a big step forward with your right leg. You can do that by placing your right foot on the ground and leaning your body forward so that more than half of your weight is on your front foot. Remember to keep your back and upper body straight at all times. Now, hold this position.
While you are keeping your upper body and back in a straight position, continue to move your body forward until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. In order to stay in this position, you may want to bend your hips a little, but don’t forget to keep your back straight.
Next, use your right foot to push yourself back up and return to your starting position. Now, you’ve completed one single rep of lunge. You can continue working on your right leg, or you can switch to your left leg. It doesn’t really matter what order you do your lunges as long as you do at least twenty-five lunges on each foot.
20 Push Ups
After doing the lunges, we now have push-ups. To start the exercise, you must assume a face-down prone position on the floor while keeping your feet together. Remember to keep your weight on your chest.
Now, raise yourself using just your arms. Pretend that you are pushing the ground away from you; breathe out as you push while also making sure to make a straight line from your head down to your heels. In order to keep your hips from sagging, I suggest that you contract your abdomen.
Next, lower yourself slowly while also making sure that you are keeping your body as straight as possible. Don’t forget to breathe as you are lower yourself to the ground. Repeat raising and lowering of your body at a fixed pace. Do this until you finish 20 reps.
20 Burpees
Next, we have burpees. Begin the exercise in a standing position. Keep your feet about a shoulder-width apart. Then, lower your body into a squatting position while placing your hands on the floor in front of you.
After that, kick your feet back so that you are now in a push-up position. To support your body, keep your hands planted firmly on the ground. Now, if you aren’t comfortable with kicking your feet, you can just walk back into a push-up position.
Then, slowly lower your chest and do a push-up. Kick your feet back to their original position, stand up, and then jump into the air while you clap your hands over your head. Again, if you aren’t comfortable with kicking your feet, you can just walk back into your original position. Repeat these steps for at least twenty times.
90-second Basic Plank Hold
Lastly, we have basic plank hold. Now, assume a push-up position with your elbows bent at 90 degrees, both your forearms resting on the floor. Remember to position your elbows so that it would be directly underneath your shoulders and keep looking straight toward the floor. It is important that you keep your body in a perfectly straight line from the top of your head down to your heels.
Now, hold this position for at least 90 seconds or as long as you can. Tighten your abdominal and lower back muscles so that you won’t bend at the hips. Repeat these steps twice.
Whether you’re in the living room, your parent’s cramped basement, or even in the bathroom at the office, you can easily perform all these exercises. Now, the key to an effective bodyweight workout is being able to identify the best bodyweight exercises and how to construct them in a way that will result in an effective and efficient workout. What’s more, it won’t cost you a thing.
