Body weight exercise
Body weight exercises are common and popular among many trainers. The ability to train without the need for any equipment, with a resistance proportionate to bodyweight, makes body weight exercises popular in many sporting drills, military and services training, and home workouts. When it comes to building maximum muscle mass, or striding for optimal strength gains, body weight exercises alone will likely not suffice. Nevertheless, body weight exercises are great for improving functional strength, endurance and power, key components in fitness. Supplementing body weight exercises into a bodybuilding program can provide a varied source of stimulus for the muscle groups, with the implementation of varied rep ranges and training techniques important for offsetting progress stagnation.
Body weight exercises with no equipment
Push up – targeting the chest, triceps and shoulders, the push up is a popular body weight exercise for the pushing muscles of the upper body. An exercise seen as primarily targeting the chest, the exercise can be performed in many variations to alter stress to the triceps, usually via tucking the elbows into the sides of the torso when performing the exercise. This body weight exercise can also be made harder or easier. If the trainer has difficulty performing normal push ups then the push up can be performed on the knees, making the exercise easier to perform, with less body weight used as the resistance. The push up can be made harder by performing it with the feet elevated, either supported by a trainer partner, or by rooting them on a raised platform.
One legged squat – a difficult exercise to master, with the body weight full squats likely best performed until the one legged variation can be executed. The free leg is lifted off the ground during the execution of the one legged squat, becoming parallel to the ground at the bottom of the exercise. The one legged squat is great for building leg strength, as well as flexibility and balance.
Handstand press – the body weight version of the military press; the handstand press works the shoulders and triceps greatly. Performing a handstand in front of a wall, and then using the wall to support the legs for balance, the body is lowered until the head is just shy off the floor, and then pressed back up so the arms are fully extended. This exercise may work better with a training partner close by to aid in balance.
Body weight exercises with equipment
Pull ups – a great back and biceps builder, the pull up can be varied to stress the latissimus dorsi as well as the arm flexor muscles. Pull up bars are available for most doorways, although be sure to check the details regarding bodyweight limitations and suitability. Most gyms have pull up stations, with a chance to choose a variation in width grips. The resourceful home trainers among us may see about going to the local park at lunch time, with monkey bars usually idea for chin ups, and other body weight exercises.
Dips – effectively stressing the chest and triceps is possible with body weight dips. The body weight exercise can be performed with the arms flared outwards to stress the chest to a greater degree, or alternatively with the arms tucked to the sides to stimulate the triceps greater.
Row – Placing a bar across two parallel raised platforms of the same height (several feet off the floor), such as chairs, can provide a self made station for performing a laying row. The station should allow for the arms to be shoulder width apart, and be safe for pulling body weight from the ground. The row is a great exercise for stimulating the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, and arm flexor muscles.
Supplementing the above exercises into an already existing resistance plan can provide an additional source of stimulus, and some variety to the workouts. Those who train at home with no equipment will find the above exercises useful for targeting the major muscle groups of the body, and it is amazing what a little creativity can do when using everyday objects for training. It would be wise to invest in a dumbbell set however, with a much wider variety of exercises available.