subject: Home Workout Without Equipment [print this page] Just recently I made the decision to alter my workout regimen, as is usually the case every 6-8 weeks. I was focused on heavy strength training to help build dense muscles. Now I'm planning to take a break from lifting and focus on strength training without weights. By simply using my bodyweight, I'm confident I can perform a home workout without equipment that will help me maintain the size of my muscles while actually increasing functional strength.
Two common pieces of any home workout without equipment are pushups and squats. There are several versions of both types of exercise, so no matter your skill level, you should be able to find a technique that is still challenging. Both are considered compound exercises, in that they engage more than one muscle at a time. If you want to increase your overall functional strength, then compound exercises are the way to go. A good routine of squats and pushups will give your whole body a strong workout, though there are several other upper and lower exercises that can be added to your routine to give you a more rounded workout.
While doing lots of pushups is great for endurance, I'm going to recommend a different approach. In general, strength training is best done in low rep ranges. So, if you're doing your pushups and you pass the 20 mark, you're working on endurance at that point rather than strength. Thus, anyone hoping to gain strength must find a way to make pushups more difficult to complete.
Novices may wish to complete their pushups while resting on their knees or even leaning on a wall if need be. After you've moved on to the standard pushup and can do several in good form in a row, then you can start to mix things up. A standard pushup will work your chest, arms and core, but you can play around with different styles of pushup to target specific muscle areas and to make your routine more challenging and interesting.
I'd recommend building up strength using each type of pushup. After you are able to complete upwards of 15-20 repetitions, make an effort to include other variations in your regimen. It is possible that you will be capable of only 1-3 repetitions of the more difficult variations on the pushup.
Broadly speaking, I oppose targeted training of the legs, particularly in terms of weight lifting. I believe the best way to build leg strength is to use HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), which combines sprints and active recovery. This gives you a slimmer, more athletic look than you would get by using weights. However, bodyweight squats are a good way to build up leg strength and shouldn't result in much mass gain if done using low reps. As you probably guessed, there are several types of squats as well. Beginners can simply do half squats, gradually working until they can do a full squat. Advanced trainees can make squats more explosive, and challenging, by doing squat jumps. Another great way to challenge yourself on the squats is to try the one leg style.
A simple strength training routine involves density training. You switch back and forth between pushups and squats in superset fashion. Try to do this for 15 minutes without a break. The choice of exercise and variation is up to you, but my suggestion is that you begin with traditional squats and pushups in order to assess the true level of difficulty. Start with 5 pushups. Get up and do 5 squats. Keep up this transition between pushups and squats for as long as you can stand it. Never start a rep that you can't complete though; you don't want to train your muscles to failure. If need be, you can always do fewer reps for each exercise or add recovery time between each set. Most of you will be amazed at how hard this really is, even just a couple of minutes in.
For a great home workout without equipment, pushups and squats are probably the most familiar and accessible exercises you can perform, but there are some other bodyweight exercises that you should consider. Pull ups are a great back and arm exercise, although they require a bar or something to hang from. One possibility is to hang from the back of a door. A bar is also needed to perform inverted rows, which are basically horizontal pull ups, though it may be feasible to complete them using the side of a table. Two heavy chairs are all that you need to complete dips, which are so beneficial for the triceps and chest area. Plyometrics are great for developing the leg muscles without relying on weights as they emphasize quick and sudden explosions of force and strength. Generally speaking, it is possible to achieve your goals and increase your strength utilizing only your bodyweight, and you can do so simply by focusing on variations of traditional pushups and squats.
