The Basics of Bodyweight Exercises

It’s no secret that you don’t need to go to a gym in order to get in shape. There are more ways to exercise and engage your body in intense physical activity than can be counted. The best part is you don’t have to invest any money in order to get a good workout. You just need to perform bodyweight exercises. Most of these bodyweight exercises can be done anywhere and require very little in the way of equipment. This makes getting started with working out not only simple, but also cost efficient for most people. This is especially true when you’re short on cash or don’t have access to a gym.

That being said however, the sheer variety of options can be vary jarring for some people. With so many options it can be very difficult to know where to start. For that reason this article will give you some ideas as to what you can do to get moving. It’s not tailored to a specific goal (i.e. how to get six-pack abs, lift heavier weights, etc.). With that being said it will give you a place to start as you strive to improve your health.

Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises, or exercises that utilize the individual’s own body weight as resistance against gravity in order to develop strength and endurance, is one of the most common and versatile ways to improve one’s fitness. At one time or another in our lives we’ve all done some kind of bodyweight exercise. Whether it was at basketball practice in school or warm ups in martial arts class we’ve all done these exercises at some point in our lives. Bodyweight exercises have been used by many people for a long time. There are several reasons for this.

For one thing they require little to no equipment to use in order for you to perform them effectively. Take the squat for example. While you will ultimately get stronger if you squat with a heavy barbell than you will if you squat using only your own body weight you don’t have to squat with a barbell  in order to perform a squat. The same is true for many other bodyweight exercises. This makes them supremely cost efficient because you don’t have to spend money buying expensive equipment or paying a monthly gym membership fee.

Another advantage of these exercises is that you can perform them anywhere you want. At home, at the gym, in the park, at the hotel, inside your room, or even inside of a prison cell. Going back to the squat example I used earlier. It’s technically possible for you to take your squat rack, barbell, and weights to the campsite so you can squat while you are camping in the woods. It just wouldn’t be practical to do so for obvious reasons. That doesn’t mean that you can’t squat  while camping if you wanted to.

Another benefit of these bodyweight exercises is that there are a lot of variations that you can use to add some more difficulty as well as variety to each workout. For example with push-ups you obviously have the traditional push up were your arms a spaced shoulder length apart but you also have other variations of the push up such as:

• Diamond Push Ups
• Hindu Push Ups
• Incline/Decline Push Ups
• One Arm Push Ups
• Hand Stand Push Ups

Those are just a few examples just for the push ups. Most bodyweight exercises have there own variations that work different parts of the body compared to the standard version. Whether its squats or push ups there are many different ways you can perform these exercises. You can even use a variety of equipment to add more difficulty/variety to your workouts. Things like kettlebells or dumbbells, among other such equipment, can add a lot more variety and challenge to your workouts.

To put it simply bodyweight exercises are very much like Lego blocks. You can customize them to your hearts content in any number of ways. You can’t go wrong with using bodyweight exercises even if they aren’t your only means of working out. They’re free, can be done anywhere, and they get the job done. 

Alternatives to Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises can be a great way to get a workout if you don’t have access to a gym but they certainly don’t have to be the only way to do so. Another way to get some additional exercise is to engage in other activities that are also very physically demanding. While these activities aren’t a substitute for working out, they can still be a nice supplement to your workouts. The are many things you can do to get some extra exercise besides working out. Let’s look at some examples.

Sports

When people think of exercise often times sports will come up as an example and with very good reason. Most sports, at least the ones that don’t involve you being sedentary (i.e. Esports), are very physically demanding. In these contact sports you have to constantly be on the move trying to score points for your team, evade and out maneuver an opponent, and in some cases take down an opponent or an opposing team’s player. You won’t have to wait too long before you to find yourself sweating hard long before the game is over. And just like with bodyweight exercises, there are many different kinds of contact sports.

For starters you have team sports such as football or soccer among many others (mostly of the sportsball variety); and then there are also sports where you compete as an individual against another individual (i.e. tennis, boxing, wrestling, etc.). You can play them outside or indoors and you can enjoy them with friends or complete strangers. Not to mention it’s a great way to make friends or strengthen already existing friendships. Sports are as fun as they are varied. Best of all you will still get many of the benefits you would get from working out . You just get to have a lot more fun while you’re at it.

Martial Arts

Martial arts can also be another excellent way to develop fitness. In addition to being a great way to get some extra exercise, martial arts has other benefits that only make it a more enticing addition to your workouts. For one thing learning how to defend yourself is always a good idea regardless of who you are and how safe your environment is most of the time. It’s always good to know that you can defend yourself in a pinch, if God forbid, you ever end up in a situation where you have to do so. Martial arts, like team sports, is also a great way to meet new people and develop discipline in a way that is fun and rewarding in it’s own right.

There are many different kinds of martial arts and it isn’t to hard to find a reputable dojo or gym where you can learn one or more different kinds of martial arts. Some of the best ones to learn are:

• Boxing
• Brazilian Jujitsu
• Catch Wrestling
• Judo
• Muy Thai

There are many more options but those are some of the more popular ones and arguably the best ones to learn. Regardless of which one you choose you will definitely benefit from learning martial arts. The fact that you will often find yourself engaging in bodyweight exercises as part of your training is just another benefit of adding this into your training.

A Miscellany of Alternatives

There are many other ways you can get some additional exercise that doesn’t involve competing in a sport or performing bodyweight exercises. These are generally easier and more relaxed options but none-the-less still worth considering. These options include:

• Hiking
• Jogging
• Yoga
• Riding a Bicycle

The great thing about these options is that they are much more easy going and less demanding than something like a gauntlet of bodyweight exercises or game of soccer for example. And much like with sports you can do these activities with friends and it gives you a chance to get a little extra cardio in your workout routines if you feel the need to add more. Not to mention the potential for exploring and site seeing that activities such as hiking or cycling offers is also nice bonus that often gets under appreciated.

There are probably many more activities you can do to get a little bit more exercise in your day but we’d probably be here forever talking about it so I’ll end it here. In conclusion just remember that there are many ways you can get physically active without having to go to the gym. And if you do end up going back to the gym, or better yet building one at home, these other activities will only add more value to your training which is always a good thing.