Tag: bodyweight workouts

  • The 10 best bodyweight workouts for building muscle and losing weight

    The 10 best bodyweight workouts for building muscle and losing weight

    There’s this huge misconception out there that you can’t build muscle and lose weight with bodyweight workouts. Honestly, that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are plenty of workout combinations that can do the trick. While lifting weights is the probably the #1 way to build muscle fast, there are many instances where we either don’t like the gym scene, don’t have much time, or have injuries preventing us tossing around the iron. Whatever your reason for leaning towards bodyweight-only exercise, the two basic keys to making it work are steady progression and intensity.


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    Why progression makes a difference in the success of bodyweight workouts

    If a workout calls for 10 reps of an exercise, or 30 seconds, or 10 rounds. Every single workout you complete should be an improvement in efficiency. Those 10 reps should be done faster the next time, or you should squeeze in more reps during that 30 seconds bout of work, and those 10 rounds should either be done faster or additional rounds added. Progression is what pushes the body to grow and build. With each and every workout, you need to attempt to make progress. Nothing changes when you’re doing the same thing over and over again.

    Why your bodyweight workouts should be intense and deliberate

    It’s pretty easy to phone it in through a bodyweight workout. Cheating with half reps, moving slowly, and not focusing enough on the muscles actually being worked. It’s important to understand the purpose of each exercise you’re doing and execute it with hyper-focus and intent. This goes for all exercise, but it’s critical to be giving it your all during this type of training.

     

    The 10 best bodyweight workouts for building muscle and losing weight

    The following workouts had been built for two particular instances where bodyweight workouts are the only option. The first was done in the park for the Trail Mix Workout plan. When the weather is nice, it’s hard not to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Why not enjoy the weather and get a workout in?

    The second was in Manhattan for the Gritty New York City Workouts. If you’re an urban dweller, gyms get packed during peak hours, and maybe that’s the only time you could get a workout in. Or, like the trail workouts, you don’t want to spend time indoors.

    #1. The total-body bodyweight workout


    1. Incline Push-up
    2. Single-leg Decline Push-up
    3. Dip + Tuck
    4. Dip Bar Leg Raise
    5. Pull-up
    6. Neutral-grip Chin-up (or Chin-up)
    7. Controlled Hanging Leg Lift
    8. Decline Leg Lift + Pop

    Complete 3-5 sets of as many reps of each exercise as possible. Rest as needed, but as little as possible. Run/jog 2-3 miles before, after, or in between the exercises.

    #2. The two-move bodyweight workout


    1A. Push-up
    1B. Pull-up

    2A. Spiderman Push-up
    2B. Off-set Pull-up

    3A. Mini-plyo Push up
    3B. Eccentric Chin-up

    Complete 3-5 rounds of each superset. Do as many reps of each exercise as possible. Rest as needed, but as little as possible. Run/jog 2-3 miles before or after the circuit.

    #3. The metabolic conditioning bodyweight workout


    1A. Jumping Jack
    1B. Mountain Climber

    2A. Jump Squat
    2B. Squat Thrust

    3A. High Knee
    3B. Single-arm, Single-leg Plank

    Perform each exercise for 30 seconds. Complete 3-5 rounds of each superset. Rest as needed, but as little as possible. Finish the workout with 5-10 “all-out” sprints. Rest 60 seconds between sprints.

    #4. The upper body/climber’s bodyweight workout


    1A. Single-arm Dead Hang
    1B. Plank Toe Touch

    2A. Knees-up Pull-up
    2B. Plank Knee Tuck

    3A. Static Pull-up
    3B. Push-up

    *4. Muscle-up

    Complete 3-5 supersets per A/B grouping. Rest as needed, but as little as possible. Perform as many reps as possible of all exercises.Run/jog 2-3 miles before, after, or in between the exercises. * Perform 3 sets of muscle ups, based on abilities.

    #5. The lower body/hiker’s bodyweight workout


    1.Broad Jump
    2. Squat Thrust
    3. Star Jump
    4. Bodyweight Squat

    Perform each exercise for 20-30 seconds each. Complete 3,5,7, or 10 rounds . Rest as needed, but as little as possible. Run/jog 2-3 miles before, after, or in between the exercises.

    #6. The lower body-upper body and abs split workout

    1A. Incline Push Up x failure
    1B. Squat Thrust x 30sec
    1C. Pull Up x failure
    1D. Bulgarian Split Squat x 10-12
    1E. Bodyweight Squat x 30 sec
    1F. Hanging Leg Raise x failure

    Rest as needed. Repeat 3-5 rounds.

    2A. Lying Leg Raise x failure
    2B. Bench Crunch x failure
    2C. Single-leg Sit & Stand x failure

    Rest as needed. Repeat 3-5 rounds.

