On full workout V gym you have to spend considerable sums, which not every person can afford. To save money and not try to find the most suitable gym, people try to find a strength exercise with own weight, which would be a worthy replacement for visiting sports clubs. In fact, there are many such exercises, and the best of them are presented in the article.
Advantages and disadvantages of training
Strength exercises with their own weight, as a rule, are selected based on the individual characteristics of each person. Athletes claim that in such training there are much more positive features than negative ones, which is why the number of their fans is growing every day.
Any exercise with your own weight can easily be classified as an affordable exercise. People who regularly conduct training do not have to purchase expensive subscriptions to special rooms with equipment every month. Another advantage is the simplicity of the training complex.
The anatomy of bodyweight strength exercises is clear to everyone without exception. After all, an easy complex that trains several muscle groups can be performed both at home and on the street, without asking advice from professional trainers.
Muscles will, of course, grow during training, but not as quickly as what happens when training with special equipment. In addition, when the muscles get used to the loads, their development will slow down, so you will have to complicate your home workouts.
Basic rules
Before performing any exercise with your own weight, you must remember five main rules:
- Breath. While performing exercises, not only beginners, but also experienced athletes can simply forget about breathing. Typically, people exhale for effort and inhale for the easy part of the exercise. This method is the most common and is suitable in almost all cases.
- Correct execution. If you forget about the execution technique, it is almost impossible to achieve a good result. In order to get the expected effect and protect yourself from unnecessary injuries, you need to make sure that it is performed correctly. Relatives or friends can help with this, looking from the outside and pointing out correct or incorrect movements. If there is no assistant nearby, then a mirror will be an excellent replacement, where the athlete, looking at his own reflection, will understand what he is doing wrong.
- Strength exercises are not done in a hurry. Any bodyweight exercise, with the exception of cardio, should be done slowly. This rule does not mean that it is necessary to pause during squats or push-ups; you just should not try to do the strength exercise as quickly as possible. Exactly slow movements will ensure muscle growth and strengthen muscles.
- Maximum exposure. When a person can no longer do a single repetition, it means the training was successful. It’s not worth overexerting yourself or causing injury, which happens due to failure to follow the correct technique. There is also no need to worry about the number of repetitions performed, because it is better to pay attention to the maximum impact with which each exercise should be performed.
- Cardio training. You need to start your strength training with easy running. Cardio exercise is good for functioning cardiovascular system, and also speed up metabolism. In order for subsequent strength training to take place at the proper level, you should devote literally 20 minutes to running.
Upper body workout
Exercises using your own weight to develop the muscles of the arms, shoulders and chest are the simplest and most effective, as the results are noticeable almost immediately. But to make faster progress, you will need to master the correct technique. Otherwise, your energy will be wasted.
Pull-ups
Quite simple strength exercises using your own weight help your muscles engage in work to achieve greater effect. One such exercise is pull-ups.
First of all, you need to pay attention to the width of your grip - it should be shoulder-width apart, narrower or slightly wider. You need to pull yourself up slowly, while controlling your muscles.
As you inhale, tense your arms and lift your body up so that your chin is above the bar. After holding this position for literally a second, you should exhale and lower yourself down, but you are prohibited from relaxing your arms.
Push-ups
Exercises that help work out several muscle groups at the same time are quite effective, including the deltoids, pectoral muscles, and triceps.
At first glance, it may seem that doing push-ups is very easy, so people do not pay attention to the correctness of the execution. But in fact, many beginners make mistakes that can easily lead to injury.
It is necessary to perform push-ups without using additional weight in stages:
- Having taken a lying position, your hands should be positioned clearly shoulder-width apart, and your palms should be under your shoulders.
- As you inhale, you need to bend your elbows and, tensing the muscles of your arms, slowly lower your body as close to the ground as possible, but without relaxing it. In this case, you should strain your abs as much as possible and keep your body straight. Raising your shoulders and stretching your head forward is prohibited.
- After exhaling, you need to straighten your arms, thereby raising your body in starting position. You must lift your own weight with your arms, without using your lower body.
Reverse push-ups
An ideal exercise that is suitable for people who want to pump up top part bodies. It must be performed using an elevated position (chair or bench). Reverse push-ups work all the same muscles as regular push-ups, but they put a little more stress on the rhomboid back muscles.
The exercise is performed like this:
- Standing with your back to a chair or bench, you need to bend your legs and place your hands on the edge of the hill.
