15 Benefits of Bodyweight Training:
As gyms are closing all around the world due to COVID-19, many people are turning towards “at-home” workouts.
Unfortunately, with many “black swan” events (a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalized after the fact with the benefit of hindsight), you are not prepared, and that’s what makes it so frightening, anxiety-ridden, and frustrating.
The uncertainty of what is currently going on may be the scariest part, and this is why people have become so anxious.
Though, there is a way to fix and get around this fear..
The definition of anxiety is the fear of the future.
So instead of focusing on what may happen, you need to focus on what will happen this moment. Because every moment is very valuable.
What Can You Do Today:
Instead of worrying about what will happen in 6 months, 3 months, or 1 month, you need to take care of TODAY.
What can you do today to make yourself better and more prepared for the future?
One thing that you can and should do is train to take your body and mind to new levels.
Now, you don’t have your usual excuse of, “I have no time.”
Actually, I’m sure many would say that they have too much time…
What’s do I think you should do? “It’s time to get to work. It’s time to work on your body and mind, because that is the most important asset that you have.”
Unfortunately, many people, including myself, do not have dumbbells, barbells or weight plates lying around our houses.
I know it’s not because you don’t want to train at home, I’m sure it’s because you feel better and more motivated when you get out of the house and go to the gym.
What Generally Happens When You Try to Work Out From Home
I am sure you have been in the situation before where you had the urge to train at home, but for some reason, you just couldn’t find the motivation or drive to do so.
If you haven’t been in that situation before, don’t worry, I know I have.
The only thing that you want to do is train, but all of a sudden you start finding minuscule things to do around the house (that you would have never done before!), such as: taking out the trash, cleaning the dishes, mopping the floor, etc.
These are all menial tasks compared to a workout which will make you feel a whole lot better.
Generally, the secret is just getting started, and taking it one step at a time.
Getting your workout out in should be one of your top priorities’ every single day.
Personally, when I wake up, (after I drink my 16 ounces of water, make my bed and brush my teeth), I get out a pen and paper and write a daily “to-do list.”
Oh, and of course, I have made myself a cup of black coffee right along with it to help me think a little better 😉
Your 3 Most Important Tasks:
Next to the 3 most important tasks, I write “MIT” (Most Important Thing). I know if I get those 3 things done, my day will be better and I will feel much better at the end of the day.
You might ask, “how do you determine what the 3 most important tasks are?”
It’s simple…
Even though, I love being in the present moment, I take myself into the future, and ask myself “what 3 things can I do today that will make me feel better when I look myself in the mirror at night before I go to bed while brushing my teeth?”
And, with no surprise, the letters “MIT” go next to the words “get a training session in” every single day.
People ask me how to how to become consistent…
You become consistent my making the most important things in your day your top priority!
I know when I get my workout in, the rest of my day will be much better. I will be more productive, feel better, eat healthier, smile more, the list goes on and on, and yours will as well!
People are Doing Bodyweight Training:
Something that has made me very happy in the past 2 weeks has been the massive amount of people asking me for bodyweight workouts, and the same number of people actually getting them done.
One of my favorite quotes is from Charles Darwin, said in 1809, that is often referred to as: survival of the fittest.
He states: “it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent but the one most responsive to change.”
What to Do Without a Gym:
Whenever I start to feel down or not in the mood to train or do any type of work, I say to myself “the real man will always find a way to get things done no matter the circumstance.”
Put simply, you have to ADAPT! If you cannot adapt, you will not survive.
I understand that it may be tough and frustrating to have no access to a gym, but you can make your home your gym.
As long as you have your body, you can get a great workout in.
Let’s talk about the 15 Benefits of Bodyweight Training:
15 Benefits of Bodyweight Training:
1. Enables you to work out anywhere, any place, any time.
-You don’t need to rely on a training partner. You don’t have to rely on a gym. You are in total control!
2. Lower your body fat.
-Bodyweight training burns a lot of calories. When you train properly and eat properly, you will inevitably lose body fat.
-You will burn calories long after training due to EPOC (exercise post energy consumption), which keeps your body’s metabolism elevated after the training has finished. Some people also call this the after-burn effect, because your metabolism stays revved up as much as 14 hours after engaging in a high intensity bodyweight training session.
3. Build muscle.
-When you are pushing yourself with every single rep and during every single set, you will build muscle!
4. Easy Progressions and Regressions.
-Whether you are a beginner or advanced, you can easily make exercises suitable for you based on your fitness level and experience.
-It is easy to make exercises harder or easer with simple tweaks.
5. Challenge your cardiovascular system.
-When you incorporate exercises such as: jumping jacks, burpees, jumping rope and high knees into your training, you will keep your heart rate high, and increase your overall cardiovascular fitness.
6. Move better & More Efficiently.
-Incorporating mobility drills into your warmup and your rest time will improve you overall range of motion, which will help you move better and more efficiently.
7. Can be done in the off-season or in-season.
-If you are an athlete, you can easily tailor bodyweight workouts to be do done during your season or during the offseason.
