Mastering yourself can be one of the hardest things to do. Doing the things you know you should do consistently is just so tough! Getting up early, working out and eating well are usually at the top of most people’s list. All three things make our body feel good so you’d wonder why we avoid them.
Pain and pleasure have a big part to play. Pleasure now and pain later or pain now and pleasure later. That is our choice. The easy or hard option first? Either way you are going to experience both, and there is no hiding from that difficult moment.
Bodyweight exercises can push you hard!
All of us like to complicate things. For some reason, if something is more complex, it feels like it’s worth more. The diet of pills and potions versus a simple cutting down on the amount of bread you eat. The super setting bodybuilder programme, for someone who is overweight, versus increasing the amount you move your body.
Simple things can be very effective and using your bodyweight to get in shape is certainly one of them. You have all the tools for an amazing workout anywhere and at any time. Very little space is needed. Only your ability to make yourself get down to business and to choose the pain before the pleasure stands in your way from an insanely effective workout. Your training session follows you everywhere. While at home or travelling you just have to grab hold of yourself and get moving for the wonderful effects of bodyweight exercise to do their thing.
This week I decided to create a bodyweight workout that could be done in twelve minutes but targeted all the major muscle groups. My idea was to suggest six exercises that, when done together, had the ability to tax your body at a high enough intensity that you walked away feeling like you’d just completed a full workout, regardless of how long it took you.
You do each exercise for forty seconds and then take a twenty second break. You repeat two rounds of the six exercises.
Here are my Top 6 Bodyweight Exercises
-
Push-Ups
My Dad showed me how to do my first push-up. I saw it as my first step to becoming a man. All I had to do was complete twenty push-ups a day and I’d have bulging manly muscles in no time!
That’s how I thought back then, but all through my life push-ups have been my “go to” exercise. I wanted to fight a bully in school so I did some push-ups the night before. I wanted to feel confident at my first disco so I did twenty before I left the house. I wanted to beat my older brother up so…you get the idea.
The engagement of the muscles most recognisable by young boys when they looked at men was key. The chest, shoulders and arms all work hard during a push-up and give you an immediate pump which, for young boys looking to impress, feels really good.
This exercise builds the anterior deltoids, pectoralis major and minor, the triceps and the abdominals. Many varieties exist, from the explosive plyometric push-up to the regular muscular endurance push-up. I chose the regular push-up as it has a decreased chance of injury.
The start phase of a Push-Up
The lowering phase of a Push-Up
-
Burpees
Burpees have a ferocious reputation as an exercise that can really make you suffer. It is such an all over body stressor that your heart rate quickly rises and your breathing gets sharper. In CrossFit circles, it is the exercise used to punish late arrivals or poor performance. Just mention the word in most gyms and you’ll get a gasp or two.
The first version of the burpee was invented by a physiologist from New York city called Royal H. Burpee in 1939. This version was very tame compared to what it is now and only required you to complete the exercise (which only had you jump back in a push-up position, jump up again and stand up) four times as part of an early fitness test.
The modern burpee is a total assault, making your body jump (more than once), squat, and complete a push up, all in one highly taxing movement. It is a cardiovascular test that needs to be completed in a controlled manner to avoid poor execution and injury. Once tiredness kicks in, form can disintegrate so it is vital to pace yourself.
A Burpee is made up of:
- Move down into a push-up position
- Kick your feet back
- Do a push-up
- Kick your feet up
- Jump explosively back to starting position
The start phase of a Burpee
The end phase of a Burpee
-
Power Jumps
These six exercises together are a potent combination because of the variety involved. After coming off the cardiovascular onslaught of the Burpee, you find yourself staring at the explosive power jump which is next in line.
The reset is the most important phase of this movement. Once you complete one knees to chest high jump, land softly and then grab a moment to prepare for the next one. You give each jump 100% of your effort, so if you need to take an extra moment to steady yourself, take it.
Take each jump as an individual exercise. Trying to keep continuously going will quickly destroy your form and ultimately destroy you for the coming exercises!
Exploding up for a Power Jump
-
Knees to Chest
OK, so we’re half way through the killer six. So far we’ve had a mix of muscular endurance (push- up), cardio (burpee) and explosive power (power jump). Next we switch to cardio again with knees to chest running in place while holding a push-up position.
If you try this exercise for ten seconds it’s enjoyable and not too difficult. However, as you go past twenty seconds, you begin to feel the heart rate rise and muscle burn mix that kicks in. The isometric contraction that you do in the push-up position adds some extra spice to this demanding exercise. It hits your core nicely as you keep your back straight and squeeze each knee up as high as you can.
At this moment in the workout you are beginning to feel it’s power. The exercises are compounding on top of one another and are relentlessly bashing away at your body. Hang on in there! It’s certainly worth it to get to the end and experience how worked and strong your body feels.
Knees to chest in push-up position
-
Lunge Jumps
What an exercise for working all your leg muscles hard! This plyometric activity is a mix of jumps and lunges that take you to near failure when done over forty seconds. Plyometric exercises are not made for high repetitions as they are quite intense. Therefore, pace yourself on this one, taking brief breaks between jumps when needed.
The key to lunge jumps is to do them in sets for maximum impact. Try eight jumps in a row, break, then continue for another eight. Repeat this until the time is up. Hamstrings, quadriceps and calves all get a wonderful workout here.
Your legs will feel heavy after this, but with only one more movement in the round, your spirits will be high. Through heavy breathing you may be able to mumble “Bring it on!”.
Plyometric jump phase of the Lunge Jump
Little knee touch with lunge and spring up again to opposite side
-
Plank Push-Up
Our exceptional six finish with a great core, triceps and chest move called the Plank Push-Up. As the name suggests, this exercise is a mix of a plank and push-up (no surprise here!). Not only will you have to deal with a tough activity to finish, as you can see from the photos, I chose quite a stony place to complete this workout which was definitely not a good idea! Instead of having mini boulders embed themselves into your skin, place a towel underneath your elbows so you have one less thing to worry about.
Once your forty seconds start, get into a rhythm and keep the pace going. Alternate the elbow that goes to ground first on each rep to balance things out. Try not to sway your body too much. Engage your core to keep things steady, grit your teeth and blast out an excellent finish.
Moving from plank to push-up
Plank position
This workout has so much going on. It’s high intensity with a lot of elements being tested. You have muscular endurance, power, cardio, plyometrics and isometric holds! Do them in the order shown for maximum benefit, less chance of injury and variety of muscle groups being tested each time.
Once you finish one round, brace yourself for round two. Yes, it’s a hard workout but I would hope you would aim to beat it. Beating it means you don’t fear it. You get your gear on and move through each one, taking less breaks every time you repeat it. It’s one of my toughest 12 minute workouts to date but boy does it pack a fat sizzling, muscle gaining punch.
Would you like to see how I did? Take a look at the full workout video here: Bodyweight Blast Workout
If you’d like to get more great ideas for bodyweight exercises to do at home or on the road, check out this excellent book by Anthony Arvanitakis: HomeMade Muscle: All You Need is a Pull up Bar (Motivational Bodyweight Workout Guide)
Are there any body weight exercises you’d add to this six? Use the comment section below and let me know!
Thanks for the nice post. If you are trying to tone up your back, you might think the best way to do it is to hit the dumbbells and the machines. This is one way to get a good back exercise in, but there are also plenty of bodyweight exercises for back muscle growth that work just as well. They’re also easier to carry out in most cases, because they do not require the use of bulky dumbbells or machines. The back is composed of many different muscles, so it’s important to do a variety of exercises that hit all… Read more »