Why body weight training is best

Bodyweight training is really great because you can modify virtually any exercise to be easier or harder, making it an awesome way for anybody to exercise your way back into health. One of our favorite parts about bodyweight training is that it is extremely cost effective and cheap. In fact one of the reasons that bodyweight training has become so popular across the globe is not only because of its results, but because people like the fact that they can get into shape without the need to empty their wallets.

Sure, an exercise mat can make things more comfortable for you and a pull up bar helps with pull ups, but in the long run those things end up being much more affordable than buying a monthly subscription to some overpriced gym. If you are low on funds, bodyweight training makes a great alternative to all of those expensive workout options. Another thing that is so amazing about bodyweight training is that it is extremely efficient, probably more so than any other type of exercise. One type of bodyweight training such as plyometrics can help improve both your strength and cardio fitness levels in a very short amount of time.

A part of the reason for this is that bodyweight training involves the use of no or minimal equipment, which means that switching from one exercise to the next can be done in mere seconds. Since you can transition from one bodyweight exercise to the next in a minimal amount of time it affords you almost no time to rest in between, thus making things much more intense, burn calories faster, and even gives you a good cardio workout too.

One of the best ways to engage in bodyweight training is in fact by doing high intensity interval training , otherwise known as HIIT. This type of exercise involves mostly bodyweight exercises and it is kind of like circuit training where you engage in short bursts of very intense exercising with small bouts of medium intensity exercises in between.

High intensity interval training involves virtually no breaks, is very physically intensive, and ultimately makes for an extremely efficient way to engage in bodyweight training. A great thing about bodyweight training is that even though it does involve a lot of strength training, it still can help you burn calories like a cardio routine does. However, you need to be aware that you need to do some really intense bodyweight training such as a bodyweight circuit routine or high intensity interval training such as we talked about before for this calorie burning effect to really take hold.

That being said, high intensity bodyweight routines can definitely burn a whole lot of calories and boost your metabolism too. Yes, a good bodyweight routine will burn calories and fat while you work out, but that is not really what the most important factor is. A really intense bodyweight training routine can burn a whole lot of calories, and not only while you are exercising, but afterward as well , which is perhaps more important than burning calories during the workout and it all has to do with your metabolism.

We tried one to find out. Here's our review. Kettlebells may look like the simplest piece of equipment in the gym, but they offer a ton of benefits for your body.

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We're here…. Why Bodyweight Training Is the Best. Share on Pinterest. Written by Dave Smith on August 12, Read this next.

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With less rest, your heart rate maintains its elevated level, an important factor for calorie burn. Bodyweight workouts are essentially interval training, meaning alternating bursts of intense activity with periods of no- or low-intensity activity. This has been shown to be more efficient than steady-state cardio. Exercise machines are limited in range of use by their settings, but bodyweight exercises have a multitude of modifications for any fitness level.

Take the push-up: varieties range from knees-on-the ground all the way to clap and handstand push-ups. One of the most important benefits of bodyweight exercise is its ability to improve your cardiovascular endurance and muscle strength all at once.

Frequently changing your position keeps the heart rate elevated, while body weight and gravity work together to strengthen muscles. One small study showed just one bout of 10 sets of 10 squat-jumps produced beneficial change in muscle fibers. But while free weight and bodyweight exercise require balance and stability, most machines force the body to move weight on a stable, single plane. This type of movement can be unnatural and taxing on the joints. Machines can also have a more limited range of motion when compared to non-machine work, so you may not get as much out of each rep.

There are dozens of bodyweight moves that can replace your favorite gym equipment, but here are a few of our favorites. Also known as the pistol squat, this move is super-challenging even without added weight. Stand with arms extended out in front for balance. Extend one leg toward the front wall as straight as feels comfortable and slowly squat down with the standing leg.

Keep the back straight and try not to let the knee of the standing leg pass the toes. Raise the body back to standing. Bodyweight workouts can also help injury-proof your body and give you a break from the wear and tear of weightlifting. Every form of exercise has its place, depending on your goals and situation. But we think bodyweight workouts are a fantastic method of training for athletes of all levels.

Walker was a very successful football player in college and the NFL, and after he retired from football, he went on to become a professional MMA fighter. Somewhere in there, Walker even competed in the Olympics as part of a bobsled team. Throughout his career, Walker looked every inch the athlete. Is bodyweight training effective? Just ask Walker! Because bodyweight workouts tend to include higher repetitions than traditional weight-based resistance training, you receive the additional benefit of building muscular endurance.