8. Increased Flexibility
-Bodyweight exercises force you to engage your whole body in every movement which forces all of your muscles and joints to go through a full range of motion.
-Flexibility in addition to proper strength training, will reduce your chance of injury by helping your body and mind become aware of new ranges of motion that it hasn’t used before.
9. Will strengthen your core through compound movements.
-Bodyweight training engages your whole body because proper and efficient movements can’t be done seated in a chair. These total-body movements will increase your core strength and stability as a result of having to be stable through your core throughout every movement.
10. Prepares the body for more load (Weights).
-As the legendary Gray Cook stated, “don’t add strength to dysfunction.” You should not be adding heavy weights to your body if you can’t perform simple bodyweight movements to its full range of motion without weights.
11. Increased Body Control.
-Bodyweight training will help you to improve your body in many planes of motion and throughout many ranges of motion, which will help improve your total body control.
12. Increased Body Awareness.
-You will become more aware of your body in space which will help you in all facets of life, whether you are on a soccer field, on a basketball court or in the street.
13. Better Posture.
-Bodyweight training will help improve your overall posture; in how you stand, how you sit (hopefully not often) and how you move your body through life.
-The increased body awareness will make you become more mindful of how you carry yourself through everyday life.
-Every second you are living; you have the ability to either improve your overall quality of life and the way you move.
14. Help with injury prevention.
-Bodyweight exercises are excellent to help prevent injuries and help you rehab injuries, as you are not using any external load except your own bodyweight.
15. You never have an excuse not to workout.
-As long as you have your body, you have the ability to push your body and mind to new levels by engaging in bodyweight training.
-You don’t need much space.
-You can train on the road when you have no equipment.
How to Start Bodyweight Training:
So now that I gave you all of the benefits, you might want to ask me, “how do I start?”
Whenever I get this question in my “DM’s” or by email, I just tell people to “start.”
Once you start and get going, the momentum of becoming warm and getting your blood flowing, and body moving will make you keep going.
I’m not just going to tell you to start, I will give you a sample workout from my Intermediate Bodyweight Program.
Also, here is a link to a video that shows 100 of my favorite at-home exercises:
The Program:
You can follow this directly. But, just make sure that you tailor it to your fitness level.
____________________________________________________________
Here is how it works:
Part 1:
-Movement Preparation.
-Stretching & Mobility specific to the session.
-This will help you big time with your overall movement, body control, muscle tightness, and how fluid you are.
Part 2:
-Circuit Style Session.
-Try to take NO REST between any of the exercises. This is designed to get your heart rate up as high as possible so we improve your aerobic endurance through the circuit.
-This will help you big time with movement quality, strength, stability, and strength endurance.
-Please pay attention to every little detail. It will do you well!
-Rest the alotted time at the end of each round. Use it wisely 😉
Part 3:
-Finisher is specifically tailored to light up your core.
Lets Start:
Part 1:
Specific Movement Warmup (1-2 sets)
General Cues/Tips:
-Squeeze glutes, contract core, keep feet dorsi-flexed, body always aligned, belly button sucked into navel.
1.World’s Greatest Stretch
Reps: 5 reps each leg
Cueing:
-Hug your knee to your chest.
-Slowly bring it down a couple feet in front of you.
-Bring the opposite hand to the foot.
-Twist both ways.
-Try to straighten your front leg as much as possible. (3-5x)
-REPEAT
Video:
- Down Dog/Cobra
Reps: 5 Total Flows
Cueing:
-Begin on your hands and knees.
-Press the floor away from you as you lift through your pelvis. As you lengthen your spine, lift your sit bones up toward the ceiling. Now press down equally through your heels and the palms of your hands.
-Pedal your feet if you have tight calves
Flow into the Cobra
-Place your hands under your shoulders with your fingers pointing toward the top of the mat. Hug your elbows in to the sides of your body.
-Press down through the tops of your feet and your pubic bone. Spread your toes.
-Inhale as you gently lift your head and chest off the floor.
-Draw your shoulders back and your heart forward, but do not crunch your neck. Keep your shoulders dropped away from your ears.
Video:
3.Hamstring Lengthen:
Reps:15 reps per side, 2 second HOLD at the top.
Cueing:
–Hold your leg right underneath your knee. Leg should be about 90 degrees, or even pulled back a bit further towards your chest.
-Begin by lengthening with your hamstring and calf, and flex your quad to get a relaxation within the hamstring.
–Hold 2 seconds at the top, and repeat.
Video:
- Balance:
–3 Positions: Foot forward, Foot to the side, Foot backwards
(airplane)
Time: 10 Second HOLD at Each Position
Cueing:
–Keep knee slightly bent, quads and glutes turned on, obliques tight, and core sucked in.
Video:
- Explosive Bodyweight Squat:
Reps: 12
Cueing:
-Squat into a position you can jump out of.
-Keep the core tight.
-Use the arms for momentum.
-Think of preparing for a jump!
-Try to be explosive and rhythmic in your approach.
Video:
- Frontal Plank (on floor)
Time: 15 Seconds
Cueing:
-Squeezing as hard as you can! Every muscle in your body.
