A major global survey by the American College of Sports and Medicine found that bodyweight training – that is, training using no equipment other than your own weight – is the biggest fitness trend of 2015.
But just because there are no dumbbells involved, don’t think of bodyweight workouts as being an easy option – squats, burpees, lunges and press-ups are not to be sniffed at. And neither will you be, if you do enough of them.
- The good thing about bodyweight workouts is you can do them at home – no need for expensive gym memberships or equipment
- Squats and lunges are a good place to start
- In between exercises, try to keep your feet moving to maintain your momentum
- Bodyweight training is great if you want to give your body a break from heavy weight training
- Because these exercises are compound movements, you will be working multiple large muscle groups at the same time and burning lots of calories
So here are some of the best bodyweight workouts that we’ve picked out for you.
This video from Florida’s Bar Brothers will give you a handle on the basic moves. Don’t worry: they’re not as bro-tastically bro-riffic as their name might suggest.
10 Best Beginner Body Weight Workouts by BarBrothers
Want to crank things up a notch? Here’s Kelly from Fitness Blender with a fairly intense nine-minute bodyweight workout. You’ll need a chair (and a warm-up).