Slim Down Without The Weights. Up until now, you might have believed you need weights to reach your fitness goal. While there are plenty of great reasons to lift weights, no weights are needed to get a really great workout in.
Weights vs. No Weights
In fact, there are all kinds of benefits to opting for bodyweight workouts rather than using traditional weights. For example, a bodyweight workout helps you improve your cardiovascular conditioning and muscular endurance all at once. Combining the effects of gravity with your bodyweight not only keeps your heart rate up, but also helps you build and maintain muscle mass at the same time.
If you think the “no weights” path is one you want to explore, it’s important to focus on effective moves for helping you reach your goals.
Our Favorite Moves That Require No Weights
If you think the “no weights” path is one you want to explore, it’s important to focus on effective moves for helping you reach your goals. Here are some of our favorites to help you get started.
Rotational Jacks
Here’s how to perform this move:
“Stand with hands together at your chest. Jump up and land softly. Lower into a squat and twist at the waist. Look up as you reach straight towards the sky with one hand and touch the ground with your other hand. Jump back to the standing position and repeat with your opposite arm.”
Plank Reach-Unders
To do a plank reach-under,
“Lie on your side with your bottom elbow on the floor. Raise your hips so that they’re off the ground and your body forms a straight line from your ankles to shoulders. Extend your top arm laterally so that it is perpendicular to the floor.
Reach under and past your hips with your top hand, keeping your torso stable. Then reverse motion back to starting position.”
Mountain Climbers
Here are step-by-step instructions for how to do a mountain climber from Very Well Fit:
- Get into a plank position, making sure to distribute your weight evenly between your hands and your toes.
- Check your form—your hands should be about shoulder-width apart, back flat, abs engaged, and head in alignment.
- Pull your right knee into your chest as far as you can.
- Switch legs, pulling one knee out and bringing the other knee in.
- Keep your hips down and run your knees in and out as far and as fast as you can. Alternate inhaling and exhaling with each leg change.
Squat Jumps
Squat jumps are one of our favorite full body moves that require no weights. To give them a try for yourself, follow these two simple steps:
Step 1: Start with your feet slightly further than to hip-width apart in a parallel position, your arms raised straight up. Squat down by pushing your weight back into your heels and your tailbone back, ensuring that your knees do not collapse inwardly. Keep your chest upright.
Step 2: Drive back up through your heels into a jump, simultaneously moving your arms down and back for momentum.
Burpees
Love them or hate them, there’s no doubt burpees are one of the most effective full body moves you don’t need any weights to perform.
The simplest way to think of a burpee is pushup followed by jumping up in the air into a leap squat. And repeating!
By performing this calisthenics exercise, you effectively target the muscles in your legs, hips, buttocks, abdomen, arms, chest, and shoulders all at once.
Squat Pulses
If you can do a squat, you can do a squat pulse! Rather than returning to a full standing position from your squat, stay lower to the ground and pulse up and down. They use a shorter range of motion than a traditional squat, but they still get your heart rate going while also targeting the major muscles in your lower body.
Pushups
Pushups are a LOT more than just an upper body exercise. In fact, they call on your whole body to perform them effectively! If traditional pushups are tough for you, take a look at this post for several variations you can try.
