Aside from being completely FREE, bodyweight training offers many benefits. It’s versatile, and you can switch up your moves every day, which means that you’re not stuck with the same 3 or 4 fitness machines at the gym. You can do it anywhere, whether you’re stuck at home or spending the weekend away. Finally, it improves your movement and mobility while building strength, setting you up for a healthier body and lifestyle for years to come.
Bodyweight Chest Exercises
Building up your chest muscles does more than perk up your pecs or breasts. It also helps you with posture and can help you breathe easier.
These moves are all based on variations of the standard press-up (or push-up). If you cannot do a push-up, back up to a modified push-up on your knees. If you cannot comfortably perform a modified push-up on your knees, start with a wall-supported push-up.
Whatever you begin with, know that slowly, but surely you’re building strength and building muscle!
1. Wide Press-Up: Perform a standard push-up, but with your hands placed wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Alternating Shuffle Press-Up: Start in the classic press-up position. Move your right hand to the left until your two hands are next to each other. Slide your left hand further left until your hands are shoulder-width apart again. Perform a press-up and repeat, moving to the right. That's two press-ups, but only one rep.
3. Diamond Press-Up: Perform a press-up with the tips of your thumbs and index fingers touching, creating a diamond shape.
4. One-Arm Press-Up: Perform a press-up with your right hand on the floor and your left hand on a box or yoga block. Switch arms and repeat. That's one rep.
5. Cross-Over Box Press-Up: Do a one-arm press-up with your left hand on a box or block. From the starting position, lift your right hand beside your left. Move your left hand down to the floor, with hands shoulder-width apart. Do a press-up. That's one rep!
If you’re not able to perform a regular push-up, the muscles in your chest are likely underdeveloped. If this is the case, don’t worry, you’ll get those muscles, it just takes time!
As you work on these moves, try and focus your energy on your CHEST instead of your ARMS. While it might seem like your strength is coming from your arms, it’s the chest muscles that should be pulling the weight.
Train Your Core
A strong core grants you better balance, better posture, and can even help reduce back pain. More so, a strong core will help make ANY physical activity easier because it’s the center of all your movement.
Here are some exercises to get you started:
1. Plank: Place your forearms on the floor, with your elbows directly under your shoulders and hands facing forward so that your arms are parallel. Extend your legs out behind you and rest your toes on the floor. Your body should form one straight line from your shoulders to your heels. Squeeze your core, glutes, and quads, and tuck your butt under a little to keep your lower back straight. Make sure you are not dropping your hips or hiking your butt up high toward the ceiling. Position your head so that your neck is in a neutral position, and your gaze is on your hands. Hold this position.
2. Panther Shoulder Tap: Start on all fours. Engage your core and while keeping your back flat and your butt down (like you're in a plank), lift your knees off the floor about 1-3 inches. Gaze at the floor a few inches in front of your hands to keep your neck in a comfortable position. Tap your right hand to your left shoulder, and then your left hand to your right shoulder, while using your core strength to keep your hips as still as you can. Continue alternating sides.
3. Butterfly Sit-Up: Lie faceup with the soles of your feet together, knees bent out to sides. Extend your arms overhead. This is your starting position. Using your core, roll your body up until you are sitting upright. Reach forward to touch your toes. That's 1 rep. Slowly lower back down to the starting position and continue immediately into the next rep.
4. Dead Bug: Lie face up with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your legs in a tabletop position (knees bent 90 degrees and stacked over your hips with feet in the air). This is your starting position. Slowly extend your right leg out straight, while simultaneously dropping your left arm overhead. Keep both a few inches from the ground. Squeeze your butt and keep your core engaged the entire time, lower back pressed into the floor. Bring your arm and leg back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side, extending your left leg and your right arm.
5. High Boat to Low Boat: Sit up straight with your legs bent, feet flat on the floor. Keeping your legs together, slowly lift your feet off the floor until your legs form a 45-degree angle to your torso. Engage your entire core, keep your back flat, and balance on your tailbone. Straighten your legs for more of a challenge. Hold for three deep breaths, then lower your legs, straightening them out to hover a few inches off the floor. Hold for one breath, then lift back up.
The Importance Of Stretching
Now that you know the importance of building muscle, we should talk about how to keep those muscles protected!
Stretching keeps muscles strong, flexible, and healthy, which you’ll need to maintain a full range of motion in the joints. Without this full range of motion, your muscles shorten and become tight. Tight muscles become weak and are unable to stretch all the way, which puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage.
In addition to reducing tightness, stretching helps you circulate blood and oxygen, helps you rebuild muscles after a challenging workout, and can help the body rid itself of lactic acid—a build-up that can lead to sore and painful muscles.
With a body full of muscles, stretching can seem overwhelming, but some baseline stretches can get you started and cover all your bases:
1. Deep Squat: Stand with your feet just outside of shoulder-width apart and squat low with your heels flat on the ground. Once your heels start to come up, stop. Throughout the movement, try to keep your chest up. Then use your elbows to gently push your knees apart to open the groin and hips. Yogis will know this pose as “malasana.”
2. Standing Hamstring Stretch: Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms by your sides. Exhale as you bend forward at the hips, lowering your head toward the floor while keeping your head, neck, and shoulders relaxed. Wrap your arms around the backs of your legs and hold anywhere from 45 seconds to two minutes. Bend your knees and roll up when you're done.
3. Seated Shoulder Squeeze: Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Clasp your hands behind your lower back. Straighten and extend your arms and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Do this for 3 seconds, and then release. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
Aim to stretch at the very least three times a week, but every day would be ideal. If you’re keen on working out those tight muscles, consider trying a Yin yoga class. This type of yoga encourages DEEP stretching that can leave you feeling like you just had a massage.
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