By FMT’s Lifestyle Desk
A lot of people (flabby, out of shape, people), think that bodyweight exercises – workouts in which, instead of relying on free weights, the individual’s own weight provides resistance for any movement – are a colossal joke. But bodyweight exercises are incredibly effective in helping build muscle and increase strength – and they can be done practically anywhere, with no equipment required (well, you might need to hunt around for a high, sturdy, horizontal beam somewhere). Here are four of the most popular exercises:
Push-ups
They’re generally not hard to do, and there are variations to make them easier or more difficult to carry out. Push-ups involve working out your chest and triceps, depending on how you do it. The closer you have your hands together on the floor, the more triceps activation you get. A typical push up will be done with hands at shoulder width, so you get a great bit of chest activation going on. You can also do clapping push-ups to make the exercise even harder, and grow bigger muscles.
Pull-ups
The pull-up is the greatest test of upper body strength there is. By doing this exercise, you’ll be working a whole host of muscles against the weight of your body. Primarily, pull-ups will target the lat muscles in your back. Also, you get considerable activation in your trapezius muscles, most notably the lower traps. As a bonus, pull-ups will also work your forearms and biceps; it’s an all-round muscle building masterpiece. Most people think you can only do pull-ups in the gym, but this isn’t the case. You can do them on a door frame in your home, for instance. There are also companies like PullUpMate that do portable pull-up stations for indoor use.
Dips
As far as triceps bodyweight exercises go, dips are the best for building muscle mass. The reason for this is that you’re in a suspended position when doing them. So, your triceps are working hard to keep your body stable, while also moving it up and down. And, you can also alter the angle of your body to target your chest more. This means you’re essentially doing a suspended pushup, and can get serious chest growth. You can create your own dipping station at home by using two chairs or the corner of a kitchen counter.
Handstand push-ups
The final exercise will target your shoulders and make them burn like crazy. Simply do a handstand against a wall, and lower your head to the ground then push up using your shoulders. If you can’t do this, then pike push ups are a good alternative. Get into the downward dog yoga pose and lower your head to the floor then push back up.
All of these exercises can be done without any weights at all. And, each can be modified depending on your experience and strength levels. Add them to your workout routine today!
Based on an article first published in www.healthfreakmommy.com