5 Exercises You Can Do With No Equipment

There is a common misconception that a person can NOT achieve physical fitness and desired ideal body at home, and that gyms are a necessity. But what if it was far from reach for someone to go to the gym; whether due to high priced gym subscriptions, distance, or lack of time? What to do then?

Exercise is actually simple and there’s no need for equipment to do it, such type of workouts is a solution for people who want to keep fit but can’t commit to a gym.

What is Progressive Overload?

Take into consideration that your body does NOT tell the difference between using a machine or doing regular exercise, the body only realizes the tension being applied to the muscle and the duration of that tension.

The term “Progressive Overload” depends on that fact, and is the key for home muscle building; it means increasing exercise difficulty day by day forcing the body to adapt and enhance performance.

This adaptation comes in the form of muscle mass increase through component cells growth, and strength gain. It can be achieved by increasing the number of sets in a workout, increasing the load being moved, decreasing rest periods, or even repositioning your body’s posture during a workout.

Examples of Home Workouts:

Bench Dips:

This exercise is dedicated for chest muscles and triceps, and is done through the following simple steps:

• Place a bench against an immovable object.
• Place your arms at the end of the bench, and walk your feet forward so that your torso is in front of the chair.
• Bend your elbows slowly so that your arms are parallel to the ground, with your shoulder blades retracted.
• Hold for a couple of seconds. Then push yourself up using your triceps until your arms are fully stretched.
• Go back down to the previous position.
• That is the set. Now, repeat.

Increase Difficulty:

• Increase the number of sets.
• Decrease rest periods between sets.
• Change the set; after reaching step 3, push yourself half the way up, get back to the arms-paralleled-to-ground position, then push yourself back all the way up.
• Place a load over your lap while doing the sets.

Planks:

This exercise focuses on the spine and posture, and increases Serratus Anterior muscle activation. It is a simple easily done exercise:

• Take the regular push-up position where the upper back is tight and pointing up, your arms are stretched directly under the shoulder, and glutes squeezed.
• Keep the position for 60 seconds.

Increase Difficulty:

• Keep the position longer.
• Lift a leg up.
• Place a load on your back.
• Combine the three aforementioned.

Burpees:

Results of this exercise, when performed properly, are noticeable in terms of muscle mass increase and calories burn, which makes the great muscle sore worth it.

• Take a standing position, and jump up.
• When you land, push your feet backward and take a push-up position.
• Perform a single push-up, then move your feet to your arms and jump back up.
• This is one set. Now, repeat.

For extreme difficulty, perform the exercise entirely on one leg.

Mountain Climbers:

This exercise uses several muscles at once to be done, and when performed properly, it’s a killer:

• Take a push-up position.
• Bend your right knee forward to your right elbow, keep your leg in the air right beneath your torso.
• Feel the six-pack muscles contract.
• Switch legs; right leg back stretched, foot on the ground, left knee bended to your left elbow.
• Again, focus on muscles contraction; there’s no rush.
• Repeat.

Push-Ups:

The most commonly known exercise, it focuses on several muscles at once; including chest muscles, shoulders, triceps, arms, and torso.

• Take the known push-up position; glutes squeezed, core tight, palms on the ground with a distance between them compatible with the shoulders.
• Lower your body until it almost touches the ground.
• Hold for a couple of seconds, then push yourself back up.
• Repeat.

Increase Difficulty:

• Perform the exercise on one arm; One-Arm Push-Up.
• Get your palms closer together; Diamond Push-Ups.
• Get your palms more apart; Wide Push-Ups.
• Archer Push-Ups; hands wide, fingers pointed out to the sides, glutes squeezed, core tight, lower your body down on one arm while stretching the other, then push yourself up and alternate.