1 Body, 8 Exercises

When it comes to creating workouts your body alone can provide an adequate amount of resistance to stimulate muscle adaptation. There are quite a few benefits to bodyweight movements such as the following:

• Minimal equipment required

• Easily adaptable to suit different abilities

• Doesn’t require a gym to perform the movements

• Great for people who travel a lot and don’t always have access to gym equipment

• Relatively safe due to no external resistances being used i.e. Weights

• Helps promote good body awareness and control

Shrimp Squats

• Start in an upright position

• Lift one foot off the ground by bending at the knee

• Using the remaining leg only, slowly begin to squat down until the knee of the opposing leg reaches the floor

• Stand stand back up again using only one leg and return to start position

Nordic Curls

• Begin by kneeling down tucking your ankles beneath an object or resistance that is able to resist your bodyweight

• From an upright kneeling position begin to lower your body slowly to the ground by allowing the legs to to extend and maintaining full hip extension

• Control the movement as best you can and use the arms to assist with full range of movement if needed

• Return to start position and repeat

Pushups

• Begin in a high plank position with feet close together and wrists positioned directly beneath the shoulders

• Begin to lower the body down to the ground by bending at the elbows and extending the shoulders so that the top of the arm becomes level with the side of the body and forearms remain in an upright position

• Extend the elbows and flex the shoulder to return to start position

Inverted Rows

• Grasp rings, a TRX or a bar and position your body in a supine position beneath the equipment

• Begin with arms fully extended with body and heels resting on the floor

• Pull the body up towards the handles or bar until chest comes into contact or level with the equipment

• Lower the body back into the start position by extending the arms until straight

Dips

• Begin by placing hands on elevated surfaces on either side of the body (in this case bars)

• Raise the body off the ground by extending the arms and depressing the shoulders

• Lower the body by bending at the elbows whilst maintaining relative shoulder depression

• When the elbows reach 90 degrees allowing the body a slight forward lean as needed

• Extend the arms and return to start position

Chinups

• Begin by hanging from a bar with an underhand grip roughly shoulder width apart

• Initiate the movement by engaging the lats and pulling the shoulder blades down

• Pull. the body up towards the bar by simultaneously flexing the elbows and extending the shoulders until the bar is roughly in line with the collarbone

• Straighten the arms and return to the start position

Skullcrushers

• Begin by positioning the body in a high plank except with the hands positioned slight in front of the shoulders

• Make sure the elbows are pointing towards the feet

• Initiate the movement by bending at the elbows and lowering towards the ground until the forearms are resting on the floor

• Extending the arms again to return to start position

Bicep Curls

• Using a TRX or rings set up similar to how you would an inverted row except making sure to use an underhand grip

• Without moving the upper arm, bend the elbows and curl the handles towards the face

• Once end range is reached extend the elbows and return to start position