Strength Training Using Your Body Weight

Strength Training Using Your Body

There are many benefits to strength training for people of all ages, but many women do not like the idea of weightlifting to build muscle. They assume that they will get bulky muscles as many of the weightlifters do in the gym and they skip the weight room altogether. However, you can still incorporate strength training into your exercise routine without lifting any dumbbells.

Body Weight Exercises

Using your own body weight as resistance is a good way to tone your muscles and get stronger. Using body weight exercises are a simple and effective way to improve your balance and flexibility, as well as your strength. In addition, you also save time and money because you don’t have to pay a gym membership, burn gas driving to the gym or arrange for a sitter to watch the kids while you’re working out.

People of all ages and abilities can use these exercises to get into better shape, lose weight and improve their muscle tone from their own living room. Many of these exercises you’ve done for years, but may have left behind thinking that the Nautilus machines at the gym provided better exercise. Just as you do on the machines, you can target different muscle groups with body weight exercises, whether it is your legs, arms, chest or abs.

Exercises You Can Do At Home

Some of the strength training exercises that you can easily do at home are simply old-fashioned calisthenics. Push-ups are a great way to build strength in your upper body and, if you cannot get into the floor to do them, you perform standing push-ups against a wall. Squats and lunges are good exercises for targeting your legs muscles, which can be done in the backyard to help you get some sunshine and work up more of a sweat.

When you want to increase the resistance during your lunges, squats or other leg exercises, you can carry light hand weights while doing them or you can use ankle weights. You can also use hand weights when doing exercises like arm punches or twisting for added resistance. If you do not want to invest in weights, you can use cans of food or fill up 20-ounce water bottles to use for added weight resistance.

Here are a list of exercises you can do at home:

Performing your strength training at home saves time as you can get in a workout in the time you might have normally spent driving to the gym.