Home Workouts To Build Full-Body Strength
Bodyweight training, or calisthenics, is often seen as inferior to attending the gym. However, using your bodyweight is one of the best resistance tools that you have access to.
Not only are bodyweight workouts highly convenient, but they also have the potential to bring about a number of changes in strength and fitness.
Although many see bodyweight training as being restrictive, there are a great number of effective bodyweight exercises that can be performed.
This article will cover three bodyweight workouts that will produce a training effect and lead to an increase in strength.
The Three Home Workouts
Each of the following workouts uses only bodyweight and a mode of training known as pyramid training.
By performing the three workouts, all the muscles of the body will be exposed to a training stimulus which will cause a full-body adaptation.
Leg Day
Squat and lunges are obvious inclusions in the leg day bodyweight workout. The addition of jumping jacks and glute bridges help to comprehensively work all muscles of the legs.
In order to replicate an intense leg session at the gym, all of the exercises are high in volume and performed back-to-back.
The Workout
2 rounds:
– 50 body squats (conventional stance)
– 25 body reverse lunges (per side)
– 50 body squats (wide stance)
– 25 body lateral lunges (per side)
– 25 jumping jacks
– 25 glute bridges
Completing the two rounds will involve performing four-hundred reps which is a large volume of work. Upon completing the two rounds, if you feel like you have more to give, perform a third round.
Be aware that there is no time limit; therefore, take your time with each exercise, focus on your form, and add in short breaks if necessary.
Training Tips
For the squats, lunges, and glute bridges, it is important to drive through your heels as much as possible. This will promote stability and safety while also activating the correct musculature.
If you are training barefoot, look to grip the floor with your feet during the eccentric (lowering) phase. Once again, this can enhance stability and ensure that the knees follow proper alignment.
During all of the exercises, focus on maintaining a core brace. To do this, squeeze the abdominal muscles as tightly as possible.
If you seek to make this workout harder, keep your upper body vertical for all of the standing exercises.
For the lunges, step back rather than forwards and for the lateral lunges, keep the working leg planted and slide the other leg out to the side.
As well as allowing the workout to be completed in a smaller space, doing this will increase the amount of tension placed on the quads.
Push Day
The ultimate bodyweight pushing exercise is the push-up. Therefore, it should not be a surprise that this workout revolves around push-ups.
The push-up is an exercise that is commonly completed incorrectly. Therefore, take care with the exercise and control the movement to ensure that you perform it safely and effectively.
The Workout
4 rounds:
– 8 push-ups
– 20-second plank
– 8 body skull crushers
– 4 diamond push-ups
– 20-second bear crawl static hold
– 8 push-ups
This workout involves a lot of time under tension and a high volume of work. Both of these things will contribute to significant fatigue and a great chest pump!
Between each round ensure that you fully rest for three minutes. Use the time to stretch out the wrists and get the breathing under control.
As with the previous workout, there is no specific time that you must achieve. Once again, avoid rushing through the workout and take breaks if you must.
Training Tips
When performing the push-up or any pressing variation, it is vital that the shoulders are pulled back and down. Allowing them to rise up will increase the risk of experiencing an injury.
As your chest drops down to the floor, ensure that the elbows stay tight to the body. Allowing the elbows to flare out. Not only is this less efficient it can also lead to injury.
Finally, engaging the core throughout the push-up may allow for a more efficient push-up as it will prevent the hips from rising up or sagging and hold the body in a solid, stable position.
Often the amount of core strength and stability required for a push-up is overlooked. To maximize the demand on the core, do not let the knees touch the floor during a round.
Core Clock
For the core clock workout, you need to imagine that a large clock has been drawn on the floor. Each number on the clock is the number of seconds or reps to be performed.
Once you have completed the first number, you align the body with the number and complete the reps. Continue in this fashion until you have moved all the way around the clock.
For example, for the core clock mountain climbers, you will start at twelve o’clock. Therefore, set up in line with twelve on the clock and perform twelve repetitions.
Once this has been completed, immediately move the body round to 1 o’clock and complete one rep. Repeat this process until you have moved the entire way around the clock.
The Workout
3 rounds:
– Core clock mountain climbers
– Core clock plank to pikes
– Rest for two minutes
– Core clock ab rollouts
There is no denying that this workout will test your core strength, endurance, and stability. Due to the challenge of the core clock, the rest is scheduled mid-round rather than at the end.
During the workout, it is crucial that the core stays engaged. Therefore, if you feel that core tightness has been lost and your hips begin to sag or hike, take a short break.
Be aware that the plank to pikes and the ab rollouts require equipment – core sliders and an ab roller. Don’t worry if you don’t have either of these as paper plates will do the same job.
Training Tips
Some people do not enjoy the idea of core training. However, when we consider what the core does, it is crucial that we develop core strength.
Often the core is misunderstood as being just the abdominals. While the abs are part of the core, the core is essentially all of the muscles of the trunk of the body.
These muscles work together to provide stability and protect many important structures such as the spine and internal organs.
A lot of core workouts can be monotonous, therefore, although challenging, this workout is designed to be an enjoyable drill that freshens up core training.
One of the best things about the core clock is that it allows you to use a wide range of different bodyweight exercises and provides you with a goal to accomplish.
Avoid the temptation to rush through the core clock. Instead, prioritize slow and controlled movements to highly activate the core muscles and get the most out of the workout.
Final Word
While being unable to attend the gym or access any fitness equipment is perhaps less than ideal, bodyweight training is an excellent method of strength training. By regularly performing the three workouts listed in this article, you can effectively maintain and build full-body strength.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