- With your legs stretched forward and your weight on your arms, you should inhale and bend your arms, lowering yourself down until your shoulders are parallel to the floor.
- After a second delay, you need to exhale and straighten your arms.
The number of approaches and repetitions is the same as in the previous exercise.
Lower body training
When the cardio exercises and training for the upper body have been successful, you need to start working out with the lower part. This may seem unnecessary, because the muscles of the buttocks and legs were already involved in previous exercises. Although it is worth noting that other exercises aimed specifically at working the legs and buttocks make it possible to pump up all the muscles of the lower body, which include those that do not receive sufficient load during cardio exercises. Among them:
- Squats. Standing straight, you need to stretch your arms forward and, keeping your back straight, bend your legs until your thighs are parallel to the floor, and then return to the starting position. It is recommended to do 3 sets of 20 repetitions.
- Walking to higher ground. Having placed one leg on a hill and straining it, you need to lift the second one there, and then lower it to the floor in the same sequence. The minimum number of repetitions is 10-12 for each leg.
Anatomy of Bodyweight Exercises by Bret Contreras
Many athletes like not only to exercise, but also to pay attention to literature related to sports. Author Bret Contreras's book, The Anatomy of Bodyweight Strength Exercises, is ideal for people looking to get fit. The publication describes in detail complexes in which only a person’s own weight is used as a burden. These trainings necessarily include the exercises described in the article.
Developing muscles through systematic repetition of a set of basic exercises that are included in bodyweight training helps thousands of people every year to get their bodies in order. The main advantage of the method is the accessibility of classes for every person. Some exercises require additional equipment, such as dumbbells or a chair, however, at first this is not the most important thing. The training complex can be fully performed without special equipment.
What is bodyweight training?
Admirers of an active lifestyle have recently flooded gym sections, finally abandoning bodyweight exercises. Now this topic is of no interest to anyone, although this system of physical activity has high efficiency. Mass attendance at gyms has evolved from health event into a popular trend that quickly gathered a large audience of adherents.
However, bodyweight training is considered a relevant niche that can provide worthy competition to any sports establishment. With the help of a group of exercises, each person can achieve high levels of endurance and muscle growth at home. The intensity of the training determines the speed at which results appear.
For weight loss
Going to gyms doesn't count prerequisite to eliminate fat deposits. Working with your own weight allows you to restore muscle tone and lose excess weight; you can do it both on the street and at home. Regular exercise guarantees a stable result in the form of muscle growth for representatives of any gender, be it women or men.
Basic movements for weight loss include: warm-up, plank, push-ups, lunges and squats. Such a circular set is the initial stage for the formation slim figure and takes no more than fifteen minutes of free time. Classes should be carried out at a predetermined pace, since slow training with your own weight will not have the desired effect on the body:
warm-up (10 min.);
squats of any kind (3x10);
torso twisting (3x15);
horizontal push-ups from the floor (2x10);
lunges with jump (4x8);
plank (1 min.).
For weight gain
There is an opinion in sports circles that gaining weight without additional weights is a hopeless endeavor. However, a balanced and multifunctional set of exercises can help develop not only endurance, but also strength and muscle mass. A good result can be achieved if you train using weights from improvised objects (backpack or canister of water). The training program includes the following exercises:
push-ups (2x15);
push-ups between supports for pumping pectoral muscles(2x10);
pull-ups reverse grip(3x8);
vertical push-ups(3x10);
back push-ups (3x6).
Bodyweight training program
Purchasing all the necessary equipment helps you perform bodyweight exercises at home much more effectively. The main equipment for indoor training is: pull-up bar, gymnastic roller And rubber expander. All this simple paraphernalia was created with one purpose - to provide the necessary level of comfort, so that training with your own weight will not cause unnecessary inconvenience. The first step is to perform pull-ups on a bar or horizontal bar. You should lower yourself up and down smoothly so as not to injure your muscles.
Bodyweight strength exercises
By following simple rules, you can avoid mistakes during training and pump up to the desired level. A bodyweight training program involves competent execution of a set of exercises that simultaneously engage several different areas of the body. It is very important to try to monitor your breathing and take breaks on time, because excessive physical effort can lead to depletion of the body's resources.
After a couple of weeks of intense sets, the first changes in the body will become noticeable, however, they will affect not only appearance. Since the active work of metabolic processes is launched, throughout the day you will feel a persistent surge of energy and a charge of vivacity. Strength training are aimed at developing endurance, which is clearly visible from the initial load parameters:
quick jog (15 min.);
squats (3x15);
lunges (3x12);
plank (1-2 min.).
