15 Awesome Benefits of Bodyweight Exercises

Benefits of Bodyweight Exercises

Most people believe that muscles are gained from weight lighting, right?  Well, sure, it is true that lifting weights can help to build muscles.

But, after years of only lifting weights, I found another effective way of helping me to achieve my overall body goals.  Yes, you guessed it – I am talking about bodyweight exercises!

While I still lift weights, I also work in bodyweight training to help keep me in the best overall shape.  I was truly surprised by the benefits of bodyweight exercises, which is why I recommend them to everyone!

So, what is bodyweight training, anyway? And who is it for? Let’s find out.

What is Bodyweight Training?

Bodyweight training is a type of strength training. But instead of using gym equipment or weights, this type of exercise uses your body weight as resistance for the movement. So, you can gain maximum health benefits, a lean body, and even ripped muscles without using anything but your bodyweight. Some great examples of bodyweight exercises include:

• Pushups
• Pull-ups
• Sit-ups
• Plank
• Squats
• Lunges
• Handstands
• Ring chins
• Ring dips
• Box jumps

Who Should Do Bodyweight Exercises?

Bodyweight exercises are for everyone! People from all age groups can perform simple or complex bodyweight exercises according to their goals and fitness level. These exercises are an excellent option for people who avoid hitting the gym every day. So, if the pricey gym membership is draining your funds or you simply can’t find the time to visit the gym, then these exercises are the perfect choice for you.

15 Benefits of Bodyweight Exercises

Let’s take a look at 15 awesome benefits of bodyweight exercises and why you must try them. Here’s why I love bodyweight exercises!

1.  Super-Effective Workout Routines

Bodyweight training, especially plyometrics, yields super impressive results. These exercises push the muscles to exert maximum force in the minimum amount of time. It is backed by scientific research that a single bout of plyometric exercises can affect muscle fibers. This makes it a highly efficient form of exercise. So, instead of logging hours at the gym, try out these exercises. You will attain awesome fitness benefits through significantly shorter workouts

Since you don’t have to handle any equipment, it is easier to switch from one exercise to the other. Switching quickly between exercises reduces your rest time. This boosts the heart rate and burns more calories. All in all, bodyweight exercises are extremely efficient and will help you reach a new level of fitness in no time!

2.  Lose Those Extra Pounds

Bodyweight training is a mean calorie killer. In fact, it is one of the most effective ways to burn fat quickly. So, if you are looking to shed those extra pounds, bodyweight exercises are an excellent option for you. If weight loss is your primary goal, it is best to incorporate HIIT exercises into your bodyweight training routine. These exercises will burn calories like crazy. Plus, they’ll help fire up your muscles.

Here’s a list of some HIIT exercises to include in your bodyweight training:

• Hand-release push-ups
• Russian Twists
• Single leg burpees
• Tuck ups
• Lateral lunges with hops
• Superman with lateral raises

Work all these exercises in your routine to gain maximum benefits of bodyweight exercises. These exercises work to reduce weight by improving your metabolism. As a result, your body continues to burn calories long after you are done with the exercise.

3.  No Costs Involved

Fitness should not come with a hefty price tag. After all, it is not a luxury but a necessity. Unfortunately, going to the gym or buying gym equipment and fitness machines can be pricey. Thankfully, bodyweight training is free of cost!

Since these exercises do not require any equipment, they offer a cost-effective solution to hitting the gym. You can perform these exercises whenever and wherever you want without spending a single penny. What else can we ask for!

4.  Build Up Core Strength

When we talk about the core, most of us automatically think of abs. However, the core involves a lot more than just abs. The core includes abdominals, back muscles, obliques, and muscles around the pelvic area. We use our core muscles as we perform daily activities like walking, sitting, bending, reaching, etc.

Moreover, training these muscles helps improve your posture and balance. For all these reasons, it is essential to pay attention to the core muscles. The good news is that bodyweight exercises can help you strengthen the core. This is because most of these exercises engage core muscles and eventually, strengthen them. Some bodyweight exercises that you can try to train your core include:

• Jackknife sit-ups
• Burpees
• Mountain climber
• Oblique crunch
• Reverse crunch
• Hanging leg raise
• Plank

5.  Easy Progression

Bodyweight training allows for progression like none other. Something as simple as trying different hand placements can be a progression in case an exercise becomes too easy to perform. For instance, if ordinary pushups don’t feel like much of a workout, you can progress to archer pushups. In short, with bodyweight training, there’s always progression!

6.  Anywhere, Anytime!

Going to the gym on a daily basis can be off-putting for many people. While some people find it hard to clear up their schedule, others dread the traffic on the way. Also, a lot of people simply don’t enjoy working out indoors. On top of that, gyming can also get boring and redundant. Repeating the same workout can make you lose interest and quit exercising altogether.

