Bodyweight training rarely gets the credit its due for creating toned, lean bodies simply because most people associate gaining muscle with training in the weight room.
And while the weight room is definitely a great place to be when you’re trying to tone up and slim down, it’s not the only way to achieve those results. Bodyweight training, which has been around for far longer than any standard gym, is a great way to get in shape quickly and requires only one piece of equipment: you! These bodyweight moves are the best of the best when it comes to achieving the body you want sans the gym membership or free weights:
- 1. Push-ups: Push-ups are at the top of the list because they engage so many different parts of your body. When you do push-ups you work your arms as you push up and down, your core by being in plank position, and your legs as you stabilize your entire body with them.
- 2. Planks: Plank holds are one of the most effective abdominal exercises that you can do, but frequently get overlooked in favor of standard crunches. Planks outrank crunches, though, because they simultaneously work your arms and legs as well. You can do planks by holding yourself in a standard push-up position or by using a slight variation of the push-up position that involves supporting yourself with your forearms instead of your hands.
- 3. Burpees: Burpees have earned the spot on the “least favorite exercises” list simply because they’re so hard to do. However it is the very thing that makes them so hard that makes them so effective. It is a total body workout that is done starting in standing position, squatting down to the ground, jumping back into a plank position, moving into a push-up, then jumping back to a squat position, and finally leaping into the air. Intense.
- 4. Mountain climbers: Mountain climbers combine both cardio and strength into one highly effective move that’s perfect for getting your heart rate up and working your core. You start in plank position and then quickly jump one leg into your chest and then back out, alternating legs as you go.
- 5. Lunges: Lunges can be done with weights or without, but either way they’re an intense exercise move that targets your entire lower body. They also have a versatility that not all exercises are afforded, and you can do front lunges, back lunges, and side lunges, depending on what you want to target. You simply step into a lunge position with one leg, then move out of it and step into it with the other, alternating until you’re done.
- 6. Squats: Squats, like lunges, target basically your entire lower body and are one of the highest calorie burning bodyweight exercises you can do. They also are one of the most effective when it comes to tone up your lower body. When you do squats you have to focus on squatting down like you’re going to sit in a chair without letting your knees come in front of your toes.
There’s a reason that these exercises have been around for so long: they’re effective when it comes to tone up and getting lean. Using these six different bodyweight exercises you can get a full body workout without any equipment.
Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, Babysitting, nanny, enannysource (dot) com etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com