Bodyweight Exercises are one of the best ways to get a complete workout. The bodyweight exercises illustrated below can be preformed anywhere and at anytime, rain or shine. This is the most important aspect of bodyweight training. Finally, being released from the fact that I don’t have to train at a gym has been an awesome feeling for me. Since moving from the gym, I have been performing these exercises and have had no complaints. I feel they are a lot more fun then loading up a machine and doing the work. With these basic exercises I can literally feel all my muscles going to work for me. These exercises keep you from isolating one particular muscle allowing you to grow all of them more quickly. For instance, the bicep curl literally just targets that muscle and that muscle only. A reverse grip pull-up, on the other hand, works the bicep, the lats, muscles on sides and middle of your back and also activates stabilizer muscles.
Basic Bodyweight Exercises including advanced forms:
If you are a beginner, it would be wise to just start the basic exercises below. You could preform them in a circuit series for 3 sets every other day or however you would like to setup your routine. Feel free to contact me anytime if you would like assistance in setting up a workout using bodyweight. This is one of my true passions as performing these exercises has become a challenge and fun at the same time.
Push-ups
As everyone knows, this is one of the most basic exercises in the bodyweight book. However, it is a awesome muscle builder when performed correctly. The push-up can be performed in several different variations making it a very versatile exercise. Push-ups build the chest muscles and add stability and strength. They build various muscle groups such as the pecs, delts, shoulder, triceps, and upper back muscles. Advanced forms of the push-up include pyramid push-ups which is performed by going down for 1 rep and coming back up to hold for 1 second then going back down for 2 reps and holding for 2 seconds. You keep building on this until you can no longer perform the exercise. Dive-bombers are also and excellent advanced form of the push-up performed by putting yourself in a v-position with your butt in the air. You then swoop down like a dive-bomber with your noes almost touching the ground and you then flatten out into a parallel position. As you get to this position, you then start to bring your head up into the air like you are coming out of the water looking forward at the top of the exercise.
Pull-ups
These are on the top of my list as my all time favorite. I perform these daily with no problems. One thing I love to do is stop at the park on my lunch break and perform 3 sets in various forms each day. This exercise works the lats like no other exercise I have performed. It assists in building the traps, biceps and the pecs. With all these muscles involved in just one rep, it is no wonder it is such a great muscle builder. Advanced forms of the pull-up include pull-ups with static hold. This is performed by doing a full pull-up but near the bottom of the rep perform a static hold. I do them just like I do the push-up – do 1 rep and hold for 1 second, do 2 reps and hold for 2 seconds building on to the pyramid until I can no longer perform the exercise. The muscle-up is another advanced form of the pull-up performed by pulling yourself up to the bar and then over the top and pressing yourself up and over. This exercise is extremely difficult and is one of my current goals to achieve a set of 5 over 3 sets. One-arm pull-ups is one of the greatest challenges. This requires pure brute strength and is considered by many one of most advanced forms of the pull-up.
Dips
Dips are right up there with pull-ups for me. I love to find any place I can to perform them. I will do them at home, the park and even at work. They can be performed off the seat of your chair, in between two desks, in between two chairs, or on the stair railings. Basically, anywhere you can place your hands at least shoulder width apart and dip down without hitting your legs. I perform these throughout the day with great love and appreciation. The dip works the triceps, pecs, and parts of the back to varying degrees. It is a nice compound exercise that doesn’t involve isolating one muscle group. This makes it a win for you to target several different muscles. The dip is performed by holding yourself between two bars with hands at least shoulder width apart and lowering yourself down until your arms are bent at a ninety degree angel. Note that the wider your grip, the more emphasis that is placed on the pectoral muscle. Advanced forms of the dip include static holds, adding weight between the feet and going slower through the movement.
Although these exercises are just the beginning of a bodyweight exercise. They offer advanced forms that will keep you working into the night to complete some of them. However, I feel these exercises are some of the greenest out there and truly represent green fitness to the max.
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Tags: bodyweight exercises, dips, eco fitness, green exercise, green fitness, green workout, pull-ups, push-ups
August 29th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
I really should take up one of these because I get out of breath just running to get a doughnut in the morning.
August 29th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Well you shouldn’t be going anywhere for a doughnut they are the worst food for the human body. You should also just start at least in the morning with one set of all these bodyweight exercises before going to work. Then steadily progress to more and more.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Hi
Fantastic website this is what i have been looking for.
Every web site i go to tells me how to be a body builder…sheesh im 36 way overweight and view exercise as a chore not a hobby. Anycase question i have is this. Im an Endomorph an overweight one at that.
Id like to use bodyweight exercises to lose weight and gain strength and muscle.Im told i need to do a large amount of cardio to lose the weight and given that im an asthmatic its not a bad idea i guess.