Functional exercises with own weight
There are different periods in life, and it is not always possible to pay for sports activities. In such conditions functional training home becomes the last option. It is convenient to use this scheme not only during a financial crisis, because sometimes professional athletes need rest. Beginners will first have to familiarize themselves with all the necessary theoretical knowledge in order to increase their level of awareness regarding the exercises.
The dynamics of classes should become more complex step by step, slowly moving from simple sets to more advanced ones. Making a master of sports out of an unprepared person in a couple of months is an impossible task, but achieving visible results in a few weeks is quite possible. It is recommended to start with the easiest types of exercises that are easy to perform:
one-arm push-ups (2x6);
vertical push-ups (2x8);
push-ups (3x10);
squats (3x10);
triceps push-ups (3x8).
Bodyweight exercises at home
You can lose the desired amount of kilograms with the help of a balanced diet and intensive exercises that simultaneously involve all parts of the body, from the upper to the lower. A set of exercises with your own weight will help you do without individual trainers and save a decent amount of money, while achieving dramatic changes in the condition of your body.
You can think through the training program yourself or find it in sports pages. The first basic exercise is push-ups, which work the triceps, pectorals and deltoids. To pump up muscles abdominals, it is necessary to perform a series of lifts of the upper body from the starting position lying down. For effective back training, parallel bars or horizontal bars are best suited.
A set of exercises for girls
Most girls go to the gym as part of one mission - to burn off the accumulated body fat and return the body to its original appearance. Bodyweight training for women is mainly about developing an aesthetically pleasing figure, especially parts such as the chest, buttocks and abs. These areas are emphasized in all sets of exercises designed for the health of girls:
warm-up (5-10 min.);
lying leg raise (3x12);
crunches on the floor (3x10);
dumbbell press (3x15);
bench push-ups (2x15);
calf raise with dumbbells (3x12).
Home workouts for men with body weight
Home workouts are designed to create sculpted sports-type muscles, but they have a limit. If the main goal is to achieve the level of a professional bodybuilder with a huge mountain of muscles, then no set of bodyweight exercises for men can help develop muscles to the desired level. But pumping up your biceps and shoulder girdle will not be difficult. The main thing is to perform the set correctly and alternate the load.
Immediately after the warm-up, intensive exercises begin, the first of which are dips. The exercise may seem simple to some, but if you complicate it a little, it will be difficult for even the most resilient athlete. You need to perform push-ups as follows: lower your body to the lowest point and try to stay in this position for a couple of seconds, then quickly pull yourself up. The rest of the classes include:
exercise “cat” (5-10 repetitions);
head tilts (2 min.);
hyperextension (3x12);
pull-ups on the bar (3x15);
push-ups from the floor (3x10).
Bodyweight circuit training
If repeated approaches are too tiring, then circuit training will prepare the body for the upcoming loads. Pull-ups are an ideal exercise for beginners; when performed correctly, they help build the muscles in the front of your back. The width of your grip during exercise should be slightly greater than the length of your shoulders. Another variation of the same exercise is pull-ups. narrow grip, the principle is still the same, the main thing is to monitor the position of the brushes.
It is possible to work all muscle groups at the same time with the help of burpees. This is a multifunctional set of movements, starting position which starts on all fours. It is important that the knees are moved as tightly as possible to the chest; the result of the exercise depends on this. From this provision the legs are pushed back with a sharp movement, becoming a plank. Then you need to return to the previous position and jump up from it.
Squats
Data physical exercise stimulate the development of the gluteal muscles and train back surface hips, which reduces the risk of injury knee joint. In addition, bodyweight squats help pump up your quadriceps and gain elastic, round shape. Any sports activity is a prevention of age-related diseases and pathological changes in the body. Bodyweight squats are the most simple exercises from this category, but their effectiveness is undeniable:
chair squats (2x8);
squats with pulsation (3x12);
squats on one leg (2x6);
Leg exercises
Powerful legs are essential for survival in any environment. If there is no danger, this tool will also be useful for solving all sorts of everyday problems that place additional stress on the body. Bodyweight leg exercises do not require any special equipment. Squats of various types stimulate the work of several muscle groups, so experts recommend alternating exercises with each other. During classes, you are allowed to make changes to the program at your discretion:
classic lunges (2x15);
squats with dumbbells (3x10);
back lunges (3x12);
squats with crunches (3x8).
