Want to add a boost to your regular workout? Try some body weight moves to tone and hone your physique! These types of exercises should be an important part of your routine because they assist in skeletal development through the usage of the body’s stabilization muscles. Body weight exercises are a superb way to tone all aspects of your body’s muscular structure and are a great way to warm up or to end a resistance session. These are the 4 body weight exercises you need to add to your workout.
1. Planks
The plank works your core and stabilization muscles but actually trains every muscle in the body. To perform a plank, rest on your elbows with your forearms flat. Lift your body up with your toes and keep your back horizontal and straight. Try holding the plank for 60 seconds then add on time as you improve.
2. Push Ups
Push ups are awesome for emphasizing all the aspects of the upper body. When done from different angles, they can prioritize different areas. Incline push ups (hands on a bench) are great for targeting the lower chest. Diamond push ups are great at targeting the middle of the chest and the triceps. Decline push ups can be done with the feet on a bench and target the shoulders nicely. Add push ups to your routine to get that little extra. Check out our blog on effective push ups here.
3. Air Squats
Squats are a staple favorite exercise because they target every aspect of your lower body. The beauty of the exercise is that it can be performed in so many different ways that, much like push ups, will all place a particular emphasis on slightly different areas. Standard squats will simply help tone and develop the endurance in every area of the lower body, but by altering the foot position and turning the feet out while adopting a slightly wider stance, the squat then targets the glutes and outer quadriceps more which will help develop a firmer booty. Variations like squat jumps, pop squats, alien squats and even tuck jumps can help to develop anaerobic fitness whilst working the muscles into overdrive. Watch Kelsey do a proper air squat here!
4. Pull Ups
The pull up is widely regarded as being the king of upper body exercises and the measure of superior upper body strength. The truth is that it is simply a great exercise for all aspects of the back of the upper body. Much like our other exercises, the pull up can be performed with several different grip alternations that will all assist in targeting slightly different areas of the back, biceps and forearms. The traditional palm facing in chin up is great for developing the middle of the back and biceps, while the harder overhand pull up will help develop the lat muscles and create a “wing” like shape to the upper body.
Do you think you have these body weight exercises down? Try this sample workout next time you're in the gym:
30-second plank
10 press-ups
10 squats
10 pull-ups
60 seconds rest.
Repeat 4 times in total.
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