Whether you’re a beginner or more advanced fitness buff, bodyweight exercises should be an integral component of your fat burning training program. The main reason is that bodyweight exercises allow you to focus on mastering form and technique instead of worrying about pushing heavier weight.

Because of this, I always recommend beginners start with bodyweight exercises like lunges, squats, push-ups, and so forth to develop a solid foundation upon which to build.

This is much safer and more effective than relying on one-size-fits-all machines in the gym that activate little to no muscle, other than the prime movers.

As you can probably tell, bodyweight training forces all your muscles to work together, as they would in the real world. Thus, you benefit from increased body awareness, balance and stability, and improved muscle firing patterns (if training properly).

If you’re more advanced and don’t think there’s much benefit to using bodyweight training, then here’s something to try:

1. Lower Slowly. This basically means resisting the pull of gravity by taking 5-6 seconds to lower your body towards the floor. Also known as the “negative”, the eccentric phase of muscle contraction is where your muscles truly get stronger. So make the most of it by moving slowly.

2. Contract Explosively. When doing the main action of your exercise—the “push” in a push-up or a the “pull” in a pull-up—intend to do so explosively. This will activate more of your type 2 muscle fibers which are the foundation of good strength and power.

 

My Best Resources on Bodyweight Exercise 

There are many bodyweight exercises to choose from and endless ways to sequence them in a workout. So to make your life a little easier, here are some of my best articles, videos, and resources to help you incorporate bodyweight exercises into your training plan:

The 15 Best Bodyweight Exercises for Burning Fat

The 9 Best Stability Ball Exercises for Core Training (Not for the Faint of Heart)

5 No-Brainer Reasons to Start Bodyweight Training

The Ultimate Exercise Plan for Beginners

The 10-Minute Bodyweight Workout Routine Beginners Should Be Doing

How to Do More Push-Ups (Plus a Free Training Plan)

The Know It All Guide to Pull-ups for Beginners

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