Welcome to the Fitness Adaptive podcast! Today, we’ll go over bodyweight exercises. All throughout my childhood and teenage years, I played sports, took fitness classes, and aimed to improve my overall health. I wanted to run faster, jump higher, and achieve my fitness goals. I had several coaches and trainers recommend bodyweight exercises. Many online fitness programs also present bodyweight exercise routines, boasting promises like, “Get the results you want with no equipment!”  It makes sense that so many programs advertise the “no equipment fitness” programs because there are a great deal of exercises that can be done without equipment; pushups, pullups, bodyweight squats, sit-ups, crunches, leg lifts, mason-twists, etc.. 

It seems really fortunate that there are so many things you can do to improve your fitness without expensive equipment, but do bodyweight exercises actually work? Have you ever bought a workout program that promised results that never came to fruition?

When you are looking for a fitness program, you have to be careful because so many workout routines are created by marketers, ghost writers, and other unqualified sources. A lot of “testimonials” and “reviews” out there were written by hired writers. These programs claim to be the most effective, but they are founded on the premise of making a profit, rather than helping people create healthy lifestyles. That being said, some programs are created with results and fitness in mind. There are a lot of qualified fitness instructors attempting to share their knowledge and skill with others, but everyone’s body is different. Each person needs training specialized to their body and their goals, so fitness isn’t a one-size-fits-all.

Aside from online fitness programs, bodyweight exercises still have a pretty good reputation, but they may not be able to take you to your goals. 

To improve your strength and fitness, you need to follow the Overload Principle. The Overload Principle states that you need to continually increase the stresses on your body during exercise in order to make progress and grow strength. As your body becomes familiar with the stress of bodyweight exercises, you risk a fitness plateau. If you aren’t constantly increasing your weight or intensity, you won’t improve. 

For example, if your 1RM Bench Press is 200lbs, but you want to improve it, you’ll need to increase your intensity or weight. To increase that, you work with 80% of your 1RM weight, 160 lbs, for 8 reps. Let’s say this exercise helps you go from a 1RM of 200lbs to a 1RM of 220lbs. From there, if you keep working with 160lbs at 8 reps, you stop progressing. You’re only able to maintain the 220lbs 1MR. 

Why does this happen? If you work with the same weight and intensity over and over again, you plateau; your 1RM doesn’t increase because you don’t increase the weight. That being said, you maintain your 1RM because you don’t decrease the weight. No progress is made, but your current top is maintained. This is why I’m not in favor of bodyweight exercises like pushups, pullups, bodyweight squats, sit-ups, crunches, leg lifts, and mason-twists. If you don’t have the equipment to increase the stress on your body during exercise, you won’t make much progress; limited equipment equals limited progress. This is why I call my business, Fitness Adaptive. My goal is to improve your health and fitness by making your body adapt to new, higher stresses. I utilize the Overload Principle when I make workout plans and train people. 

I also keep in mind that everyone’s body is different and they progress at different rates. Everyone has different needs and goals, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all fitness routine. You know your body better than any generic fitness program. 

For more tips like these and to get access to affordable equipment, check out my programs and shoot me a message. Working with me, you’ll get training tailored to your body and your goals. If you have questions about fitness or my training programs, contact me. Let’s talk about your goals and get you on your path to a fit lifestyle. Also check out Fitness Adaptive on Facebook and Instagram.

This is my personal invitation to you, to take the next step forward, and get the results that YOU WANT!