Lose Weight, Build Muscle, and be in The Best Shape of Your Life

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Lifting weights in a gym is a good way to build muscle. However, the reality is that we don’t always have a gym close to our home and that going to the gym takes a lot of time. Going to the gym, getting changed, waiting for the machines, talking to people in the gym, taking a shower and driving back home can easily take more than 2 hours of your precious time. If you need a quick and efficient workout, then a bodyweight workout is the solution for you.

Why are bodyweight workouts so efficient?

Bodyweight workouts are the best because you have to use all the muscles in your body in order to perform the exercises properly. Moreover, they are natural and functional movements that you use daily in your activities. Animals are in better shape than most humans. What exercises do animals perform? Bodyweight exercises! Without being aware that they are exercising, dogs run, sprint, and jump. Cats climb trees, jump, and sprint. Animals move quickly and develop a very strong core. Bodyweight exercises can really produce good results.

Build Your Own Bodyweight Workout

Bodyweights workouts can be performed anywhere and require no equipment at all or very little equipment. You can perform the exercises in your hotel room when you are travelling or at home in the comfort of you bedroom.

1. Push-ups
   The first exercise of any bodyweight workout should be the classic push-ups. Push-ups are excellent to develop your upper body strength and to strengthen your core. Soldiers do a lot of push-ups and that’s why they can easily carry heavy machine guns all day long. Push-ups are a measure of upper body strength that is used in all armies in the world.
2. Pull-ups or Chin-ups
   Pull-ups and chin-ups are excellent to strengthen your back and your arms. This simple exercise will help you to quickly build muscle in your upper body. You only need a chin-up bar that you can buy for $30 or less in any sport equipment store. You don’t even have to buy a chin-up bar. You can use a door frame to do chin-ups. You can also go in a park and do chin-ups on the monkey bars.
3. Prisoner Squats
   Prisoner Squats are an essential exercise to develop strong legs and lower back. Most prisoners are in excellent physical conditions. Not all jails have fancy gyms with dumbbells and machines. Most prisoners have to train by themselves in their small cell. What exercise do they do? Push-ups, chin-ups, and prisoner squats. Start doing as many prisoner squats as you can. Go as low as you can on the way down and breathe out when you’re going up. This simple exercise will improve your running tremendously and will strengthen all the muscles in your legs.

You can do it! Start slowly. It is not important how many push-ups or chin-ups you can do right now. What is important is that you commit yourself to this new workout. Keep practicing these exercises for the next 3 months and you will see great results. Practice the 3 exercises at least 3 times a week. Do 3 to 5 sets of as many repetitions as you can. Stay focused on your goal and you will lose weight and gain muscle quickly.