4 Body weight exercises for beginners -No excuses!!!

Below are some of my go-to Body weight exercises for beginners, and once mastered, they can be completed without any excuses or equipment (except perhaps for the pull-up! if you can’t find something to hang from ). The reason that I wish to share these Body weight exercises for beginners is that they can give you an intense workout to blow away the cobwebs even if you do not have any equipment.

Examples

Air Squat

The Air squat is a great strength builder for the legs and initially can be completed while lowering your body weight to a chair if you are unsteady.

How too Level 1

• Place a chair against a wall to stop it from slipping backwards
  • Ensure while sitting in the chair that your thighs are just below parallel
• stand in front of the chair and lower yourself slowly under control toward the seated position
• As your butt touches the seat, “attempt not to sit” but pause and stand back up

Initially, I would suggest ten repetitions with a minute rest and repeat – Complete this for three sets

Once you feel more comfortable standing beside

the chair and use it to stabilize yourself (if needed) and complete using the same repetition

Level 2

Again once you are confident without the chair, move on to the complete air squat.

• Start straight up legs at shoulder-width apart.
• Lower yourself with your hands not touching your body into a position with your butt below parallel
• ensure your back stays straight and your calves upright ( do not lean forwards)

Start with ten reps and three sets and build to an unbroken set of 100 by increasing the number of reps or sets every session.

Complete three days a week.

Remember, speed is not the aim here but staying in control is.

Ensure you keep yourself steady and your back straight during the whole movement.

Push up

Arghhhhh, the push up I hear you say. The starting variation of the push up is an excellent exercise to build upper body strength and should not be overlooked. This may be one of the most brutal Body weight exercises for beginners, but following the progression below will be possible.

How to Level 1

• Start on your knees and reach forward onto all fours – fingers facing forwards.
• Look toward the ground and slightly forwards – do not crane your neck
• Slowly lower yourself to the ground with your elbows staying close to your body
• Once you reach the bottom push yourself up to the starting position

Level 2

Once you can complete ten unbroken knee push-ups, move to a standard push up technique.

• Lay on the ground face toward the floor
• Raise yourself onto your toes and hold your legs straight and engage your core
• Push yourself to a plank position ( you should have a level back and legs – Butt not high – you should pivot from your feet)
• Lower yourself to the floor again, keeping your elbows close to your body

Attempt to add more unbroken push-ups every week – progression is vital – 5 standard and five knee push-ups one week unbroken – attempt next week five standard and six knees.

Level 3

Once you can complete 20+ standard push-ups, unbroken moves to an intermediate push up workout

Body weight Pull up

This has always been my nemesis, but I managed to defeat them after a few weeks of perseverance.

At this point, it doesn’t matter if you are using an overhand or underhand grip – Time on the bar is the most crucial factor.

Performing a pull up is essentially ensuring your strength verse weight is at an optimum level. Too heavy, and you will never get off the ground, and the same goes for lack of upper body strength or grip strength.

If you carry a little extra weight, as I was, I’d suggest that you focus upon weight loss alongside the below routine.

Firstly, you need to purchase a pull-up bar or find a location you could safely hang from. Ideally, this will allow for a full grip of a bar rather than hanging by your fingers ( yes, I tried this )

Once you have a suitable bar that can safely hold your Bodyweight I would progress through the below levels.

Level 1

Get used to hanging on the bar (dead hanging)

• Stand under the bar and either jump up and grasp it or lift your legs
• The key here is to dead hang under the bar for a set duration of time (I started with 10 seconds which felt like forever)
• Once you are used to hanging from the bar for 10 seconds, increase the time of each hang
• Perform ten sets of timed hangs – resting the remainder of the minute and restart your next hang when the next minute starts
• I would initially suggest performing this three times a week and aim to increase the hang time each workout

You will progress quickly in both grip strength and time hanging. (confidence that the bar will hold your weight and you will not fall off the bar is key to developing the full pull up).

Level 2

Once you have mastered Level 1 and do not feel like your arms will pull out of your shoulders after 30 seconds, I would progress to this level.

During this level, you will move your body weight above the bar. Either by jumping (if you are able) or by standing on a chair/box to allow you to get your chin above the bar.

• Hang from the bar with your chin above it
• Arms at slightly wider than shoulder-width
• Lower yourself as slowly as possible until you resume the dead hang position
• As per level one – increase your time at the above position or time taken to descend to the dead hang.
• Repeat three times a week until you can hold yourself with ease at the top position for 30 seconds

The muscles used will be slightly dependent upon using an overhand or underhand grip. I will explain this in a later post – do not worry about the difference at this point.