-Think of trying to bring your elbows to your feet, and your feet to your elbows.
Video:
**NO REST- REPEAT ONCE OR TWICE MORE
Part 2:
Working Sets:
3 sets total
- Wall Sit
Cueing:
-Lean with your whole back on the whole.
-Go into a squat position.
-Legs should be at a 90 degree angle, like you are sitting in a chair.
-Arms diagonally out next to you.
-Palms Facing Away from the wall.
-Press against the wall with the back of your palms to create resistance.
-Open Chest wide, and look forward!
TIME:
Weeks 1 & 2: 1 Minute
Video:
- Pushups
Cueing:
-Plank position on your hands, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
-Keep your entire body in a straight line, and look down with your eyes, keeping that neck neutral.
-Flex your feet and drive your heels as much as possible towards the ground.
-Activate your core by squeezing your glutes as much as possible.
-Suck the belly button into your spine to engage the core.
-Inhale and go slowly down.
-As you are in the down position bring the shoulder blades together.
-Touch your chest to the floor, exhale and explode up!
-This is a moving plank.
Reps:
Weeks 1 & 2: 20 Pushups
Video:
- One Leg Straight Up Core
Cueing:
–One Leg hovering just above the floor (couple inches) each side
-Contract the core and hip flexors and quads as hard as you can, keep your head looking up at all times.
-Keep the glutes on the leg hovering above the ground turned on.
Time:
(Time for Each Leg)
Weeks 1 & 2: 25 Seconds
Video:
- Jump rope
Cueing:
–Keep the core as tight as possible.
-Move from your wrists, and bounce on your toes, try to be as light as possible.
-Knees are slightly bent.
Time:
Weeks 1 & 2: 1 Minute
Video:
5. Bilateral Glute Bridge
Cueing:
-Lie on the floor, face up, and allow your head, arms and back to be relaxed.
-Bend at the legs.
-At this point, you need to squeeze your butt as hard as you can, and slowly lift up vertebrae for vertebrae, raising your hips to make your body a neutral line.
-Hold in this position while keeping your low back and core engaged at all times.
Reps:
Weeks 1 & 2: 15 Reps
Video:
- Dynamic Back Rows
Reps:
Weeks 1 & 2: 15 Reps
Video:
**Complete the whole circuit: rest 1 minute.
You want to be as fresh as possible for each circuit to perform each exercise with proper technique and intensity. Don’t RUSH your rest time, plus, you’ll probably need it 😉
This is done after you finish the entire 3 rounds of the circuit.
Part 3: Core Finisher (2 sets)
- Leg Lifts
Cueing:
-Lie down on floor, and point fully stretched out legs upwards into the air.
-Head is up, and looking towards the sky.
-Support head with hands.
-Lower your stretched legs toward the floor using a slow movement, and then back up.
-Don’t let legs touch the ground. Let them hover over the ground.-Legs Straight!
-Feet Flexed!
-No arch in the back!
Reps:
Weeks 1 & 2: 15 Reps
Video:
- Side Plank
Cueing:
-Make sure your on the edge of your foot, keep your body and head in a straight line throughout.
-Squeezing as hard as you can, especially the glutes, quads, and obliques, make sure the glute that the leg you are on is FIRED on.
-Try to picture bringing your elbow to your foot, and foot to your elbow. Look to split the ground.
-SQUEEZE AS HARD AS YOU CAN!
Time:
Weeks 1 & 2: 45 Seconds Each Side
Video:
- Bird Dog Crunches
Cueing:
-Kneel on the ground in table top position.
-Hands directly over shoulders, knees directly under the hips.
-Get into a nice base position; press into the ground, this will activate the core.
-Keep your feet flexed the whole time, stretching them out.
-Stretch your right leg straight back, keeping it in with the other hip, don’t allow a hip hike. You should feel the GLUTES turn on
-Now, stretch your left arm at a 90-degree angle.
-Pull the elbow back, opening up the chest and shoulders, while activating the back.
-Once you have found your balance, and feel aligned- move dynamically, crunching your head into your knee.
Reps: (1 rep is 1 rep)
Weeks 1 & 2: 16 Reps
Video:
I hope you enjoyed that session!
If you want something specific to your fitness level, you can check out this program, which has a beginner, intermediate and advanced version.
I have made it 50% OFF for you during this uncertain time, using the coupon code BEATCORONA50 if you are interested in something more specific.
The Takeaway Message:
As we both know, there is no best way to workout. It is all based on your goals, exercise history and experience.
Though, at the moment, bodyweight training is the best (for the most part), and definitely, the safest way to go.
Now, it is the time to experiment, see what works best for you, and discover a whole new way to train with your own body.
This way, when the gym re-opens again, you can combine weight training and bodyweight training and reap maximal benefits from both of them.
As always, if you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Eat Well
Move Often
Do What You Love
Spend Time with People You Love
Get a Fresh Cut Like Your Boy
Be Nice to People
Drink Your Coffee
Cherish Your Sleep
& Most Importantly…
Be Yourself!
Talk soon!