Im thinking something like this
Burpee
Chin-up
Dip
Press-up
Squat thrust
Rope jumping for cardio as well as jogging
all done 6 days a week
Am i close to being right?
Thanks
August 30th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
James you will definitely get in shape with that routine. However starting out I would not over do it as you will just burn yourself out. I have been at this for quite sometime and have now just begun to put myself through the ringer. I do a circuit much like you are pointing out but from what you explain this is not something you are ready for at this time. Please just stick till the basics and move through them until you get your strength and start to get a little conditioning. Once reach that point you can move on with these exercise and do them as much as you want. I pretty much do bodyweight exercises throughout the day. I like it because I don’t have to depend on the gym being open.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Nice post. I’m in the process of upping my Pushup work and once I hit maintenance phase, I’ll tackle pullups. Couple questions since you seem to know these well:
1 – Dips; Do you prefer body-builder style with body in a forward lean or gymnast style with body in more of an upright position. (and where are your elbows?)
2 – Pulls; So much talk about all the hand positions. Is there REAL benefit to underhand or for wide-grip?
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:40 am
Christopher,
Dips – I prefer to do dips in a more upright position. This allows me to focus more on the triceps which is what I am trying to work when doing dips. The body-builder style with a more forward lean place a little more stress on your chest and works the pectoral muscle a bit more than doing them upright. Both will work however it just depends on what muscle you are trying to work.
Pulls – Yes there are different benefits to pull-ups and your hand position. If you are using proper technique and form you will be able to feel the different muscles worked. I try hard to really concentrate and use proper technique as a lot of people will just through themselves up. The only time this may get sloppy is when I am doing squat jumps into a pull-up. At the park I sometimes will do rep of 5 wide grip pull-ups, 5 reverse pull-ups, and then hold the monkey bars and do what I call shoulder pull-ups where I pull my shoulder up and touch the bar. This is all done one right after the other without leaving the bar. This is a huge pump for all the muscles involved.
September 6th, 2008 at 1:13 am
People come join the 30k member family at http://www.bodyweightculture.com!
The best bodyweight workout site online.
September 6th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Nice community. Joining up.
September 9th, 2008 at 2:05 am
Hi,
For life I have been practicing yoga and body weight exercises. I will vouch that they are far superior to weight training in a gym. First and foremost one has himself everywhere and everytime, there is no need for equipment, space or expenses. If one can have company while doing it, the exercises are very enjoyable.
I have been doing pull-ups, dips and rope climbing since I was a boy and to this day (I am 57) I am able to manage my body with ease and grace. An example I often quote to my friends is that if ever one is caught in a blaze or the car goes down a ravine, one should be able to pull himself and others out of the predicament. This is only possible in case one can carry his own weight and have energy left after doing it.
I am a fan of yoga and love the Surya Namaskar (Sun Dance). I often do up to one hundred Namaskars at a stretch, or throw in multiple push-ups in each namaskar. The beauty is that one can experiment and vary his pace and content as per choice.
I have a great deal to share. Do stay in touch.
Yours Sincerely
Col Ravindra Dixit
December 22nd, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Any ideas for natural body weight exercises for the legs?
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I do several different exercises for my legs. My favorite is Hindu squats on your tip toes. These really give you a workout and work the quads. You can also do prisoner squats with hands behind the head back straight and feet flat. Then just squat down. Also try bodyweight lunges as well. Glutes as well and I have provide a link to video below showing this on my site. As far as the calves the number one thing you can do for them is sprints and more sprints. In cold weather I have resorted to using a jump stretch band tied to a poll using cotton hand wrap used in boxing. I will provide links to all these at bottom of this page. Basically you just continually wrap the hand wrap around the poll with the band attached. This gives you more length on the band as you don’t have to tie it to the pole. I hope this advice helps.
Jump Stretch Band
http://www.flexcart.com/member.....38;pid=245
Cotton Hand Wrap
http://www.muaythai-fighting.c.....-hw-1.html
Bodyweight Glute Exercise
http://www.greenfitnessworld.c.....the-glutes
August 14th, 2009 at 9:32 am
What do you recommend for a bit of a beer belly? I do carido
workouts but I can not shake this thing! Also, should I do full
situps or modified crunches? I have cases for both. Thanks Scott L.
August 26th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Scott, I would suggest not only sit ups but also some extra
running. If you are doing cardio and not losing the gut..then maybe
its time to take the carido up a notch.. James B.
November 7th, 2009 at 5:48 am
what is the easiest way for getting rid of Stomach fat…
November 11th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Well they are really simple but hard for many to implement effectively. The first is eating a correct diet. In my opinion do not overdue the meat and start looking into going just raw. Raw fruits and vegetables are most likely your best bet. That is your decision to make however. The next thing is to start working with your body and understanding it. Start performing bodyweight exercises and start with the basics pushups, pullups, dips. Once you get those move towards more advanced moves.