7 Highly-Effective Bodyweight Exercises (Intermediate)
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Hello everybody and welcome back to my blog! This week is a fitness-related post with 7 bodyweight exercises you can do anywhere. These exercises are perfect for the times when you can’t be bothered to leave the house but still want to get your sweat on. All you need is a mat, a wall and some space to do them and you’re good to go!
The full video for this is on my Youtube channel (click here) so if you want to see each movement and the cues for correct form head on over there. In this post, I wanted to go into a bit more detail such as the muscles worked, benefits to training opposite body parts, and tips to making the most of a short workout.
First, I’ll list the exercises here so that you know which I’m referring to:
Burpee with hop (this is a full body movement with emphasis on biceps, back, and abs. You can make this move more intense by adding in a push-up at the bottom)
Chatarunga push-up with 3 second hold (emphasis is on the triceps, shoulders and core)
6 high knees into 3 jump squats (emphasis on the glutes and quads)
Plank push-up (emphasis on the core and shoulders)
X push-up (emphasis on the chest)
Wall walks (this is a full body movement and quite advanced. It really targets the shoulders and is a wonderful move to build your strength and stamina for the handstand)
As you can see, the exercises alternate between an upper body focused move and a lower body movement. This is intentional and makes the workout highly effective. Research has shown that training opposite muscle groups stimulates our lymphatic system causing fat cells to circulate the body as we sweat and toxins to be released through the skin. Our lymphatic system relies on movement to circulate the cells so if you are looking to get the most out of your training (e.g., fat burning and a quick sweat) try out this method.
Even if you are training a specific body part (e.g., arms, shoulders, core, etc.) you can still throw in a counter body movement during your rest periods to reap the fat-burning benefits.
As for making the most of your workout in limited time, here are some guidelines I like to follow:
A. Carve out 25-40 minutes to workout. You will be working the entire time so count on it being intense. Don’t worry, 25 minutes is absolutely enough time to get your heart rate up and break a sweat.
B. Limit setup between the exercises. This particular one doesn’t apply to the workout above as all of those exercises use strictly bodyweight, however if you are in the gym keep this one in mind. Setting up new equipment wastes time and takes you out of the zone. My tip would be to set everything up beforehand (weights, jumprope, sliders, bands, etc.) and have it all close by so that you can knock out the following exercise quickly.
C. Limit your rest time to 15-30 seconds. This is great for time efficiency as well as for upping the intensity of the workout. It has the added benefit of training your stamina as well. As you get better, you can decrease the rest time to up the challenge.
D. Train for time rather than reps. Try to complete max reps of a given exercise in a restricted amount of time- always with proper form though! I guarantee that you will be feeling the burn doing this one, and if you’re not when the buzzer goes off, increase the time interval ;) Be honest with yourself about how much you can handle and really give 100% during the interval.
E. Turn your phone on airplane mode. This one is personal preference though I find it really helpful. Cutting out as many distractions as possible will force you to dedicate your full attention to the task at hand. Whatever work, email, text message, or tweet can wait the 25 minutes until you’ve finished.
F. Make time to stretch. It probably comes as no surprise to you reading this but I am a huge fan of yoga and deep stretching. Stretching the muscles worked after your workout will reduce the risk of injury, mitigate muscle soreness the following day, and improve muscle function in your next training. Yoga, specifically, has the benefit of calming your mind after an intense session and focusing back on your breath. Personally, I have noticed that my posture and balance greatly improved since starting a daily yoga practice. There are tons of videos on Youtube you can check out to get you started, including one routine I just posted to do in bed right upon waking.
What’s your favorite workout tip? Any bodyweight exercises that you all love that I missed? Please share them down below :)
Thank you all for reading this week’s post and as always, if you have any comments of suggestions for future posts please leave them down below or send them to me on Instagram (@alexandratempletonfit).
Stay tuned for next week’s holiday-themed post ;)
xoxo,
Alexandra