As a personal trainer A great many of my clients have failed to realise how effective exercises which only uses the bodies own weight, that is until I put these exercises into their workout routine. I feel that this vastly overlooked method has a lot to do with a great many fitness magazines, showing a great many images in their publications of people using weights in a gym.
One of The main benefits of using the bodies own weight to exercises is that no equipment is needed, and the exercises movements, can be done anywhere and a great many cane be incorporated into a workout routine. So technically your own body weight can make workouts just as hard as using dumbbells, kettle bells, bar bells, and any other gym equipment that one can think of. An example of just a few of the more popular exercises that my clients use are listed below
Squats. This exercise will target the quadriceps, and will engage the core and every muscle in the lower body including the glutes, hamstring and calves.
Push Up. This exercise will target the pectorals major, the front deltoids and triceps, it is surprising to find that 75% of the bodies weight is lifted when a standard push up is preformed. it is important to tighten the Gluteus maximus and abdominals in order to engage the core
Triceps Dips. A great deal of women seem to find the area at the back of the arms a constant bug bear to tone up, because of the so called “bingo wings”. Triceps dips will target this area
Pull Ups. Over all this is one of the best core exercises that you can use in your workout, as Pull ups target your latissimus doors muscles, as well as the core, biceps, middle and upper back.
The Plank. With this exercise the elbows are positioned directly over the shoulders, the stomach muscles and glutes are kept tight throughout the duration of the exercise
There are many more exercises so why not Just explore and have a go!