Wednesday 22 June 2011

Bodyweight Exercises

Personally, I think weights are overrated. Don't get me wrong, they're great but I've found that body weight exercises are just as good if you're looking for good, lean muscle. I've listed below a few common but nonetheless effective body weight exercises and which muscles they train.

Bodyweight Squat - Quadriceps
  • Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
  • Keep your feet as parallel as possible facing the front (don't worry if they're a few degrees off).
  • Push your waist down whilst bending your knees. Think as if you're sitting in a chair, keep your butt down, don't lean forward.
  • Keep your core tight and push up to your starting position.

Push-up/Press-up - Chest and Triceps

Now there are a few different forms of push-ups which work the chest and triceps to different ratios. Some variations include close grip, wide grip, etc. I'm just going to cover the standard but let me know if you're interested in an article covering different types of push-ups.
  • From a lying position, place your hand on the floor shoulder width apart.
  • Keep your body straight and your feet fairly close together.
  • Use your arms, bending at the elbows to push yourself up and lower yourself down.
  • When moving downwards keep your body straight and make sure you're lowering your chest towards the ground, not moving your hips or head downwards.

Chin-ups - Biceps, forearms, lats and traps (a few others but these in particular)

As with the push-up, there are a few variations. I'll just cover the standard one here. Now some of you might not have an actual pull-up bar. I don't either so I make do with using the bar of a swing set outside.
  • Grab the bar at approximately shoulder width apart with your palms facing you.
  • Do NOT jump, pull yourself off the ground until your chin is over the bar
  • Lower yourself down without landing on the ground and repeat.

Well that covers a few simple but good bodyweight exercises, they might seem a challenge initially but after a few weeks you'll be noticing you can perform a lot more without a break in between.

Question: Is anybody interested in some basic nutrition posts?

24 comments:

  1. Good tips, Seeing as how I can't afford to go to a gym I will be trying these out

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  2. gosh, thanks for this, this is one of the most specific blog with these tips ! XD

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  3. Good exercises. I think a nutrition post would be great

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  4. Yes. My diet is primarily composed of week-old Cheetos and milk. I could use nutrition tips ASAP.

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  5. Seeing as everybody seems positive about the nutrion post idea I'll have one done tomorrow.

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  6. sweet, this is great because i dont have any weights! I am also interested in nutrition tips, nutrition is my biggest flaw.

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  7. Great, i've been looking for a good workout for ages!

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  8. Squats are great and you don't even need any weights if you're just starting off!

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  9. Wow, very well detailed. Good stuff!

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  10. Thanks for this blog! I will try to do some of them tonight :P

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  11. Thanks for the info, great blog!

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  12. I agree with DIYGamer.
    Nutrition :o
    Followed

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  13. Ahh this is exactly the blog type that I need :) Keep it up.

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  14. I have had a stress fracture in my back before, are these suitable for me?

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  15. I would advise consulting with your physician before attempting.

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  16. This will really help me out, thanks.

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  17. great tips mate, i'll give it a try just in case i could lose a few kilos before exposing myself at the beach.

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  18. Very helpfull, thanks alot.

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  19. great post! will definately try!

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  20. I'm really getting a lot out of the tips in this blog. Keep up the great work man, you're doing us all a favor!

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