Back exercises
Training to strengthen the body should include a variety of exercises that activate the entire muscle frame. The training microcycle is divided into several stages, each of which involves a specific muscle group. It is allowed to perform complex back exercises with your own weight during one set, after which you need to switch to other body movements:
classic pull-ups (3x10);
pull-ups with a wide straight grip (3x12);
deadlift(2x20);
close grip pull-ups (3x8);
Bent-over dumbbell rows (3x6);
reverse grip pull-ups (3x15).
Multi-joint exercises
A set of exercises directly affects efficiency sports activities. For professional athletes repeat sets entry level will not bring visible results, so multi-joint exercises with body weight have been developed, thanks to which it is possible to achieve the desired goals in a minimum period of time:
warming up (5 min.);
push-ups (3x10);
lunges (3x12);
squats (3x10).
Biceps exercises
To pump up your biceps without visiting sports sections, you should purchase dumbbells. An alternative can be any heavy household items that are comfortable to hold in your hands. By using them as weights in classes, you will be able to develop muscles in a short time and use all muscle groups. Any workout that includes bodyweight shoulder exercises will promote gradual biceps growth:
pull-ups on the horizontal bar (3x12);
hammer dumbbell lift (3x15);
curling arms with dumbbells (3x8).
The benefits of bodyweight training
Every person, with rare exceptions, has enough free time to devote to its improvement own body in the gym. However, due to a lack of knowledge and experience in the sports field, people often prefer to avoid additional stress. Fear of heavy physical activity makes you forget about the effectiveness of exercise and the potential development opportunities for the body. However, home workouts can be the first impetus towards the desired changes.
Independent studies without additional paraphernalia, they are perfect for people who have long dreamed of getting their body in shape. Intense cardio exercise affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system, which stimulates fast burning calories. With the help of intensive home workouts, most people manage to pump up their muscles and say goodbye to fat folds on their body forever.
Follow us
Many people are accustomed to thinking that achieving the ideal for everyone weight category you can by regularly visiting the gym, and even under the guidance experienced trainer. However, even if there are no simulators and personal trainer, it is quite possible to start a home workout program to get your body in good shape. physical fitness.
Of course, it is possible to build curly muscles without barbells, exercise machines and dumbbells, but it will not be easy. However, at home it is quite possible to maintain a figure in good shape and weight in the desired range. The main thing is desire and desire for results.
Quite a lot has been developed various exercises with weight. If it is possible to train with someone else, then the loads can be increased and the exercises made more varied. If you spend a lot of time on business trips and trips, buy an expander. It doesn't take up much space and will always be at hand.
We offer you a home training program that is optimal for beginners and all those who, due to some circumstances, cannot regularly visit the gym.
What could be the result of the program?
Much depends on the frequency of training and the effort you put in. For example, if you do push-ups every day, then after 6 months you can quite confidently do 100 push-ups in 1 approach.
The program we propose is designed for the whole body, because you will need to perform a set of different exercises. This is a great solution for those who want to burn extra calories and get their body in good physical shape.
Push-ups
Push-ups strengthen the upper muscle group well. The triceps and pectoral muscles are worked out, and the arms become stronger. First you need to increase the number of repetitions, and then the load. This can be done by wearing a backpack filled with weights or water bottles. This load should be added when the number of repetitions has reached 20. With additional weight, it is optimal to do 10 - 12 push-ups.
Incline push-ups
To perform such push-ups, you should place your feet on a small elevation in the form of a bench or sofa. Also incline push-ups can be performed standing at an angle, placing your hands on a desk or cabinet. This way the chest is well worked out.
Push-ups between low stools
You need to place 2 low stools next to each other and do push-ups. This exercise strengthens the triceps very well. The main thing is that the stools or chairs are stable and not wobbly.
Pull-ups
This type of exercise strengthens the arms and back muscles very well. You can make a pull-up bar yourself in any doorway. You can also purchase wall bars. If you can do 10 to 12 pull-ups, add the loads indicated in the previous section.
Pulling your palms towards you
If you point your palms toward you while doing pull-ups, your biceps will get a good workout. The entire load falls on them.
Hyperextension
This type of exercise tightens the stomach very well, strengthens the buttocks and lumbar region. You can train at home by hanging your torso from the bed in the waist area. However, hyperextension should be done with an assistant. He has to hold his feet so you don't fall to the floor.
