02 Dec Here’s How Bodyweight Training Solves Many Training Challenges

One of the biggest excuses to not train is the lack of time we all have.

We’re all busy, I get it.

As a matter of fact, it’s the biggest excuse there is, especially for someone that’s very busy and on a tight schedule, and who isn’t these days?

Well, one of the best solutions to this challenge is exercises that can be done anywhere, anytime, and in very little time. But still meeting the basic requirement, something that can yield great results for your specific goals.

Bodyweight exercises are such a solution.

No equipment, no time, no problem.

Here are 5 reasons bodyweight training can get you fit and strong.

YOU HAVE MANY OPTIONS

You actually have a vast amount of options to perform with bodyweight exercises, beyond just your basic push-ups and squats.

However, truth be told, the basics are mostly all you need.

But if you want variety, you could find up to 50 or so variations of the push up that you can do.

There are so many options for bodyweight exercises to do that incorporate total body strengthening and conditioning.

Examples of some of the the most effective basics are:

• squat and push up variations
• planks and variations
• lunges
• tactial pull ups
• quadruped exercises (hands and knees, ex. Bird Dogs)
• handstand work
• prone stability exercises
• burpees 
• squat thrusts
• fundamental movements (crawls, rolls)

THEY ARE CHALLENGING

Bodyweight exercises are not easy.

In fact, many advanced progressions are extremely hard to perform.

Some of the exercises I just mentioned above challenge you in ways that traditional weight training can’t, if done correctly.

I have to be come clean here, although I’ve been exercising in the gym for years, I actually discredited bodyweight exercises for a long time thinking they just weren’t very effective.  I was wrong.  I re-discovered how hard they actually are and gave them the credit they deserve.  For example, doing a simple 15 minute bodyweight circuit can be really, really challenging and very effective.   There are many short duration exercise programs like this that will provide you with a challenging workout and also reward you with some amazing health benefits. The point is, don’t disrespect the power of bodyweight training.

FULL BODY MOVEMENT.

If you’re looking to get a workout in that incorporates all your muscles into a complete and full body program, bodyweight exercises are great to accomplish this. By doing these exercises, you’re using many muscle groups simultaneously, and not just isolating specific muscles.  An example, again, is the push up.  When you push ups the correct way, you’re working a lot more that just your chest and arms.  If done the right way, you’re working virtually all major muscles in your body and improving your functional strength, posture, balance, coordination, and cardiovascular system.  This is different than doing a traditional bench press where you’re working in one plane of motion and isolating the movement to the chest, anterior deltoid, and triceps.  Most bodyweight exercises combine muscle groups and work them much differently than machines and weights.

IT’S EFFECTIVE:

Doing bodyweight exercises provide you with results.  While these exercises may not be the “be all, end all” ,they do in fact provide superior results, in terms of strengthening and conditioning. If that’s the case, then why aren’t they more popular?  Well, the fitness equipment industry is a billion dollar industry and it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to pitch “no equipment” exercise programs all the time would it?  But, the fact is that it works and has worked for many people for a long, long time.  Personally, I like to use multiple approaches to fitness, which is what I am sharing here.  I love Kettlebell training, but bodyweight training is a great supplement to that, as well.  Bodyweight exercise is a great approach, but it’s not THE only approach.  It works for me, it’s worked for others, it’s proven, and it can work for you.  Bodyweight exercises can get your body in rock hard condition, no doubt about it.

HERE’S THE BIG ONE, IT ELIMINATES EXCUSES:

As an ultra busy person, you can always get in your exercise program sometime within a 24 hour time period with this type of program.  When you’re really in a time crunch, you’ll just need 15 minutes or so (you can actually do shorter workouts than this).  Remember, anywhere, anytime.  If your just starting out, it’s a great place to begin and progress into other things as your get stronger and more conditioned.  And, even if your already training, it’s a great addition to your current program.

Again, this is just a piece of the puzzle.  Just like anything else, you need to keep progressing and keep mixing things up to keep if fun and exciting.  The last thing you want out of your fitness program is to get bored and lose interest.

I’ll be posting some great bodyweight exercise routines coming up or refer back to the body blast.

These are some of the reasons to consider bodyweight training to your programming.