Exercise is a tricky activity to navigate, as it requires many regular alterations in order to be effective. Bodyweight exercises offer a great array of flexible options, which you can vary as your regime gets underway, so that you can continue to reap the rewards.
Push Up
One of the most common exercises, push-ups are great for toning your arms and creating a washboard stomach. If you’re new to exercise, you may want to begin training by doing push-ups with your knees on the ground to take some of the strain off of your upper body. As your fitness builds, you can start to perform them with your legs straight.
Chin Up
Chin-ups are easy to perform and are popular in bodybuilding regimes. You just need a chin up bar, or a low lying rafter if you don’t have this, as long as it’s secure. You can use a chair to assist you while you’re getting used to exercising if you need to. Chair dips are great if you want to improve your upper body, as they work your triceps, shoulders and chest area. Don’t overdo it though – you’ll really feel the burn the next day if you do.
Rows
You can do this even if you don’t have a pull bar handy – lie under the kitchen table, with your chest at the edge of the table, and pull yourself up as high as you can to the bottom of the table. You need to make sure your table is sturdy enough, as if it isn’t you shouldn’t attempt this exercise.
Squats
Squats differ in the sense that they work out the lower part of the body, and there are a variety of options to choose from. Opt for regular squats, split squat jump and sumo squats, which all work out different muscles in the legs.
Lunges
Similar to squats, lunges are a brilliant bodyweight exercise as they improve your muscle strength in your legs. If you do these and squats regularly, you’ll notice a great difference in the strength of your legs.
Step Up
With one leg elevated higher than the other, step your lower leg up to where the higher leg is, inhaling as you lower and exhaling as you raise. You should do about 8 to 12 reps of this exercise on each leg to feel the effect.