Squats
To work with weights, you should squat deeply. You can do this with dumbbells or with a loaded backpack. During the exercises, the quadriceps and gluteal muscles.
Squats on one leg only
You can squat on one leg without additional loads in the form of dumbbells. For balance, you can hold on to the stool with your hands.
Standing calf raise
It is best to do the lifts one at a time. This way the calves are well pumped. You can also increase the load with dumbbells.
Lunges forward
A great leg exercise is forward lunges. For additional load lunges can be done with dumbbells.
Forward bends
Legs should be straight while bending. They train the hips and gluteal muscles well. You can use a water bottle as an additional load.
Plank
The plank exercise is an excellent way to work several muscle groups at once: transverse, rectus and oblique abdominal muscles, back muscles, shoulder girdle and buttocks. The plank should be performed from a lying position with support on your elbows and toes. outstretched legs. Elbows should be level shoulder joints, at a distance slightly wider than shoulder width. The position of the spine is neutral, in one plane. The chest is straightened, the shoulder blades are lowered. Start doing the exercise with 30 seconds. And gradually increase the time to 3 minutes.
Press sitting or standing
If you don’t have dumbbells or a barbell, you can replace them with any weighty object that is comfortable to hold with one hand.
Lying Lower Body Raise
Well trained and strengthened lower muscles abdomen, if lying down, lift your legs, smoothly lowering them to the floor.
Crunches
Do a twist while lying on your back, while simultaneously pulling your pelvis and chest. You can also alternately lift your pelvis and upper body. In this case, the chin should not fall towards the chest. It's best to imagine that there is a tennis ball sandwiched between your chest and chin.
You can perform this program at home at any time. However, you need to remember that regularity is important to achieve the effect. By doing the proposed program, you will soon notice that your body is becoming the way you dream of!
Bodyweight exercises for gaining mass and losing weight
I remember very well the moment when I was surprised to notice that my triceps had grown. In the early 90s, in the wake of films starring Jean-Claude van Dame that filled the screens of video stores, I began training at home. For some reason it seemed to me that by doing exercises with my own weight, just like him, Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris, I could quickly build up muscles. It was later that I learned that Jean-Claude-Camille-François Van Varenberg (that’s his full name) was the owner of a gym in Brussels, where he actively lifted weights.
I began my introduction to the world of muscle mass by training at home, doing whatever came to mind bodyweight exercises. One of them was reverse push-ups from the windowsill for triceps (why exactly from the windowsill, I don’t even remember). And imagine my surprise when, after a couple of months, I noticed that muscle lumps appeared on my arms. These were the medial (middle) triceps bundles, which responded with growth to push-ups from the windowsill.
So I know for sure: bodyweight exercises to gain muscle work! True, you can’t pump up 50 cm arms and 80 cm legs; this requires a completely different type of load. But even if you dream of a career professional bodybuilder and at night you dream of a Sandow figurine, learning to do exercises with your own weight will not be amiss. And here's why...
Bodyweight exercises as a warm-up
Watching newcomers to the sports club, I never cease to be amazed. It would seem that with the existing abundance of magazines and videos, everyone knows that proper warm-up is a guarantee of quality training and protection from injury.
But that was not the case. Many visitors, upon entering the gym, immediately sit down on a Roman chair and begin pumping up their abs. And then they complain that they can’t do squats with a barbell or vertical presses, because they feel severe discomfort when performing these exercises in the solar plexus area.
Start warming up with abdominal exercises - great way ruin your workout
And this is not surprising - many large nerve nodes are concentrated in the central part of the body, and by overloading them, we turn the rest of the workout into a waste of time and money.
In addition, most abdominal exercises are not as simple and harmless as they seem at first glance, since in addition to the front part of the body, they also actively overload lumbar region. Read the whole truth about abdominal training in my article, but for now, let's go directly back to the basics of proper warm-up.
The essence of warming up can be summed up in one word: warming up. The muscles, like the entire body as a whole, need to be warmed up and prepared for physical activity. You need to start warming up by spending 4-5 minutes on a treadmill or other cardio machine, performing the exercise at an average pace until you begin to sweat slightly.
