Not got any home gym equipment? Not a problem use this simple body weight programme to progress yourself through the early part of your fitness journey.
This programme is broken into two workouts, both working the whole body. You can do them twice a week with two days in between, e.g. Monday & Thursday. Three with one day in between, e.g. Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Or any variation of these.
DAY 1
EXERCISE 1: Body Weight Squats
Stand with your heels shoulder width apart and toes turned slightly out.
Lower your backside straight down place your elbows between your knees and push out. If you can’t get that low don’t worry just go as low as you can.
Your feet should now be flat on the floor and you SHOULD BE lent forward, with hips below the top of your knees.
From the bottom of the squat KEEP the knees out, with your mind, and drive the hips upwards. Let the shoulders come up with the hips so you remain lent forward until you reach the top.
Lower yourself back down again but this time don’t use the elbows on the inside of the knees use your mind again.
Do five reps and rest for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Next set do a little faster, until you feel light fatigue or slight loss of form.
Perform 2 more sets and the same intensity as the last with a 2 minute rest in between. If you can get to hips below knees just do 3 sets as low as you can then move to the next exercise.
EXERCISE 2: Inverted Shoulder Press
Adopt the press up position, now stick your hips up in the air into a downward facing dog position (yoga). Lower your head between your hands, (if you lack the strength or confidence to do this try starting on your knees first, or just do a partial range press). Keep your hips high in the air so shoulders are your main workers. Push back up and repeat.
Do five reps and rest for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Next set do a little faster, until you feel light fatigue or slight loss of form.
Perform 2 more sets and the same intensity as the last with a 2 minute rest in between. If you are doing partial range just do 3 sets and more to the next exercise.
EXERCISE 3: Inverted body weight row
So presuming you don’t have a bar and rack you can use your dining room table as it makes a great alternative. Move the chairs out of the way and lie down on your back under the table with your head just poking out.
Keeping your legs and body ridged, grip the table top at about shoulder width plus two hands apart and pull yourself up to touch your chest to the underside of the table. If you can’t get all the way up just go as far as you can.
Do five reps and rest for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Next set do a little faster, until you feel light fatigue or slight loss of form.
Perform 2 more sets and the same intensity as the last with a 2 minute rest in between. If you are doing partial range just do 3 sets and more to the next exercise.
DAY 2
EXERCISE 1: Body Weight Squats
Repeat as per day one but try to go a little faster.
EXERCISE 2: Press Ups
Starting face down hand just outside of shoulder width flat on the floor.
Keep the body ridged and push down lifting the body upward and hinging at the ball of the foot. Keep the head pulled back but looking down.
So lower the chest to the floor keeping tension on the arms at the bottom. Push back up and repeat.
Do five reps and rest for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Next set do a little faster, until you feel light fatigue or slight loss of form.
Perform 2 more sets and the same intensity as the last with a 2 minute rest in between. If you are doing partial range just do 3 sets and more to the next exercise.
EXERCISE 3: Inverted body weight Row
Repeat as per day one but try to go a little faster.
PROGRESSION
To progress these exercise in the absence of more weight to add you need to try and work faster.
When you can’t complete the exercise (all working sets and reps) at least 10 seconds faster maintaining the same length rest between sets, add another set. i.e. go from 3 working sets to 4, then 4 to 5 etc. You can do as many as 10 working sets of 5 reps. DON’T BE TEMPTED TO DO MORE REPS YET THOUGH!!! The goal is strength to start with, a reps range of 1 to 5 reps targets strength, higher than that the body adaption becomes hypertrophy not strength. Doing more reps will make you bigger without becoming substantially stronger or faster. Stay at 5 reps you will get stronger, faster and bigger.
Here are 4 other routines you can try yourself.
At home TRX (suspension trainer) workout
Other read…