Bodyweight exercises are adaptable, efficient, and effective and help you build muscular fitness with the use of little to no equipment. Improving strength, agility, endurance, mobility, balance, and cardiovascular health are some of the major benefits of bodyweight exercises and training.
Pushups, squats, planks, sit-ups, burpee, pull up, chin up, inverted row, running, jumping are some examples of bodyweight workouts.
The Bodyweight exercise is more convenient than weight training because you can do them anytime and anywhere you want as it requires little space and no equipment.
In this article, I have gathered the 10 most important benefits of bodyweight exercises. I’ve collected this information from various sources and made a list so many people can know the benefits of bodyweight training.
So if you want to know the health benefits of bodyweight exercises read till the end. And if they convince you, then share them with others.
Related: Bodyweight Workout Plan To Get Ripped (with PDF)
10 Benefits of Bodyweight Exercise Training
- Increases Muscles and Joints Strength
- Improves Posture
- Enhances Balance and Mobility
- Boosts Endurance and Increase Performance
- Burns More Calories and Support Weight Loss
- Support Muscle Growth
- Improves Flexibility
- Builds a Strong Core
- Doesn’t requires much space and pieces of equipment
- Adaptable, efficient, effective, and Enjoyable
Let’s see one by one in a short details.
Also read: Full Bodyweight Workout For Beginners At Home
1. Bodyweight Exercise Increases Muscles and Joints Strength
Strengthening muscles and joints is the primary benefit of a bodyweight workout. Because it requires you to use your own bodyweight to perform several exercises.
A study of 15 women (not sportswomen) whose average age was 22 years and 4 months; selected for a bodyweight training program.
They did sit-ups, pull-ups, jump squats, jumping, and overhead ball throw exercises for a period of 10 weeks.
The results suggested a significant increase in the overall strength of physical fitness. And the important part is that there was no specific diet plan included in that training program.
Even I do the bodyweight workout training once or twice a week to gain some real physical strength.
Doing bodyweight training will also help you perform better in other forms of training, such as free weights training.
You may also like: Bodyweight Hamstring Exercises To Do At Home
2. Body Weight Exercises Improve Posture
Bodyweight exercises like yoga and stretching reduce shoulder pain, mid back pain, and low back pain, and help you correct your posture – according to research published by the Journal of Physical Therapy Science.
Usually week core and lower back lead to poor posture. And only maintaining proper sitting and standing positions won’t help you improve posture.
That’s why including bodyweight exercises such as bird dog, locust pose, superman fly and lower back rotation bodyweight workout routine can improve your posture.
Also read: 6 Dumbbell Workouts For Lower Back
3. Bodyweight workout Enhance Balance and Mobility
When it comes to improving the overall balance, bodyweight workout training wins the game. Bodyweight exercises improve balance more than weight training.
Recently, we’ve done a study in our group of 5 members. And decided to perform bodyweight training for 6 weeks (4 days a week). Our bodyweight training consists mixing of yoga, calisthenics, and stretching movements.
After the training period, we feel improvement in our balance and mobility. Not only that, but we also felt comfort in sitting, walking, running, and jumping.
So if you’re also a fitness freak like me but you’re not doing bodyweight workouts, then I suggest you include along with other forms of training, at least once or twice a week.
Also read: The 10 Best Bodyweight Exercises For Arms
4. Bodyweight Training Boosts Endurance and Increase Performance
Increasing endurance is one of the main benefits of bodyweight exercises.
Bodyweight high-intensity workouts like burpees, running, sprinting, and jumping keeps your heart rate faster throughout the workout.
In a study of 10 males whose average age was 26 and the average height was 180 cm. They selected for 8-weeks long muscular endurance training with bodyweight workouts. Training includes pushups, pull-ups, and squats.
The study showed a significant improvement in the endurance level. Even I also feel more energetic during my workout sessions and do the extra workout. You can include jumping, running, sprinting, squatting, and swimming in your morning workout routine.
This may also helpful: The 15 Best Bodyweight Back Workouts At Home
5. Bodyweight Workouts Burn More Calories and Support Weight Loss
If your aim is to lose weight but don’t have time to go to the gym or park, you can do bodyweight training.
Bodyweight exercises burn more calories and support weight loss. Bodyweight training like HIIT is one the best ways to lose body fat.
HIIT workouts like running, squatting, burpee, jumping are some proven exercises to lose weight faster. These movements don’t require any equipment; you can do them at home to achieve your fitness goals.
Related: 12 Weight Loss Supplements, Foods And Drinks
6. Bodyweight Training Support Muscle Growth
If you’re a lean guy and want to build an athletic body, then bodyweight training can be a good option for you. Bodyweight exercises like pushups, pull-ups, squats, crunches, planks, and lunges help you grow your muscles.
Several studies proved that doing bodyweight workout training consistently may help build an athletic physique.
Bodyweight exercises take more time to see noticeable results compare to weight lifting and other forms of the workout, but they help in developing a strong posture.
One of my friends, George, 22, weighed 50 kg, started doing bodyweight workouts. And he did several bodyweight movements for 3 months consistently. And as a result, his weight increased by almost 5 kg.
If you eat the right food for muscle and weight gains and do consistent workouts, you’ll also see noticeable muscle growth in three to six months.
You may also like: 7 Benefits of HIIT or High-intensity Interval Training
7. Bodyweight Exercises Improve flexibility
Bodyweight exercises like yoga and stretching help you make more flexible.
Yoga is an aerobic exercise that comes in bodyweight workout training and it improves muscles flexibility and balance. Bridge pose, cobra pose, downward-facing dog pose, chair pose, and child pose are good and easy yoga exercises.
