A Weight Free Workout

A bodyweight exercise programme

Many of us cannot afford the time or cost of a gym membership. On top of that, many of us struggle to get any training in at all. However, there should be no real excuse not to exercise. Reading around the internet I happened to come across another weight free workout that is very effective. For this workout we only need two pieces of equipment; a Swiss ball and a Pull Up bar. This workout is known as the Bodyweight 200, as it requires 200 repetitions in total!

How Often to do the Workout?

This workout is designed to be completed 3 times a week, and the source suggests Monday, Wednesday and Friday. However, it is more important to fit it in to our own schedule, so any combination will be sufficient.

The Workout

It is important that the workout is completed in one go, with only short rests in between the exercises.

1. 30 repetitions of Prisoner Squats

2. 30 push-ups

3. 10 jumps

4. 10 Swiss-ball leg curls

5. 10 Swiss-ball pikes

6. 20 step ups

7. 5 pull ups or chin ups

8. 30 forward lunges

9. 20 tucked-elbow push-ups

10. 15 inverted rows

11. 15 prisoner squats

12. 5 pull ups or chin ups

If this is too easy then repeat the workout with only a short rest. This workout will work the entire body, can be done at home and requires very little equipment.

My 5 key exercises

I am going to discuss what I consider to be 5 key exercises that I incorporate into my workouts each week. These are exercises that I think are the best. I primarily complete home workouts and each of these exercises can be completed at home any time.

1. Pull ups – pull ups are probably the best exercise from this list. They are so beneficial to us and should be included in our workouts. They are great for the biceps, the back, the shoulders and the core.

2. Push ups – a must in any home workout! This exercise works the triceps, shoulders, chest and back muscles and also helps strengthen the core.

3. Squats – this is my favourite workout for the legs. Squats contribute to increasing the size of the leg muscles (and the buttocks) and also help to develop core strength. The exercise can be made more difficult by adding weights. These help to create explosive power in our legs!

4. Skipping – the benefits of skipping are vast. This is where the cardio comes from in my list. Skipping helps to improve fitness, flexibility, co-ordination and balance. The great thing about skipping is that it is easier on the knees than running/jogging and cycling.

5. The Plank – my love for The Plank is no secret. It may be my favourite exercise of all time! It has been in my workouts for so long now and I can’t see it leaving. The Plank helps develop core strength, and tones the abdominal muscles.

This, of course, is just my opinion. These are the exercises that I get the most out of and do the best for me. However, I think that if you use them correctly, they will help to develop the body that you want.

The Benefits of Stretching

We are often so pressed for time (a poor excuse) that we often forget the importance of stretching and leave it from our workout. However, a few minutes invested in stretching, before and after a workout, can be extremely beneficial.

Here are some of the benefits:

1. Increased flexibility - some reports suggest that as little as 5-7 minutes before and after exercise will lead to an increase in flexibility.

2. Injury prevention - through stretching it has be found that we are far less likely to injure ourselves when exercising and exerting our muscles.

3. Muscle tone - it is suggested that through stretching our muscles can gain a more defined look as muscle toning is heightened.

There are many other benefits to stretching too, such as improved circulation, and it is important that we make sure we do not miss stretching from our workouts.

Four Key Rules for a Great Workout

This blog entry will discuss four key ideas that will make for a great workout. These are simple tips that will ensure that we make the most of our workout.

1. The first rule is to make sure you breathe. I know this seems fairly obvious, but I have seen it many times before where people are holding their breath while doing reps. It is easy to forget. A simple way to remember is to ensure that on the harder part of the exercise, the pulling up of a pull up for example, we breathe out and on the easier part we breathe in. The main thing is to make sure that you are breathing!

2. Your aim is to fail! This may seem silly. Ok, this is not exactly what the goal is. The idea of this rule is to push ourselves to the limit of our strength. Always be safe, however, we don’t want injuries.

3. Take things slow (or fast). With cardio exercise we should perform as fast as we can! However, with other exercises it is often best to perform slowly. Performing exercises at a slower rate will help to work the muscle more and therefore we can get stronger.

4. Finally, one of the most important things with exercise – FORM. Good form is arguably the most essential thing with getting the most from a workout. Through correct form we reduce the risk of injury and gain more from specific exercises. We will see the best results from performing exercises correctly.

Hope these tips help!

Two simple rules for working out

As I have mentioned before in my blog posts, food and diet is such an important part of fitness, health and muscle building. It is therefore very important that we eat correctly around our workouts but this can be hard to do. Here are two little tips though:

1. Avoid eating a full meal less than an hour before a workout. No our body won't explode if we do, but we will be very uncomfortable and will not be able to get the most from our workout. If we are hungry before our workout we should grab something like a banana that has a good supply of carbs as it will help us during the workout.

2. After a workout it is important to re-fuel as soon as possible. We need to ensure that we take in carbs to replenish the energy levels that we have been using and we will need protein to repair the muscles that we have used during our workout.

Hope these little tips help!

A Twenty Minute Full Body Workout

This year I developed a home workout that focusses on the full body. The idea behind the workout is for it to be affordable and convenient but still be able to be effective at meeting the needs of the individual.

Check out The Workout

The page contains great information on what exercises to do and the benefits they bring to us. So far there has been some great feedback towards the workout already and I would like to hear yours.

My Twenty Minute Workout

Hi. With me being dedicated to my fitness I decided to create a home workout. The idea of this workout is to exercise the whole body but without the need for expensive gym memberships or gym equipment for home use.

The workout was developed using my own experiences of what has worked for me. A few years ago I was not in good shape. Since then I have used gyms and read countless articles on health and fitness, which has lead to the creation of this workout.

To get the best results from this workout I recommend that you complete it three or four times a week. This ensures that you get plenty of exercise but you also get recovery time for your body, which will also help your muscle development. 

Check out the workout here: Twenty Minute Workout