This post was written by Zachary Cowell, ATC, certified athletic trainer, Parkview Sports Medicine.
When we talk about bodyweight exercises, we’re referring to movements done without any equipment, such as free weights, a barbell or kettlebells. Traditional calisthenics movements like push-ups, sit-ups, squats and lunges, which are all excellent ways to strengthen the body, come to mind.
When incorporating bodyweight workouts into your routine, I suggest planning for effort and pacing, such as what I’ve outlined in the example below.
Sample bodyweight circuit
Here is a bodyweight-only circuit you can introduce into your training routine.
Set a timer for 15 minutes.
- Exercise 1: 5 burpees
- Exercise 2: Bear crawl 50 feet
- Exercise 3: 5 burpees
- Exercise 4: Walk back to start
Complete as many rounds of exercises 1-4 in 15 minutes.
The benefits
This workout is easy to do almost anywhere, including the gym, a basement or garage, and outside. It also accomplishes several things at once, which is great for people who want to get more fit without spending hours upon hours in the gym.
- I chose burpees to bookend the bear crawl to drive up the heart rate and push the body through a complete range of motion.
- Bear crawls are a personal favorite of mine because they engage and condition the whole body, and improves coordination, agility and balance.
- At the end of the second set of burpees, simply walk back to the start for a built-in rest period while keeping the body in motion.
Making it work for you
Of course, other exercises can be used instead of burpees or bear crawls. The time can be shortened to make it a very intense sprint effort or lengthened for a true test of endurance.
Keeping to the 12-20-minute timeframe will capture aerobic and anaerobic energy systems and deliver perhaps the most return on investment in terms of time dedicated to exercise.
The amount of effort given to each round is entirely up to the individual. You can push the pace hard each round or go nice and steady. Either way, I would encourage anyone to give this workout a try for a challenge. You might just get inspired to pursue new avenues of fitness.
Learn more about Parkview Sports Medicine at psmsports.com.
