Maybe you’re exhausted by the time you’re finished work, and you don’t want to spend an extra 30 minutes driving to the gym.
Perhaps signing up for a membership with a professional health and fitness center just doesn’t work for your budget.
It doesn’t matter what your situation is, you can always find a reason not to work on your strength and physical health.
However, we’re here to tell you that you don’t need a complex routine or any fancy equipment to start making a difference to your body.
According to one study from the Experimental Gerontology journal, resistance training and bodyweight training are just as good as each other for building muscle.
So, how do you get started with a beginner bodyweight workout?
That’s what we’re here to find out.
The benefits of a bodyweight workout routine
Before we start discussing some of the exercises you can add to your bodyweight workout plan, it’s worth thinking about why these routines are so effective.
While specialist equipment and weights are great – they’re not always necessary for a complete exercise strategy.
Bodyweight training is a more accessible way to dive into fitness, regardless of what fitness level you’re at.
Whether you’re starting at zero with a single push up each day, or you’re a seasoned athlete, bodyweight exercises are super beneficial (though sometimes challenging).
Some of the other benefits of a bodyweight workout routine include:
- Great for mobility and stability: The human body is built for movement. Stability and mobility are crucial in every part of our lives. Weightlifting is a powerful tool for building muscle, but it can also lead to limited mobility too. The movements involved in bodyweight workout training help to reduce discomfort and build mobility.
- Technique and injury prevention: Bodyweight training is a fantastic tool for honing form and technique. Weightlifting and other forms of strength exercise can have a serious impact on your body and joints. However, with an at-home bodyweight workout, there’s less stress on your joints, which means that your risk of injury is a lot lower too.
- Quick and easy exercise: Most people don’t have a lot of time to get to the gym or engage in a complex workout routine these days. Fortunately, bodyweight training is something that you can do anywhere. There’s minimal equipment required, and you can fit in a workout whenever you choose.
- It builds real muscle: Bodyweight training has some genuine results for your body too. Research tells us that the right bodyweight workout routine is great for helping people to get “swole” and get rid of excess fat. If you’re looking for an easy way to shed the extra padding and gain some muscle, this could be it.
Fantastic exercises for your at-home bodyweight workout
Now you know why a beginner bodyweight workout is such a good idea, it’s time to look at the kind of exercises you can do to transform your exercise plan.
There are a lot of options out there, but these are some of our favorites…
1. The press-up
We all know what a press-up is right? With a press up, you lift your entire body off the ground to gain muscle and stability.
To start get on your hands and knees and lower yourself to a point where your toes and hands are against the floor.
Your entire spine should be straight, with your core locked straight between your heels and head.
Lower yourself until your chest is just above the ground, then extend your arms to push yourself upwards.
If you’re struggling to find the time to do a successful workout at home, press-ups are a great way to get fitter, faster.
These unique bodyweight exercises help to strengthen your muscle mass, boost endurance, and they can even support you in gaining balance.
2. The groiner
A groiner is a little less well-known than the standard press-up, but it’s still a brilliant exercise for your bodyweight workout.
To perform one of these movements, you’ll start off in the same position you used for the press up above.
Jump forwards, so you’ve got both of your legs up next to your hands, and then go back to your starting position.
Don’t be thrown off by the terrible name, the groiner is a fantastic form of exercise that increase your body’s movement range and help you to warm up too.
These dynamic and powerful stretches are great for pumping blood around the muscles in your body, significantly lowering your risk of injury from overstrain, while increasing heart rate for your next muscle-building effort.
3. Burpees
Burpees are another fantastic example of a beginner bodyweight workout that doesn’t have the best name.
To make the most of this exercise, start with your feet around a shoulder’s width apart, and squat down until your thighs are level with the floor.
From the bottom of the squat, place your hands on the ground, then push your legs out behind you, so you look like you’re doing a push up.
Push up until your arms are completely straight, then tuck your legs into the bottom of the squat position. Drive upwards through your heels until you’re about 6 inches off the floor.
Burpees are a solid bodyweight workout because they activate the muscles all over your body. These exercise options are phenomenal for burning a lot of calories fast.
Try throwing burpees in between strength sets or bodyweight basic circuits.
4. Wide-grip pull-ups
To perform a wide-grip pull-up, you will need an exercise bar, or a stable bar that can handle your weight.
Grab the pole with the backs of your hands facing you, and stretch your arms out fully. You need to spread your hands as far apart as possible, while still keeping your shoulder blades together.
Pull your elbows towards your hips to bring your chin above the bar.
Normal pull-ups are excellent for building your back muscles, but wide-stance solutions are fantastic for attacking your lats and shoulders.
If you want to really get the most out of your pull-ups, you will need to work on developing better form.
Keep tension in your glutes as you progress through the move and keep your body as straight as possible.
5. The spider crawl
It’s time to channel your inner web-slinging Spiderman. This is a fun move to add to any beginner bodyweight workout, and one that’s definitely worth trying. Y
ou’ll start in the press-up position that we mentioned above, but with one foot raised away from the floor. Pull your knee up to your elbow, then return to the starting position.
Practice the move on both sides of your body, making sure that you crunch your core as hard as you can (without injury) at the top of each rep.
The spider crawl is great for developing excellent abs, while the primitive movement give you the superhero stance you’ve been looking for.
Spider crawls tackle your legs, arms, chest, and shoulders at once.
6. Frozen V Sit
A frozen V Sit, or a V Sit (if you want to stay simple), is a great way to work on your core.
Lie down on your back with your arms and legs stretched out, and your feet and hands lifted just off the floor.
Begin the exercise by raising your legs and torso up to touch your feet and hold the position for at least 10 seconds.
A V Sit is a brilliant way to work on your six pack.
However, it’s important to remember that you need to take your time with core and abdominal exercises. Control is essential, and so is activating as much of your core muscle under tension as possible.
Make sure that your shoulder blades don’t roll forward too much during this exercise, as keeping your back straight leads to better results.
7. Plank
A lot of fitness experts believe that being able to hold a plank for a lot of time (more than a minute) is an excellent insight into how fit you are.
For your own at home bodyweight workout, you don’t need to push yourself to do too much too fast. Planks are a great way to practice building muscle, as they target various parts of your body at once.
Arguably, the plank is just as versatile as the pull-up when it comes to building muscle and strength.
Once you figure out how to do a plank correctly, focus on building up your endurance as much as you can, by doing it for longer periods of time.
Ready for your bodyweight workout?
A fantastic bodyweight workout is an excellent way to get yourself in shape, without investing too much time and money into the gym.
By making the most of your body, you can mould your muscles into the powerful assets you want them to be.
All you need to do is decide how you’re going to get started.
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