    #7. The bodyweight+run fat loss combo workout

    1. Run/jog 1-3 miles

    Complete the following exercises as a circuit. Perform each exercise for 30-60 seconds. Rest 60-90 seconds. Repeat 3-5 rounds.

    2A. Squat Thrust
    2B. Bodyweight Squat
    2C. Star Jump

    Complete the following as quickly as possible.

    3A. Pull ups x 25, 50, or 100
    3B. Push ups x 50, 75, or 100

    #8. The unconventional outdoor workout

    1. Pull-up
    2. Chin-up
    3. Push-up
    4. Single-arm plank
    5. Hanging leg raise
    6. Hanging leg hold
    7A/7B. Swing/Squat thrust 5x30sec
    8A/8B. Swing/Squat 5x30sec
    9. Stair sprint x5-10

    As many reps as possible for 3-5 sets w/60 sec rest unless noted.

    #9. The giant set bodyweight workout

    1A. Incline push-up
    1B. Decline push-up
    1C. Mini-plyo push-up
    1D. Squat

    2A. Dip/Leg raise
    2B. Dip bar L-sit hold
    2C. Bench curl up

    3A. Pull-up
    3B. Inverted row
    3C. Mountain climber

    As many reps as possible for 3-5 sets w/60 sec rest unless noted.

    #10. The pull-up bar bodyweight workout

    1A. Pull up
    1B. Bulgarian split squat
    1C. BW squat

    Complete 10 reps of each exercise, then 9, then 8. Go all the way down to 1. Then work your way back up to 10 again. Rest as needed.

    2A. Push up
    2B. Squat
    2C. Dip
    2D. Single-arm plank
    Complete as many reps as possible for each exercise. Rest as needed. Perform 5-10 rounds.

    3.Hanging leg raise 3-5xAMAP

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  • FAQ: Are bodyweight workouts enough to get me fit?

    FAQ: Are bodyweight workouts enough to get me fit?

    Bodyweight workouts can build you a solid base of muscular strength and size. And the sky’s the limit when it comes to improving muscular endurance (being able to perform bouts of exercise for extended periods of time) and cardiovascular conditioning. Weight loss? Fat loss? Yep, that too. However, at some point, you’ll max out on the amount of muscular strength and size that it’s possible to build with bodyweight alone.

    Also read: Is cardio the best way to lose weight?

    For example, if you’re very, very new to exercise, then your body isn’t used to training. Something as straightforward as a set of 5 push-ups, 10 squats, and 20 sit-ups could have you sweating, leave you sore the next day, and build your base of muscle. However, as you progress along (which you will very quickly as a beginner), eventually there comes a point where your body will adapt to that training and no longer be able to increase strength. As you start performing 10, then 15, then 20+ reps at a clip with ease, you’ll be starting to build more muscular endurance, not strength, and if you continue progressing from there, it could even start to become much more like a cardiovascular workout. Now, this doesn’t mean that bodyweight exercise is useless or ineffective because you’ve built your strength to a certain point, but if you want to start actually building more muscle mass or muscular size, you’ll want to push it further. There’s a concept called progressive overload. Basically this means in order to progress (e.g. more muscular strength or more muscular size), you’ll need to gradually increase the amount of stress (or, weight/resistance) you place on the body. Bodyweight exercise, because it’s only your bodyweight, has a cap to it.

    If building bigger muscles or super strong muscles isn’t much of a priority, then by all means, stick to the bodyweight stuff. You can still build that base of strength, increase the endurance of those muscles, and if you work in fast-paced circuits, build up serious cardiovascular condition.

    You may also like: The 10 best bodyweight workouts for building muscle and losing weight

    But, if you’re really looking for a bit more mass, then you’ll want to start hitting the weights and/or machines and gradually increase the amount of work you’re doing. For muscular size, the general rule of thumb is to use resistance (in which you nearly reach failure) for 10-12 repetitions. For endurance, it’s usually 15+, and for explosive power, under 5. For general more strength, somewhere around 6, 8, 10. What’s important to note here is going to failure or near failure. Doing a doing a set of push-ups for 5 repetitions isn’t going to increase strength, especially if you could potentially do 10 or 20. Also, there are no hard rules, you’ll most likely want to experiment with a variety of rep ranges. Time under tension is another factor. If you’re ripping through 10 reps in 10 seconds, that’s not nearly enough time under tension. But all of that is a whole other nut to crack.

    In summary, there’s a lot you can do with your bodyweight alone, but if you want muscle, don’t be afraid to lift some weights. And remember, how and what you eat is what really brings on the changes, check our our article on intuitive eating for lean muscle.

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