Workouts Without Weights - Benefits
The benefits of performing workouts without weights have gotten little press lately.
It seems that to most people the idea of "workout out" means "going to the gym," and yet that need not be the case.
Calisthenics, plyometric movements, and other exercises performed without weights have many advantages over those that require addition equipment or accessories (in addition to not having to pay gym fees!) Quite often people go to the gym and focus too much on strength training to the detriment of other aspects of total body fitness.
Flexibility and balance, for example, are very important for preventing injury during an active lifestyle.
Yet, many people skip a pre-workout warm-up and a post-workout stretching regiment thinking them unimportant, boring, or too time consuming.
This can often lead to injuries in the long run.
Many different workouts without weights can be imagined consisting solely of bodyweight exercises.
Calisthenics and plyometric exercises are both well-known and well-documented classes of exercises that require no further equipment than one's own body.
And many of these exercises improve both your balance and flexibility while providing strength-training.
These exercises can often be easily modified with a change in body angle or position to increase or decrease the intensity of the exercise.
For example, a traditional push-up can be substituted for a handstand push-up to simply the exercise.
Going the other way, the Hindu push-up can be substituted for the traditional push-up to add a more challenging aspect to the routine.
When you don't require weights or additional equipment to complete your fitness routines you also gain the benefit of mobility as you're able to do your exercises wherever and whenever is convenient.
And as anyone with a gym membership can tell you, the gym setting can often be more about socializing than actually working out.
You may meet up with a "lift buddy" who's there to spot you, but you end up spending more time gossiping or [attempting] to flirt with the co-eds.
You can also often feel the pressure of being watch by multiple pairs of eyes while you're straining to perform an exercise in a somewhat awkward position.
But when you have the ability to perform your workouts anywhere, you can choose a distraction free environment allowing you to perform your workout in a more timely and efficient fashion...
which will allow you more time to spend the money you saved on gym dues!
It seems that to most people the idea of "workout out" means "going to the gym," and yet that need not be the case.
Calisthenics, plyometric movements, and other exercises performed without weights have many advantages over those that require addition equipment or accessories (in addition to not having to pay gym fees!) Quite often people go to the gym and focus too much on strength training to the detriment of other aspects of total body fitness.
Flexibility and balance, for example, are very important for preventing injury during an active lifestyle.
Yet, many people skip a pre-workout warm-up and a post-workout stretching regiment thinking them unimportant, boring, or too time consuming.
This can often lead to injuries in the long run.
Many different workouts without weights can be imagined consisting solely of bodyweight exercises.
Calisthenics and plyometric exercises are both well-known and well-documented classes of exercises that require no further equipment than one's own body.
And many of these exercises improve both your balance and flexibility while providing strength-training.
These exercises can often be easily modified with a change in body angle or position to increase or decrease the intensity of the exercise.
For example, a traditional push-up can be substituted for a handstand push-up to simply the exercise.
Going the other way, the Hindu push-up can be substituted for the traditional push-up to add a more challenging aspect to the routine.
When you don't require weights or additional equipment to complete your fitness routines you also gain the benefit of mobility as you're able to do your exercises wherever and whenever is convenient.
And as anyone with a gym membership can tell you, the gym setting can often be more about socializing than actually working out.
You may meet up with a "lift buddy" who's there to spot you, but you end up spending more time gossiping or [attempting] to flirt with the co-eds.
You can also often feel the pressure of being watch by multiple pairs of eyes while you're straining to perform an exercise in a somewhat awkward position.
But when you have the ability to perform your workouts anywhere, you can choose a distraction free environment allowing you to perform your workout in a more timely and efficient fashion...
which will allow you more time to spend the money you saved on gym dues!
