The Benefits of Bodyweight Training

While many fail to recognize the benefits that simply using your own bodyweight can have during a bout of exercise, it happens to be an extremely effective and convenient way to train if done properly.

Similar to resistance training, bodyweight training uses weight to create resistance and increase the difficulty level of a given exercise. The difference, of course, lies in where the weight is coming from. 

Bodyweight training also happens to be a great option for those that may not have access to a gym, prefer not to spend money on a membership, or for those who are just looking for a change in their training. 

Whether your goals are to build muscle, lose weight, or simply remain fit, bodyweight training can help. The following will be a detailed discussion of the several benefits of bodyweight training, no matter the goal.

Top 5 Benefits of Bodyweight Training 

As mentioned, if done properly and with intention, bodyweight training can trigger significant progress whether your goals are weight loss, muscle growth, or performance improvements. 

Not to mention, it’s free and there’s no barrier to entry to begin. So, whether you’re still not convinced about the benefits or lack thereof when it comes to bodyweight training, there’s really no excuse to try it and see for yourself. 

While we’ve already mentioned two of the primary benefits (it’s free and there’s zero barrier to entry), we’ll dive a little deeper into each! 

Below are the top 5 benefits of training with only your bodyweight.

• It’s FREE
• Zero Barrier to Entry
• It Promotes Proper Form via Functional Movement Patterns
• It’s Safe and Effective
• It’s Convenient

It’s FREE!

With onslaughts of new fitness programs, fitness trends, and new fitness crazes, we often forget that physical activity is largely a free act. We don’t have to pay a monthly membership; we don’t have to follow the latest fitness craze; we don’t need to invest in the newest pieces of equipment in order to have a good workout and see progress. 

In fact, you can have the best workouts of your life using just your bodyweight.

Bodyweight training can be implemented as an aerobic activity, anaerobic activity, steady state workout, or high-intensity interval workout. It can be performed in the comfort of your own home or outside at your favourite park, all at zero cost to you.

While the idea that something is “free” shouldn’t be a prerequisite for whether or not you should do it, in the case of bodyweight training, it most certainly should be a consideration. After all, why spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars annually when you can see the same if not better results for free?!

Zero Barrier to Entry 

As a Segway from bodyweight training being free, there’s also zero barrier-to-entry. In other words, you don’t need any capital to begin; you don’t need to be an expert and experienced fitness enthusiast; and you don’t need any particular resource other than your own bodyweight to perform it. 

As a beginner, this should be encouraging. Sometimes the hardest part of one’s fitness journey is beginning. However, with bodyweight training, beginning should be the easiest part!

It’s also a great entry-level training methodology, for it teaches you proper movement mechanics in the safest of ways. Which brings us to the next benefit!

 

It Promotes Proper Form via Functional Movement Patterns

While bodyweight training is most certainly an effective training methodology for both beginners and elite athletes alike, it’s doubly beneficial for beginners who aren’t yet equipped to perform complex movements, let alone with added weights.

In other words, in order to learn how to squat, for example, you must first learn the proper squatting mechanics with just your bodyweight. Outside of the fact that it teaches you proper movement mechanics in the safest of ways, it’s also implementable for a sweaty and effective workout in and of itself.

If you’ve ever taken part in a CrossFit class, for example, and air squats were a part of the workout prescription, you know what we’re talking about.

It’s Safe and Effective

By taking away the noise, eliminating the equipment, and keeping it as simple as possible with just our bodyweight, we reach optimal safety. The good news is that while these bodyweight exercises my be extremely simple, and thus safe, they also happen to be extremely effective if programmed effectively.

So, how is bodyweight training safe? Not only is it physically safe for our joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles, but it also puts very little strain on one’s nervous system whilst still providing a beneficial stimulus.

Whether you’re a beginner or elite athlete, you can benefit from incorporating bodyweight exercises into your fitness regimen, whether as a warmup, main workout, cooldown, or preventative protocol.

It’s Convenient 

To tie it all together, bodyweight training is extremely convenient. As mentioned, it’s 100% free, there’s zero barrier to entry, it’s safe and effective, and it can be performed wherever and whenever.

 

All you need for an effective workout is you and your bodyweight. The best part? Because of its convenience, it also happens to be quite versatile. While it’s perfectly effective on its own, bodyweight exercises also lend themselves to allowing additions for added difficulty.

In other words, if you want to add external weight to an exercise via free weights or resistance bands, you can do so. There’s no harm, however, in simply sticking to the basic bodyweight exercise either. 

If you do plan on partaking in a bodyweight training regimen but you still want the option to add additional stressors to your workouts, consider Redge Fit’s at-home exercise equipment. Whether it’s resistance bands, portable pull up bars, or there all-in-one at-home resistance exercise machine, Redge Fit has you covered.

Check out there entire product catalogue here!