When considering exercise, we often think of going to the gym to lift heavy weights, use machines or even playing a sport as part of a team. However, there are many other forms of exercise that are inexpensive and don’t require you to join a sports team or gym. Some of these exercises can be done from the comfort of your very own home and don’t require a lot, if any, equipment. One such form of exercise is body weight exercise.

Body weight exercise is any form of strength exercise where a person uses their own body weight as a form of resistance against gravity. Examples of body weight exercises are TRX exercises, exercises using a pull up bar, bench or swiss ball, yoga and Pilates.  This form of exercise is extremely convenient, as you don’t need expensive equipment and no matter where you are you always have your body with you, meaning you can do a workout anytime, and in any location. This is great if you are someone with little time or if you are travelling often.

Beneficial for every individual

Body weight exercise can be done regardless of your age, gender, fitness or exercise experience level. This is due to the fact that all the exercises can be modified to either increase or reduce the resistance. A good example would be push-ups – someone with a history of working out and more strength can do a traditional push-up, where as an individual who is older than sixty, or has very little exercise experience or is recovering from an injury, can perform a push-up against the wall.

A study was performed with a group of active Japanese people aged in their sixties. The researchers found that a work­out consisting of eight simple lower-body exercises increased the participants’ muscle strength and power by about 15% after ten months. That may not sound like much, but during this stage of life, strength and power are often declin­ing. What’s more, the participants achieved these gains by doing only six workouts per month.

Health benefits

An article in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine found that body weight-only high-intensity training can reduce body fat and improve VO2 max (a measure of aerobic fitness). It’s also shown to improve muscular endurance just as much as, or even more so, than traditional weight training. Multiple studies have shown that regular body weight exercise reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, multiple types of cancer, joint pain, and Alzheimer’s disease. Exercise can also lift your mood, reduce your stress level, and improve your sleep. 

Form of functional exercise

A large percentage of body weight exercises use multiple muscles at the same time, whereas weight training typically isolates a particular muscle. This means body weight exercises are considered more functional, using more muscles and joints at a time, and mimicking everyday activities. This is crucial in the current climate, where a high percentage of people are seated most of the day, and functional movements performed as part of daily living activities have reduced.

In this day and age, a simple programme of body weight exercises is the perfect solution. They are cheap, convenient, beneficial to all and have multiple health benefits.