Bodyweight Exercises Are Da' Bomb!

Some people believe that body weight exercises are limited, since you aren't holding a dumbbell or using a machine.  But this is just not the case.  And because you only need your body, you can do these exercises ANYWHERE - the gym, at home, in a hotel, on your lunch break at work.  There's really no excuse to get a workout in, and to make it a good one as well.  Every single muscle group in your body can be worked with body weight exercises.

Here are 4 ways to increase the difficulty of an exercise without adding weights:
1.  Increase or decrease the amount of leverage.
2.  Use an unstable platform when performing your exercise
3.  Pause at the beginning, middle or end of your exercise.
4.  Use one arm or leg when performing the exercise.

An example:  THE PUSHUP

The pushup works your chest, shoulders, triceps, abs/core, obliques and your lower back.  BTW, a chest press does not work all of these muscles.  A push up with your hands against a wall is easy.  If you put your hands on a coffee table, it gets harder, and as you lower your hands to the ground, it's even harder!!!
1.  To create leverage and make this move even harder, you can place your FEET on the coffee table.
2.  Place your hands on two medicine balls, or use a bosu ball to create an unstable surface to make it harder.
3.  Pause at the bottom of your pushup and hold, or in the middle, or at the top (easiest) to make this move harder.
4.  One handed pushups, one legged pushups, or one handed pushups with the other hand on a medicine ball?  I have my work cut out for me!


bodybuilding.com

As you can see, we can make the already difficult push up even harder with these variations!

Another example: THE SQUAT

To make this move easier or lower impact, place your back on a stability ball against a wall to help.  You can also us a TRX to make this move a tad bit easier.  Performing a squat on a bosu ball will make your legs shake and also make the move harder due to the unstable surface.  Pulse squats keep the muscles engaged the entire time and make the move harder, and you can hold the squat position for a set amount of seconds as well.  One legged squats are difficult.  You can also add a hop at the end.


menshealth.com

Again, there are many ways to increase the difficulty and make body weight exercises very very effective.

So don't knock the body weight exercises!  You can get a good workout in anywhere!!!

Adapted from You Are Your Own Gym by Mark Lauren