Bodyweight exercises are exercises that can be done without any additional equipment. These exercises utilize the weight of your body to develop strength, flexibility, mobility and increase your fitness level. Bodyweight training is one of the original ways people trained in the past and it’s great for a workout routine. Bodyweight training is also not expensive because you can do it anywhere and you don’t need any expensive equipment.
This is one of the most effective ways of exercising your body and while there are many different exercises you can do, there are some that are basic and easy to do but they will still work out your entire body and improve its mobility, flexibility, and strength.
Push-ups
One of the most famous bodyweight exercises is push-up. It’s an exercise that easily shows how resistance training works. Your body is facing the floor while holding on to your palms and toes. One repetition is when you lower yourself down holding your body firmly so it doesn’t touch the floor and then push yourself up in the starting position. To improve your strength, mobility, and flexibility, grab a timer, set it to 1 minute, and do as many push-ups as you can without rushing too much when doing the push-ups. If you’re a beginner you can do this exercise by putting your knees on the ground instead of the toes.
Squats
Another bodyweight exercise that is very easy to do and you don’t need any equipment. Squats are excellent because they activate the entire lower body, especially the glutes, and quadriceps. This exercise might seem easy when you start doing it but after the 15th rep, you will feel that burn in your muscles. Squatting will increase the strength of the muscles in your legs and might even strengthen your knee joints.
Lunges
An exercise that improves strength, balance, flexibility, and mobility all at the same time. There are also many variations of this exercise so you don’t get bored doing just one type over and over again. You can switch out the position of the arms to better control where the weight is going to fall. There is the option of doing side lunges too which has even more arm positions.
Crunches
The crunch is a well-known bodyweight exercise for strengthening the abs. There are many variations of this exercise and you can combine them to target a different area of your abdominal muscles. The most common ones are the standard crunch which is done by raising your torso toward the legs while you lie flat on the ground and the reverse crunch where you lift your legs while you lie flat on the ground. They both activate the entire abdominal wall but the standard crunch has a higher impact on the upper abs while the reverse crunch has an impact on the lower part of your abs. Both of these exercises are improving your strength in your core.
Dips
The dip is an exercise that strengthens your arms, especially your triceps. It also activates your core muscles because you have to keep your entire body off the ground. A bench or a chair are required to do this exercise. You need to face away from the chair and place your palms on the chair behind you, pull your legs in front of you and bend your knees till you are resting on your palms. Afterward, you need to bend your elbows to control your movement and bring yourself down till you touch the floor with your body then push yourself up into the starting position.
Wall Sit
This is an exercise similar to the squat because it activates the muscles on your lower extremities. To perform this exercise you need to stand against a wall with your back turned towards the wall. Start by bending your knees till you get to a sitting position while your back should be flat on the wall behind you. Once you reach the position, hold it for at least 10 seconds and then bring yourself up. This exercise will improve your mobility and strength in your lower leg muscles.
Bridge
The bridge is another exercise that activates the glutes. To do the exercise you need to lie down on the ground on your back. Your knees need to be bent and your feet flat to the ground. Once you have assumed the starting position, you need to lift your hips as far as you can while squeezing your glutes at the end. This exercise activates your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and core muscles and improves strength, mobility, and flexibility.
