Bodyweight Strength Training 101

by Riya Roy · March 20, 2018

In today’s post, we will be discussing the simplest and yet most effective bodyweight strength training for a full body workout. In this training, we include exercises for arm, shoulders, abs, and legs, to help you work on your entire body.

But before we delve into that, let us first discuss the benefits of exercise, shall we?

Why exercise?

Let us quickly talk about the biggest benefits one can reap by exercising on a regular basis.

1. You can improve your memory

You read that right. When you work out regularly, you start thinking more clearly because of a surplus of oxygen to the brain. The brain automatically is more energized, which in turn, develops concentration, attention, and memory.

2. You can mend your posture

Good posture is always good news, right? And in a world that lives a sedentary life in front of screens, good posture is a utopia. However, by exercising daily (and exercising right!), you can correct your posture. Why good posture is important? One, you look and feel more confidently. Two, and more important, you dodge disorders related to bad posture, like, for instance, neck pain, shoulder ache, back pain etc. These, if not treated at the right time, can develop into far more dangerous disorders.

3. You can de-stress by exercising

By exercising regularly, you can deal with something which is more of an epidemic today than a problem: Stress. To delete the stress from your life, or at least learn how to manage it, start exercising.

4. With regular exercise, you can strengthen your muscles

Exercise helps you build your muscles. It protects you from diseases like arthritis, osteoarthritis etc. Elderly people who practice yoga are less likely to fall. Strength building is done in other forms of exercise too, but when done with bodyweight exercises, it is complemented by flexibility.

5. Circulation of blood improves

You can improve the circulation of blood to your tissues in every part of your body by exercising on a daily basis. Exercise relaxes our body and increases the flood of blood to both our hands and our feet. This enables more oxygen to reach every cell in our body. As a consequence of this, our cells perform their functions effortlessly.

The bodyweight exercises also help squeeze out toxic poison from our tissues and organs. As the result, the oxygen that reaches our organs is more oxygenated. The amount of hemoglobin in blood is also improved by exercise, which is an advantage whether you are anemic or not.

By making the blood platelets less sticky, exercise helps lower the amount of clot-causing proteins in our blood, which in turn, prevents the occurrence of strokes and cardiac arrests.

6. Sleep better!

What is a good sleep? Not necessarily a long one, but a sound one. According to WebMD,

“If you have chronic pain — or acute pain from a recent injury — getting enough sleep may actually make you hurt less. Many studies have shown a link between sleep loss and lower pain threshold. Unfortunately, being in pain can make it hard to sleep.

Researchers have found that getting good sleep can supplement medication for pain. If pain is keeping you up at night, there are also medications available that combine a pain reliever with a sleep aid.”

When you exercise regularly, your sleep pattern is improved and you can reap more benefits of the relaxation during your waking hours.

Now that we have discussed the goodness of exercise, let us look at the best bodyweight strength exercises.

Suggested read: Want Shapely Legs? Try These Workouts!

Best bodyweight strength training exercises

1. Supine leg curls

The supine leg curl affects all the muscle groups, like the glute bridge. It mainly hits the hamstrings due to the extra flexing and knee extensions.

Take the position of a glute bridge. Now using a slippery something, like a sock or a towel, under your feet, try to lift your hips off the ground. You need to extend your legs and then try to pull your heels back to your body.

2. Step-up

This is a low-risk workout, but extremely effective on the lower body. It involves just one leg in a unilateral move to improve your balance and sense of coordination. This is an anti-gravity workout, and so helps in enhancing your stability and strengthen the legs and glutes, while burning calories.

For this exercise, all you have to do is to place your feet on an elevated platform, say a bench or chair, and push the leading foot and stand up straight. Do not lean forward. Also, do not hinge at the hip.

3. Triceps bodyweight extension

For the triceps bodyweight extension, you need to use a racked barbell 4’ off the ground. Hold the bar overhand, and get your body into a plank position. Make sure your core is engaged. When your head moves under the bar, you need to push your body backward and get to the starting position. Straighten the elbows and let them relax for a second or two. Repeat the exercise 5 times.

4. Diamond pushups

Get into a pushup position. Your hands need to be in a diamond position under your chest. Keep your elbows tight to your sides. Slowly lower your body to the floor. As you lift your body back using your triceps and your core, try screwing your hands firmly on the floor. The elbows should not flare out, though. So please be careful.

5. Headstand pushups

For a handstand pushup, you need to find a straight wall that you can use as support. Now get into a handstand position, while leaning on the wall. Keep your heels screwed into the wall. Your face must be away from the wall. Keeping your arms closer (make sure they are closer than should-width), slowly bend your elbows. Ensure they don’t flare up. Now drive your hands into the floor, and slowly straighten your elbows. Repeat the workout five times, increasing the reps with time.

6. Pull ups

You need a bar for this. Grab it with your hands, while keeping them at shoulder-width apart. Now slowly pull your chest toward the bar. Then, lower yourself while keeping the body in control, and come back to the start position.

Throughout the workout, try to keep your abs and glutes squeezed. Also, make sure, your shoulder blades are pulled back and your feet are below you. Do not give in to the temptation of swinging; it can wreak havoc on your wrists.

7. Planks

Many call this a tough move, but you can slowly perfect the position with time. Remember this is not a competition; this is art. Getting into a perfect plank position where your body is flat, glutes squeezed tight and core engaged, can help you build a torso that many cannot even dream about. While performing the plank triceps extension make sure your elbows are tight throughout.

8. Bench dips

Bench dips look pretty simple, but they work your triceps like no other exercise. For this, sit on the bench (you can even go for a sturdy and stable chair). Now start with the elbows and the core tight. Your hands should point forward. Grip the end of the chair or the bench, and slowly lower your body down. Your elbows need to move backward until they form a 90-degree angle with the bench. Lower your body as much as you can, and then hold that posture for 3 seconds. With time you need to increase the duration of the posture. Slowly, lift yourself up, and repeat the exercise.

That is all we have on today’s post on the most effective bodyweight strength training exercises that you can try at home and build a body like Hercules’. Did you find this article beneficial? Will you be recommending it to you exercise enthusiastic friends?

In case, we missed out on something, or you know of bodyweight exercises that help build strength which is not covered in this post, please feel free to add them in the comment section.

Stay tuned to this space for more posts on health and fitness. We will see you again soon with yet another informative and inspiring post on exercise. Until then love and be loved.

Featured image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License

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