Then you need to perform a set of movements to warm up the joints and move on to exercises with your own weight. Depending on your level of training and experience, you can use any, even the most movements, but I prefer the two simplest ones:
- Push-ups from the floor (optional for women, push-ups from a bench)
- Deep squats with broad setting legs
Push-ups perfectly warm up and prepare the upper body for stress, and squats, the lower part of the body. But you just need to perform these exercises not in a strength style, but in a light warm-up style. I suggest watching a video that shows an almost perfect warm-up before starting a workout in the gym
warm-up video:
Conclusion: bodyweight exercises are the simplest and most effective way warming up and preparing muscles for training in the gym.
Bodyweight exercises to gain weight
From a physiological point of view, training with your own weight, in terms of the degree of impact on the muscles, is no different from training with a barbell or dumbbells. In 2011, in the USA, studies were conducted with the participation of players in American football who compared the body's hormonal response to exercise performed without weight and basic movements with a barbell.
The results of the experiment showed that exercises with ropes and burpees ( complex exercise from CrossFit, which includes push-ups, squats, and squat jumps) produce greater hormone increases (particularly ) than deadlifts and squats. True, and more short-term.
The research aimed to answer the question: is it possible, without using basic exercises, strengthening the joints of players, build strength and mass with the help of another load?
Yes, the people in white coats answered, you just need to turn the load with your weight from light, comfortable, into stressful and heavy. In other words, at Bodyweight exercises should be performed according to the same principles as regular free weight exercises. Here are the five most important of them:
TIME | Largest quantity muscle fibers turns on only from the 40th second of the exercise. When performing exercises with your body weight, the measure of their effectiveness is the duration of the time interval. If the formula contains 4 sets of 20 push-ups, replace the second parameter with 40 seconds, the result will be higher.
LOAD PROGRESSION | This factor directly resonates with the previous one, since the basis for muscle growth is the stress factor. This can be achieved in several ways:
- constantly increase the number of repetitions in the approach;
- slow down the pace of movements;
- reduce rest time between sets:
- use additional weights (vests, backpacks)
UNILATERAL VERSIONS OF EXERCISES | Squats on one leg, push-ups or pull-ups on one arm - these movements are more likely from the arsenal of circus performers. However, each of them has its own light version, which can be performed by an ordinary gym goer. But the return from exercises performed with only one limb will be simply colossal, since it will force the body to work to the limit of its capabilities.
PAUSE | An eccentric hold of 4-5 seconds while performing an exercise with your body weight is the strongest stimulus for hypertrophy of muscle fibers. In addition, such an isometric load has a beneficial effect on the growth of strength and endurance.
NEGATIVE PHASE | The negative phase of the movement involves a larger muscle mass than the positive phase - this is an axiom. It was the negative movements that formed the basis of the so-called “Colorado Experiment”, which resulted in... Exercises performed with your own weight, but exclusively in the negative phase (lowering on the horizontal bar, on uneven bars, even simple push-ups) give an increase in muscle mass no worse than exercises with a barbell.
And here I will insert my 5 cents. Such recommendations look great on paper, but do not think that they are suitable for everyone without exception. It must be borne in mind that scientists compiled them for highly trained professional American football players, middle age which is 22-28 years old. Therefore, the advice of American researchers needs to be adapted to your level of training.
Conclusion: training your body for mass is by no means an easy walk, but really hard work with extreme mental concentration.
Bodyweight exercisesfor weight loss
There were times when it was believed that morning jog- This best view loads to get rid of excess weight. But people who believe this misconception are now as hard to find as muscle mass among marathon runners. Anyone who really wants to lose weight knows that the most powerful and natural fat burner is our muscles.
The more of them on the body, the higher the calorie consumption and the faster the metabolism. To lose weight quickly, you need to do the most heavy exercise aimed at increasing muscle mass: squats, presses and deadlifts. But does this mean that bodyweight exercises for weight loss are useless?
Fortunately, this is not the case. Yes, step-ups are inferior in effectiveness to barbell squats, both in stimulating muscle growth and for weight loss. But performing such exercises has one undeniable advantage - they can be performed at home. The effectiveness of bodyweight loading can be increased by following 4 rules:
- Use challenging exercises. The more complex the movement, the more energy-consuming it is. From this point of view, the burpee is the best bodyweight exercise for weight loss, since it combines three movements at once, performed without interruption.
- Choose movements for large muscle groups. Leg exercises (lunges, squats, step-ups) are more effective for weight loss because they require more calories than arm exercises. Do not forget that fat oxidizes in the presence of oxygen. From this point of view, leg exercises also have advantages over other bodyweight exercises for weight loss, since they activate the respiratory process.