In a trial, a group of 14 yoga professionals and another group of 12 non-yoga professionals took part in it for over 10 weeks of training.
The training includes three different yoga positions; downward-facing dog, right foot lunges, and chair pose.
After the training period, the trial suggested that regularly practicing yoga may increase the flexibility and balance as well as whole-body measures of male athletes.
So, try to include some yoga poses in your morning workout routine, at least twice a week for better fitness results. A flexible body prevents injuries and allows you to do advanced exercises.
Also check out: 7 Bodyweight Exercises For Shoulders
8. Bodyweight Workout Build a Strong Core
It is important to have a strong core for overall fitness. The core is the middle part of the body and it must be strong to do the other forms of workout.
Bodyweight workouts such as planks, crunches, mountain climbers, and hanging knee raises are some of the best workouts to develop a stronger core.
When you don’t have much time, you can even do the core training for 10 mins. I have already written a blog on 10 minutes ab and core workout training that may help you to gain fair strength in your overall core.
Having a strong core helps you make it easier to do most physical activities such as running, jumping, and walking.
Also check out: Bodyweight CrossFit Workouts (WODs) And Benefits
9. Bodyweight exercises don’t require much space and pieces of equipment
You can do bodyweight exercises anywhere you want, as they require little to no equipment. All you need is your mindset, some space, and your will to do the workout.
Suppose, if you’re going somewhere or you’re on a trip for a week or two, then you can still have an option to do the bodyweight workout to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
You can do the bodyweight workout at home, in a hotel room, on a trip, in the cafeteria, or in any tiny places.
10. Bodyweight Exercises are Adaptable, efficient, effective and Enjoyable
You can adapt bodyweight exercises to your current level of fitness, whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate, or an advanced.
Whether you’re 20 or 70, you can do bodyweight training according to your fitness level. Level of the bodyweight training completely depends upon you.
Bodyweight training is efficient because it can be done with just yourself and some time. Whether you have 5, 15, or 30 minutes you can do a small workout session with your own body weight.
Whether your aim is weight loss, muscle gain, or just overall fitness maintenance; bodyweight workouts help you reach your fitness goals. This is one of the main benefits of bodyweight exercises.
Bodyweight exercises are enjoyable because they can be done anywhere and anytime in a tiny or small space without any equipment. It’s like dancing you just need your body to perform the moves.
You can challenge your friends at home in pushups, crunches, or squats.
You can build a strong body with enjoyment. All it’s required is your mood.
If You Want to Get the Benefits of Bodyweight Training, Try this workout routine at home
Bodyweight Workout Plan for General Fitness
- Downward-facing dog pose: 2 minutes
- Chair pose: 1 min
- Baby pose: 1 min
- High knees: 1 min
- Jumping jacks: 15 reps* 2 sets
- Push-ups 15 reps * 3 sets
- Pull-ups if possible 10 reps in 2 set (If you can, do more)
- Squats 25 squats * 3 sets
- Running at normal speed: 400 meters * 3 rounds (if you go out for a morning walk)
- Diamond push-ups: 10 reps * 2 sets
- Chin-ups: 10 reps in 2 sets if possible
- Walking lunges: 8 reps2 sets Incline push-ups: 15 reps2 sets
- Bridge pose: 1 min
- Do these exercises 4 or 5 days a week and try to mix them on different days:
Bodyweight Exercises Plan for Weight Loss
Note: Perform each exercise at your maximum heart rate with little rest between the sets.
- Downward-facing dog pose: 2 minutes
- Jumping ropes: 1000 times or 10 minutes
- Running at Normal speed: 500 meters3 sets in 12-15 minutes (if you go out for morning walk) High knees: 2 minutes Pull-ups: Pull-ups are difficult for an overweight person but you should hang on the bar for at least 2 minutes. Squats thrust: 10 reps3 sets
- Walking Lunges: 10 reps*2 sets
- Bridge pose: 1 min
- Forearm Planks: 1 minute
- Side plank: 1 minute
- Russian Twist: 1 min
- Sit-up: 1 min
- Mountain climber: 1 min
- Air Plunge: 1 min
- Do these exercises 4 or 5 days a week and try to mix them on different days:
Bodyweight Workout Plan for Intermediate and Advanced
- Downward-facing dog pose: 2 minutes
- Bridge pose: 2 min
- Running at normal speed: 400 meters * 3 rounds (if you go out for morning walk)
- Pull-ups: 8 reps*sets (if possible) you can increase reps if you feel easy to perform 24 reps in 3 sets.
- Squats: 50 squats * 2 sets
- Walking Lunges: 10 reps sets Jumping Squats: 15 reps2 sets
- Wide arms push-ups: 25 reps x 2 sets
- Burpee: 15 reps x 2 sets
- Hand release pushups: 20 reps x 1 set
- Pseudo Planche: 15 reps x 1 set
- Pike push up: 15 reps x 1 set
- Feet elevated push up: 20 reps x 1 set
- One-arm pushups: Do as many as reps possible
- Do these exercises 4 or 5 days a week and try to mix them on different days.
The final words
As you have seen many health benefits of bodyweight exercises and training, I assume you’re excited to begin the exercises.
Whether you do free weight or resistance machine workouts, including bodyweight workouts once or twice a week can strengthen and tone your muscles, improves endurance, enhance agility, mobility, balance, and cardiovascular health.
Eat healthily, sleep properly, and work out consistently to live a diseases free and healthy lifestyle.
