Bodyweight exercises, when done correctly, may be equally as effective as standard weight training programs.
But which exercises are the most effective?
We’ve compiled a list of 8 of the most efficient muscle-building bodyweight exercises into a simple crib sheet so you can start putting your own bodyweight routines together.
- Press-ups
Press-ups are an excellent workout for increasing upper-body pressing strength. Depending on how you alter volume, sets, and repetitions, they can help you gain muscular mass, strength, and endurance.
To do this exercise set up with your weight on your toes and your hands beneath your shoulders, and your body straight. Maintain a straight line between your head, glutes, and heels by keeping your core tight. Lower your body until your chest is an inch off the ground, then thrust up explosively with your arms fully extended.
- Pistol Squat
This difficult bodyweight routine works your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, hip adductors, calves, and core muscles all at the same time. It’ll also help you discover and correct any muscular deficiencies because it’s a unilateral action.
To execute a pistol squat, stand with your arms straight out in front of you, parallel to the floor, at shoulder level. Raise and hold your right leg in front of you. Lower your entire body as far as possible by pushing your hips back. Breath in before you get back to the starting position.
- Dips
Dips are, without a doubt, the finest bodyweight exercise for increasing upper-body strength and growth. Yes, they burn your triceps, which make up around 60% of your upper arms and are definitely worth paying attention to, but after a few rounds of dips, the muscles in your chest, shoulders, and back will start to show themselves.
With your hands facing inward and your arms straight, grab your dip bars. Slowly drop until your elbows are at right angles with your torso, making sure they stay tucked in and don’t flare out.
- Burpees
Due to the huge effort involved, the burpee will offer you a large calorie burn by engaging muscles virtually everywhere on your body.
Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, starting with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on the floor and kick your legs out behind you into a press-up posture from the bottom of the squat. Tuck your legs in at the bottom of the squat position after pushing up until your arms are straight. Repeat the movement by pushing upwards through your heels until you are at least six inches off the ground.
- Handstand Wall Walk
You utilize your shoulders and triceps to execute a handstand. To keep me stable, you also use your upper traps, lats, and serratus. Then you should have a posterior pelvic tilt, which involves engaging your glutes and squeezing your abs to create a straight line.
Position yourself in a handstand against a wall with your feet grounded. Walk down the wall, moving your hands forward, until you reach the bottom.
- Wide-grip Pull-ups
Wide-grip pull-ups are the ideal lat attacker, increasing the amount of work required for each rep compared to a standard pull-up.
With your hands facing away from you and your arms fully stretched, grab the bar. You should spread your hands as wide as you can comfortably. To raise your chin over the bar, squeeze your shoulder blades together, exhale, and press your elbows towards your hips. Return to the starting position by lowering under control.
- Jumping Lunge
Jumping lunges are an excellent leg-strengthening and heart-rate-raising exercise. They assist to improve lower body strength and power while also working out stabilizing muscles around the core and hip flexors when done correctly.
Lunge forward until your back knee is nearly parallel to the ground. Jump forward with your back foot and back with your front foot as you leap into the air. Rep by landing in a lunge stance.
- Jump Squat
Jump squats are the perfect bodyweight workout for speed and power because they mimic the movement of an Olympic lift without the need for a barbell. Explosive actions recruit more muscle, but they must be executed with the utmost care and attention to form.
Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and your bottom is roughly level with your knees, maintaining your back straight. Go right into the next squat after exploding upwards into a leap.
