PE classes at school never evaluated your deadlift. The heads-shoulders-knees-toes song doesn’t mention a dumbbell. The toughest challenges on Survivor are the ones without any equipment at all. The throughline? Being able to use your body effectively is the essence of overall fitness. “Bodyweight workouts are the ABCs of all training,” explains Tammy Jonas, PT, netball coach and WH Cover Search finalist. “It refines form and corrects technique. This is where the foundation for a sustainable, enjoyable and progressive active lifestyle is built.” As to which are the best bodyweight workouts for max progress, that depends on your goal, says Jonas, but nailing the absolute basics is key. Here, Jonas explains how to use those basics to achieve any fitness goal.
Why Are Bodyweight Workouts So Important?
“It’s important to remember that the point of bodyweight fitness is to simply mimic movements in our normal lives,” she stresses. Things like “walking upstairs, picking up heavy grocery bags or running after toddlers” all start with squats, sit-ups, push-ups and planks. “Especially as women aiming to work towards doing their first reps of pull-ups,” explains Jonas, “the basis is in mastering push-ups in a variety of forms.” That could include pike push-ups, decline push-ups and more.
READ MORE: Exactly How To Start Weight Training For Weight Loss, According To Experts
The Best Bodyweight Workouts For Your Goals
In order to reach your fitness goals, the trick is to crank up the difficulty as you progress. Using just your bodyweight, you can leverage different techniques for your goal. Jonas drops her formula:
Fitness goal: get strong
Try: Tempo training
Tempo training for time under tension (TUT) is often used for maxing out muscle gains. By increasing the time in which your muscles are under tension (i.e., holding the pose), you promote muscle strength. This means slowing down the lowering phase, then taking one to two seconds to release. “Time under tension works best in isolated movements,” says Jonas. Her formula: go down for 4 seconds, hold for 2 and release for 1 second. This works for almost everything from squats to push-ups and glute marches.
Fitness goal: be flexible
Try: longer holds
Holding a stretch for 30 to 60 seconds allows the muscles to relax and lengthen. Once you’re able to achieve the full range of motion, aim for deeper holds with a longer release. For example, says Jonas, once reaching a 90º squat, aim for a deeper range of motion, aiming to lower your glutes to the ground. “These all work wonders and are the secret ingredient for smoother and better form,” says Jonas.
READ MORE: This No-Equipment Bodyweight Workout Is Perfect For The Beach, Park Or Yard
Fitness goal: improve your PB
Try: Plyometrics
Explosive, high-intensity moves work to increase power and speed. These often include jumps like box jumps, broad jumps and burpees. Include a variety of high-rep plyometrics to improve your leg strength, suggests Jonas. That means adding explosivity to static movements: a squat becomes a jump squat. Pay attention to increasing the reps too, or use tempo to increase the time under tension.
Fitness goal: up your cardio
Try: Tabata
This HIIT protocol involves just 20 seconds of maxed-out work, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated eight times. Of course, the structure can vary. Working in short bursts like this helps boost anaerobic capacity and improves fitness.
The goal here is to move as fast as you can – with good technique – in the time you have. To start, work for 20 seconds, then rest for 40 seconds. To progress, move to 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. Eventually, you can move to 50 seconds on, 10 seconds off. Track your progress for maximum smugness.
