Unconventional Bodyweight Exercises….
Posted on 12 March 2010
Recently I came across two great videos with a variety of Bodyweight exercises that I had never seen before. To carry on from my recent posts on minimal fitness and frugal fitness, these fit in perfectly.
This post was inspired by checking out some exercise videos on YouTube really making me realise how efficient and versatile our own body weight and movements can be in providing a great workout. Sometimes all it takes is a little imagination. Have a look…..
Some of these are really simple and effective, and best of all require no equipment.
This is the key when doing bodyweight workouts at home or in the gym, you want to get the pulse up as soon as you can and get into a flow of working out otherwise it can be hard to find the motivation to workout. It comes down to a few things:
- Full Body Movements
- Short or no rest between sets
- Brief total time
Once you get these things nailed simply set a time to workout 10-12 minutes works for me. I say to myself I am going to go hard for these 10 minutes, set the stop watch and go. This requires very little motivation and guarentees a good workout with purpose. I suggest you try picking 3-5 Bodyweight exercises and do them each until failure for a total of 10 minutes. Regardless of your fitness level this will work (take breaks as needed, but not too long).
The beauty of this way of working out is that it not only works for building muscle but it has a metabolic impact which forces your body to burn fat throughout the day. You can squeeze in these workouts whenever you want with minimal preparation, and they can be as simple or complex as you please the choice of exercises is yours….
Instead of doing curls do chin-ups
Stop doing tricep extensions and do pushups and dips
Forget Leg Extensions and Squat
Well you get the idea. Bodyweight Compounds are far more effective in every aspect especially when it comes to no equipment workouts. So try out some new Bodyweight exercises and build a plan on them…
15 comments so far
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Comment by Adam | SEE
12 March 2010
Great videos. Tons of ideas. Perfect timing for me as I continue to work on my Spring conditioning (See recent workouts).
I will string groups of 3 of these exercises together for 5 round circuits. No rest between sets or rounds, but some rest between circuits.
Also recommend trying Mike Mahler’s Body Blaster: http://goo.gl/Pimc
Definitely meets the full body movement requirement!
Comment by meredith
13 March 2010
I love Sean Croxton’s Youtube and Blogtalk radio shows. The other site I like for bodyweight workouts – that are totally chick centered but certainly kick butt enough for any guy – is http://www.bodyrock.tv. I try to do three of Zuzana’s workouts back to back each morning. My baby belly is totally gone at just 10 weeks post partum!
Comment by Kat
13 March 2010
These are great! Thank you for passing these along. I see great success with body weight exercises for myself and clients as well. A lot of fun and no equipment, no excuses.
@ Kat: Thanks, well actually thanks to Shaun from UG Wellness. It is always good to find a few new bodyweight exercises especially when we get bored of the basic pushups and squats.
Comment by Dave
13 March 2010
Great post! I only use bodyweight exercises for most of my weight training workouts. Nice to have some new exercises to add to my list!
Comment by Jeremy
14 March 2010
If you want body weight excersize you should definitely try CrossFit. These guys have me doing more pull-ups, push-ups, and everything else “ups” than I thought I would ever be able to do. Not to mention the comrodery and community that comes with it.
I just tagged along to the Washington state sectionals (crossFit games) here is a glimpse…
http://vimeo.com/10106140
Comment by Dan Cosgrove
14 March 2010
I think it’s awesome that these workouts involve functional movements. The first two exercises of the first vid would translate really well to any martial art that uses ‘horse’ and ‘low’ stances.
Comment by Luke M-Davies
14 March 2010
Ever since I did myself a serious injury by tearing my major pectoral tendon, I have turned more to bodyweight exercises.
The ultimate benefits of bodyweight exercises for me are that they are: free, flexible, and quick!
Pull-ups actually give me good bicep growth, moreso than your oldschool barbell curls. People are increasingly looking to get fit, strong and lean in minimal time. This is where bodyweight workouts can do the trick! I think even the most advanced gym bunny can be challenged by bodyweight work – try hand stand pushups for example – absolute killer!
Comment by Jen
15 March 2010
Great exercises!! I love this. The videos really helped too. Thanks for sharing!
Comment by Dr. Kal
18 March 2010
Great videos. Challenging, but doable exercises. Sean always has the best videos and the best guests.
I love body weight exercises at home. They help me save the two most precious assets, time and money.
Comment by Tom Greenwald
22 March 2010
I have been training with bodyweight exercises only for more than 2 years and have to say nothing but good things about my experience.
Since I’m more oriented to the functional way of training I feel that lifting weights has its part in a well-rounded training program, however I would encourage people to develop all the necessary skills and base strength with bodyweight exercises and only then add some free weights training in your workout routine.
Comment by Sarah
25 March 2010
It’s definitely worth it to find body weight exercises that replace machine workouts and exercises that use only one muscle at a time.