If you’re a beginner, doing body weight exercises is a great way to get started with working out. But if you’ve been at it for a while, it’s time to up your game! There are tons of ways to make your workouts more intense, but sometimes the best way is just to add a little bit more resistance.
If you’re looking for something to try that doesn’t take much effort or equipment, this simple exercise will give you some great results.
Here are some of our favorite body weight exercises for beginners:
Squats
This is a great all-around exercise that works your legs, hips, and core muscles. You can do them in place of walking or running if you have access to a squat rack or bench.
Crunches
This is another great core-strengthening move that works the abdominal muscles. If you’re having trouble holding your stomach in during the crunch, try bending forward at the waist instead until you feel more comfortable with it.
Side raises
This move works mainly your obliques but also helps strengthen your hips and butt area as well as improve posture. It’s also easy enough that anyone can do it!
Deadlifts
This is a great exercise for beginners because it targets your lower back, glutes and hamstrings. It also works on your core and shoulders. The deadlift is a compound movement that involves the entire body. You’ll be working your lower back, hips and legs to lift the bar off the floor.
Overhead presses
This exercise focuses on upper body strength and can be done with dumbbells or kettlebells. It works all of your major muscle groups including your shoulders, biceps and triceps. The overhead press is a compound movement that uses both upper and lower body muscles at once.
Bent over dumbbell row
A bent over dumbbell row is a great exercise for beginners as it targets the anterior deltoid, the rear of your arm. This muscle is responsible for lifting your arms up when you’re performing a bicep curl or other compound exercises. It also helps when you’re standing up straight and holding your body up.
The bent-over row works best when you have a spotter to help you lift the weight off the floor. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Bend at your hips so that you can reach down and grasp its handle with both hands. Pull the weight up with your arms until you’re standing tall. Then lower it back down while keeping an upright posture throughout the movement. Repeat 10 times per set on each side.
Overall, these are just a few ways that you can make your body weight workout more intense. There’s really no such thing as too much variety when it comes to workouts, so if you don’t feel like this is giving you all the results you want, there are plenty of other options out there! The important thing is to start.
