Simple Body Weight Exercises For Maximum Fat Loss
Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and made a promise to yourself to lose some weight?
Tone up the flab and build up these muscles? We’ve all done it but, let’s face it, gym memberships don’t come cheap and, in all honesty, how many of us have the time or the push needed to go regularly? You could kit out yourself out with a home gym but that’s no cheaper. Weight loss exercises is the answer, the solution – all you need is a bit of gravity and your body.
These simple fat loss exercises are a series of workouts that require you and a little bit of get up and go. Instead of forking out for expensive weights that will only gather dust, simply use your own body weight. You use the same muscles and it turns into a great alternative to expensive weight training memberships and, best of all, you can do these in your own home, with a bit of room.
This blog post is designed to look deeper into Body weight and how to do it, along with the benefits you can gain. Ready to shift weight and tone up? Let’s go.
What is Body Weight?
Body weight exercises are among some of the more common exercises and are highly beneficial. You do not need to use free weights or any other equipment. Instead, you are using your own body weight as resistance for your workout. In fact, many of us have probably already done body weight before without realizing it. Have you ever done sit-ups, pull-ups or push-ups?
Then you have already gotten a good start in body weight training.
Whether you already have a regular fitness routine or not, make sure to include bodyweight in your daily routine. Start with some of the above-mentioned exercises, add in a few crunches and lunges and you will not need that gym membership or any other kind of fitness equipment.
The Benefits of Body Weight Exercises
Body weight exercises provide many benefits, including the obvious one of not needing to for out on expensive equipment. You can perform any body weight exercise in your own home, at any time of the day or night. You may need to install a bar for pull ups but provided you have the spare room this is not expensive.
Body weight exercises are perfect for working out and strengthening the major muscle groups in your body. They hone, tone, and sculpt your muscles, and depending on which type of exercises you do, you can either build up and shape body muscle or do one or the other. Either way, the results will be something you can be proud of.
Bodyweight exercises are less likely to cause you injury or strain than many other types of exercise and, because you are working with your own weight, it’s not so easy to over exert yourself by puling or pushing against a heavy weight.
Bodyweight exercises are also ideal, in conjunction with the proper diet, for burning off fat, resulting in you losing weight as well as toning and shaping up your body. Whichever way you look at it, Bodyweight is a winner. Let us look at how you should perform these exercises.
Different Muscle Groups
You need to make sure that you work every major muscle group in your body, rather than concentrating on just one or two. To do that, you need to understand what those muscle groups are and which exercises best target them:
Upper Body
Biceps – Located at the front of the arm – bicep curls
Triceps – Located at the back of the arm – Push-ups, triceps extensions and sips
Deltoids – Located on the shoulder cap – Push-ups, bench presses, side and rear arm raises
Rhomboids – Located between the shoulder blades – Chin-ups and bent arm rows
Pectorals – The muscles that cover your chest – Push-ups and pull-ups
Trapezius – Located at the upper section of your back – Upright rows and shoulder shrugs
Latissimus Dorsi – Located in the middle section of your back – Pull-ups, chin-ups and pull-downs
Mid–Section
Abdominals – Located in the abdomen – Crunches and leg raises
Glutes – Located in the buttocks – Squats and leg presses
Obliques – Located at the side of the torso – Crunches
Lower Body
Quadriceps – Located at the front of the thighs – Squats and lunges
Hamstrings – Located at the back of the thighs – Squats, lunges and leg extensions
Adductors – Located on the inner hips – Worked with the glutes
Abductors – Located on the outer hips – Worked with the glutes
Erector Spinae – Located in the lower back – back extensions
Gastrocnemius & Soleus – Located in the back of the lower leg – standing and seated calf raises
Body Weight Exercises For Strength
Weight lifting is seen as the superior method for building up muscle and strength but there are a number of Bodyweight exercises you can use to add a little variety to your workout or just to keep you in general good shape. The following exercises can be done at any time in the comfort of your own home or even in the local park Handstand Pushups This is an upper body exercise equivalent of the squat and it targets your shoulders and arms.
Stand a few inches away from the wall and perform a handstand – your legs should be straight, going up the wall
Instead of looking down at the floor, look straight ahead of you and lower yourself to the floor – maintain control. When your head reaches the floor, push back up to the original position. Repeat 5-10 reps
One–Arm Pushup
This is a good exercise that targets the pectoral muscles and requires stability.
This will also target he shoulder and triceps muscles.
