Beginner Bodyweight Workout EE21 PDF

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Contents.
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Welcome. 3

Scheduling Your Workouts. 5

Warm-Up. 7

Workout. 8

Exercise Technique. 9

Good Luck. 12

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Welcome.
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If you’re reading this, then you’ve already taken the first step towards
a fitter and healthier life.

I understand that getting in shape can be difficult, and this is


especially true when you don’t have access to a gym. But just
because it isn’t easy doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Far from it.

I have created the ‘Beginner Bodyweight Workout’ to make it as


easy as possible for you to lose weight, build muscle and
improve your health without using any equipment, or even
having a gym membership.

Spending every waking minute in the gym is the old way of doing
things. Still effective? Absolutely. Necessary? Not even close. Today,
more and more people are starting to recognise the effectiveness of
bodyweight training.

Used throughout history by everyone from athletes to soldiers,


bodyweight workouts are an extremely effective way of losing body
fat, getting stronger, building muscle, or achieving a mix of all those
goals.

Typically, bodyweight exercises are performed in a circuit, which


means you move from one exercise to the next with little rest in

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between. Every exercise utilizes numerous muscle groups, ramps up
your heart rate, and burns a tonne of calories.

In short, circuit training burns more calories than interval training,


which in itself burns WAY more calories than traditional cardio. It is
an awesome way to build muscle, and the most effective type of
exercise for losing weight.

The ‘Beginner Bodyweight Workout’ can be performed in your house,


bedroom, out at a park, in your parents’ basement, wherever.

Just make sure you are cleared by your personal physician for
physical activity before attempting these exercises. Proceed at
your own risk!

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Scheduling.
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All you need is 3 days a week. That’s it.

If you’ve ever picked up a fitness magazine you’ll probably be


thinking that 3 days isn’t enough. That you need be training at least 5
days a week, perhaps even twice a day.

But don’t be fooled. Time and time again, research has shown that
training properly 3 days a week is more than enough to make
amazing changes to your physique. It’s not that training 5 days a
week doesn’t work, but those routines are designed for people who
have been training for several years (aka advanced bodybuilders).

Training for 3 days with the ‘Beginner Bodyweight Workout’ will allow
you to make great progress if you stick with it.

Too many people jump around looking for the ‘hottest new routine’
and never make any progress. Don’t be one of them.

You will be doing the same workout every other day, which means
you’ll quickly get better at the most important exercises and you’ll
easily be able to track your progress.

Training for 3 days means you will have 4 days off a week, including
the weekends.

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A typical week will look like this:

Monday // Workout

Tuesday // Rest

Wednesday // Workout

Thursday // Rest

Friday // Workout

Saturday // Rest

Sunday // Rest

The following weeks will all follow exactly the same schedule.

Keep in mind that you can perform these workouts at any time on a
given day, making it easy to squeeze in a workout whenever you get
chance.

As long as you commit to doing 3 quick workouts a week, you’ll be


well on your way to a fitter and healthier life.

“80% of success is showing up”

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Warm-Up.
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Before we get to the good stuff, we need to talk about warming-up.

It is absolutely crucial that you spend 5-10 minutes warming-up. If


you’re short on time, you should either cut your workout short or
wait until you can find a time to do both the warm-up and workout
properly.

If you skip your warm-up you are just asking for injury in the long
run. A proper warm-up prepares your body for exercise and
increases blood flow to and temperature of the muscles. This in turn
means improved strength and power development, making your
workouts more effective. Who doesn’t want that?

There’s a few different things you can do get your heart-rate


elevated, including jogging, jumping rope, or jumping jacks (which
are the first exercise in the circuit). But it is a good idea to use this
time to work on a few common problem areas as well:

• Thoracic Spine: This exercise will help fix bad posture.


• Hip Flexors: Your hip flexors get tight when you sit all day.
Here’s how to open them up.
• Core and Glutes: The Bird Dog is my favourite exercise for
activating the core and waking up sleepy glutes.

When you break a sweat, you can move on to the workout.

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Workout.
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Perform exercises 1-6 in order, resting for 30 seconds between each.


This is one circuit. Perform a total of 4 circuits, resting 90 seconds
between each. This workout should take you approximately 20
minutes.

If you’re unsure how to perform any of the exercises skip ahead to


the next chapter.

