5 Tips for Training with Your Own Body Weight

The days of pumping iron and lifting heavy weights are over. The clever way to train focuses on total body exercises and functional training. Burpees, planks and the like push your entire body, engaging more than half the muscles in your body. By making several muscles work together simultaneously, you can increase the effectiveness of your training and reach your goal faster. The great thing about burpees, planks and co. is that besides strengthening your body, they get your heart pumping and your lungs working. The combination of different muscle groups not only increases your power, but it also saves you a trip to the gym. They also help prevent muscle imbalances and reduce the risk of injury.

1. True all-rounder
Total body exercises train several different muscle groups at the same time and improve the interaction between them. When different muscles work together as a team (intermuscular coordination), it increases your strength. Holistic workouts help you avoid imbalances, which are a frequent cause of injury.

In a short period of time, you can pursue several different goals: Intense strength exercises not only strengthen your body, but they also focus on other aspects like endurance, coordination and agility. Another bonus of total body exercises is that training several muscles simultaneously allows you to profit from the afterburn effect. The afterburn effect is where your body burns additional fat even after your workout because your metabolism is working full blast. The more intense and demanding your workout is, the more you can benefit from the post-workout effect.

2. Say goodbye to the gym
If you want to lead a healthy lifestyle, you need to exercise regularly. But regular exercise doesn’t always require a trip to the gym or a course with a fitness instructor. You can get really fit without any machines or equipment. All you need is your own body, gravity and the right exercises. If you incorporate effective total body exercises into your training, you can save money on sports equipment and expensive gym memberships. Amazing results don’t cost anything except sweat and effort.

3. The effective path to your goal
Awesome results can be achieved without any additional means by simply doing burpees, planks and co. What? You say push-ups are too easy and don’t present much of a challenge? Have you ever thought of doing one-arm push-ups or raising one leg in the air? There are lots of variations!

Total body exercises only take minutes to get you pouring sweat. Even well-trained and very fit people find muscles they never knew they had after hundreds of lunges and burpees. Training with your own body weight has something for everyone. From basic exercises for beginners up to very complex exercises that are pretty challenging.

4. Training with friends
You don’t need some kind of platinum gym membership to get into shape. You can transform your body within your own four walls. Completely without equipment. You don’t like training on your own and could benefit from being surrounded by other sports enthusiasts? Total body exercises are perfect for group training. It is not only fun, but it fires up your motivation. You can achieve spectacular results with an exercise mat, a hand towel and a bottle of water. Ever thought of moving your training outdoors? Or having people over once a week for a group workout?

5. It all comes down to how you do it
Do you like training with friends? Great! But don’t get carried away, and make sure to go at your own pace. Doing the exercises right is far more important than being the first one done. The only way to improve your performance while avoiding injuries is to do the exercises properly. This not only saves you the discomfort of back or knee pain and stiff muscles, but also pushes you to your limits and helps minimize the risk of injury.

So you see, there are many reasons to train with your own body weight. Because there are numerous variations of each exercise, there is no way you can get bored. Have you tried Results yet? We’d love to hear about your progress in the comments section below.

Runtastic Results. Time for a transformation!
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