Having watched the Olympic games in 2012 I have gained a new
respect for the gymnasts. I must admit I had previously dismissed the sport without
actually sitting down and watching a competition. I suppose that is the beauty of
the Olympics. It allows you to watch sports you would never normally show any
interest in. As a massive sports fan I instantly regretted my previous decision
and decided gymnastics was the sport of the games. I have massive respect for
the gymnasts with their challenging discipline but also their physiques. It
goes to prove just how effective bodyweight exercise can be.
Bodyweight exercise is something that I have always believed
in and is a very pure workout that doesn't
require fancy gyms or a large amount
of time. It develops your body in proportion and can work almost every muscle
in your body all at once. They are terrific exercises if you don’t have much
time to workout but want to blast your body, plus it’s free as you can do them
in your home, at work, or out and about. Here are some exercises that can be
done and will be greatly effective if they are carried out 3 or more times a
week:
1) Push-ups
Push-ups are a lost art in the gym. People tend to
focus more on weighted exercises such as the bench press and usually load the
weights on as much as they can. I must admit I was guilty of this at some stage
but I found the results to be limited in terms of definition, while my strength
was improving gradually. Don’t get me wrong the bench press and free weights
are something that I value hugely but I believe an overall base needs to be
made in order to make the best gains. A push-up will predominantly work your
triceps, chest, shoulders and core and these can be isolated depending on the variation
of push-up you employ. If push-ups are brought into your routine they will
increase your bench press significantly as well as fill out your t-shirt! Try
the 100 push-up challenge, or alter this to your own limits. Take 20-30 seconds
break in between sets and you can reduce this as you get better. If you can’t
make 100 take note of your number and try and beat it by one more every time
you try it:
25 push-ups
25 push-ups
15 push-ups
15 push-ups
10 push-ups
10 push-ups
2) Pull-ups
This exercise is one of the most
beneficial in terms of a complete upper body workout rolled into one. It
targets your back, shoulders, biceps, core, and forearms. Perfect for building
upper body strength, and you will see the effect of this quickly. If you cannot
lift your body weight most gyms will have an assisted pull-up machine to get
you started. Once you have built up a steady base you can try and complete a circuit
with no assistance. Some people try to do as many repetitions as possible but
this can often limit the strength gain as the majority of us would struggle to
complete a huge amount of these without a break. So like every other exercise,
carry it out in sets and try a high number of sets with low repetitions if
needed. For example 5 sets of 6 repetitions with 30 seconds break in between.
Over time increase the number of repetitions and decrease the rest time.
3) Squats
Squats are a hugely effective way
to burn fat , tone up and increase muscle size. If you are stuck for time and
want a workout a squat is one of the best exercises you can do. If performed
correctly it can work your entire body. For bodyweight squats, you should aim
for high repetition and a high number of sets. For example 15-20 repetitions
for 5 sets and limit rest time in between sets for maximum effect. Squats help
increase power, overall body strength, mobility and balance as well as being a
great form of fat burning exercise. Bodyweight squats allow you to maintain
form and control the movement to get the best gains, whereas with a weighted
squat form can be compromised which will lead to injury and limited gains.
4) Plank
The plank is a well-known core exercise that is
extremely effective when building the core muscles. The core is essential for
overall body strength and a weak core will lead to injuries when lifting heavy
weights and hinder any progression. It is a great way to warm up before a
workout you can implement many different techniques of this to develop
different muscles in your core. Anyone with lower back problems will hugely
benefit from this as it will strengthen you lower back. I recommended starting with
holding the plank for 2 minutes and complete 2 sets of this. To alternate it
you can try the side plank or while holding the plank try doing some push-ups
to increase the difficulty.
