Bodyweight Training: 5 Useful Tips and Exercises to Stay Injury-Free

Are you already training regularly with the adidas Training app, or are you getting ready to start doing bodyweight training? To make working out with your own body weight easier, we have five useful exercises for you to help avoid overtraining and prevent injuries.

1. Mobilization of the wrist

In addition to warming up before your workout, it is important to mobilize your joints. Wrist and knee pain is often largely the result of poor mobility in those joints.

How to prevent wrist pain:

Starting position:

• Get down in the all-fours position.
• Place your hands shoulder-width apart.
• Make sure your fingers point towards your feet.

How to do the exercise:

• Slowly begin to sit back until you feel a light stretch in your forearms. Then return slowly to the starting position.
• Repeat this movement several times.

Another option from the starting position is to apply gentle pressure to your arms alternately and in different positions (e.g. fingertips pointing outwards, inwards, forwards, etc.).

Now switch from your palms to the back of your hands and repeat exercise (see above).

As described above, another option from the starting position is to apply gentle pressure to your arms alternately and in different positions (e.g. fingertips pointing outwards, inwards, forwards, etc.).

2. Push-up variation with wrist support

You can reduce the stress on your wrists by using special push-up bars. These help you keep your wrists straight when doing push-ups and avoid hyperextending them. Another option is to use dumbbells or do the push-ups on your fists (fingers pointing in). Nonetheless, you should make sure to do several mobilization exercises before and plenty of stretching after your workout.

3. Mobilization of the knee

Starting position:

• Kneel in an upright position.
• Make sure to keep your back straight.
• Your eyes should face forward.

How to do the exercise:

• Slowly sit back on your heels until you feel a light stretch in your thighs. Then return to the starting position. If you are not flexible enough to sit all the way down on your heels, then you can place a small pillow or a rolled-up mat on your calves to help you.
• Repeat this movement several times.

Another option, this time from a standing position, is to place your knees together and squat down slightly like you were skiing. Put your hands on your knees and then gently move them in a circle.

4. Stretching after your workout

You can improve joint flexibility by stretching regularly after your workout. Assume the same position as you did in the section on the mobilization of the wrist. Once again, you should feel a light stretch in your forearms. Hold this position for about 30 seconds and repeat the stretch 3 times. It is important here to remember that stretching should not cause you pain.

5. Sit-ups with lower back support

Do you get an uncomfortable feeling in your lower back after you do sit-ups? Use a rolled up towel and place it across your lower back. This helps support your lower back and takes excessive pressure off your spine.

Could you find the right tips for you? Or are there other exercises that are giving you trouble? Let us know – for example, in the comments section below – and we will gladly help you!

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