Benefits of Bodyweight Exercises
Many people think they need to go to the gym and use bulky equipment to build strength and fitness. However, bodyweight exercises can be just as effective and provide a ton of other advantages over machine and free weight exercises. In this article, we discuss seven unique benefits of bodyweight exercises that you do not want to miss.
Bodyweight Exercises Build Usable Strength
Bodyweight exercise builds functional, usable strength. Most body weight exercises involve multiple muscle groups and movements that mimic ones you might perform in your everyday life.
Body weight exercises can build strength that you can use in your daily life.
Bodyweight Exercises are Scalable
Don’t believe the myth that bodyweight exercises are only useful for beginners. Advanced exercisers can also gain strength from bodyweight exercises. The key is to use more advanced bodyweight exercises to continue building strength. Moves like the glute ham raise, pull up, archer push up and single leg squat can challenge you just as well as free weight alternatives.
As long as you push yourself and work close to failure, you can get just as strong with bodyweight exercises as with weight training.
And if you have just gotten started with exercise, you can make bodyweight exercises easier too. Instead of floor push ups, try wall push ups. You can do partial lunges or half squats if you cannot yet do the full version. Whatever your fitness level, you can surely find an exercise variation that will suit your needs.
Bodyweight Training Builds Coordination and Balance
Bodyweight training often involves single leg or single arm exercises that challenge your balance and coordination. In contrast, machine based exercises often lock you into a movement without challenging your balance or coordination.
If you want to improve your balance and coordination, consider adding bodyweight exercises to your routine.
Bodyweight Training Improves Core Strength
Bodyweight exercises like push ups, planks and even squats often build more core strength than their free weight and machine weight alternatives. Bodyweight exercises force multiple muscle groups, including your core muscles, to work together. If you want a workout that can train your core while also training your other muscle groups, consider adding bodyweight training to your routine.
Bodyweight Exercise is Free
Bodyweight training is free. If you do not have the money to invest in free weights, or expensive machines, or even a gym membership, you can still get fit in the comfort of your own home. Just try some bodyweight exercises to help boost strength and fitness.
Bodyweight Exercises Help Prevent Injuries
Bodyweight exercises can also help you prevent injuries. Bodyweight exercises often strengthen key stabilizer muscles that help to prevent injuries.
Additionally, bodyweight exercises can help older people reduce the risk of falls. Simple bodyweight exercises can help build strength and stamina and help reduce the risk of falling or slipping.
Bodyweight Routines Improve your Health
Bodyweight exercise can greatly improve your health, strength and endurance at the same time. By performing bodyweight exercises in a circuit format, you can gain strength while also challenging your heart and aerobic fitness.
Simple bodyweight exercises can actually help you reduce your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and improve your overall health.
Bodyweight Workouts Burn Calories
Bodyweight training can burn major calories. An hour-long circuit workout with bodyweight exercises and calisthenics with little rest between sets can burn 300 to 600 calories per hour. If you work at a decent clip and work all your major muscle groups, you can create a strength training workout that burns nearly as many calories as a jog through the park.
Bodyweight Exercise is Versatile
Another benefit of bodyweight exercise is its versatility. Fortunately, you can do bodyweight exercises at home or even at the park. You can train in your hotel room or while on vacation. Bodyweight training helps you boost adherence to your routine because you can do it anywhere or anytime. You do not need to drive to a gym to get started.
Closing Thoughts
Bodyweight exercise is a great choice for building strength, fitness and burning calories at home. If you have not considered adding bodyweight exercises to your routine, consider trying some now. There are so many benefits of bodyweight exercises.
What do you think? Do you enjoy bodyweight strength training? Please let me know in the comment section below.