1. Star Jumps/Jumping Jacks – 15 reps

2. Bodyweight Squats - 10 reps

3. Push-Ups - 10 reps

4. Glute Bridge – 10 reps

5. Lunges – 20 reps (10 with each leg)

6. Plank – hold for 15 seconds

After you’ve completed 4 circuits, make sure you spend 5-10 minutes
stretching.

As mentioned in the ‘Scheduling’ chapter, you should perform this


workout 3 times a week, and never on consecutive days.

Muscle isn’t built when you’re exercising; it is built when you’re


resting.

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Exercise Technique.
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There is a right way, and a wrong way. Squats and push-ups, in


particular, are technical exercises, and can be dangerous if not
learned correctly.

As a beginner, it’s important you learn how to do these movements


properly. When starting a beginner workout routine like this one,
your body needs to learn the movement patterns before increasing
the difficulty.

If you don’t establish good form and technique in the beginning,


you’ll be prone to bad habits.

Bad habits, when it comes to your movement patterns, are a recipe


for disaster as you get stronger because it puts you at high risk of
injury.

Let’s start with the squat:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and put your arms
out straight in front of you or behind your head.
• Begin the descent by pushing your hips back and bending at
the knees. Look straight ahead and keep your chest up to
ensure your back remains in a flat, neutral position. Your back
should remain in this neutral position throughout the
movement.

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• Squat down as low as you can whilst keeping your back
straight, and then lift back up to the starting position by driving
through your heels.
• Your weight should be on your heels throughout the entire
exercise.

Push-Up

• Place your hands on the ground slightly wider than shoulder


width and then lower yourself until your chest almost touches
the floor.
• To ensure you keep your body straight throughout the
movement ensure you squeeze your glutes and tense your abs
as if somebody was going to punch you in the stomach.
• Keep your elbows close to your body.

If you can’t do a push-up don’t panic. Work up to push-ups by doing


push-ups against a wall. The technique is exactly the same as above
– just against a wall. Place your hands just beyond shoulder-width on
the wall and start pressing.

Glute Bridge

• Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your
feet flat on the floor.
• Place your arms out to your sides at a 45-degree angle.
• Engage your core (starting to spot the trend?), then raise your
hips so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to
your knees.
• Your torso and hips should move as one unit. This means the
arch in your lower back should remain the same from start to
finish.

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Lunges

• Keep your eyes ahead and upper body vertical.


• Engage your core (as above).
• Step forward with one leg, and lower your hips until both legs
are bent at a 90 degree angle.
• Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle, not
pushed out too far, and make sure your other knee doesn't
touch the floor.
• Keep the weight in your heels as you push back up to the
starting position.

Plank

• Get into push-up position on the floor.


• Now bend your elbows 90 degrees and rest your weight on
your forearms.
• Your elbows should be directly beneath your shoulders, and
your body should form a straight line from your head to your
feet.
• Focus on tensing your entire body. If you’re not shaking, you’re
not doing it properly.
• Hold the position for the prescribed length of time.

Star Jumps/Jumping Jacks

I‘m pretty sure everybody knows how to do these… Jump up and


spread your legs apart as you raise your arms to the sides and over
your head. Repeat.

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Good Luck.
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As a beginner, it’s easy to get distracted. One week you’re pumped to


do the Beginner Bodyweight Workout, and the next you’re scouring the
internet for the next best workout program.

Don’t fall victim to this mindset… unless you don’t want to make any
progress, and look back over a year to see the same body and
athletic ability as before.

You can do this workout anywhere, so you really have no excuse for
not getting started TODAY. No more wondering “is this the perfect
plan?” or thinking “I’ll start next week”, you need to make a
commitment to change your life for the better.

If you’re struggling to get started, the best thing you can do is ask a
friend to join you. Statistically, you are twice as likely to reach your
goals when you have someone there to hold you accountable.

Plus, you’ll be doing me a favour because you’ll be helping to


spread the word about Travel Strong. Here are some ways to
share the Beginner Bodyweight Workout with your friends:

• Tweet about it by clicking here.


• Share it with your friends on Facebook.
• Click here to send an email about it.

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Thanks for sharing and good luck!

- Will Owen

PS – This is only the beginning. You’ll be getting lots more useful


information from me over the next couple of weeks. Keep an
eye out for my emails – if you want to lose weight, build muscle
and get fit, I promise you won’t want to miss them!

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