If you have any idea about fitness and gym terms, then you are probably wondering how you could possibly do body weight resistance training. I mean, it is kind of an oxymoron right? There can be no way in hell that you can do weight training outside the gym, because that is literally why all those heavyweight equipment was created.
Suggested read: A Step-By-Step Guide On The Most Effective Full Body Bodyweight Workout
Wrong! You can actually go about a hella awesome body weight resistance training and workout routine when you are at home, or anywhere that is not the gym. To be honest, you don’t need all that fancy equipment to give you the body you have been dreaming of. You can do just as much good for your body, by doing the right exercises, and maintaining a healthy diet. Surprised? Don’t be. Here is everything you need to know.
What is Resistance Training?
Before we I can tell you about the best way to train your body with the perfect workout without going to the gym and dishing out tons of money, you have to first understand what resistance training is. Resistance training is just another name for weight training. If you don’t know already, then weight training is essentially working out with some sort of weight attached to your body, or using the help of an external weight to make your exercises more effective.
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This is why I was calling it an oxymoron. Body weight exercises on the other hand, are all about utilizing your own body weight, and nothing else, to give you the optimal exercise for your body type. In this case, you shouldn’t need all the heavy gym equipment like treadmills and cycles to tone the right parts of your boy. Simply moving in a certain way and utilizing certain muscles should have the desired effect on the right body parts.
The good news is, you can actually practice great weight training exercises using your body weight, and no, you don’t have to go the gym or sweat it out on heavy machines to get your dream body. Here are a few exercises you can do, for a great weight training and resistance training workout.
- Squats
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Squats are one of the most underrated exercises ever. You should do squats all the time, and not just because it gives you a great booty, but it works on a number of other body parts and muscles as well, and increases your core strength.
Usually, one wouldn’t do squats without weights, but doing intense squats with your arms outstretched have as amazing an effect on your legs, lower back, calf muscles and abdomen, as the squats that you do at the gym with weights.
- Lunges
Another hella effective workout is doing lunges. Yall you need to do is stand up straight, put your arms on your waist, and take one giant step forward and bend the opposite knee as far down as you can without touching the ground, and then get back to the original upright position, and bend down with the other knee.
This has an excellent effect on your calves, quads, lower back and thighs. Doing this exercise also increases your balance and helps you build your core strength, making it easier for your body to burn unnecessary calories.
Suggested read: These Powerful Body Weight Chest Exercises Are Going To Give You The Body Of Your Dreams
- Pushups
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This is an all-time favorite. Pushups don’t require you to have a bunch of weights or machines on your body, in order to work all the muscles that you are trying to train. Even though pushups are recommended for building muscles in your arms and for abs, it is actually a full-body exercise which affects almost all the places you need to burn fat and replace with lean muscle.
If you want pushups to be more challenging, then you can amp it up in whatever way you want. Have a child sit on you if you want weights. Do one-hand pushups, side pushups and whatever variation you want, in order to train your torso and get a killer body in no time.
- Bicycle crunches
You don’t need an actual bicycle, or even a stationary one to give your body the effect that actual bicycling has on it. Everyone knows that bicycling is one of the best and most wholesome exercises, because it has an insane effect on your abdominal muscles and makes your legs look good as well. But how do you burn the exact calories as bicycling does, using only your body weight? By doing bicycle crunches, of course!
For this, you need to lie down on your back. Put your arms behind your head, and lift your legs together at a degree angle, while keeping them together and joined at the ankles. Now mimic the motion of cycling in the air, without letting your foot touch the ground. Every time you bring one knee towards your chest, touch it with the elbow of the opposite hand, so for example, your right elbow with your left knee and your left elbow with your right knee. This exercise also works on your calves and thighs and does a little for your arms as well, although your abdomen is the one that is gaining the most from these crunches.
- Plank
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For people who have understood the importance of building the core, the plank has become an indispensable part of their workout routine, and it should be a vital part of your body weight training routine as well. You might find it difficult to do it at first, but once you get used to it, make sure you hold you position for as long as possible to make the most of the exercise.
Even though most people understand the importance of doing the plank, very few people actually do it right. If you want to do it right, then make sure your shoulders, hips and your ankles are at the same height. Your shoulders should also be parallel to your elbows. Hold this position for as long as possible, and don’t forget to breathe!
- Lateral step-ups
This is a wonderful exercise, which is both easy to do and highly effective, working on important parts of your body such as the glutes, calves, abdomen, hamstrings, calves, quads and core. Basically, it trains a number of important parts of your body, while requiring very little of your time. For this, you will need a little more than just your body weight.
Get hold of a bench or an elevated surface (that also has to be stable of course) which is about a foot and a half high from the ground. Your starting position should be you standing upright, with one foot on the ground and another on the surface beside you. Your hands should be on your waist. To start the exercise, lift your body by putting pressure on the leg which is on the surface and lift yourself up and jump to the other side, so that the foot on the ground is now on the bench, and the other one is on the ground. Make sure you spend the least amount of time on the surface when you are shifting from one side to the other.
- Burpees
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Weight resistance, or strength resistance doesn’t only mean training your body to shed excess fat and grow lean muscles in its stead. It is also about building your core through cardio and other exercises and making sure that your body develops in an all-round wholesome manner. For this, the idea exercise is the burpee, which combines effective strength training with a great cardio session as well.
To do the burpee right, lie on the ground in the pushup position, with your palms lying flat on the ground. From here, pull your feet towards your chest so that you are in a crouching position. Immediately jump up and when you land back down, crouch down again and push your feet back so that you are back in pushup position. Do this continuously for an intensive workout session that is going to work on parts of your body like your glutes, thighs, abs, arms and hamstrings.
Suggested read: Want Extraordinary Strength? Try These Super Effective Body Weight Exercises!
- Mountain climber
Right up there with the burpee when it comes to all-round exercises that works on various different parts of your body, is the Mountain Climber. This exercise mimics the climbing motion that one does when they are scaling something, hence the name. Not only does it increase your heartbeat, but also increases the intensity of the plank, which means doing the mountain climber regularly can give you killer abs. and the best is, you don’t need any kind of equipment for this one.
Start with the pushup position, with your hands in front of you and your feet together at the back. Jump a little and bring your knees by turn towards your chest, as you would do when you are climbing something, without moving your hands.
Once you master all of the above exercises, body weight resistance training is going to become a piece of cake, and the best part is, you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home to get the body of your dreams!
Featured image source: Pixabay, under Creative Commons License
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