Get yourself into the standard push up position
Fold one arm behind your back and lower yourself to the floor on one arm
When your chest touches the ground, push back up
If this is too easy, go one step further and lift one leg as well so you are pushing up on one arm and one leg
Door Pull Up This can be done on any door virtually, providing it is a solid one.
Open up a door to the hallway mark
Place a towel over the top and put your hands onto the towel
Allow yourself to hang from the door and then slowly pull up
Lower yourself back to the starting position and repeat for at least 5-10 reps
One–Legged Squat You do not need to do hundreds of squats to have any effect, instead perfect the one- legged squat to strengthen up those leg muscles. See how to do it here.
Hold one leg out in front of you and your arms straight ahead of you
Keep looking forward and lower yourself down on one leg
Hold and then pull back up. Repeat for -10 reps
Knee Jump This exercise targets the hamstrings and develops your power.
Kneel on the ground, keeping your feet flat and your bottom resting on your calves
Looking forward, swing your arms back and then forwards straightaway
As your arms swing forward jump from your knees to your feet on one go
Slowly return to the kneeling position and repeat for 5-10 reps
Headstand Leg Raise This is an excellent upper body and arm strength exercise
Put a folded towel on the floor
Get down on all fours and bend forward, placing the top of your had onto the towel
Stretch your arms out in front, making sure your palms touch the floor
Press into the floor and lift your legs up off the floor
Continue until you are in a full headstand position
Now lower your feet back down to the floor slowly
Repeat for 5-10 reps
Exercises For Building Lean Muscle
When you visit a gym these days, they tend to look like something out of a sci-fi novel, with all kinds of fancy machinery and strange looking contraptions. Because of all this readily available equipment, many people do not bother to take the time out to learn the basic moves that will greater enhance their gains from bodybuilding exercises.
If you are looking to gain muscle then Body weight is the exercise plan for you and the following ten exercises will help you to build up good muscle strength and tone.
You do not need any fancy equipment and you can do all of these at home. As you build up your strength, you can further enhance these exercises by adding in extra free weights, promoting even better muscle gain.
Chin/Pull Up
Working on the laterals and biceps, chin-ups or pull-ups are the perfect exercise for building up that strength. Use a bar or door for both exercises. Simply place your hands on the top of the bar or door and pull yourself up. For a straight pull up your hands should be in the overhand position and for chin-ups swap to an underhand grip on the bar.
Rope Climb
This one is fantastic for overall strength but particularly targets upper body. You will probably need an exercise hall for this – the idea is to climb up a twenty-foot rope using nothing but your hands.
Inverted Row
The perfect exercise for targeting back muscles and strength. Position a bar just above where you can reach it lying flat on the ground. Grab the bar in an overhand grip and pull up, keeping your body straight. Stop when your chest touches the bar, hold and then lower yourself back down slowly.
Front Lever
This one is best for the lats. Using the same bar to start with, lie flat and grip it in an overhand position. Keeping your body straight pull up, lifting your entire body off the ground. As you grow more confident, raise the bar slightly.
Muscle Up
This is a tough exercise, one that you will need to build up to. Grab onto a pull up bar with your thumbs on top of the bar. Pull yourself up so your chin is level with the bar, roll your chest over the bar and press your hands down, driving your body up at the same time
Handstand Pushup
This exercise is targeted at the shoulders. Get yourself into the standard headstand position, then push up to a handstand. Now lower your head, bending your arms, so your head just touches the ground and push back up.
Pushup
Good for overall body strength, particularly arms and legs. Once you have mastered the basic pushup, shake things up a bit by progressing to using just one arm or leg to increase the strength.
Ring Fly
Powerful upper body strength exercise, which you will need a set of gymnastic rings for. Stand on the ground and grab the rings. Perform a ring push up by lifting your body and straightening it out behind you. With your arms straight in front of you, lower your torso down, flaring your arms to the side, slight bend in the elbow. Bring your arms back together to return to the push up stance
Pistol Squat
These target the lower body muscles and increase balance, stability and coordination. Stand up straight and extend your hands out in front of you. Stretch one leg out as high as you can and squat, as low as possible. Keep your back straight and the supporting knee pointing the same way as the outstretched foot. Slowly raise yourself back up.
Skaters Squat
Again, very good for lower body strength. Stand up straight and bend one leg so your knee is behind you. Squat straight down, touching your knee onto a padded surface. Stand back up again.
Exercises For Easy Weight Loss
So, you need to lose some weight do you? You walk past the gym and you really do think about going in and joining. Then you consider buying a couple of bits of exercise kit and using them from home.
