Bodyweight Exercises That Everyone Should Do
The thing that a lot of people don’t realize when they start working out is that really anything can be a workout. As long as there’s some resistance involved and you’re using your muscles to some degree, then it’s training.
And that means that you can think outside the box when it comes to bodyweight workouts. You don’t just have to do pull ups, push ups and squats… check out some of these utterly bizarre but also rather cool bodyweight exercises!
Calf Jumps
Calf jumps are a way to train the calves that is explosive and great for creating microtears and power in the lower portion of the legs. To perform calf jumps, you simply stand with your legs completely straight and then jump. The caveat? Your legs have to also remain straight throughout the duration of the jump. What this means is that you’re not able to engage the upper leg muscles, thereby forcing your calves to do all the work in a very plyometric manner.
Hollow Rock
The hollow rock is an incredibly weird ab exercise but one that has gradually become more and more popular. The idea is to fix the body in a concave curve with buttocks planted on the ground and rock onto the arch of your back. Then rock back and forward without moving any of your limbs. The only way to do this is by powering the movement through your abs. It’s a great fun exercise that has you rocking backward and forward Great way to build core strength.
Abdominal Shifters
This is one that you probably won’t want to do in a gym because it looks absolutely bizarre! Basically, you’re going to be lying on the ground keeping your core tight with a slight concave arch in the torso. Now you’re going to rock back and forward. As you do, you’re going to slightly rotate until you’ve gone a full 360 degrees. You’ll look like a fish flapping around on the beach but it’s an excellent and fun way to build the abs and transverse abdominis.
Elbow Curls
This is the perfect exercise for people who want to train their biceps but don’t have any equipment. To perform this, lie on the ground on your side with one arm pinned under your leg and with your legs bent forward. Now grab your leg from underneath and pull your upper body into a twisting sit up position. This will train the bicep using bodyweight and there’s no need for a bar or dumbbell!
