User:Freddy Munoz/Bodyweight exercise

Bodyweight exercises

Bodyweight exercises (also called bodyweight workout or calisthenics) are strength-training exercises that use the individual's own weight to provide resistance against gravity. Bodyweight exercises can enhance a range of biomotor abilities including strength, power, endurance, speed, flexibility, coordination and balance. This type of strength training has grown in popularity for both recreational and professional athletes. It is a way to improve one's strength without the use of weights and it can be done anywhere from outside in a playground to inside one's room. Bodyweight training utilises simple abilities such as pushing, pulling, squatting, bending, twisting and balancing, all alternatives to regular dumbbell movements.All basic exercises but can bring the similar strength benefits like a bench press or a squat. This will provide more stability to improve one's strength. Movements such as the push-up, the pull-up, and the sit-up are some of the most common bodyweight exercises that anyone can try out. As one improves upon on the basic bodyweight exercises there is dozens of other exercises that are just as hard or harder then normal weight exercises. All to help strengthen one's body and bring positive results within time.

Pull-ups are a common bodyweight exercise.

Advantages/Benefits

A bodyweight squat exercise requires little space and no equipment. After squatting down the exerciser stands up again while moving their arms back to their sides. The height of the squat can be adjusted higher or lower depending on the requirements of the individual i.e. if someone is unused to exercise half or quarter squats can be performed. Due to their movement range, squats are frequently considered to be among the most effective exercises for improving strength and endurance.

Bodyweight exercise is different to weight training. While some exercises may require some type of equipment like a dumbbell or a barbell, the majority of bodyweight exercises require none. It's also easy to learn so its only a matter of improving. For those exercises that do require equipment, common items found in the household are usually sufficient (such as a bath towel for towel curls), or substitutes can usually be improvised (for example, using a horizontal tree branch to perform pull ups or monkey bars in a school playground). Playgrounds are also a popular spot for bodyweight exercises since they provide bars that can be used for multiple bodyweight exercises.Therefore, bodyweight exercises are convenient when travelling or on vacation, when access to a gym or specialised equipment may not be possible.Another advantage of bodyweight training is that there are no costs involved. Since no weights are needed, there is no purpose to go the gym so there is no need to pay monthly payments if the workouts are at home.They can also boost the strength of one's body. Bodyweight exercise can help strengthen the body so that it can perform certain movements that wouldn't be achieved with weights. They can help bring stability in one's body so that a person can have full control and have 100% control of their movement thanks to their strength from bodyweight exercise. With weight exercises, they help the person become strong enough to control the weight while bodyweight exercises helps the person control their body like if it was a weight. Another important benefit of bodyweight exercise is its longevity. As people age, the decline in the weights they press will be noticeable and will weaken more. But with bodyweight exercise it can help the body stay stronger for more years.

Disadvantages

As bodyweight exercises use the individual's own weight to provide the resistance for the movement, the weight being lifted is never greater than the weight of one's own body, which can limit new muscle growth. The only way to keep on improving is by doing more repetitions in a set which will become redundant after a while. This wouldn't be an issue in a gym where there are choices for a heavier weight in order to advance in strength. Also, since the exercises uses multiple muscles at once, it'll be hard to do one that is for a specific muscle. In an exercise that uses dumbbells, they can target specific muscle groups but in bodyweight multiple are used at once in order to complete the movement. Another disadvantage is that bodyweight training may be daunting to novices and perceived as too easy for experienced athletes. For beginners who haven't done bodyweight exercise in the past, doing the regular ones could be too difficult to them which can lower their motivation to keep on trying. For professionals they would want to find a more effective strength regimen which would discourage them for doing bodyweight exercises. It's also very limited when it comes to cardio. Since the movements are already challenging, it won't be as easy to perform for longer periods of time like one would do with dumbbells by just lowering the weight. Women, in general, also find it more difficult to do bodyweight exercises involving upper body strength and may be discouraged from undertaking these exercises in their fitness regimens.

Bodyweight exercise for older adults

Some bodyweight exercises have been shown to benefit not just the young, but the elderly as well. Older people undertaking bodyweight exercises benefit through increased muscle mass, increased mobility, increased bone density, decreased depression and improved sleep habits. The health benefits don't end there as it also helps lower blood pressure and lower blood sugar due to increase activity and good healthy habits. It is also believed that bodyweight training may assist in decreasing or even preventing cognitive decline as people age. The body tends to lose muscle overtime due to age and less hormones. However the biggest reason why older people lose muscle overtime is because of they stop exercising completely which will decrease muscle. With more exercising, the muscle will remain there more longer and prevent them from losing strength. Just because one doesn't have the strength they once had doesn't mean they wouldn't stop enjoying working out. It can also prevent future pain to form. In addition, the increased risk of falls seen in elderly people can be mitigated by bodyweight training since it can help improve stability. Exercises focusing on the legs and abdomen such as squats, lunges and step ups are recommended to increase leg and core strength and, in doing so, reduce fall risk.By Doing these bodyweight exercises provide multi-directional movement that mimics daily activities, and can thus be preferable to using weight machines. Even if the basic one's are difficult there can be slight modifications like a wall push-up or squatting to a chair. With these bodyweight exercises, they can help boost their productivity and happiness. It is never too late to exercise, therefore its highly recommended to continue exercising as one gets older.

See also

• Calisthenics
• Circuit training
• General fitness training
• High-intensity interval training
• List of weight training exercises
• Physical fitness
• Plyometrics
• Power training
• Resistance training
• Street workout
• Stretching
• Strength training
• Supercompensation
• Suspension training
• Weight training