Why do I need to stay in shape? To remain healthy, fit, and fall sick less often or never; these are the simplest reasons why someone should stay in shape. When you know why you need to do a particular activity, there is a greater chance of you actually doing it. And so, I will draw you a list of more specific benefits that can be attained by exercising regularly, to encourage you to work out.
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1. Increase your chances of a longer, healthier life
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that a person who is active for at least 7 hours a week is 40 per cent less likely to die early (accidental cases are an exception). By staying fit you reduce your risk of suffering from a cardiac arrest, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and several types of cancer.
Suggested read: Get Biceps To-Die-For With These Easy Body Weight Exercises
2. Improves strength of bones and muscles
Bodyweight exercises help tone your muscles, but at the same time, they improve muscle and bone strength. You can enhance this advantage further by incorporating a 30-minute body strength training every week. When your body is physically fit, it decelerates the bone density lose, thus prevent diseases associated with weak and brittle bones.
3. Enhances flexibility of your body
One of the biggest benefits of exercises like aerobics and yoga for example, is that is makes the body very agile and bendable. I remember, on my first day at yoga class, I couldn’t even touch my feet without bending my knees. Now a backbend is a child’s play for me! Sticking to the practice is key to improve flexibility.
By improving your flexibility, exercises make sure you do not get back pain as it loosens up your tight hamstrings and prevents the flattening of your lumbar spine. Inflexibility, apart from causing back pain and hip pain, can also cause poor posture. The right exercises prevent that.
4. Cartilage and joint breakdown is prevented
When we exercise, our joints are made to go through their entire range of motions. As a result, we are less likely to develop degenerative arthritis. The cartilage around our joints receive nutrients and get strengthened only when its fluid is properly squeezed out. This causes a new supply to be produced which is then soaked up by the cartilage. If this does not happen the cartilage wear out with time, exposing our bones and making them more susceptible to breaking.
5. When you exercise regularly, you sleep better
According to a recent poll conducted by the American National Sleep Foundation, people who exercise regularly get far better (sounder) sleep than their peers who do not exercise or those who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Sleep isn’t only necessary for providing your body the much-required rest, but it is also essential for learning. Research shows, during our sleep, our brain works real hard to optimally save up all fundamental memories from the day before. The brain, while we are catching our forty winks, distills the memories from the previous day, and then separates them into chunks that are comprehensible. This process goes on at different hours in the night.
6. Keeps you mindful and alert
When we exercise, the flow of blood to our brains is increases, because of which we become more alert, and hence, more productive. This is a short-term benefit. If you work out on a regular basis, then you can expect to reap greater benefits like steering clear of memory-associated disorders like dementia as well as other cognitive decline. When you follow a proper exercise routine on a regular basis, then you fuel the synthesis of new brain cells in a part of your brain that is known as hippocampus. This part is extremely crucial for brain functions such as learning and memory.
Let us now look at the best bodyweight exercises we have curated for you according to your body shape. But before we do that, can we just explain different body shapes to readers who may not be aware of the same? If you aren’t among these people, then you can directly go to the section that discusses the exercises.
Body shapes
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Here are the three most common body shapes
- Ectomorph: Lean and tall
- Endomorph: Big, high body fat, often pear-shaped, with a high tendency to store body fat
- Mesomorph: Muscular and well-built, with a high metabolism and responsive muscle cells
Bodyweight exercises for ectomorph
If you have an ectomorphic body, then the bodyweight exercises that you try need to help you gain weight. An ectomorph’s metabolism is super high, and so they burn calories very efficiently. This makes it almost impossible for them to gain any weight. As a result, they do not have a healthy body mass index.
For an ectomorph, following a correct diet is key to gaining weight. Also, they need to get ample amount of rest.
An ectomorph has to design a workout where they pay minimum attention to cardio for cardiovascular strength. You cannot afford to burn more calories through cardio if you want to pack on some substantial mass.
To maintain a healthy body weight, you should do cardio at a moderate pace for about 30 minutes thrice a week and not more. If you do more than this, then that might hamper your attempts to gain weight.
Bodyweight exercises for endomorph
When it comes to endomorphs, the exercises have to be very intense, because a lot of clingy and stubborn fat is to be removed, and muscles are required to be toned. Start slow. Also, keep workouts to less than an hour. This will help you prevent overtraining (which only leads to exhausting you both physically and mentally); and two, a 45-minute workout tends to be more comprehensive and effective since more is being achieved in less time.
Keep changing your exercises. It will help give bigger shocks to the body, and so the workout will be more effective. Consistency, however, is key, regardless of your body shape.
Here’s a little weight loss program you can follow:
Monday – Legs, lower back
Tuesday – Rest
Wednesday – Chest, triceps + Cardio
Thursday – Back, biceps, traps + Cardio
Friday – Rest
Saturday – Shoulders, abs, wrists + Cardio
Sunday – Cardio only
Suggested read: Get Strong Shoulders With These Awesome Workouts
Bodyweight exercises for mesomorph
A mesomorph requires to perform cardio not as rigorously as the endomorph, but also not as leniently as the ectomorph. Try to use your body weight as the necessary resistance, instead of going for weights. The bodyweight exercises you can try include calisthenics, gymnastics, yoga aerobics etc. You are recommended to do bodyweight exercises rather than weight-lifting workouts.
Equipment-free cardio
For the cardio, here are a few free-hand exercises you can try:
1. Squats
This is one of the best bodyweight exercises there is. The workout affects all the muscles on your lower body, like the glutes, hamstrings as well as quads. It will strengthen your core and keep the torso upright, giving you brilliant posture in the process.
2. Push ups
To lose weight in the upper body section, try push ups. These are great for your chest, your back, your arms and they strengthen your core like no other workout.
3. Hip raises
A strong hip renders a good posture. Good posture makes you feel and look super confident. Adding the lying hip raises to your fitness routine can make all that possible. It strengths your glutes, hamstrings, core and your inner and back thighs.
4. Lunges
Start by keeping your feet together, and let your arms fall comfortably by your sides. Now take a step using your right foot. Lower the front knee to make a 90 degree. Make sure the back knee is not touching the floor. Now straighten your left leg and push the right foot from the floor. Keeping your right foot off the floor, try to balance your body with your right thigh that should be running parallel to the ground.
5. Crab walk
Incorporating this workout into your cardio will help you tone your triceps, core, glutes and improve your coordination. Since your wrists need to take the weight of your upper body, make sure they don’t get hurt. If required, then take regular breaks during the exercises to roll out your wrists.
Suggested read: No Gym, No Problem! Get Your Dream Body With These Body Weight Exercises For Women
That is all we have in today’s post that discussed best bodyweight exercises for different body shapes. Did you find this useful? Do you have some specific query that the article didn’t address? You can ask that in the comment section below, and our experts will get back to you immediately.
Stay glued to this space for all fitness related news, tips and inspiration.
See you again soon!
Featured image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
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