Easy Body Weight Training For Beginners: A Simple 10 Steps Routine

Dec 26, 2018

You’ve probably heard of body weight training exercises, but perhaps you thought they were too complicated or advanced to try them. However, anyone can do bodyweight exercises because they’re actually not complicated and can be very simple to perform.

They’ll be challenging enough to keep you interested, but not so hard that you give up entirely! Maybe the best thing about these types of exercises is that you can do them from home without the hassle of a gym membership!

All you really need to get a great workout is your own body, so there’s no reason not to try this effective workout routine. You can build muscle mass, improve your bone density, and see a noticeable difference in your ability to balance if you engage in this training. You can also reduce the symptoms of diabetes, heart disease and back pain with this method. Try these 10 workouts to get started body weight training today!

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1. Begin With A Warmup

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Warmups are important for increasing how effective a workout is. Take 5 minutes before you begin to simply walk outdoors or on a treadmill. It’ll loosen up your body and get your circulation started. Warmups decrease the rate of athletic related injuries. If you own exercise equipment, you could also use an indoor bike or a stair stepper as your warmup.

2. Push-Ups Against A Wall

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Workout beginners or elderly workout participants can benefit from wall push-ups. Your shoulders, arms, and even your chest will have noticeable differences. You should perform about 10-15 reps of this exercise to see the impact.

  1. Stand arm’s distance from a wall. Your feet should be as far apart as your shoulders. Place your palms on the wall, and use your body weight to lean towards the wall.
  2. As you take a breath inward, lower your body to the wall by bending at the elbows. Keep feet firmly on the ground.
  3. When returning to the initial position with arms straightened out, exhale.

3. Squats With A Chair

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  1. Stand next to a chair. Keep your feet hip’s width apart and makes sure you have completely balanced with your arms straight ahead.
  2. Breathe in as you lower your body, using the arms for balance. Bend at the knees and lower into the chair.
  3. Don’t sit down, but keep lowering your body until you almost touch the surface.
  4. Breathe out while you raise yourself back up and feel the tension in your buttocks.

4. Calf Raises Against A Wall

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  1. Stand 1/2 to 1 foot away from a wall. Your feet should once again be hip’s width apart. Straighten your arms so that your palms touch the wall.
  2. Exhale while lowering heels off the ground using your calves. Extend at the knees but keep the feet placed forward. Hold the position for a few seconds. Use your arms and hands for balance.
  3. Inhale as you come back down to the floor.

5. Leg Extensions With A Chair

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  1. Sit down onto a chair. Keep your back straight and your body completely upright, but don’t use the backrest of the chair. Keep your feet flat on the ground and your hands resting in your lap.
  2. Begin to extend your right leg without moving the rest of your body. Raise until it becomes parallel to the ground. Hold for a few seconds.
  3. Return to the starting position. Alternate legs after 30 seconds and repeat for 30 seconds.

6. Planks

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  1. Lie on the ground, facing downwards. You can use a mat.
  2. Lift your body up onto your elbows. Your forearms should rest flat onto the floor. Keep the back flat through the entire exercise and tuck your chin into your body.
  3. Feel the tension in your abdominal muscles and hold for 15 seconds. You can do this exercise for longer once you are used to it.

7. Jumping Jacks

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  1. Stand straight with the feet together in initial position. Your hands should rest by your sides.
  2. Then, raise the arms over the head while jumping. Your feet should move out to the sides, creating an upside-down V shape. Try to be as soft and gentle as you can, as to avoid stress on your joints.
  3. Return to initial position quickly and repeat for 20-30 reps.

8. Bodyweight Squats

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  1. Stand with your feet and legs spread further than your hips. Keep your arms at your sides. Shoulders should be pulled back. Feel the weight of your body on your heels.
  2. Breathe in as you begin to lower the hips while keeping your back flat. Continue lowering the body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Don’t extend the knees past your toes.
  3. Breathe out as you use the balance of your heels to return to the initial position.

9. Bodyweight Lunge

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  1. Stand with your feet placed together. Pull back your shoulders and feel the tension in your core.
  2. Lift your right leg and step in front of you.
  3. Remain balanced and bring the foot down to the ground.
  4. Then, bend at both knees. Lower your body to the ground until your front thigh becomes parallel to the ground.
  5. Push yourself back up and straighten your legs. Return to initial position and repeat, alternating legs until you do 10 lunges on each foot.

10. Cool-Down/Stretch

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Just like a warmup is important, so is the cool-down afterward. It’s an effective way to bring your heart rate down naturally without putting extra stress on the body after a workout. You can walk at your own pace for 5 minutes or do stretches while breathing in and out at a rhythmic pace. Your heart rate should return to 120 beats per minute.

When performing these workouts, remember not to strain your body too hard. Know your limits and avoid pushing yourself to the point of pain or discomfort. You should only feel pressure and tightness in the areas that you’re working out. Listen to your body! That said, body weight training can be an effective method of getting in shape and improving your physical and mental health without a gym membership. Are you going to try this workout plan? Let your friends also know about it!

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Your health is important to us!