healthpositive

Can you strength train and build muscle without a lot of fancy gym equipment? You bet.  Your own body weight is one of the best tools you have at your disposal, making it possible to workout virtually anywhere.Have a big dinner date and no time to hit the gym?  No problem.  Traveling for business or pleasure and can’t take your equipment with you? No Problem. 

There are many things you can utilize and incorporate into your workout that uses your own body weight as resistance and a few simple pieces of furniture.

Advanced trainers will want to make these moves as difficult as possible to keep up with the progress they’ve already made, but make no mistake, using your body weight as resistance will give you results and keep you in shape when you can’t get to your regular workout, or it can break the monotony of your regular routine.

Many strength trainers are already familiar with body resistance exercises like dips, crunches, pull-ups and push-ups.  Just because you have a gym membership and access to all that fancy equipment doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go back to the basics on a regular basis.

There are a number of advantages to using your own body’s resistance.  It can improve core strength and add stabilization.  It adjusts easily to your ability level and there’s no need for special equipment.

Sissy squat.  Contrary to its title, it is not for sissies.  This is a more advanced squat.  Place your feet closer together than for a normal squat, come up on your toes, grab a supporting anchor (like a pole or rail) and bend backwards.  You will basically look like Neo in “The Matrix” dodging bullets, except you’ll have support to hold you up and keep you from falling on your backside.  It’s a great workout for quads.

Hand-stand Push-Up.  This is another exercise for those who are already capable of doing a hand-stand and in great shape.  In this exercise you will go into a hand-stand as usual but add push-ups to the routine.  You need great arm strength for this exercise.  These types of push-ups work the delts and triceps.

Decline Push-Up.  This is a slight variation on the regular push-up except you will place your feet in a chair or on the bed, making your feet higher than your upper body.  This works the chest and triceps.

Dips. Dips work the chest and triceps and can be done with the use of a stable chair. Simply place your hands on the edge of the chair, elbows pointing back towards the seat and dip up and down.  If this workout is too easy for you, you can elevate your feet onto a foot stool or some books, or put a free weight in your lap to add more weight resistance.

Chin-up.  Chin-ups are great for your back and bicep muscles.  These are simple to do although not always easy, especially if you’re a beginner.  The great thing about chin-ups is you get to go outside and play on your kids’ monkey bars.  If you don’t have children you can purchase a chinning bar to place in a doorway.

If any of these exercises feel too easy for you, you can slow down the reps and use less momentum.  Take shorter rest periods in between sets and squeeze harder at the top of the movement.

Occasionally your workout will be interrupted by work and play, but just because you can’t get to the gym is no excuse not to work out.

 Get Fit!

Trackback URI | Comments RSS