Going to the gym and working with a personal trainer is a great way to stay motivated to exercise.
But, with a bit of discipline, you can get in shape anywhere, anytime. The founder of Pilates developed his method of bodyweight fitness while he was a prisoner-of-war during World War I - you can imagine he didn’t have access to a gym.
Using the weight of your own body to perform strength-training exercises is not only an economical way to stay in shape but an effective one.
Working through a bodyweight circuit with no pauses between exercises makes your workout more intense, burns calories faster than running on a treadmill, and provides both strength and cardio boosting benefits.
Joseph Pilates. Image Source: Custom Pilates and Yoga.
And since you can do them anytime, anywhere, you have far fewer excuses to not get a workout in.
Develop a weekly bodyweight workout plan to stay accountable to your fitness goals and watch the pounds melt away as you build rock-solid muscles.
How to design a weekly bodyweight workout routine that works for you
The wonderful thing about bodyweight exercises is that unlike running on a treadmill every day, you can incorporate lots of variety in the exercises you choose to make your workouts more interesting
Of course, you can’t do strength training of the same muscle groups every day. You can aim to do your bodyweight circuits every second day, with interval training days or rest days in between.
What exactly is a bodyweight circuit?
A bodyweight circuit is a series of exercises with no break in between.
To start, you may only be doing one circuit each morning - but as you build strength you would then run through the circuit two or three times to maximize your results.
If you struggle to get through your entire circuit without taking a short rest, it’s okay to take a breather. Better to make it all the way through the circuit then stop short or mess up your form and injure yourself!
What exercises should I incorporate into my circuit?
Every circuit should start with a dynamic warmup to get your muscles warmed up and reduce your chance of injury.
This could be running in place, jumping jacks, skipping rope or walking lunges.
Then you’ll want to incorporate exercises that target different muscle groups.
For example, one day’s circuit might target the chest, shoulders, triceps, upper and middle back and core muscles for upper body power:
Mountain climbers (20)
Push-ups (10)
Plank (15 seconds)
Good Morning (10)
Another day you may want to work on your lower body endurance and strength builders:
Jumping jacks (30)
Squats (10)
Lunges (10)
Donkey Kicks (10)
As you make these circuits part of your routine, you’ll begin to notice rapid changes in your endurance and muscle tone!
Try incorporating some of these exercises into your bodyweight circuit:
Mountain Climbers
This full-body workout strengthens your core and gets your heart pumping. Start in a plank position with hands down, keeping the core tight.
Bring one knee as close to your chest as you can, then bring your foot back to resting and alternate. Do ten of each leg.
Jumping Jacks
Most people know how to do a jumping jack - a great way to work your legs and get your heart pumping.
When you jump, be sure to extend your legs just over shoulder-width apart and bring your arms together over your head.
Squats
Get your morning started right with squats and blast your quads, hamstrings and glutes.
With a straight back and chest up, keep your feet hip-width apart and bend low, keeping your hips back until your knee is bent at a 90-degree angle.
Then use the power of your heels to return to a standing position.
Variation: Plié Squat
This alternate version of a squat also targets your abs and also helps open up your hips.
Keep your feet wider than your shoulders and feet pointed outwards at a 45-degree angle. Keep your core tight and place your hands on your hips as you squat down, keeping knees in line with your ankles.
Lunges
The lunge is a great move for bodyweight beginners and along with working your hips, glutes, quads, and hamstrings, it also impacts your inner thighs.
With your core engaged and back straight, keep your feet hip-width apart and take a big step forward with your right leg.
You should be lowering your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground, and ensuring your knee does not bend past your toes. Use the power of your right heel to drive back up, and then alternate.
Variation: Walking Lunge
Find a hallway and lunge your way into a better body. Keeping your back straight, lunge forward with one leg, ensuring the knee on the opposite leg does NOT touch the floor.
Use the heel of the forward foot to propel your body into the next lunge, leading with the opposite foot.
Push-Ups
With hands beneath your shoulders and body straight, keep your core locked and lower your body to about 1 inch above the ground, and then extend back up.
Variation: Wide Grip Push Up
This is just a regular push up, but with the arms in a wide stance. Start with hands placed a few inches out from the normal position, and balance on your toes.
Press down, and keep your spine straight by using your glutes and core. To push back up from the ground, squeeze your chest until you’re in the same position as before.
Plank Row
For a plank row, start in a high plank position. Keep the entire body as straight as possible, and one at a time lift the hands from the floor.
Reach the hand up to the shoulder by bending your arm and pulling the wrist upwards. Alternate sides.
Good Morning
This is basically a crunch, but standing up. It’s a great exercise because it can be done absolutely anywhere.
Start by standing with your feet directly under your hips, and bring your fingertips back to rest behind your ears. Lock the upper body, and bend at the hips, bringing your torso towards the floor.
Reverse the movement with your glutes until you’re fully standing again.
Donkey Kick
Another great move for beginners! Donkey kick your butt each morning with this exercise that focuses on your glutes.
Get on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and knees under hips. Raise your right leg back until your knee reaches the hip level, with your knee bent at 90-degrees.
Return your leg to the starting position but without letting your knee rest on the floor, then repeat 10-15 times with the same leg before switching legs.
When you’re ready to progress to the next level, consult with a personal trainer
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