I'm not an economist, so I'm not really sure when this economy is going to get better. But, I'm just glad I know how to get a great workout at home with just my bodyweight. There are a lot people out there quitting their gyms and struggling to find a good fitness program they can do at home.
Gyms and fitness facilities such as a Crunch and Bally Total Fitness are going bankrupt as more and more individuals are looking ways to cut back and budget their money. Well, if you're one of these individuals, you've come to the right place!
Bodyweight Training: An Introduction
Bodyweight training is, of course, training with your bodyweight. Most people feel that it's all about just pushups, pullups, and bodyweight squat variations. I felt the same way. There are many different ways to approach bodyweight exercise. In fact, I've come up with 7 different approaches you can take with bodyweight training:
Approach #1: Train like an Animal
Wrestlers, MMA fighters, and many other athletes use exercises such as bear crawls and duck walks to improve their total body strength and power. These movements are hard and they break a sweat. You can use them both to burn fat and improve explosive strength and power.
Approach #2: Dance your Way to Fitness
After watching the popular Dance show, "So You Think You can Dance," I realize that each routine they perform is like a full body workouts. Dancers exhibit some of the best bodies around. Both male and female dancers are lean and incredibly strong.
There are certain styles, such as Hip Hop, that require more strength than others. But overall learning a few dance moves to include in your bodyweight workouts would be quite beneficial. There are a few CST movements that mimic dance.
Approach #3: Go Old School
Old school involves basic pushups, pullups, and bodyweight squat variations. Once I started exploring, I realized just how many different variations there are. I mean, you can literally sit there and just invent new ways of doing the same movement.
Approach #4: Flip and Twist
Out of all the bodyweight training athletes out there, Gymnasts have the best bodies, and highest level of athleticism. I've heard stories of gymnasts walking into a weight room and lifting more weight then most bodybuilders and some power lifters. And these are people who've never lifted anything but their own bodyweight their entire life.
I really wish my mom hadn't took my out of gymnastics when I was younger. Well, either way I'm rediscovering the gymnast inside of me and learning some brand new movements derived from gymnastics.
Approach #5: Peace and Calm
You would never believe that Yogis (people who do Yoga), can be so incredibly strong. However, there's a guy on the Indian channel who teaches yoga and he's able to walk on his hands and do all this crazy stuff with his body.
He's like in his 60's, has probably never even seen a commercial gym, and he's in better shape then most 30 year olds. Yoga has some great properties, and it's a great addition to your regular bodyweight training.
Approach #6: Plyometrics
Plyometrics include explosive movements such as squat jumps and plyometric pushups. They were once used just by athletes to improve their explosive strength and power. But now, these variations are becoming a part of traditional bodyweight routines.
pproach #7: Calisthenics
Most people use the word calisthenics and bodyweight exercise interchangeably. But in reality, calisthenics is a movement such as jumping jacks and jogging in place. These movements don't involve as much muscular contraction as apushup or pullup.
Calisthenics can be used to replace your boring cardio workouts, or you can include them into your regular pushup/pullup workouts.
A Complete Bodyweight Training Education
The moment I feel that I've learned it all, I discover something new. If you truly want to achieve the highest level of health and fitness, you need to keep exploring and consistently changing your exercises and approach to fitness.
For some great bodyweight training resources, check out my site, workoutwithoutweights.net WorkoutWithoutWeights.Net
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