How To Get Strong and Fit With No Equipment
Do you ask the question how can I get strong and fit without a gym membership?
Let's get into it.
The last thing I want to do is write a generic article on pushups and lunges. These are great bodyweight exercises but there are plenty more.
Let's say you cancelled your gym membership and you need to workout and you have no equipment. This could be for one month or three, but it's not forever
You need it to be challenging and fun so you will actually do it.
Or you have a gym but you only have 30 minutes free and you wont be able to get to the gym for a few days. Or you are out of town and don't want to find a gym and need to get in a quality workout.
There's something gratifying about getting a great workout in with minimal or no equipment.
I don't do bodyweight workouts exclusively but for a change of pace they offer unique benefits.
How to get the most out of your bodyweight training
1- Get outside. In the backyard, a park, playground, at a beach. Get out in the fresh air, under the sun. Sweat it out.
Feel the sun on your skin. The wind in your hair. Fresh air, the elements.
2- Use hills or stairs. Up and down. Slow and fast. Sprints and walking and jogging. Hill/stair sprints are an awesome way to get in better shape quickly.
3- Utilize the ground. Natural, uneven surfaces are great for the ankles, feet, hands, wrists. Do movements on your hands, feet, knees. Pushups, squats, lunges, bird-dogs, bridges, jumps, crawls, skips.
4- Use it to grease the groove. Improve pushups, pullups, dips
You might get bored with bodyweight exercises if you do them all the time. Eventually you will need to lift some weights. For a few weeks they can be work wonders on old, beat-up joints.
They're also great for a few months when you don't have a gym membership.
Now I can't do strictly bodyweight workouts for long. I get bored.
I enjoy them when I'm nowhere near a gym and have 15-20 minutes to spare. Or on vacation to get the blood pumping and feel the muscles working.
They're also a good option for when you need a break from your normal gym routine.
So this is not about doing only bodyweight workouts for life. If you're like me you love to hit the weights.
Heavy dumbbells, barbells loaded up with plates, kettlebells, sleds, sandbags. The idea of doing only pushups and bodyweight squats and lunges forever makes me yawn.
But they are effective at building muscle and improving fitness.
If you only have 15 minutes and you need to get in some quick physical activity, go with a circuit of bodyweight exercises with no rest periods. You may be surprised how out of shape you feel.
If you're looking for a great program made JUST for the busy man, check out my MEN's FITNESS PROGRAM