Whether you don’t have time to commute back and forth to a gym, are having financial troubles, or just plain don’t like working out in commercial gyms, you can still stay fit from the comfort of your own home using bodyweight workouts/calisthenics.
There are obvious physical benefits, but the mental benefits may also help you get out of whatever rut you are in that is causing the lack of time and/or finances needed to train at a gym.
In this post we’ll go over some exercises, how to program them, and how to progress through them. It is simple enough for beginners but could potentially be used indefinitely for someone that simply wants to be in good physical condition and doesn’t really care to take it any further.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom to download the full bodyweight workout template and diet calculator to help you along.
The Exercises:
Here we’ll take a look at some exercises for some common movement patterns. You’ll want to choose one out of each category and, once you stop making progress, either swap them for another exercise in the same category or change the way the exercise is performed (more on this later).
As another option, you could just change something every session to keep things fresh.
Chest/Shoulders:
- Pushups (Wide, narrow, standard, triangle)
- Feet Elevated Pushup
- Dips
- Pike Pushup
- Handstand Pushup
Abs/Core:
- Sit-ups
- Plank (standard or side)
- Russian Twist
- Reverse Crunch/Leg Raise
- Bicycles
- Mountain Climbers
- V-Ups
Back:
- Pull-ups (Pronated, neutral, or supinated grip)
- Inverted Row
- Banded Straight Arm Pulldowns
- Band Tears
- Banded Face Pulls
Note: It’s normally best to pick one of these that targets the lats and one that targets the upper back.
Legs:
- Glute Ham Raise (You’ll need someone to hold your feet down for this)
- Banded Hamstring Curls
- Sled Pulls w/ Wide Strides Pulling Through the Heel (Glute/Hamstring Focus)
- Backwards Sled Pulls (Quad Focus)
- Squat (Add band tension if desired)
- Pistol Squat
- Jump Squats
- Hindu Squats
- Hip Thrust/Glute Bridge (One or Two Legged)
- Banded Good Morning
Neck/Traps:
- Neck Bridge
- Side Neck Bridge
- Neck Harness (These are pretty cheap and don’t take up much room)
This list is not completely exhaustive so, if you have any favorites, feel free to throw them in the mix as well. For the folks without training experience, the above should get you started.
Now we’ll look at programming and some options to vary the way the exercises are performed.
Programing and Set Modifications:
The easiest way to start this program is to just pick one exercise from each category and perform one set of each to failure in circuit fashion resting as needed between exercises. When you first start out, one circuit through the exercises will probably be enough to create a stimulus but, over time, you will need to add more circuits, change the exercises, make the exercises harder, or some combination of these.
As a alternative, there are a few other options we will discuss below. You will notice that not all of the options will work for all of the exercises, for example, you aren’t going to want to perform your crunches “as explosively as possible”, so you’ll have to use the variations on the exercises they work best for.
As Slow as Possible:
This is fairly self-explanatory. Perform each rep as slow as possible and keep records of time and reps.
Use Isometrics Throughout the Movement:
Utilizing isometric contractions throughout the range of the exercise is another great method to change the exercise stimulus. Simply pause at different parts of the movement for 2-5 seconds. An example in the pushup could be a 3 second hold at the bottom of the movement, another at the midpoint, then possibly another at the top trying to contract the pecs as hard as possible.
As Explosive as Possible:
These work best for movements such as squats, push ups, or pullups. Most Ab exercises will not be a good fit. The main point is to perform the eccentric part of the movement (negative or lowering) under control, then perform the concentric part of the movement as explosively as possible. Just make sure to not “drop” into the eccentric portion as this could lead to injury.
Conclusion:
The methods above should provide you with months, if not years of training variables. As before, these are not your only options so feel free to throw in any of your favorites as you progress.
Be sure to go to the link below and get the customizable program to log and track your training sessions.
Let me know if you have any questions or anything to add in the comments below and be sure to download the workout template and diet calculator at the links below.
Workout Template:
https://bebetterbarbell.com/product/bodyweight-workout-template/