I know the feeling; no time to join a gym and make all those
early morning workouts, family and work commitments and a lot more excuses than
I have fingers and toes! How do I know
this? Well because I have been there and done it!
Don’t get me wrong, I am not being preachy or condescending,
I know firsthand how difficult it can be to squeeze in a fitness routine to
your busy schedule, but you know what? It’s worth it.
Today’s article is inspired by my struggles to get into some
form of fitness when I had very little time to spare and more importantly, when
I had no money for gym membership! So as the first installment in a two part
series, I am giving you 8 bodyweight exercises that are very simple to master
and can be done anywhere and anytime. As the title implies, bodyweight
exercises do not need machines weights and almost no equipment to carry out,
all you need is some knowledge, your own body and gravity to create the torture
effect!
So if you really want to get fit and strong while saving
time and money, try these 8 workouts and I promise you will never regret it!
Thanks and do have a wonderful weekend!
1.
PUSH UP/ PRESS UP:
Whatever you want to call this exercise,
it’s all good, I call it a classic! The push up has been around from the very
first day the skinny cave man decided he needed to bulk up! The push up is an
exercise that is so easy to master, it’s almost instinctive. If you want to
build your chest, shoulders and arms, this exercise is for you.
EXECUTION:
Get on the floor, balanced on your toes and
palms, with your hands turned slightly towards each other. Make sure your back
is straight and strong, and your bum is neither elevated no your stomach
sagging, then push up off the floor till your arms are straight, then lower
yourself slowly till your chest almost touches the ground then push up again
for the next repetition. Note: make sure
you tuck in your elbows as close to your body as possible so as not to put undue
stress on your shoulders.
2.
GLUTE BRIDGE:
Now this is not a pretty or popular
exercise but it’s an important one! The Glute Bridge targets your core and
pelvic area specifically; this is a neglected bodyweight exercise that helps
with developing a correct posture. The Glute Bridge has the double benefit of
giving you a strong pelvis in front and help to develop your glute (bum)
muscles in the rear. Strong glutes also help stabilize your back and deal with
posture issues.
EXECUTION:
Lie down on your back, with your knees bent
and your arms flat at your side and palms down. You then raise your hips off
the floor and squeeze your buttocks together at the same time, raise your hips
as high as you can and hold the squeeze for a second, lower your hips back to
the floor and repeat again.
3.
BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT:
The challenge of squatting on a single leg
will help build your thighs, hamstrings and pelvic muscles at the same time.
When it comes to bodyweight fat burning exercises, they don’t come much better than
the Bulgarian split squat. This exercise requires a workout bench, if you don’t
have one, don’t worry a chair, ordinary bench or even the edge of your bed will
do nicely.
EXECUTION:
Stand with your back to the bench or seat
of the chair, rest your foot flat on the seat of the bench as illustrated and
stand straight on your other leg. You then squat on the one leg till your knee
is at a 90 degree angle, pause for a second and stand up, repeat as many times
as you can then change legs and do the second leg, it will burn!
4.
STAR PLANK:
This is one of a million variations on the
classic plank exercise, I have treated it in the past but its so good, I just
had to mention it again! The star plank is a great exercise for building your
core muscles as well as your shoulders, back and legs. It takes some practice
and you might only be able to do it for a few seconds initially, but stick with
it and watch your 6 pack develop.
EXECUTION:
5.
OVERHEAD LUNGE:
The overhead lunge is another variant on a
classic exercise, the lunge. The lunge is a lower body workout that will
strengthen your thighs, hamstrings and core muscles. Adding the overhead
variation gives it that extra degree of difficulty and improves your balance
and coordination.
EXECUTION:
Stand straight with your feet close,
shoulders back and raise both arms over your head. Then take a step forward and
bend at one knee as illustrated, with your second knee almost touching the
ground, straighten up and take another step on the alternate leg and repeat
till you are exhausted. You can do the overhead lunge in one spot or walking if
you have the space.
6.
JUMP SQUAT:
I know what you are thinking, why so many
lower body workouts?! Well because the lower body has the largest muscle group,
you thighs and activating them will burn more fat and faster too!
In that spirit, the jump squat is just what
you need to get your metabolism revving, as the name implies it involves jumping
and squatting, it helps improve your lower body power and speed and is a
wonderful fat burner.
EXECUTION:
Just like the regular bodyweight squat,
begin in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms
down at your sides. Go down in a deep squat, hold for a second, then come back
up explosively in a jump, land lightly on your feet and go straight back into a
squat for your second repetition.
7.
CLAP PUSH UP:
This is an advanced variation of the
classic push up, it helps build the chest, triceps and abdominal muscles and
does this while building explosive power in your muscles. As an upper body
exercise, it ranks up there with the best of them. Once you have mastered the
push up, its just the next step in evolution and I highly recommend it.
EXECUTION:
Place your body in the normal push up
position as explained earlier, and execute a push up, however try to exert as
much force as possible, when your arm are at maximum extension, push extra and
clap both hands together, bring both arms back and come down without letting
your chest hit the ground. This move takes some time to master but will develop
definition and power in your chest and shoulders faster than a regular push up.
8.
BICYCLE CRUNCH:
If you want abs
of steel, you have to get real and it doesn’t get any more real than the
bicycle crunch. It’s a notorious fat burner and ab builder, its builds the core
like nothing else but be prepared for pain and gain! This is not only an
abdominal exercise but also a cardio workout; it targets the three major
abdominal muscles, upper and lower abs and the obliques (muscles at your
sides). It is also a good way to target your hip muscles and your shoulders as
you struggle for balance.
EXECUTION:
Just like the illustration above, you get
down in a sitting position with your legs stretched out and slightly raised,
your back also raised and your arms on both sides of your head. In a cycling
motion, raise your right knee and move your left elbow to touch your right
knee, then immediately change sides and move your right elbow to touch your
left knee, continue rotating to exhaustion. Do not let your feet or back touch
the ground during this exercise.
Now that wasn’t so bad was it? 8 bodyweight
exercises to build muscle and lose fat, you don’t have to attempt them all at
once, work your way through them till you build strength and confidence, and
you will get there. Next week we will be looking at 8 more bodyweight exercises
you can do at home.
Thanks and do have a wonderful weekend!
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