Don’t bother, with either of them. What you need is Bodyweight. Bodyweight is one of the most effective methods for losing weight, apart from having a good diet plan of course. The only investment you need to make is time, no money.
Bodyweight is far more challenging than weight lifting or hitting the treadmill at the gym. These exercises improve your strength and help you to gain muscle tone but not the same way as the gym or weight lifting equipment. Traditional weight lifting works on just one muscle group at a time – think about bicep curls, that just targets your biceps. Bench pressing works your chest but ignores the lower body.
While weight training has its place and its benefits, Bodyweight is a far more effective method of burning off that fat. No matter what type of Bodyweight exercise you do, each one is focused on several muscle groups at the same time, which is why it is one of the top methods for fat loss. To help you get started, I have listed some of the most common Bodyweight exercises targeted at fat loss:
Upper Body Exercises
Upper body exercises are designed to target the upper body but will still require the use of many other muscle groups to be effective:
Standard Push-ups Hey, no one likes doing pushups but we all need them for strength and fat loss. Push-ups are the most common exercise used in any fitness regime and there is a good reason for that.
As well as working your upper body – chest, shoulders, and triceps – you are also working your core muscles to stop them from sagging.
Lay flat on the floor, face down
Place your hands flat on the floor directly beneath your shoulders and list yourself up so your arms are straight
Your back must be straight and your feet together (more difficult) or set wide apart (much easier).
Lower yourself to the ground by bending your elbows until your chest touches the floor and then push back up again
Start with 5-10 reps and then build up
Decline Push–ups More difficult than standard pushups, these use a much wider range of body motion. Start in the same potion as you do for a push-up but have your feet elevated, use a chair or bench. Lower your upper body down to the ground and then use your chest, shoulders and triceps to push back up. Keep your back straight and your abs tight.
Spiderman Push-ups If you can master this, you will feel like a superhero!
It is designed to push your abs and upper body muscles much harder than other types of push-up and you will know that you have done it.
Start in the standard position for a push-up
Lower your chest to the floor but bring your right knee up to your right elbow at the same time. Try to do it one movement and keep it smooth.
As you lift up, return your leg to its starting position
The next time round, bring your left knee to your left elbow and then return.
Keep your stomach tight, your back straight and do not twist your hips.
Shoulder Press Push-up This one lets your shoulders do all the work.
Get into position for an elevated push-up, with your feet resting on a bench. This time though, bring your hands closer to the bench you are in an inverted V shape
You can bend your legs or keep them straight, whatever is more comfortable for you
Lower your head down to the floor and then push up using your chest, shoulders and triceps
Pull–Ups These are one of the defining exercises for strength as you are using all of your weight.
Grab a bar fixed above your head using an overhand grip
Lower back down slowly
Lower Body
Your lower body contains a number of highly active muscles that are in constant use through the course of a day. When you walk, you use your quadriceps, calf muscles, hamstrings and glutes. It is for this reason that lower body exercises are important, to keep those muscles strong and healthy so they can continue to work and support you while bringing off some of that fat.
Squat The squat is a staple part of any exercise regime as it most thoroughly works the lower body.
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart
Hold your abs in tight, squeeze those glutes in and keep your toes facing front
Now lower your body as far to the ground as you can but keep your back straight and do not allow your knees to go beyond your toes.
Try to push your bottom back as if you are tapping against a table behind you and never, ever round your back, or arch it, as you will end up straining yourself.
To return to your normal position, use your glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings to push back up.
Prisoner Squat Similar to a normal squat, but instead of allowing your hands to hang down by your sides, place them behind your head.
This way, you remove some of the momentum that you tend to use on a regular squat. Not only that, you are putting additional weight into the equation by holding your hands up. Keep the same form as you would with a regular squat but do not allow your hands to drop Y Squat
The Y squat is similar to a prisoner squat but, instead of holding your hands behind your hand, your arms will be raised up in a Y position above your head. Remember to keep your shoulders and back straight and tense, push your hips out, backwards and lower when you squat and go as far down as you comfortably can. Make sure that your knees do not extend beyond your toes and that you do not round or arch your back. Again, use your glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings to push back up.
Hip Extensions Probably the most important muscle in your legs are the hamstrings. You can’t see them but this does not mean you get to ignore them. They need to be worked the same as every other muscle in your body. Hip extensions are one of the more common exercises for the hamstrings
Lie flat on the floor on your back
Bend your knees but keep your feet flat.
Squeeze in your glutes and lift your hips – do not use your hips themselves to lift you.
Hold for a second and then slowly lower back down until you are hovering just above the floor but not touching.
