Why you should do bodyweight exercises

Using the same weights or machines can become monotonous and boring and nothing kills an exercise regime like monotony. That is why it is beneficial to switch it up and incorporate some bodyweight exercises.

What are bodyweight exercises? The exercises everyone did before there were gyms. The exercises in which you use the weight of your body to provide the resistance. Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, lunges, squats and wall-sits are some of the best known examples of bodyweight exercises.

As they are done without equipment, bodyweight exercises allow you to transition between exercises with less rest required.

Efficient and effective

Because efficiency is vital whether you are working with equipment or not, much emphasis is placed on methods such as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) training. As has been pointed out in this column before, HIIT allows you to capitalize on power increasing the efficacy of bodyweight exercises. Using these workouts can have a massive impact on your metabolic rate and will extend the fat burning process even after your workout has finished through excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, which bodybuilders refer to as ‘after burn’.

Tailor-made for your core

Even for the most seasoned of trainers, bodyweight exercises are fantastic if you are looking to add variety to your workout. Increased reps or the inclusion of ballistic movement (such as a  clap in a push-up) can all add value to your bodyweight workout, while engaging more muscle groups. This is particularly helpful to those reluctant to partake in lifting. Strengthening of your core is more than just gaining a six-pack. It also means greater balance, posture, as well as relieving lower back stress and enhancing your lifting form. Because your lower back is such an important section of the body, it is worth your time training it.

For everyone

Bodyweight exercises assist more than just bodybuilders. These workouts can also be useful in the sporting arena. Plyomet-rics, for example, will greatly assist in sports that require explosive movement such as football, basketball or soccer. Plyomet-rics, also known as ‘jump training’ or ‘plyos,’ are exercises in which muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power. And while the main goal of bodyweight exercises is to strengthen many muscle groups at a time, its potential is much wider. Bodyweight exercises are an effective form of rehabilitation while recovering from tears or pulls and have even been administered on hospital patients with significant muscular impairment.

The major benefit of bodyweight exercises is that they teach your body to work as one unit – everything works together to achieve the outcome, for example, a push-up. This allows you to work your full body at the same time, decreasing the need for isolation exercises and improving coordination.

Stay tuned, friends. If you have fitness goals and need personal training or meal plans I can help! Serious enquiries only. Email now to emmersoncampbell @gmail.com or call 661-5954.