The best things in life sometimes are free. If you want to exercise but also save money, there’s no reason you need to buy equipment or join a gym. It’s always nice to have everything necessary and not have to spend one extra dime. When you have no equipment, bodyweight exercises come to the rescue. These exercises aren’t new. Many have been around for centuries. Spartan and Greek soldiers often trained using bodyweight exercises before going into battle. You can do them anywhere and never have to miss an exercise session.
Push-ups are one of the most popular bodyweight exercises.
You don’t need any equipment for bodyweight exercises, but an exercise mat will provide a clean surface, especially if you’re in a hotel room. You can make the push-ups easier by doing them on a bent knee or more difficult by putting your hands straight out in front of you with your arms straight above your head instead of placing your hands under your shoulders. Placing your hands further apart or closer together works different muscle groups. You have a multitude of exercises by modifying this bodyweight exercise.
Burpees are the ultimate in combination bodyweight exercises.
You may have heard of squats. To do one, bend your knees and drop like you’re about to sit and stand back up. A high plank is another bodyweight exercise done by holding your body up on your hands and toes while keeping your body straight, similar to the start of a push-up. Do burpees by dropping into a squat. Then, place your hands on the floor and jump back your legs to a high plank position. Lower your body as you would in a push-up. Jump your feet forward into the squat position. Rise rapidly and jump in the air. Repeat as many times as possible.
Create a circuit of bodyweight exercises to boost endurance and strength.
Circuit training is a rotation of exercises that form a circuit. Each targets a different muscle group. You don’t rest between exercises. You complete a specific number of repetitions of each exercise to create a set. You do all the exercises in a circuit with little rest between them, only resting at the end of each set. A total body workout might include 5 to 20 repetitions of the reverse lunge, squats, side lunges, push-ups, mountain climbers, and jumping jacks.
- Bodyweight exercises include yoga poses. Downward dog, the warrior, and the cat-cow duo are a few. Yoga uses no equipment and works the muscles by using the force of gravity.
- If you want to test your leg strength, sit on the edge of a chair with one knee bent and that foot flat on the floor. Extend the other leg. Try to stand up without using your hands. If you can’t, you need strength training.
- The older you get, the more common moves become challenging exercises. To get out of a chair easier and build strength do a combination of wall squats, lunges, bridges, and single-leg standing.
- When you start any exercise program, check with your healthcare professional first, especially if you have existing health issues. Start slowly and focus on form before pushing yourself.
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