4 Tips for Building Your Own Bodyweight Training Program

Most of us wouldn’t complain about a gym membership, in fact most of us likely have one, but if we don’t are we relegated to being unfit? No, of course not, there are plenty of options for getting into shape that don’t require forking over the money for a gym membership.

One such alternative is to turn to bodyweight exercises. Through different maneuvers you can replace dumbbells with body parts, getting a full body workout for free and in any location you want. Most of us will already know a few exercises — pushups and sit-ups — but there is quite a range of possibilities, of which the correct combination can propel us just as far as we could want.

Designing a bodyweight training program is a little different to the program you get from a personal trainer at the gym, so this handy post from Breaking Muscle is a good place to start:

To make the most of isometrics, focus on building tension across the entire muscle. Certain joint positions place more emphasis on the bony structures rather than the contracting muscle. In a push-up for instance, hanging out at the top (with arms fully locked out) puts the majority of the stress on the shoulder joint and takes strain off the chest – not the desired outcome. Instead, gradually move into the position of most muscle tension and hang out. For the majority of exercises, this is going to be when the joint in question is around 90 degrees or slightly greater. For push-ups, this means the elbow joint is close to a right angle.

With great insights from both experience and relevant?books, the author has rounded up a great way to start putting your bodyweight program into place. Check out the full article for all the tips.