- Do a lot of work. No matter how much we would like it, fat does not begin to oxidize immediately. For the first 40-45 minutes, the body uses glycogen (fuel for our muscles obtained from food) as fuel. That is, short training with your weight for weight loss will be useful only as a mobile physical activity, but for burning fat it will be ineffective. The problem can be solved by approaching it from two sides. First, use it as a power supply diagram. And secondly, increase the training time to 50-60 minutes.
- Increase training stress levels. Stress is not always bad. And for getting rid of excess fat, this is generally great. Any unexpected and strong irritant (stress) causes a rise in the level of the hormone adrenaline in our body, which helps accelerate fat metabolism. Effective workout with your weight for weight loss should include exercises for different muscle groups, performed without interruption. Squats combined with jumping on a support and push-ups from the floor will be more stressful than performing exercises on only one muscle group.
If you add jumping rope or movements with a rubber shock absorber to your bodyweight exercises for weight loss, fat will begin to burn even faster.
Conclusion: exercises with a barbell give faster and more stable results for losing weight, but training with your own weight can be done in the comfort of your home.
Now that I've covered the top benefits of bodyweight exercises for bulking and losing weight, let me get straight to the list of the most effective movements for each. muscle group:
Bodyweight exercises for the back
The high effectiveness of the load with your own weight for this muscle group is that pull-ups are the simplest and best way creation broad back. In addition, there are quite a few types of pull-ups, and you can always choose the most suitable one for yourself.
bodyweight exercises video 1
Bodyweight exercises for chest
Among the exercises with your own weight for gaining mass in the pectoral muscles, wide-grip dips come first. But various variations of push-ups can compete with exercises with a barbell only if they are performed with additional weighting.
But for giving shape to the breasts and working out its individual details, exercises with your own weight are very suitable. And again, there are a great many options for push-ups.
bodyweight exercises video 2
Bodyweight exercises for legs
The barbell was, is and will be the best equipment for building large quadriceps. However, there are many ways to thoroughly load your leg muscles by doing bodyweight exercises at home.
bodyweight exercises video 3
Bodyweight exercises for triceps
There are not many exercises performed with your own weight for the triceps, but they are very simple and quite effective:
- Dips with narrow setting hands
- Narrow push-ups
- Reverse push-ups from a bench
I love the last exercise with a tender and reverent love, since it was with it that the growth of muscle mass in my arms began. But unlike the usual reverse push-up technique, in which the body weight shifts down and forward, I do the opposite, leaning my whole body back to activate a direct load on the triceps.
This is far from the only exercise for the triceps brachii muscle that can be performed at home. I talked about this in more detail in my article, I highly recommend reading it.
Bodyweight exercises for biceps
The best bodyweight exercise for biceps is the pull-up bar with a narrow reverse grip. The same world-famous fitness gurus have identified this exercise as the best movement for gaining biceps muscle mass.
But if you don’t have a horizontal bar at home, to build big biceps you can try to make unusual ones, but that's enough effective exercises with your own weight.
bodyweight exercises video 4
Bodyweight exercises for shoulders
At home, and even with your own weight, it is difficult to pump up your shoulders, but it is possible. True, for this you will need to master the technique of very unusual exercises with your own weight to develop the deltoid muscles.
bodyweight exercises video 5
Bodyweight exercises for abs
But it’s quite easy to train this muscle group with your own weight. Best exercise to gain muscle mass is a “prayer” performed while kneeling in front of a high block. But, as practice shows, many athletes have become owners of truly beautiful muscles press, performing exercises with your own weight.
bodyweight exercises video 6
Conclusion: if you wish, you can become the owner of a sports, toned body, doing bodyweight training at home, fortunately there are quite a lot of options for these exercises.
Conclusion
What conclusions can be drawn from everything we have read and seen:
# 1. Training with your own weight for mass and for weight loss will always be inferior in effectiveness to exercises with free weights.
# 2. Not all people dream of huge muscle mass. For women or for people in mature age, health and a toned figure are much more important than 50 cm biceps. And for them, exercises with their own weight are simply ideal.
# 3. Bodyweight training helps maintain existing muscle volume in tone in between visits to the gym. And for those who prefer to train at home, bodyweight exercises are the simplest and most accessible type of physical activity.
I hope my story about bodyweight training will be useful to you and will allow you to gain muscle mass or lose weight at home. May the force be with you. And the mass!
