"Your Body is a Barbell" - Put on muscle mass without the use of weights.

“Your body is a barbell” - Alwyn Cosgrove.

That quote is one of my favorite. Why? Because you cannot imagine how hard it is to train with your own body weight.

So, you want to work out and build your muscles, but think that you really can’t. Time constraints at work or at home are forcing you to pull away from exercise. You would join a gym, but it seems impossible with the time limitation you face every day. No need to worry. Why? Because I have a set of 9 exercises you can do while you’re at home, at work, or even at the park – and best of all, without any gym-related equipment.

Before I move on to the exercises, I want you to know the benefits of body weight exercises.
Other than the fact they are convenient and save money, they not only build endurance, they also build strength. It doesn’t matter if you go to the gym to do a bench press or use your own body to do a push up. Your muscles do not distinguish between the types of resistance you use. Resistance is resistance in any form.

Good news, right?

Even more so, If you look around you, a lot of objects and items can transform your body into a muscle building machine. Instead of using a step to perform step exercises, simply use the stairs! They serve the same purpose. Instead of buying a pull-up bar, go to a playground and hang off a bar by the swing and pull yourself up!

So the exercises are:

Chair Dips:

This is a compound move that targets your triceps in particular. This version is modified for beginners, and to make it harder, straighten your leg out or put your leg up on another chairHow: Sit on the chair with your feet together. Keep your hands next or slightly under the hips. Lift up onto the hands and bring your hips forward. Bend elbows to 90 degrees and lower the hips down close to the chair. And push back up. Do this exercise for 3 sets and 8-12 reps.

Modified push-ups:

 There are different types of pushups, so make sure you pick the one that is at your fitness level. Push-ups work about all muscle groups in the body; it uses muscles in the chest, shoulders, triceps, back, and the core. How: Stand a few feet away from a wall or a rail, and place your hands so they’re just about wider than your shoulders. Pull the abs in and keep the back straight, then lower your body until your elbows are at 90 degrees. Do this for 3 sets and 8-12 reps.

One-legged squat:

There are so many types of squats you could do, from chair squat to wall squats. Squats work your lower body; such as, gluteus, hips, and thighs. The one-legged squats are more challenging and you could do them using stairs. How: Lift your leg in front of you, bend the other leg while bring the hips behind you. Push into the heel to come up. Do this for 3 sets and 10-16 reps.

Lunges:

Lunges are another great exercise for the legs, because you’ll be working your gluteus and hamstrings, quads and calves. To make Lunges harder, try jumping lunges. How: stand with your leg 3 feet apart, both knees should be at a 90 degree angle. To add intensity, hold a bottle with water or sand. Bend your knees and lower the back knee toward the floor, and keep your front heel down. Keep your torso straight and abs tucked in as you push through the front heel. Go back up and repeat for each leg. Do this for 3 sets and 10-16 reps.

One-legged Deadlift:

The deadlift is a primary strength training exercise, even bodybuilders perform. Performing the deadlift on one leg is challenging enough and it primarily works your gluteus, hamstrings and calves. Hold a heavy book to add intensity. How: hold the weight in front of the thighs and place your right leg behind you with the toe lightly touching the floor. Lower the weights and lift your leg up straight. Keep your shoulders back, abs in, and back straight. Bend the knees slightly if your flexibility is not strong. Push into the heel and go back up and repeat for each leg. Do this for 3 sets and 10-16 reps.

Inverted rows:

This exercise is a modification to chin up, and is a great compound exercise that works your upper back, lats, traps, and bicep muscles. All you need is a bar you can hang off. How: your palms should face away from your body with a shoulder width grip. Keep your elbow tucked and close to your body about 45 degrees. Pull up with your chest and keep your chin tucked in. The bar should touch your chest.  Keep your back straight and abs in. Do this for 3 sets and 8-12 reps.

Plank:

Planks are one of the best core exercises you might ever stumble upon, because they work and strengthen your entire core and abs. To make Planks harder, lift one leg up between 5-8 inches off the floor. How:
your forearms and toes should on the floor. Keep your torso straight and rigid and your whole body in a straight line. Do not bend, and keep looking at the floor. Hold between 30-60 seconds, and repeat for 3 sets.

Superman:

This exercise is great for the core as well as the lower back. How: Life face down with your arms stretched above your head. Raise your left arm and right leg about 5 inches off the ground. Hold for 3 seconds and relax, then alternate. Repeat for 3 sets with 6-8 reps.

Burpee (no, not burps!):

Burpees are a great full body workout that will get you sweating in no time. It works your cardiovascular system, your upper and your lower body all at once. How: begin in a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you. Kick your feet back; perform a push up, either on your knees or toes. Return to the squat position with your arm. Jump as high as possible from the squat position. Do this for 3 sets with 8-12 reps. 

To conclude, your body needs 48 hours rest between each strength training session and to get the most out of it, combine it with cardio 3x a week.

Off that couch and into the ground. Chop Chop! 


Yours truly,
GymFreak at 999-Fitness.