Luckily, bodyweight exercises are the solution to all these problems. This is because you can perform these exercises whenever and wherever you want. Since these exercises don’t require any equipment, all you need is a bit of space and you are good to go! Instead of dragging yourself to the gym, you can train anywhere. Be it a beach, a park, or your own room – nothing’s stopping you from exercising whenever you want!

7.  Safe and Easy Exercises

Bodyweight training is safer than other kinds of workouts, especially the ones involving heavy weights. So, everyone can try out these exercises regardless of age, fitness level, or experience. What’s more, is that these exercises can actually reduce the chance of injury as they can improve flexibility big time! Therefore, they are often used in rehabilitation programs to encourage a speedy recovery.

8.  Enhanced Flexibility

Enhanced flexibility is definitely one of the benefits of bodyweight exercises.  As you perform these exercises, your body goes through a complete range of motion. Your joints move freely, your muscles stretch, and your posture improves. All of this works to enhance your flexibility. Keep in mind that improved flexibility can reduce the chance of injury, which is why it is important to work on it.

If you want to work specifically on flexibility, you can try out yoga. Yoga is also considered as a type of bodyweight training. Yoga exercises are known to improve flexibility.

9.  Improved Coordination and Balance

Another benefit of bodyweight exercises is that they allow you to improve your coordination and work on your balance. This is because these exercises increase body awareness, allowing you to practice better control. Plus, as we discussed above, these exercises train your core. As a result, your balance improves significantly. This is why bodyweight exercises work great in improving athletic performance.

10.  Strength and Muscular Gains

By now, you should have no doubt that bodyweight exercises are ideal to build up strength and stamina. The real question is can you get ripped muscles with bodyweight exercises? The short answer is yes. It is possible to build muscles through bodyweight exercises.

The good news is that while the task at hand is difficult, it is not impossible. In other words, all you have to do is plan your workouts strategically. Simply doing more and more reps won’t help. So, plan strategically to make sure you hit all the muscles in the body. Here’s a list of some bodyweight exercises that you can try to buff your muscles.

• One-arm chin-ups to target biceps and back muscles
• Pistol squats to build leg muscles
• One-arm pushups to hit arms and chest
• Use pull-up bar to target lat muscles

11.  Fun and Enjoyable Workout

Hitting the gym is one of the most common New Year resolutions. And, sure enough, every year, we see more people visiting the gym in January. However, give it a month and most people would have already given up on their resolution. Why is that? The answer is simple – going to the gym every day gets boring real quick!

That’s not the case with bodyweight training. There are countless variations of bodyweight exercises, so you can always spice up your routine. You can rest assured that staying fit will never get boring for you. This is perhaps one of the biggest benefits of bodyweight exercises as they turn a tiring activity into something you can look forward to.

12.  Combine Cardio with Strength Training

Bodyweight training is the complete package. Meaning, it not only builds strength but can also be an excellent form of cardio. So, if you are pressed for time, you can incorporate strength training and cardio in a single workout. The trick is to perform short cardio sessions, like burpees or jumping jacks, between sets of strength exercises. This way, you will boost the heart rate while also improving strength and muscle development – all in one go!

13.  Perfect for Everyone

Bodyweight training has something for everyone. The list of bodyweight exercises is so versatile that you won’t have a problem finding the perfect exercises that you enjoy. This is a refreshing change from working out with machines and equipment at the gym. Plus, these exercises allow for progression. You can increase or decrease the number of reps, go super fast or uber slow, or even try a different exercise that is more challenging. The choices are limitless. In short, bodyweight training is flexible and allows you to adjust your workout routine. This is why it is the perfect choice for everyone!

14.  Improves Mental Health

One of the most surprising benefits of bodyweight exercises is that it has a positive impact on your mental health. Research shows that resistance exercises are a great way to battle anxiety and build up self-esteem. Plus, it has a significant impact on overall mental health. In short, these exercises literally help you lead a happier and healthier life!

 

15.  Workout on Your Terms

The biggest reason why bodyweight training is my favorite workout is that it allows me to exercise on my own terms. It is almost impossible to experience this kind of freedom with any other type of exercise while still getting killer results. Not only do I get to choose the exercises that I enjoy, but I can also adjust them and keep track of my progression. Plus, when you add in the liberty to train outside in the fresh air or under the sun, I see no reason to quit bodyweight training ever.

Conclusion

In this article, we covered 15  benefits of bodyweight exercises.  Bodyweight training is an effective way to help build muscles.  Combined with HIIT, they quickly burn calories to help you lose extra weight.  Bodyweight exercises are great at building core strength and they can be done anywhere. They also can help to improve coordination and balance.  These are just few examples of the many benefits of bodyweight exercises.

Other benefits of bodyweight exercises include that they can be done anywhere & anytime.  Progressions can be as easy or as difficult as you want and they can be fun & enjoyable workouts.  I hope I have convinced you of the many benefits of bodyweight exercises and to give bodyweight training a try!