Level 3

I have recently purchased myself a set of gymnastics rings. I find them so much fun and have incorporated them into my pull up bodyweight exercises.

The routine I use is called the ring-pull up.

• Position the rings hanging at just below chest height
• lean back while holding the rings
• let yourself travel backwards until you are at an angle with the ground
• Pause at the bottom and pull yourself up, so the rings and your hands are at chest level
• Pause again and lower yourself back to the lower position
• Repeat until you perform a set number of pulls or for a set duration
• I started 3 sets of 10 repartitions, but id suggest starting low and building upon every routine –

Progression is the key – build on every workout. As you get stronger, push the intensity – trust me, you can complete one more rep.

I love to chase my best times/weights/durations etc., and I advise that you log your results to allow this to occur.

Level 3A

I have seen and used to use assistance bands to aid in getting the first “real” pull up.

I would suggest using these at this level when you are close to your first pull up. The bands are usually graded by a colour equal to the assistance strength.

• Loop the band over your bar – so that it does not slip or come loose
• Place the other end over your foot or knee ( ensure it does not  slip ) – I have been slapped in the face many a time by a troublesome band – trust me, it isn’t pleasant
• As in Level 2 – Start at the top point (chin over bar)
• Lower yourself to the bottom point slowly and with the band’s assistance, then pull yourself up far as you can.

Pull-ups have been my nemesis for a while, and level 3 was a point I needed the most help and motivation hence the many variations I am suggesting.

Once you can get to the top position three times in a row with ease – change to a less powerful band.

Repeat 3 times a week – 10 repartitions for three sets

Level 3B

As I have stated the

The final variation I found helpful was the partial range pull up.

• Hang from the bar – arms shoulder-width apart
• Pull yourself up as far as possible
  • This will start at a few mm or inches – Hold at the top position as long as possible.

The initial pull is performed by using your back to pull, not your shoulders or arms – The most challenging part of a pull up (once you can hang for 30 seconds) is the first 50 mm (2 inches) and the final 100 mm (4 inches).

If you struggle to start a pull up, I suggest using bands (they offer the most significant assistance when stretched or at the bottom of a pull up ).

If you struggle with the final part, I would use gymnastics rings because you can adjust the intensity by adjusting your angle with the floor. (lower angle = more strength needed)

Level 4

Once you achieve the full pull up for one repetition.

You will build on this excellent result by aiming to add one additional pull up a week. This can be completed by moving between levels 3 and 4.

week 1 -1 complete pull up + 9 assisted or partial range

week 2 – 2 complete pull ups + 8 assisted or partial range

Increase each week – if you have a lousy week, reflect on your progress.

Bad weeks happen particularly if you have been not looking after your weight.

Remember lifting 1 kg or lb more than your maximum strength allows is close to impossible. However, adding this weight can be done with a single substantial meal.

Bodyweight Dips

The dip is an excellent move for transitioning into other areas and focuses on your triceps and therefore is essential to have in your repertoire.

They can be quickly completed using a chair or low ledge, but if you like equipment as I do, a set of dip bars is a great affordable purchase (but not essential)

How too

• Place a chair against a wall to stop it from slipping backwards
• Start by sitting on the chair or ledge
• Move so your hands are resting the palm on the edge about should width apart.
• Allow your butt to come off the edge of the chair and lower yourself down (start with a 25 -50 mm or 1-2 inches dip)
• Once you have lowered yourself a set distance, push yourself up to the starting point.
• Initially, start with three sets of 10 repetitions with a minute rest – 3 times a week.
• Aim to lower yourself more each workout or perform more repetitions

Using a chair or ledge seems complicated as it did for me. If so, I can advise purchasing equipment that will help me as they did me. These can be used in many other ways.

These are dip stands and a plyobox. Both would be excellent additions to any body weight workout routine or garage gym. They are not essential, but I would personally recommend them.

Conclusion

Once you can perform all the above Body weight exercises for beginners with at least one repetition, you will be significantly stronger than many people.

I would suggest that the pull will be the hardest to achieve and is linked to your strength verse weight ratio.

The lighter you are, the less strength you require. I struggled with this single exercise for many months, but boy the excitement to finally perform one. The feeling of strength could not beat this feeling.

If you regularly perform bodyweight exercises for beginners at home, you may wish to invest in some equipment to enhance your gains.

As I have stated above, I have dip stands, a yoga mat, gymnastic rings, and a pull-up bar. Some hidden behind my sofa and a plyobox as a side table were all ready for those impromptu workout sessions.

These are not essential but will enhance your enjoyment as you get stronger.

I hope these beginner bodyweight exercises start your journey towards a life enjoying fitness, and feel free to add below your personal experiences.

Brian

shortandintense.com