If you want to increase the difficulty, only bend on knee – keep the other leg straight out and raised off the floor when you lift
Forward Lunge Lunges are fantastic exercises and are very effective if you do them properly.
Stand with your feet at shoulder width. Staying on the toes of your left foot, bend your right leg to the ground and make sure that your left knee bends as well.
You are aiming to get your right thigh on a parallel line with the floor without pushing your knee beyond your toes
Do not bend using your upper body, keep your back and hips straight, and your abs pulled in
Return to standing by pushing off on your right heel
Complete a set of reps on that side and then switch to the left or do alternate sides. Remember to step forwards and then down, not forwards and forward
Walking Lunge If you can master the forward lunge, you can move on to the walking lunge. When you have lunged forward in your right foot, instead of bringing your leg back to the start position, stay where you are but move your left leg forward as if you were taking giant steps in a lunging motion.
Reverse Lunge Who says you cannot lunge backwards! From your starting position, step backwards with one leg and then lower yourself to the ground as in a forward lunge. Keep the same rules – make sure your front knee does not go beyond your toes, bend the back knee towards the floor and keep your back straight and tummy sucked in.
Cardiovascular Exercises
No exercise regime, especially not a fat loss one, should be without some form of cardiovascular exercise. This is the type of exercise that gets your heart really pumping and pushes you to your limits.
Jumping Jacks
One of the oldest forms of exercise but still one of the best for a good cardio workout and great as warm up exercise as well.
Stand up straight with your arms down at your sides
Jump, pushing your feet out to the side and lift your arms up over your head at the same time
Return to a standing position
Keep on the balls of your feet at all times
Burpees Love or hate them, burpees are another excellent form of cardiovascular exercise.
Start form a standing position
Lower yourself down so that your knees are bent and your hands flat to the floor
Kick out your legs, straight behind you so that you are I a push-up position
Jump back in to a crouch and stand up
If you want to make it a bit more of a work out, when you stand, jump as well
Step–ups These are really lower body work out exercises but are also good for the cardiovascular system.
Find a step or a strong box that is about 6 inches high
Stand in front of it and step up with your right foot, leaving your left on the floor
Squeeze those glutes in and push through to lift the left leg up
Hold for a second and then lower it back down
Switch to the left side and repeat, alternating as you go
Once you find this easy, raise the step a little but do not overdo it.
Mountain Climbers A fantastic exercise for working everything – abs, lower body, upper body and your heart
Start in a standard push up position, making sure that your hands and shoulders are in line with each other
Pull your abs in and then pull your right knee in to your chest – the trick is to remain straight, from head to toe and do not tap your toes on the floor when your knee comes in
The more you do this, the faster you can go and the more of a workout your abs and heart will get
Core Exercises You can lose as much fat as you like but if you do not work those core muscles, you will end up with a flabby stomach. Any exercises and fitness regime should incorporate exercises for the abdominal muscles Plank
Lie on the floor, facing down and raise your upper body onto your arms. Keep your shoulders lined with your elbows and you back straight. Make sure you are on your toes
Hold this position for as long as you comfortably can and then lower yourself back down again
Side Plank The same principle as the plank but, this time, lie on your side propped on one forearm. Lift your hips and hold, contracting your obliques and abs. Lower back to the ground and switch sides Knee- up This exercise is guaranteed to get the abs burning
Grab an overhead bar, and hang from it
Lift your knees to your chest
Use your abs, not your hips and keep your back straight
Lower your knees, keeping a slow pace otherwise your body will rock on the bar
Putting it All Together
Once you have learnt all these exercises, to make the most out of them, incorporate them all as part of a circuit-training program.
Try to do one exercise from each group before you take a break, and then take a couple of seconds to get your breath back and start again. Aim for six to eight circuits in one session. Because there are so many exercises you can chop and change and mi it up how you please, which will keep your motivation levels high.
Do not forget to keep the right form when you exercise to avoid injury and do not be afraid to modify an exercise if you can manage the proper one. In addition, do not forget your diet. You can do as many fat burning exercises as you like but if you are eating an unhealthy diet, you are on to a loser form the word go. Eat for energy but eat the right foods.
Conclusion
I hope that you have gained some benefit from this blog post and have learned a few new ways to exercise your body without exercising your credit card. Bodyweight is not easy but it is one of the most beneficial types of exercise you can do. Be prepared for a tough workout but be prepared to feel great as well.
Once you start doing these exercises, you will not even want to think about a gym membership ever again.
If you found this blog post helpful, please be kind as to share it on your social network so that many more people can get, and benefit from it! 🙂