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A lot of individuals have numerous fitness goals. Some want to have a six-pack, others want to lose weight, and there are also ones who want to achieve strong arms and legs. No matter what your fitness goals may be, you certainly can’t get there without starting an exercise routine.
However, starting a workout plan is easier said than done, especially if you’re a beginner. The gym can feel very intimidating and membership can be pricey too. Still, you can start your journey to better health and fitness with the help of bodyweight exercises. If you’re an exercise newbie, this one’s for you.
Can You Build Muscle Mass With Bodyweight Training?
Yes, you certainly can! Doing the correct bodyweight exercises and performing them thoroughly at their full range can help stimulate muscle growth. Exercise beginners can greatly benefit from bodyweight workouts as your weight is a sufficient stimulus to improve muscle size and strength.
Additionally, it’s important to continue challenging your muscles by doing more reps, decreasing your rest periods, and performing more difficult variations as you go along.
Can You Get Ripped With Just Bodyweight Exercises?
Bodyweight training can help you get in shape and improve the tone of your muscles. However, bodyweight workouts alone aren’t enough to achieve ripped muscles. You will need to create an energy deficit through diet.
An energy deficit means that the body is burning more calories than it receives from your food intake over a period of time. Pairing an energy deficit intake with a bodyweight training routine will help you achieve ripped muscles.
Is a 20-Minute Bodyweight Workout Enough?
You might be thinking that you would need to spend hours working out to stay fit or gain muscles. The truth is, you don’t have to sweat for hours to get a great workout.
In fact, you don’t even have to go to the gym either to do your exercise routine. 20 to 30 minutes of exercise, whether at home or in the office, is more than enough to stay fit and healthy. Any amount of movement is better than nothing.
Should a Beginner Start With Bodyweight Exercises?
If you’re an exercise newbie, a bodyweight workout routine is actually a great place to start. Without the added weight from free weights or without using any exercise equipment, a bodyweight workout can help you learn the correct form and reduce your risk of injury.
The perfect bodyweight workout can help beginners increase their metabolic rate, which is excellent for fat loss. This can also result in improving your muscle and strength.
Best of all, you don’t even need a gym membership to do bodyweight exercises. You can do them at home, in the office, or even at a park, wherever you are comfortable.
Should a Beginner Start With Full-Body Workouts?
A full-body workout means that you exercise the whole body, with all muscle groups being used and stimulated in one workout. Full-body exercises are great for beginners as they switch on and wake up all muscle groups, creating a strong foundation in all areas.
A full-body workout also teaches beginners the correct technique and movement patterns, lowering the risk of injury.
Beginner Bodyweight Workout Routine
It may feel intimidating to start a workout, especially if you’re a beginner, but do remember that everyone, even experts, also started somewhere. A bodyweight exercise plan is definitely the perfect entry point to becoming stronger and fitter.
Body weight workouts can help tone your muscles, increase your metabolism for fat burning, help you with weight loss, improve your strength, and make you healthier.
We’ve rounded up the best bodyweight exercises for beginners. You can adjust these bodyweight exercises according to your fitness level by increasing or decreasing the range of movement, angles, and prescribed reps.
For example, you can run through each exercise for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds. If you want to challenge yourself more, you can repeat a move two to three times in total, then follow it with a period of rest.
Before diving into these exercises, don’t forget to do a warm-up. Waking up your muscles and getting your heart rate pumping before your first workout is highly essential. A few push-ups, jogging in place, swinging your arms and legs, doing jumping jacks and the like should do the trick.
Bodyweight March
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides. Drive your knee and opposite arm up at the same time so that both are bent at 90 degrees. Then, lower them to the initial position and repeat the movement with the opposite arm and leg. Continue and repeat as many reps as you desire.
Bodyweight Squat
Bodyweight squats work the legs, especially the quads and glutes. They also help tone your core and inner thighs. To do a squat, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart as your starting position. Shift your weight onto your heels as you flex your knees, sitting back with your hips.
As you go down in a squat position, keep your head and chest up and stick your bottom out to keep your back straight. Hold the position for one second and quickly return to the start position.
Bulgarian Split Squats
A Bulgarian split squat is essentially the one-leg version of your regular squat. Aside from working your lower body, this helps you improve your balance, coordination, and strength. To do this, stand in front of a low bench or platform with your feet hip-width apart. You can also use the step of a stair or if you have an adjustable chair, you can lower it to knee height.
Place one foot on the platform behind you. Gently rest the top of your foot on the surface to stabilize yourself. Next, engage your core and glutes as you lower yourself down with control. Stop when your back knee hovers just off the ground. Drive through your front foot and squeeze your glutes as you stand back up.
Knee Push-Ups
This compound exercise works your arms and chest, toning and strengthening your upper body all at the same time. Push-ups using your knees are perfect for beginners as they are much easier to do than standard push-ups.
To do this, get on all fours with your knees and toes flexed and in contact with the floor as your starting position.Â
Once you’re in the push-up position, ensure that your hands are slightly wider than your shoulders. Cross your feet and keep your back straight. Bend at the elbows and lower yourself until your chest is almost touching the floor. Pause, and push back to the initial position. Repeat.
Shoulder Taps
Get on all fours as if you’re about to do a push-up. Keep your elbows slightly bent and your legs extended back. Ensure that body is straight from the heels to the shoulders. Your hips should not drop to the floor.
Once you can hold this top push-up position, use one hand to tap the opposite shoulder. Return your hand to the floor and repeat the same motion with your other hand. You should perform this slowly and with control.Â
Stationary Lunge
Step out about hip distance. Next, step your right foot back and stagger your stance about the same distance as the length of your leg. Keep the back heel off the ground. Then, begin to bend into both legs.
Be sure to place more of your weight through your front leg and keep your front knee behind the toe. Alternate legs to complete the exercise.
Curtsy Lunge
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Keeping your weight on a leg, step the opposite foot back on a diagonal until you end in a lunge. See that your back foot is positioned to the back and side of your front foot. Drive back to the initial position by pushing through the hip of your stationary legs. Repeat the motions with your other leg. This counts as one rep.
Continue alternating sides to complete the exercise.
Quadruped Limb Raise
This exercise works your back more gently than a pull-up and you don’t even need any equipment for it. Aside from working your lower back, this also helps in improving your core strength.
To do this, go down on all fours with your hands shoulder-width apart. In this starting position, your back should be in a straight line and vertical to the ground.
Lift one arm and the opposite leg in the air simultaneously. Hold the pose for a second or two, then lower it back to the ground. Do the same with your other two limbs. Ensure that you don’t reach too high with either limb. Additionally, try to be gentle with the leg raise.
Final Note
A beginner bodyweight workout plan can be your gateway to better health! Once you’ve mastered these strength training moves, you can begin increasing reps or challenging yourself with pull-ups and row exercises such as a single-arm row.
Perform each exercise with the correct form and technique, and try to limit your periods of rest in between each.Â
If you feel discomfort during your workout, it’s best to stop and seek the aid of a personal trainer.