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What if I told you that you could transform your fitness, body, & performance using just your body…would you believe me? Well, it’s true! The truth is that you don’t need to lift heavy weights to experience positive results. Research has shown that bodyweight training offers numerous benefits! Bodyweight workouts have repeatedly shown to be effective & efficient when it comes to building strength, endurance, flexibility & balance! Bodyweight training can also help keep the body injury-free which makes it a great method for getting in shape! In this article, I’ll discuss the many benefits of bodyweight training & how you can benefit from implementing this amazing form of training in to your routine!
Bodyweight training benefit #1 - Build Strength
A common misconception amongst a lot of individuals is that to become strong, one must lift heavyweights! While there is a time & a place for heavy weight lifting - one can develop elite relative strength while simultaneously gaining muscle mass with the implementation of bodyweight training. A prime example of someone who was able to build elite strength while also performing at a professional level was a man by the name of Hershel Walker. Walker was a very successful college football player & even won the 1982 Heisman Trophy. Walker went on to play professionally in the NFL for 11 seasons & even fought in the MMA after his football career! To perform at that level he must have been in the gym hitting the weights hard - right? Wrong! According to a 1982 Sports Illustrated article, My Body’s Like an Army, Walker used only bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, and sprints. Walker was undoubtedly genetically gifted, but by constantly progressing the aforementioned bodyweight exercises, he was able to continuously scale up his workouts & make gains!
Bodyweight training benefit #2 - Muscular & Cardiovascular Endurance
Bodyweight exercises typically tend to include higher repetitions than traditional weight-based resistance training. Performing higher repetitions (8-12) leads to improved muscular endurance - which is an excellent adaptation to possess. Having muscular endurance helps you perform daily tasks for a longer period without easily fatiguing. Being able to perform tasks for a longer duration leads to a lower risk of injury - Definitely a good thing. In addition to all of those amazing benefits, having muscular endurance also aids developing good posture & even helps improve sports performance!
Not only are bodyweight workouts effective at building muscular endurance, but due to the potential variability with bodyweight workouts, you can effectively train your metabolic pathways by simply adjusting the duration, intensity, & rest interval of the workout. This makes bodyweight training an effective tool for improving cardiovascular health as well!
It’s important to remember that activities such as climbing, retro running, running, walking, & hiking are all bodyweight exercises as well that can be utilized as good forms of cardio.
Bodyweight Training benefit #3 - Burn Fat & Build A Lean Athletic Physique
Just a few minutes of bodyweight circuit training can have a major impact on the body’s metabolism! Increasing metabolism aids in building & maintaining lean muscle. Having a better metabolism also helps burn fat by enhancing your body’s ability to burn more calories while at rest (BMR)! Here’s a secret…training bodyweight movements such as pull-ups, push-ups, inverted rows, & air squats in a circuit style helps me maintain my physique & stay shredded!
Bodyweight training benefit #4- Develop Better Balance
The beauty of bodyweight training is that your body is constantly working on stabilizing itself throughout each exercise! For this reason, bodyweight training is super effective at strengthening stabilizer muscles surrounding the joints & building better balance & proprioception. Possessing better balance translates into more efficient movement, better coordination & body awareness, as well as improving movement performance. All of these adaptations increase your ability to start healthy while decreasing your likelihood of getting injured!
Bodyweight training benefit #5 - Convenience
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of bodyweight training is its convenience - meaning that you can perform a bodyweight workout from practically anywhere! No need to pay for a gym membership, when you can just work out from home or at the park! There’s never an excuse to not exercise because one can perform a workout from wherever they are!
Another beautiful thing about bodyweight workouts is that they don’t require any equipment! You just have to get creative! Strength exercises such as pull-ups can be performed on a tree branch. Push-ups and variations thereof can be performed anywhere. High-intensity exercises such as plyometrics or sprints can be done anywhere with open space!
Bodyweight Training Benefit #6 - All Fitness Levels
Bodyweight training is great because the workouts can easily be modified & progressed to accommodate & challenge any fitness level. Manipulating the reps, tempo, rest interval & exercise selection are just a few ways to make simplest workouts tougher.
So there you have it! Displayed in this article are 6 reasons why body weight training is amazing & why I incorporate it into my routine. Whether your a novice fitness goer or a pro looking to switch up your exercise routine Bodyweight training can be an effective tool for helping you transform life & achieve your fitness goals!
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