Back to Basics: The Best Bodyweight Exercises
Getting back into the swing of things doesn't need to be confusing and complex, stick to these classic bodyweight favorites.
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Getting into the best shape of your life is easy, right? Wrong. With everything that’s out there we're sure that fitness pulls you in every direction, and you get the push to try the “newest” and “coolest” exercises. But, where have the basics gone?
We see it time and time again; you join the gym, hop on the bench press, or even worse *gulp* the machine chest press, and you start pushing away. But can you even do a proper pushup? If you can't do a good pushup without the help of your knees, then you should really avoid loading up the barbell to max out every week. Or how about the guy who loads up the leg press and has his friend hop on top, yet he can’t do a regular barbell squat. Let me guess, he has bad knees.
At Training for Warriors we have a saying, “don’t put on your tie before your shirt.” If you never spend time building your foundation then you will max-out your results prematurely. We incorporate pushups into every upper body routine. A pushup, done correctly will work your entire body from your fingertips to your toes. Check out the Pushup Warrior app we created that has over 60 bodyweight workouts and 120 different pushups (yes, 120).
Bodyweight exercises are not just for beginners, so do not dismiss them if you can do 15+ reps. So whether you are just starting out or are a seasoned veteran, there are plenty of variations for the following exercises to build that solid foundation you missed or that addition you’ve been dreaming of.
You can do these exercises anywhere to get more balanced and increase your max lifts by working the smaller stabilizing muscles in your body.
Target Muscles: Full-Body
Workout Level: Beginner-Advanced
Frequency: Perform this workout up to five times per week
Time Needed: 30-45minutes
How To Do It: Do this workout 3x’s a week or incorporate some of these movements into your current routine. For a real challenge: Do 1 rep of each exercise (in a circuit), then 2, 3, 4….up to 10. Then go back down. Time yourself to see how long it takes.
THE MOVES TO KNOW:
| BASIC MOVE | ADVANCED MOVE |
| Chin/Pull Up | Muscle Up |
| Dips | Ring Dips, Dips using Fat Gripz |
| Push up | Divebomber, Handstand Push up |
| Bodyweight Squat | Squat Jump |
| Inverted Row | Inverted Row Hanging from two towels |
| Lunge | Pistol Squat |
About the Trainer: John Annillo, C.S.C.S
John Annillo is the Director of Operations of Training for Warriors, which has over 30 locations around the world. For more on John follow him on Twitter or Facebook
