One of the simplest and most effective ways we can train is with our own bodyweight. If you’re a member of AdMac Fitness or you have had personal training with one of our PTs, you’ll almost certainly have done a lot of bodyweight exercise. It’s certainly not the answer to every fitness question and it’s unlikely to build you the body of your dreams alone, but it’s an effective way to build specific strength, explosive power and burn a lot of calories.
The other great thing about bodyweight training is there is a much lower injury risk. The weight you can use is limited by your own bodyweight, the movements you can perform are limited by your range of motion and the intensity of the session is naturally governed by your physical limits.
Does Bodyweight Training Work?
The short answer is that yes, absolutely. At its core it’s another type of resistance exercise, but rather than use a weight such as a dumbbell, barbell or kettlebell, you simply use your bodyweight. For a lot of people, their bodyweight alone is sufficient weight to begin with - many beginners to exercise can make huge amounts of progress without even touching any extra weight.
If you think about exercises such as Push Ups, Pull Ups, Pistol Squats, Burpees, Planks and the like, they’re challenging enough for most people without even adding any resistance. In fact, unless you can do all of those exercises for at least 10 reps (or 60 seconds in the way of the plank), there’s a strong argument for you not even needing to worry about extra weight just yet!
The science around bodyweight training is interesting, because some people dismiss it without giving it a proper try. The evidence suggests that bodyweight training deserves our respect though - if we take this study for example, it shows that bodyweight training alone (as in the exercise programme consisted of only bodyweight exercise) was responsible for an improvement in weight, fat levels and explosive power.
When compared to combined cardio and weight training in this study, the effectiveness of high intensity bodyweight training was considered indistinguishable from a cardio improvement point of view - suggesting bodyweight training when done correctly is just as effective as other types of training for helping the study group of post-menopausal women at risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
Types of Bodyweight Training
There are all kinds of different approaches to bodyweight training - some are obvious, others are less so. In particular, certain classes aren’t considered ‘bodyweight exercise’ when that’s exactly what they are, they’re just given a different name though! Here’s a basic list of approached to bodyweight training, some of which you’ll be familiar with, others much less so…
Standard exercises - squats, lunges, pull ups, push ups, planks, cruches, rows etc.
Calisthenics - bodyweight gymnastic movements such as planches, levers, muscle ups etc.
Plyometrics - explosive movements such as clap push ups, jump squats, burpees.
Yoga - many different types of yoga ranging from slow, ‘Yin’ yoga to powerful Ashtanga yoga.
Pilates - pure, non-reformer Pilates is almost entirely based in bodyweight training.
This is a basic list and you’ll see from how wide ranging it is, just how far bodyweight training goes in the fitness world. If you’re neglecting bodyweight training then you’re leaving a huge amount of potential health and fitness benefits untapped. You’re also probably not helping your joints as much as you could.
In a study on overweight arthritis patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis, a 12-week low-load programme was used to positively impact symptoms. The study found that the low-load bodyweight program improved symptoms of pain, movement and muscular strength. This is important because it open doors even to people who have been reluctant to exercise because of knee pain, or joint pain more generally.
Adding Bodyweight Training to a Programme
There’s a tendency with people to over-complicate bodyweight training, whereas it can be treated exactly the same as any other type of training - you can use them as a whole workout, as a workout finisher, as a standard muscle builder, you can throw in power exercises for sport-specific work or you can just add a yoga at the end of a session to stretch.
Typically we mix bodyweight work within a session, both in personal training sessions and group exercise. We use the exercises for all kinds of purposes, to build muscle, build strength, improve power, burn a lot of calories and generate flexibility. At AdMac Fitness we understand the value of bodyweight exercise and we make sure we include it into our workouts to ensure our clients benefit from the very best training in East London.
Bodyweight Training - Final Thoughts
In a world where people are tempted to overcomplicate their exercise, there’s a lot to be said for bringing your exercise back to basics, back to something that we know works. We’re not suggesting that bodyweight training is the answer to every fitness question, but it’s certainly a very useful tool and one that we use very well.
Don’t look down on bodyweight training as a lesser form of exercise because it doesn’t need much equipment - it’s a legitimately effective way to train regardless of your health and fitness levels. There’s almost nobody wouldn’t benefit from bodyweight exercise in some way. As we’ve shown in the article today, there are lots of different types of bodyweight training and plenty of ways to incorporate them into your workouts. Just be creative and understand your goals. As always, exercise with good form and if you need help, get in touch!
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AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.
We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.
For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
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