Workout Trends

Workout Trends helps you DESIGN an action plan for your life, a program you can follow despite the demands of a BUSY lifestyle, the one that can get you RESULTS. Learn what WORKS and what DOESN'T for your fitness goals.

Read More

21 Ultimate Body Weight Exercises

Bodybuilding, Fitness

21 Ultimate Body Weight Exercises

760

 

Contents

What are Body Weight Exercises?

Exercises that can be performed without the use of any free weights fall under the umbrella of Body weight exercises. The resistance to build strength is provided by the interplay of person’s body weight and gravity.

To improve endurance, a certain exercise is repeated multiple times while intensifying the workout by decreasing leverage and working near the ends of range of motion provides strength gains.
Pros:

  • Low risk of injury
  • No need of any equipment or investment
  • Portable: Can be done anywhere and all the time
  • Increases body awareness
  • Uses natural body movements
  • Functional moves

Cons:

  • Limited leg strength
  • Slow muscle building
  • Sometimes too difficult  because of high body weight
  • Maximum amount of weight is constant

Inchworm

  • Does not put back into flexion like sit-ups
  • Can be used for warm-up for advanced users
  • Sneaky strength move for core muscles

Target Muscle Group: Abs & Obliques, Glutes & Hamstrings, Middle & Lower Back / Lats
Difficulty Level: Moderate to High

Burpees

  •  Transforms you to fat burning machine
  • Great strength-stamina combination
  • Will buid you an athletic body

Target Muscle Group: Full body stamina training, with emphasis on Abs & Obliques, Quadriceps
Difficulty Level: Low

Hanging Leg Raise

Target Muscle Group: Lower Abs
Difficulty Level: Moderate to High

Walking Lunge

  • Tones hips and back
  • Evens out muscular imbalance
  • Graduate to higher level with additional weights

Target Muscle Group: Abdominal, Quadriceps
Difficulty Level: Moderate to High

Wall Sit / Squat

Target Muscle Group: Glutes, Hamstring, Quadriceps
Difficulty Level: Low

Jump Squat

  • Maintains mobility & balance
  • Improves bowel movement
  • Increases hormone release

Target Muscle Group: Glutes, Hamstring, Quadriceps
Difficulty Level: Moderate to High

Forward Leg Hip swings

Target Muscle Group: Full Body warm-up
Difficulty Level: Low

Bench Leg Pull-in/Knee-up

Target Muscle Group: Abs & Obliques
Difficulty Level: Low to Moderate

Cross Body Crunch

  • Helps get rid of love handles
  • Targeted workout
  • Improves posture and de-stresses back

Target Muscle Group: Abs & Obliques
Difficulty Level: Low to Moderate

Decline Push Up

  • Advanced form of regular push-ups
  • Increases blood flow in upper body
  • Versatile and easily mouldable

Target Muscle Group: Chest, Triceps & Shoulders
Difficulty Level: Low to Moderate

Tricep Bench Dip

  • One of the most effective tricep exercise
  • Develops an ideal V-frame of the body
  • Improves elbow lockout strength

Target Muscle Group: Chest, Triceps & Shoulders
Difficulty Level: Low to Moderate

Flutter Kick

  • Sculpts hips, thighs and abs all at once
  • Always keep feet 10-18 inches above the floor
  • Great exercise for swimmers

Target Muscle Group: Glutes & Hamstrings
Difficulty Level: Low

Bicycle Crunch

  • Improves focus and alertness
  • Scale up difficulty by doing in an inclined (leg raised) position
  • Burns up belly fat

Target Muscle Group: Abs & Obliques
Difficulty Level: Moderate to High

Jack knife Sit-up

  • Great for divers
  • Increases strength & flexibility of core
  • Medicine ball can be added for increased resistance

Target Muscle Group: Abs & Obliques
Difficulty Level: High

Cat Stretch

  • Strengthens and relieves spine
  • Creates emotional balance
  • Massages abdominal organs internally

Target Muscle Group: Lower Back
Difficulty Level: Low to Moderate

High Box Jump

  • Builds strength and power
  • Improves balance and coordination
  • Increases vertical jump performance

Target Muscle Group: Calves, Glutes & Hamstrings, Quadriceps
Difficulty Level: Moderate

Jumping Jack

  • Relieves stress
  • Great cardio workout
  • Sharpens focus and energizes mind

Target Muscle Group: Quadriceps, Calves, Glutes & Hamstring
Difficulty Level: Low to Moderate

Chest Stretch

  • Aligns shoulder blades for improved posture
  • Increases range of motion
  • Decreases muscle soreness

Target Muscle Group: Pectoral Muscles
Difficulty Level: Low

Windshield Wipers

  • Advanced core exercise
  • Strengthens and tones abdominal area
  • Highly scalable

Target Muscle Group: Abs & Obliques
Difficulty Level: Low-Moderate-High (depending on the variation)

Fire Hydrants

  • Stabilizes posture
  • Improves side flexibility and motion
  • Wear knee pads to avoid scratches & injury

Target Muscle Group: Glutes & Hamstrings
Difficulty Level: Low-Moderate

Walking High Kicks

  • Great aerobic workout
  • Burns large amounts of calories
  • Detosifies internal system of the body

Target Muscle Group: Full Body warm up
Difficulty Level: Low to Moderate

Comments are off this post!