You shouldn’t consider bodyweight training as a backup plan if you don’t have the right equipment. There are many ways you can use your bodyweight to improve (make it more difficult) or decrease (make it less easy) your ability to do a variety of exercises that target your major muscle groups. A foundation of bodyweight mastery can be used to build almost any strength training movement you can do using dumbbells and barbells.
These are four reasons why bodyweight training should be incorporated into any workout program.
Bodyweight training can be done anywhere
Bodyweight training can be done in any room of the house, garage or park, as long as your toddler and dog are allowed.
Because consistency is the key to achieving the results you desire, this is crucial. It’s great to focus on heavy weights, but not if it isn’t possible to lift them when you need to.
You can do bodyweight exercises anywhere, which can help you to build long-term consistency. Training is all about showing up every week.
You can make your program more effective by choosing a less restrictive option, regardless of whether you are focusing on just 1-2 days of bodyweight training or building your entire program around bodyweight movements.
Training with bodyweight creates real-world strength
Barbell lifts have been successful for decades. They are just tools.
They’re an excellent tool for powerlifters looking to increase their absolute strength (or your 1-rep max). For the rest of us, however, it is a mistake to assume that your workouts should be built around lifting heavier weights or using gym equipment.
Progressive overload is a rule of strength training. There are many ways to overload your muscles without adding weight.
Instead of measuring strength by how much weight you add, focus on building what’s known as relative strength. This refers to how well your body can move and control itself in space. Imagine a gymnast on the rings. They are a great example of relative strength because they can control their bodies and hold positions that we can only imagine.
Your bodyweight is the best tool to increase relative strength.
You can build muscle by lifting your bodyweight
Based on Brad Schoenfeld’s outstanding research, both beginners as well as more experienced lifters can build muscle using zero equipment.
What is the secret to success? The secret is to find the point at which your muscles can fail. Schoenfeld’s research showed that lower reps and more weight can help build muscle. However, higher reps are better for building muscle. The key finding was that if you don’t add as much weight to your muscle mass, you should push your muscles to the limit, even if it means performing upwards of 25 to 35 reps per set.
Many people stop their workouts short of failure. Or, they pick an arbitrary range of reps like 8-12. This is much easier with dumbbells and barbells. However, when you start to train bodyweight, you will need to be able to determine how many reps are possible before you stop doing them.
You can reduce injury risk by performing 1-2 reps per set. This will allow you to build muscle and prevent injuries.
To build muscle, you will need to push each set to the max as you gain strength and bodyweight training.
Joint-friendly bodyweight training is possible
Are you looking to be pain-free for many years? Learn the fundamental movements of bodyweight before you add weight, which Apex Performance can teach.
Traditional weight lifting can make it easy for your strength and stability to outpace each other. Your chances of injury are higher if you can lift 400 pounds but fall when you ask you to stand on one foot.
With bodyweight training, this strength imbalance will be less common. Each move requires the same amount of stability and strength, no matter which one you choose. This will protect your joints. You can also add bodyweight training to make your 400-pound squat more stable and strong.
Because it is self-limiting, bodyweight training can also help prevent injury. This means that as you fail on a lift (can’t…do…one…more..rep) you stop moving and collapse to the ground. If that happens during a bench press, it is a sign you are about to fall off the bar. You can probably see which one is more likely to injure you.
Overuse injuries can occur if you do too many squat jumps or split squat jumpings in a short time. There are many safer moves that you can do to increase your heart rate, and cardio. Apex Performance can help with these movements. At Apex performance we are a community of highly trained experts looking to provide performance enhancement and a permanent lifestyle change for our clients in a fun and interactive environment. Members can take advantage of personal training in Tampa, one-on-one training, small group classes, and specialized courses for a wide variety of athletics, youth sports training, and nutritional guidance! Check out what others are saying about Apex and its trainers and contact us today to get started on your fitness journey!
