Bodyweight exercises use no equipment, the resistance comes purely from gravity and your own body.
These no equipment exercises serve as the perfect starter for beginners but can be made equally demanding for even the most experienced athlete.
The ability to move and handle your own bodyweight is something that we learn from a young age. Sadly due to desk bound jobs and a reliance on exercise machines we are often left struggling to handle even the most simplest of bodyweight exercises.
Below you will find a list of bodyweight exercises with videos that start with some of the easiest and progressively get more demanding.
If you want to know how to put bodyweight exercises together into a workout then see my Beginners or Advanced Bodyweight Workouts.
Muscles used: Buttocks, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
Summary: Great exercise for activating the buttocks and teaching the lower back to not overwork.
Muscles used: Hamstrings, Buttocks, Core
Summary: A good buttock and hamstring exercise, that not only challenges your balance but also teaches good core and body alignment.
Muscles used: Glutes, Hamstrings, Buttocks, Upper Back, Core
Summary: The perfect starting point for beginners and an excellent full body exercise. Great for improving mobility too.
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
Summary: A fundamental lower body strengthening exercise. Also helps improve hip mobility.
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
Summary: A more difficult variation of the squat and designed to raise the heart rate a little more.
Muscles used: Shoulders, Chest, Back, Core, Glutes
Summary: A great introduction into stabilising the body using the core muscles. If you can’t perform this exercise then you shouldn’t be doing Push Ups.
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
Summary: A good starting point if you are learning to lunge. Challenging for the lower body as well as your balance.
Muscles used: Shoulders, Back, Core, Glutes
Summary: A tricky exercise but excellent for improving the postural muscles in the back of the body. Tough on the shoulder stabilisers too!
Muscles used: Glutes, Back
Summary: A good exercise for strengthening the back stabilisers. Keep buttocks squeezed tight to protect the lower back.
Muscles used: Shoulders, Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: A favourite for improving strength throughout the full body as well as improving mobility too!
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Back
Summary: A lateral movement that opens up the hips and strengthens the legs.
Muscles used: Core
Summary: A nice standing core exercise that will improve your movement skills and balance.
Muscles used: Core
Summary: Fundamental exercise for teaching good breathing mechanics and strengthening the inner core muscles. A must for all stressed neck breathers!
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
Summary: Strengthen and improve your hip flexibility with this exercise. Fun movement too!
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Shoulders
Summary: A favorite warm up exercise to open up the hips and strengthen the core muscles.
Muscles used: Shoulders, Upper Back
Summary: Improve timing and strengthen the upper back with this exercise. Great as a warm up and if you suffer from bad shoulders.
17 Fast Mountain Climbers
Muscles used: Shoulders, Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: A fast cardio exercise that works into the core and shoulder stabilising muscles too.
18 Side Plank with Rotation
Muscles used: Core, Hips, Shoulders
Summary: A static exercise that strengthen the full side of the body and also mobilises the spine.
Muscles used: Shoulders, Chest, Triceps, Back, Core, Buttocks
Summary: The classic bodyweight exercise that is often performed so poorly. This exercise should be thought of as a moving core exercise.
20 Side Lunge with a Reach
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: Great for single leg strength as well as developing mobility through the hips.
21 Slow Mountain Climbers
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Shoulders
Summary: A favourite core exercise that also helps improve hip flexibility and shoulder stability.
Muscles used: Core
Summary: A great core exercise that needs to be performed slowly and correctly to have any effect.
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: Get that heart rate up and improve your foot speed with this exercise.
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: The ultimate cardio exercise if performed quickly. Ensure you warm up the lower legs first.
Muscles used: Core
Summary: A great core stabilising exercise that requires strength and control.
Muscles used: Core
Summary: A fun and effective core exercise that connects the body together via its cross body sling systems.
27 Bird Dog with Rotation
Muscles used: Core, Buttocks, Back
Summary: A favorite back exercise that challenges the core in flexion, extension and rotation.
Muscles used: Buttocks, Hamstrings, Quads, Core
Summary: Improve your single leg strength and balance with this tricky movement.
29 Double Lunge with Reach
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: The ultimate lunge exercise that builds strength as well as challenging your cardio.
30 Cross Body Mountain Climbers
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Shoulders
Summary: Strengthen your core and improve your hip mobility with this exercise. Great for the shoulders too
31 Single Leg Deadlift with Overhead Reach
Muscles used: Shoulders, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
Summary: Another challenging single leg exercise that works into the back of the body.
Muscles used: Shoulders, Triceps, Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: Challenging exercise that will condition the body from head to toe as well as your heart and lunges.
Muscles used: Shoulders, Core, Back
Summary: A specialised core exercise for those without any back issues. Great for the shoulders too
Muscles used: Shoulders, Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: The ultimate full body exercise for strengthening as well as improving your cardio. If performed correctly great for the core muscles too!
Muscles used: Shoulders, Chest, Triceps, Back, Core
Summary: Tough combination of moves that strengthens the shoulders and chest while improving mobility.
36 Side Plank with Extension
Muscles used: Shoulders, Core, Hips
Summary: Challenge your core muscles and shoulder stability with this exercise.
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: Very demanding strength and cardio exercise only for those who can squat well.
38 Plank to Push Up
Muscles used: Shoulders, Triceps, Core
Summary: A tough moving plank exercise that will strengthen the triceps as well as the core muscles.
39 Single Leg Up and Down Dogs
Muscles used: Shoulders, Back, Core
Summary: An advanced version of the standard exercise that challenges the core even harder.
Muscles used: Shoulders, Core
Summary: Brilliant exercise for challenging the core muscles as well as your hip mobility.
Muscles used: Core, Chest, Triceps, Glutes
Summary: Take your push ups to the next level with this advanced version of the exercise.
42 Reverse Lunge with Lateral Reach
Muscles used: Buttocks, Hamstrings, Quads, Core
Summary: Single leg strengthener that improves your hip and movement skills too.
Muscles used: Shoulders, Triceps, Core, Glutes
Summary: A fun push up variation that improves hip mobility and shoulder stabilisation.
44 Reverse Lunge and Hop
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: A demanding lunge variation that should only be attempted once the regular lunge has been mastered.
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: Improve foot speed, cardio and leg strength with this fun exercise.
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Core
Summary: Get your thinking cap on for this exercise and open up those hips.
47 Cross Body Extension
Muscles used: Back, Core, Shoulders
Summary: A challenging exercise for the shoulders, back and core muscles.
48 Jumping Lunges
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: Reserved only for the experienced athlete. Build strength and cardio quickly with this exercise.
Muscles used: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Back
Summary: Tough exercise for the legs and buttocks. Requires excellent technique.
50 Single Leg Burpee
Muscles used: Core, Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
Summary: Funky exercise only for the very advanced athlete that is comfortable with the regular burpee.
51 Mountain Climber Push Ups
Muscles used: Shoulders, Chest, Triceps, Core
Summary: Build additional strength with this advanced core and push up variation.
Have you tried any of these exercises? What were your results? Let me know in the comments below…
Original article and pictures take kettlebellsworkouts.com site
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