An intro to Bodyweight Training
Nat Pero
Unless you’re living on the moon where gravity doesn't exist (joke), wherever you are you can put yourself through a gruesome workout. The more you know about training, the less kit you need to put yourself through your paces. You don't need a gym with a treadmill and a bunch of machines, you need a bit if knowledge and your own chubby posterior.
You are the weight
There is a misconception that in order to build strength you must embark on a complicated strength programme using free weights. This isn’t necessarily the case. First you need to ask yourself the question: what do I really want to get out of my training? If your objective is to pack on size then lifting free weights should really consist of the lion’s share of your training programme (that’s not to say bodyweight exercises should not be a part of your programme). For those of you looking to acquire functional strength and conditioning then look no further than using the weight of your own body as a decent place to start. By shifting the centre of gravity, it is possible to turn quite simple exercises into seriously tough moves.
Take a closer look at the press-up, probably the most popular of all the body weight exercises yet I’m amazed at how many regular gym attendees still can’t perform the movement with correct technique.
How can the conventional press-up be modified into a more challenging exercise without adding any external resistance? There are many many ways, one being the elevation of both feet. Place both feet up on a step or bench, brace your legs, glutes and core muscles for stability and then lower and push your body down and up in exactly the same way you would with a normal press-up. The elevation shifts the centre of mass further up the body effectively making you top heavy, requiring greater force from your chest and triceps.
Let’s take a closer look at the main benefits of body weight training:
1. Helps Develop Functional Core Stability
The fact is we’re using our core muscles in pretty much everything we do. When we walk, run, lift, climb and even sitting at our desks, every day movement patterns require some degree of core functionality. Lying on the floor and performing endless crunches isn’t necessarily the best way to improve core strength, after all when do we perform a similar movement in everyday life? Bodyweight exercises can be manipulated to stress the core in a number ways, creating an integrated, functional core unit.
2. Increases Metabolic Output
Virtually all body weight exercises require the use of several muscle groups working simultaneously. This type of compound training requires a greater amount of energy than if you were performing isolation exercises (i.e. one muscle group only). The greater the number of muscle groups required to perform a single movement usually equates to a higher level of intensity and it’s intensity that plays a crucial role in metabolic output. High intensity resistance training has been shown to be more effective than conventional cardio exercise as a method of burning fat. This is due to a metabolic surge that is still present even after you’ve finished your workout. This surge often referred to as EPOC (Excess Post Oxygen Consumption) where oxygen is used in the processes that restore the body to a resting state (recovery).
Another key benefit related to metabolism is the effect of lean tissue on your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). BMR is the number of calories your body utilises when at complete rest. The higher the amount of lean tissue present within your body the greater your BMR will be. This plays a crucial role in keeping fat stores to an optimal level.
3. Safe and Effective Method for Novices
If you’re new to strength and conditioning, one of the best places to start is with bodyweight exercises. Lifting weights can be extremely dangerous for novices, especially if not properly supervised. By embarking on a bodyweight training programme, not only will the novice improve their functional strength, but also fortify their connective tissues (ligaments and tendons), gain an understanding of correct breathing technique and also acquire a good understanding of squat, deadlift and pressing techniques ready for heavier loading down the line.
4. Tremendous time efficient Total Body Workout
As previously mentioned, most body weight exercises utilize multiple muscle groups working simultaneously. This not only cranks up the intensity, but also enables you to work your entire body in probably half the time you would normally spend drifting through one "body part" at a time in the gym. Keep exercises challenging and rest times low if you’re going for fat loss/conditioning (work to rest ratio of 1:2).
5. Can be Done Anywhere with no Need for Additional Equipment
No need to explain this one. No specific premises, no gear and absolutely no excuses!!
6. Develops Functional Strength
It’s that word again, functional. I see countless guys working on their chest, shoulders and arms, totally neglecting their legs, back and core?? What’s the point of building a disproportionally large set of shoulders and arms if you don’t have the back to support them? What’s the point of building a well chiselled top half if your legs are like two toothpicks?? Functional strength is what it’s all about guys, if you want a physique like a professional athlete, then train like one.
7. Great Carryover into Recreational/Sporting Activities
This is basically a continuation/progression of the previous paragraph. Building a functionally strong body will only improve you as an athlete. Your sport may contain dynamic movements such as sprinting or jumping, maybe there’s a lot of lateral movement or back pedalling. Training like a bodybuilder ain't gonna help much here.
8. Helps improve and Maintain Dynamic mobility
This is crucial to all sportsmen and women, optimal range of motion in all joints is necessary for performance and injury prevention. Many bodyweight exercises require a high level of dynamic mobility which makes them an integral part of any worthwhile warm up and for strong fluid natural movement.
We have stuck a bunch of bodyweight exercises down the side to get you thinking on the right track.
And that's the tip of the iceberg. There are endless possibilities.
Want more, read this (link to article that doesn’t even exist yet) for 5 bodyweight only workouts.
