Bodyweight training offers many advantages over a “traditional” gym workout. While many of the classic weight training exercises are isolation motions (take the curl, for instance), bodyweight exercises are compound movements, thereby working many muscle groups simultaneously. Since balance is involved in these exercises, they also build fine muscle control, which makes for practical strength. The result is a stronger, more stable core, with greater overall body control. This reduces your risk of injury during daily activities. Additionally, bodyweight training can be done almost anywhere, which makes it friendly for frequent travelers and those on a tight budget.
And it’s hard. The fact is, bodyweight training can build the foundation for huge strength gains. Lets go over 3 of the best body weight exercises you can start using right now to improve your strength.
Bodyweight Exercise #1: Pull-Ups
The ability to lift one’s bodyweight in the form of a classic pull-up is one of the most fundamental exercises for measuring and building strength. It’s incorporation as one of the three exercises in the U.S. Marine Corp. fitness test is a testament to its value. Put it in your arsenal for big strength gains.
The classic pull-up is done by grasping a suspended bar with an overhand grip, hands shoulder width apart. Starting from a hanging position, you attempt to lift yourself, such that your chin rises above the bar. At no time should you rest your chin on the bar. The move is completed by lowering your body back to a hanging position, with the arms fully extended. This completes one rep. In this exercise, the focal point is the latissimus dorsi, with biceps, shoulders, and secondary back muscles also coming into play.
You can bring other muscle groups to bear through a nearly infinite number of variations on the classic pull-up.A few classic examples include:
Widen your grip to bring greater focus to the lats.
Reverse your grip to a classic chin-up to provide an outstanding bicep workout.
Grasp a bar with palms facing together for a neutral grip pull-up, which will bring greater focus on the forearms.
Bodyweight Exercise #2: Push-Ups
The classic push-up is again, one of the most overlooked exercises in strength training. Yet, properly performed push-ups provide a chest workout to rival a bench workout for most guys. The classic push-up, when properly performed, brings most of the major muscles in the chest, shoulders, and triceps into play. Then there’s the added challenge to the stabilizing core muscle groups, including the obliques and abs that are required to hold your body steady to properly execute a push-up.
Much like the pull-up, any number of variations on the classic push-up can be done to bring other related muscle groups into play. Here are a few examples:
1. Elevate your feet for an incline push-up. This works the anterior deltoids, chest, and triceps. For an added challenge to core stability, rest your hands on a stability ball.
2. Elevate your hands above your feet to execute a decline push-up. This brings your posterior deltoid and lower chest into focus. Up the challenge level by putting your feet on a stability ball, rather than a solid surface.
3. Move your hands together, positioning your fingers and thumbs touching, directly beneath your chest. This is the “triangle push-up,” which brings even greater focus on the triceps.
Bodyweight Exercise #3: Step-Ups
Step-ups are performed by placing a step no taller than knee height, directly in front of you. Begin with your feet placed together, hands loosely at your sides, and simply step up on the platform. The motion is completed by bringing your other foot up to rest beside the first, and reversing the order to step back to the floor. Repeat the motion on the other side, starting with your other foot. This works quads, hamstrings, and glutes, as well as bringing agility into the equation.
Although it sounds simple, the difficulty rises dramatically with increasing step height and number of reps.
Because it works agility, strength, and builds cardio simultaneously, this seemingly simple exercise plays a large role in the training regimen for many professional athletes.
Common variations include:
- Hopping up on the step while keeping both feet together.
- Placing multiple steps of the same height together and hopping between steps.
- Placing multiple steps of staggered height together and hopping between steps.
These exercises, with many other simple variations, can form the foundation in your quest to build muscle and strength. All too often, we make the decision to start getting shape, and think in terms of expensive gym membership and weights. However, particularly when you’re just getting started, all of that may not be necessary. The judicious use of a well-chosen bodyweight training routine will often provide huge gains in strength, without the need for that expensive gym membership.
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