Using your body’s own weight in a workout isn’t necessarily a new concept. However, many women are finding that they prefer bodyweight strength training to traditional weight lifting. Bodyweight strength training is great way to workout anywhere, with no equipment necessary. Let’s go over a few bodyweight strength training moves that you can do just about anywhere.
First Thing's First
Before we get started, we need to talk about form. Form is critically important in any method of exercise, but we certainly do not want to neglect it during bodyweight strength training either. Keeping your body properly aligned during your workouts will not only help you to achieve greater results, you’re actually working to prevent injury as well.
How do we achieve proper form? It starts with posture. Stand up straight, and proceed to slowly roll your shoulders back to open up your chest. Elongate your neck to a comfortable position and be sure to keep it relaxed throughout your workout. A common injury for many active lifestyles is injury to the neck during core work and upper body work. Keep your neck soft and relaxed to prevent injuries and headaches.
When performing extension moves to your arms and legs, be sure to keep a slight bend in your elbows and knees. Hyperextension is no joke, and can result in painful injuries to these joints.
Also, aim to keep your pelvis tucked under your belly in a neutral position. A good way to check this is to see if you have a significant sway or S curve in your back. If there is a significant curving in or out around your lower back, chances are your pelvis is out of alignment. To correct this, engage your core, and gently pull your pelvis to a neutral position to create a more natural curve to your back, rather than an extended S curve.
Now that you are focused on form, let’s talk about exercises!
Lower Body
Lower body movements are important to keeping your legs in great shape. After all, if your legs aren’t able to effectively carry you, your ability to move about would be greatly impeded. A few great moves for the lower body include squats, lunges, tuck jumps, and leg lifts.
Each of these exercises targets a different area of the leg to create strong and lean legs. Squats work the glutes, lunges work the thighs and hips, and dynamic jumping moves build cardiovascular endurance and activate fast twitch muscle fibers in your legs for greater speed and reaction.
Upper Body
Many women feel that upper body work can be a bit more challenging than lower body bodyweight strength training. A few ways to work your upper body include push ups, pull ups, and variations of these moves.
Variations of push ups can be completed in a variety of ways. For example, if you are currently focused on building up your strength, try doing push ups on an incline instead of in a plank position. Use a park bench, kitchen countertop, or a plyometrics box to create an incline in the body and focus on using your arms and upper body to perform the push ups with control and purpose.
Core Work
Working your core can whittle down your waist as well as strengthen your back. Your core includes everything around your middle: your tummy, your waist, and your back. Traditional core work includes sit ups, crunches, planks, and variations of these moves.
When doing core work, be sure to keep your lower back pressed firmly against the floor or mat as you use your abdominal muscles to complete your exercises. This protects your back from injury and focuses the work into your abdomen to create a sculpted middle.
More Options
If you are looking for more bodyweight strength training workouts, you can try pilates, yoga, barre classes, or other cross training exercise methods. Pilates is great for a total body workout, while yoga helps to create balance and heat within the body to promote a sense of inner and outer strength.