Posted on March 25, 2020 by Kate Halsall
If you’re not a cardio bunny and you are missing your usual gym weights; it can be daunting this whole “home workout” thing – especially if you have no kit. But there are still ways you can tailor your workouts so you don’t miss those gains too much! You just need to remember that there’s a lot of ways in which we can use our own body weight. So here are some top tips on how to get the most out of your body weight workouts.
Eccentric Training
If you’re not familiar with the term eccentric training, you may be familiar with “negatives”. If neither of these ring a bell, fear not! To describe this in it’s simplest terms, the eccentric part of an exercise is the downwards phase of a squat or a press up. It really challenges your muscles if you focus on this and can still help with muscle gains – even with just body weight!
To add this into your routine, simply add a 3-5 second tempo on the downward phase of a squat, lunge, press up, leg raise, crunch and so on.
Isometric Training
Generally speaking, when we think of isometric training, we think of planks and wall squats. But actually think about adding a hold or a pause at the bottom of an exercise. So when you hit your depth for your press up or squat, hold it there for 3-5 seconds and then push yourself back to the starting position. It makes it much harder!
Angles
Step outside of your comfort zone! If you’re used to doing a “standard” press up, try putting your legs up on furniture and elevating it. Put your arms and legs at different staggered angles during squats and press ups. Change your body angle/position – try a press up with your bum in the air! You just have to be a little imaginative!
Break the Exercise Down
The example I would use to explain this is a “bicep 21”. Normally, 7 reps are performed on the lower part of a bicep curl – so from the thighs to the belly button. Then 7 are focused on the top part of the curl – from the belly button to the shoulders. Then 7 full range reps are performed. You could also apply this principle to those common body weight exercises like squats and press ups – give it a go!
And there you have it! A way to keep those gains even without gym equipment. Why not give it a go and let us know how you get on!