Bodyweight Exercises: A solution to improving fitness

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Jose Diaz
  • 514th Air Mobility Wing recruiting
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST --  Do you face the dilemma of waking up thinking about working out, but come to the conclusion it's too early to work out or there's too much to do after work?

Some of you may feel you've hit a plateau or feel your workouts have become boring. If so, then bodyweight exercises may give you more options when access to a gym is unavailable, time is limited or you want to kick up your current regiment.

Bodyweight exercises can be a great way to burn calories and improve your fitness level. These exercises can stimulate muscle growth and neuromuscular efficiency, especially if you've hit a plateau in your current weight training program.

Incorporating body weight exercises into your workout as supersets or as a burnout circuit can maximize caloric expenditure. Along with a proper diet, it can also reduce body fat. A superset is completing two exercises back to back with transitional rest normally using either a contrast or complex training method.

Contrast training is completing one exercise such as the Bench Press or Squat and following it up with a faster-paced exercise such as Pushups or Bodyweight Squats.

Complex training is a type of superset training method where you use exercises engaging the same or opposite muscle groups. Examples of complex training combinations would be step ups followed by lunges (agonist) or leg extensions followed by leg curls (push-pull or antagonist).

Burnout circuits shock your body after a workout with similar or different body movements depending on your workout goals. Circuits typically burn a large amount of calories due to the elevated heart rate. These concepts are great when you have time for working out, but there are other ways to reach your fitness goals if time is an issue.

For many of us, free time to exercise or access to a gym may be out of your control. If it's important to you, you'll find a way to accomplish this. If not, you'll find an excuse. There are ways to utilize body weight exercises to effectively train without the use of machines, free weights and stepping into a gym.

Here are some examples of how body weight exercises can be utilized in your exercise program. When performing any exercise, remember the acronym FOSI (Form Over Speed & Intensity). You should never sacrifice your form just to get the last repetition or just to move up in weight. With so many of life's responsibilities being thrown upon many of us, try incorporating some of these workouts into your lifestyle to prevent health and fitness from becoming a low priority.

Burnout Upper Body-after weight training program:
Chest to Deck Push Ups: 20, 20, 20
Push up w/ Oblique Twist: 20, 20, 20
Push up w/ Side Plank: 20, 20, 20
Burnout Lower Body-after weight training program:
Body Squats: 20, 20, 20
Lunges:20, 20, 20
Split Squats: 20, 20, 20

NOTE: Stretch before working out to warm up your muscles, prevent injury and get blood flowing. Ideally, a warm up should be between 3-5 minutes (jumping rope, jumping jacks, jogging in place) followed by dynamic stretches. Dynamic stretches are simple stretches that simulate the exercise/sport. Static stretches should follow a cool down period after your workout (3-5 minutes i.e. jogging place or walking). Static stretches consist of holding the stretch from 12-30 seconds depending on the level of tightness. Static stretches are important because they assist in muscle recovery and reduce lactic acid so you don't have that "I hurt too much to move" feeling the next day.

Sample Body weight workout:
Burpees: 10, 10, 10
Body Squats: 15, 15, 15
Chest to Deck Push Ups: 20, 20, 20
Chest Raises: 10, 10, 10
Lunges: 8ea, 8ea, 8ea
Step Ups 8ea, 8ea, 8ea
Tricep Dips: 10, 10, 10
Shoulder width Pushups: 15, 15, 15
Mountain Climbers: 20, 20, 20
Toe Touches: 10, 10, 10
Oblique Twist: 10, 10, 10
Hip Raises: 10, 10, 10