5 Reasons to do Bodyweight Workouts

Bodyweight – we all have it. The better news is bodyweight workouts are highly effective ways to workout. You can workout anywhere without extra equipment. Here are five reasons to focus on doing bodyweight workouts.

#1 Bodyweight Workouts Are Safer

When compared to workouts using weights or equipment, bodyweight workouts are much safer. By just using your body as resistance you there is less chance to get injured. About the only thing to watch is limiting the number of repetitions as you progress.

Overall bodyweight workouts are safer.

#2 Bodyweight Workouts Are Easy to Scale

There are so many variations of different bodyweight exercises you can do that it is easy to scale from easy to difficult.

Consider working your posterior chain: glutes, hamstrings, calves. You could use these movements:

• Good mornings
• Air squats
• Overhead air squats
• Pistols – one leg squats

With bodyweight workouts each movement can be varied to provide a challenge from beginner to maxed out fitness nut.

#3 Bodyweight Workouts Can Be Done Anywhere

As Cube Dwellers often travel is part of the job. I’ve seen fitness centers in lots of hotels and frankly there are many I would gladly not spend time in. Bodyweight workouts can be done anywhere. Even in your hotel room while on the road.

Get out for a jog, stop at a park, and work through a bodyweight circuit.

Or my favorite is when I’ve been able to travel near the ocean and do a workout right on the beach.

#4 Bodyweight Workouts Builds Functional Fitness

Everyone has different reasons to focus on their fitness, but most likely being able to live life shows up on the list. Being in shape lets us each enjoy all life has to offer. Bodyweight workouts build functional fitness since they use your body in practical movements. By getting fit with bodyweight workouts you are not isolating muscles but building strength and stamina in a way you can use.

Doing mountain climbers in my home gym built my own strength for exploring the Rocky Mountains. On one hike last summer with my team from work, two of us decided to scale one of the nearby peaks. One section was steep turf. We ended up going up by putting mountain climbers into action – very functional fitness.

#5 Bodyweight Workouts Are Fun

To stay in the game of fitness for a lifetime it has to be fun. Bodyweight workouts are fun because there is so much variety and when combined with high intensity interval training (HIIT) they pack a powerful workout into a short period of time.

Adrian Robles posted this list of 5 Reasons to do Bodyweight Exercises and had this great quote:

There are lots of people who want to convince you that you need high powered gear, complicated gadgets and expensive weights to get in great shape. In all honesty, it’s simply not true! In fact, there is one method that people (including the military) have been using for hundreds of years to get themselves into amazing shape and it’s always proven to work – bodyweight exercises.

You’ve got all you need to crank out a Bodyweight workout. What will you do?

Example Bodyweight Workout

Want a sample to give it a go?

Try doing three rounds of this workout. Aim to take no rests between exercises, then take a 1 minutes break between rounds. I love this simple circuit.

1. 10 – Handstand Pushups
2. 10 – Burpees
3. 20 – Mountain Climbers

If you want to scale back, here are some ideas.

1. Handstand Pushups – do regular pushups, or incline pushups instead.
2. Burpees – do air squats, or burpees without the pushup
3. Mountain climbers – hold a plank for 20-30 seconds.

If you want to scale up, turn up the reps or add another round.

Have fun and let me know how it goes.