Getting In Shape Doesn't Have To Be Complicated

Simple bodyweight exercises are often the best choice for those without a lot of time, money, and motivation to learn or employ the latest fitness fads. Bodyweight training can also be a great choice for building strength, gaining muscle, boosting cardiovascular fitness, and burning calories. Here are ten reasons to get on board with bodyweight training.  

Don't get upset if this sounds too difficult for you. Simply search the internet for bodyweight exercises for beginners. I like Nerdfitness.com, don't get turned off if you can't complete the exercises. Do what you can trying to do more every time. Do these exercises every other day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. As you increase and finish the complete workout you will get into shape, and by continuing to do the workout your vitals will continue to get better.

1. Fast Fitness Gains
   Bodyweight exercises lead to fitness gains in a hurry. Most bodyweight exercises require you to perform multi-joint movements (compound exercises) that work against gravity. These types of movements (squats, lunges, push-ups) all make up the cornerstone of any strength training routine and are extremely effective for building strength and boosting cardiovascular fitness. The fact that you can do the exercise anywhere makes it far less likely that you’ll skip a workout. This is a perfect formula for building fitness quickly. Add in the fact that many bodyweight exercises automatically engage core strength and stability moves, and you have a recipe for a well-rounded, effective exercise you can do for the long term.
    
2. Functional Fitness
   It’s not surprising that performing bodyweight training is ultimately performing functional fitness movements. Functional fitness is, by definition, exercising the muscles and the movement patterns that are used in real-life, daily activities. In essence, you aren’t doing exercise in a gym that is nothing like the way you move your body in real life.
    

1. High Intensity Intervals
   Bodyweight exercises are ideal for creating a high-intensity interval workout in a circuit format. To do this, you will perform 30-60 second intervals of one exercise (or a given number of reps), and then move to the next exercise. In this way, you are able to work at a higher intensity because the duration of the exercise is shortened. It’s the opposite of going to the gym and sitting on an exercise bike for an hour or jogging for 30 minutes. With bodyweight training, you work hard for about a minute and move to a new exercise for a minute. An example is 20 push-ups followed by 5 pull-ups followed by 15 jump lunges and so on.
    

1. No Equipment Needed
   Although you could use some dumbbells, a pull-up bar, or other small equipment during bodyweight training, you don’t need to. There are many combinations of movements you can perform without anything more than your own body. This makes it even easier to do your workout anywhere.
    
2. Not Much Space Needed
   Even the most intense of all bodyweight exercises—burpees—can be done with no more than a little bit of floor space.
    
3. Easy To Customize
   Bodyweight exercises are good for both novice and elite athletes because they can be easily modified. Varying body positions can change the effort level of the movement. For example, you can perform incline or decline pushups depending on your level of ability. You can perform wall sits or tuck jumps to match your conditioning. You can also add more reps or sets to make it more challenging.
    
4. Tons of Variety
   The number of bodyweight exercises you can do (and think of) is endless so it’s unlikely you will find yourself bored by doing the same moves, or the same workout over and over. Performing a variety of exercises doesn’t just mean you will end boredom, but you will also help prevent overtraining and reduce your risk of injury by varying your movements. Bodyweight exercise is a great form of crosstraining. It can also help break through strength plateaus and help continue making fitness gains.
    

1. Cheap or Free Workouts
   Gym memberships, classes, equipment, and gear can all add up to a significant annual expense. And if you don’t use it or show up at the gym because it’s not convenient, you are just wasting a lot of money on something that isn’t helping you get or stay fit. Bodyweight training is free or extremely low cost. Move your body and get fit. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.
    
2. Super Convenient
   Because you don’t need to go somewhere special or get the right equipment, gear, or space, you can do bodyweight exercises anytime, anywhere. You can also easily break up your workout into smaller sessions—20 pushups when you wake, 50 Squat Jumps before dinner,  one minute of planks before bed—and reduce your excuses for skipping a “workout.” Use bodyweight exercises just one time, and you will see how it’s pretty hard to say you don’t have time, space, money, equipment, or knowledge to stick with an exercise routine. Bodyweight training makes your excuses evaporate.
    
3. Build Balance and Proprioception
   A wonderful added bonus of many bodyweight movements is that they require an automatic engagement of core muscles for stability and strength in order to correctly perform the movements. Without machines,  bodyweight exercises require individuals to maintain their own movement patterns, and often build balance and improve proprioception in the process.

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If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

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