What Are the Benefits of Bodyweight Training?
Bodyweight training is a form of strength training that uses one's own body weight, rather than free weights or barbells, to build muscle. Chin-ups, sit-ups, squats, and crunches are familiar exercises in bodyweight training. This differs from calisthenics, which are often used to warm up for some other form of physical activity and uses more stretching and increasing the heart rate.
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Access
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Bodyweight training is convenient because you don't need to go anywhere to get results. One of the best benefits of bodyweight training is the ability to do it anywhere there is adequate room to jump, stretch and bend. One of the most popular excuses for not exercising according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE) is that there is no time. Bodyweight training erases that excuse. It can be done in a hotel room, a living room or a bedroom or break room.
Strength
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Bodyweight training is an easy way to increase strength. According to the website dragondoor.com, building strength is simply muscles contracting when resistance is applied. Adding more resistance over time leads to increased strength. Push-ups, sit ups, lunges, and leg squats are some of the many bodyweight exercises that can increase strength.
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Weight Loss
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Using bodyweight training is also an effective way to lose weight. According to John Grube a personal trainer who has a website called wildmantraining.com, bodyweight training uses all of the muscles of the body, and therefore burns more calories than other exercises that isolate one body part.
Flexibility
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The muscles also gain increased flexibility as a result of bodyweight training. Lunges, squats and other core strengthening exercises often emphasize static, fluid movements of muscle groups and then holding the position for several seconds or even minutes. This increases the body's range of motion by stretching ligaments while preventing muscle or ligament tears which can often happen with weight training, according to the website body-weight-exercise.com.
Expense
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Using your body does not cost a thing. Only the effort you dedicate toward your routine and your time are all that are spent. Medicine balls or exercise balls and mats can be purchased at a later date when you add more exercises to your routine, however according to the American Council on Exercise, all you need is time and a routine of exercises to do.
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- Photo Credit MCRD San Diego Operation/Exercise/Event: Hotel Company en:Media:Marines_do_pushups.jpg
