I first learned about bodyweight training in the military during physical training, which was three times a day, and I cannot recall too many weight lifting sessions nor did we enter a weight room. Bodyweight workouts were the norm. They were called calisthenics. With all the push-ups, sit-ups, leg raises, chin-ups and something fashionable to today’s walking lunges it seemed weight lifting was optional.
It was a different time and the fitness, health and wellness industry was not what it is today. The general population did not attend fitness centers or weight rooms. Lunges? Burpees? Never heard of them. Shuffle in place, in-and-out squat, and low-rotational squats? What?
It’s not all about burpees and lunges and now it is recognized and called bodyweight workouts. All you need is 10 to 30-minutes, some space and a little motivation. There are no age boundaries. It can be a family fun workout. It can save you time. And it’s free! It looks easy, but it can leave your muscles spent and your breathing challenged. And you’ll want more.
“It’s using what you are built with,” says Jeremy Rubin, a professional strength and conditioning coach, and co owner of Le R.E.C Room, a Montreal-based multipurpose family facility promoting an overall health and wellness lifestyle. “Some of the movements are tough and the order can also be tough and it can be an intense workout.”
These moves are the foundation of what you do in life and prepare your body for the unknown. For example, to replace the traditional weighted leg squat try a single-leg squat, without weights. The squat is known to improve balance using our gravity muscles and by doing it slowly on one leg the resistance is amplified. The unknown could be running for a taxi, carrying a heavy bag, and having to side step several pedestrians. These are possibilities that require balance and shifting from one muscle to the next, engaging those gravity muscles.
It takes time though. “You have to build up to it and there is a starter base for everything,” Rubin says, adding that proper technique is paramount to perfecting them.
Bodyweight training can be invigorating and one can spice things up by adding variations. Adding repetitions, modifying or performing the exercises fast or slow will intensify the challenge. The only limit is your imagination.
