Why Should You Choose a Bodyweight Strength Training

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Crafted by Mikey

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Getting and staying fit isn’t a big thing anymore or how much you should lift. There are literally hundreds of ways to get your body in good shape and maintain it. I love to perform bodyweight exercises as these are very efficient and easily performable wherever you are. Bodyweight strength training has many benefits, but the most noticeable ones are increased flexibility that goes well with running, strength gains, lowering body fat and overall health benefits. It’s convenient to perform that kind of training location independent (working out on the beach is awesome!), without equipment and best of all, totally free of cost.

Running Up The Steps

If that doesn’t sound like convincing to you already, I’m going to share the reasons why should you start with bodyweight strength training.

#1 Almost Free of Cost

Bodyweight training is almost free of cost as the only crucial equipment you need is your own body weight. You don’t need to spend your time and money for the usually expensive gym membership, especially if you’re living on a tight budget. Another great thing is that there is no more time wasting on commuting and organizing training to gym working hours. There are various exercises you can perform with your body weight as resistance. For example, you can do pushups, pull-ups, sit ups, squats, planks and much more. Actually, the imagination is the only limit here.

Jumping On The Box

If you want to perform advanced exercises, then you should probably invest a little amount to buy a pull-up bar and that way you will have more options when it comes to exercise variations. Once you purchase the equipment, it will last for many years and you can take it with you if you plan a workout on travels.

#2 Full Body Workout

When you’re doing a bodyweight training, the majority of performed exercises are targeting the whole body. There are no isolations as you will perform compound exercises. A compound exercise is a type of exercise where many muscles are involved in the actual movement. That way, the workout is more effective and you can benefit more from shorter workouts. If you take a pull up, for example, the majority of your upper-body is working to pull you up and down. The biceps, shoulders, forearms, back and abs are all involved in the movement. Personally, I have been training calisthenics for almost a year and I love my pull up progression, as well as, my dips progression. Those two to combine are great for your upper body.

Plank

My advice is to combine a few exercises in a HIIT workout and perform them in the circles. Here is my quick basic routine for the effective burn:

  •    10 pull ups
  •    10 push ups
  •    10 sit ups
  •    10 squats

Repeat the circle 5 times without resting between the exercises. When you perform all four exercises, rest for 2 minutes and continue with the circles. If you can’t perform 10 repetitions at once, that’s fine. Just break the repetitions, but make it a goal to get 10 of each exercise. You should finish this workout in about 30 minutes which is perfect for busy people. Believe me; you will feel every muscle burning after this session and expect soreness tomorrow!

Hard Pushup

It’s just one example of an effective workout. You can add the exercise variations, repetitions and circles that will fit your own fitness level.

#3 Exciting Way of Working Out

Going to the gym could become boring to some people as you’re always working out in the same place surround with same people. If you’re adventuring as I am, you will look for adventure while training. The bodyweight strength training is perfect as it combines an effective workout with the adventure. As you already know, you can work out anywhere. There will be days when you have a strict schedule and the only place you can work out is your room. On the other days, you can go in nature and work out on the beach even without any equipment. It’s easy to find a bar that can act as a pull-up bar outside. You can combine more exercises in one as well as creating your own exercise circles that suit you the most.

yoga

Also, once you become advanced in this type of exercising, there are many progressions you can perform. Basically, it’s hard that you find this sort of exercising boring as the only limit is your own imagination.

#4 Cut the Excess Body Fat

I believe the bodyweight strength training is one of the most efficient ways to lose the body fat. It depends on what type of training you’re performing, but if your goal is to cut the body fat, then you should go for HIIT workout. This kind of workout accompanied with compound exercises and regular training routine will do wonders to your body fat and weight cut. You can combine a bodyweight training with regular running sessions and increase the repetitions once you get stronger for even more effective results.

#5 Healthier Joints and Better Posture

This type of training won’t do much pressure to your joints as the majority of the exercises are natural movements. When you’re only working out with your body weight as resistance, it’s impossible to put more pressure than your joints can handle. It means your joints will become stronger and more flexible after some time of practising. That’s a great way to avoid injuries and overtraining. The movement is natural and many muscles are working together when performing the exercises.

Stretching on the beach

Your flexibility will become better after some time and I recommend you always to do a flexibility work after you’re done with the training for even more benefits. You should always perform each exercise in a full range of motion so your joints can move freely and naturally. That way you’re not only improving the joint health, but your posture will become better which leads to many other health benefits.

What’s Your Opinion on Bodyweight Strength Training?

Have you ever tried a bodyweight exercise routine and how do you like it? Do you have some advice for people who want to start with this type of training?

I wish you an enjoyable working out with no injuries! Remember, the only limit here is your imagination, so use it to have the best training experience!

22 thoughts on “Why Should You Choose a Bodyweight Strength Training”

  1. I love body weight training…don’t go to gym at all, a loyal fan of living room workouts :-)) You look so FIT, happy and beautiful, Agness.

    Reply
  2. Wow!
    Please don’t take this the wrong way, my friend. I’m giving you a sincere compliment… you have an amazing bod!
    I mean jaws dropped.
    I used to have abs like that. I really need to hit the gym again and watch what I eat. Abs are made 80% in the kitchen (what you eat) anyway.

    Congratulations. Your hard work paid off.

    And thank you for this latest blog post of yours.
    I’m not sure if I can pull off some of the body strength training where the image suggests I should put my legs up above my head 🙂 I don’t have the best balance 🙂 I’m not that flexible 🙂
    But the rest of your advice is doable and effective.

    Keep up the good work.

    Reply
  3. Lots of great tips again here Agnes for people who don’t like the gym or can’t afford the membership and can make use of their surroundings to train in instead.

    I love my Pilates and hiking/walking myself but I’m afraid I’m addicted to the gym and my treadmill running. If I didn’t do it every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday then I’d not feel myself! And by Mr Moody. Ha ha ha! 😉

    Reply
  4. These are such good points/tips – I need to start incorporating more bodyweight exercises into my routine! Thanks for sharing 🙂 have a great Tuesday!

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  5. This is such a great post. I do pilates a couple times a week, but I like to be able to work out a little every day. Thank you for all the ideas!

    Reply
  6. Great ideas here, Agness! I have been looking for ways to mix up the work-out routine as I’m pretty much 100% doing the exercise bike in the basement lately…and I’ve gotten tired of the courses on the bike. I’m going to work your rotation into the mix starting next week! 🙂

    Reply
  7. all good reasons! i get bored really easily with workouts, so doing bodyweight training occasionally helps me stay a little more motivated (:

    Reply

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