Best At Home Workouts » bodyweight calisthenics

Squat Thrusts – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video

Eddie Lomax — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:00:16 +0000

Squat Thrusts are another bodyweight calisthenics exercise that uses a lot of different muscles and blurs the line between strength training and endurance training. I like to do squat thrusts for time instead of reps. Reps and sets are great if you are doing a bodybuilding workout… but for squat thrusts I find racing the clock to be more effective and fun.

Here is a video of Squat Thrusts:

When you are ready to organize your bodyweight exercises into a progressive program specifically designed to improve fitness, burn fat and build an attractive, athletic body, here are some recommendations:

Option 1:

Workout Without Weights is my flagship bodyweight workout program. If you like building you own workout programs (following a proven, progressive method), this is for you.

There are SIX progressive workout programs here that give you the freedom to choose the bodyweight exercises you use from a list of 190 bodyweight exercises. Just pick the exercises you want to work on, fill in the printable, reusable Workout Journal Sheets… and you’re ready for a great bodyweight only workout you can do at home!

Don’t underestimate the power to achieve your fitness, fat loss and physique building goals using only bodyweight exercises… especially when you follow a PLAN of progression that keeps you improving.

Option 2:

The Ultimate Gymless Workout is for those who want a PROGRESSIVE SERIES or bodyweight workouts where the bodyweight exercises are chosen for them. There are really TWO complete workout programs here… the Optimum Fitness & Physique program and the Above & Beyond program.

First, alternate through the Fitness, Fat Loss and Strength & Size workouts to build the strong, lean, athletic body you’ve always wanted. Then put your newly developed body to the test with the Above & Beyond workouts. And did I mention, these workout use only bodyweight calisthenics exercises and can be done in the comfort of your own home?

Remember… progression is the key for any workout to improve fitness, burn fat and build an athletic body. After all, if you are not progressing then nothing is going to change. And that means you workouts are nothing more than a waste of time. So, make sure to put your bodyweight workouts together in a way that keeps you progressing toward the ultimate goal of a strong, lean, athletically muscular body!

<- Back to 10 Bodyweight Calisthenics Exercises You Can Do At Home (Videos)

Pushups – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video

Eddie Lomax — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 10:00:56 +0000

The classic push up is one of the most well known bodyweight exercises. Most exercisers think the push up is only an upper body builder. But the fact is, the push up is a full body exercise.

You must keep your core and lower body tight in order to complete the push up. And you often see the core and lower body give out before upper body strength… leading to a really sloppy and ineffective exercise.

Here is a video of pushups:

Pushups & Calisthenics — powered by ExpertVillage.com

Option 1:

Workout Without Weights is my flagship bodyweight workout program. If you like building you own workout programs (following a proven, progressive method), this is for you.

Option 2:

<- Back to 10 Bodyweight Calisthenics Exercises You Can Do At Home (Videos)

Mountain Jumpers – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video

Eddie Lomax — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 10:00:48 +0000

Mountain jumpers (Adam calles them Ones and Twos in the video) are very similar to Mountain Climbers except you use both legs at the same time instead of in an alternating fashion.

This is a great example of how an effective bodyweight exercise does not have to be complex. While you might think Mountian Jumpers are simple by looking at the video… give them a try and I’m sure you’ll find them challenging. These are the types of bodyweight calisthenics workouts I like to do for time instead of reps.

Here is a video of Mountain Jumpers (Ones and Twos):

Option 1:

Workout Without Weights is my flagship bodyweight workout program. If you like building you own workout programs (following a proven, progressive method), this is for you.

Option 2:

<- Back to 10 Bodyweight Calisthenics Exercises You Can Do At Home (Videos)

One Leg Squats – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video

Eddie Lomax — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:00:45 +0000

One Leg Squats are very challenging and test not only your leg strength… but your balance and coordination as well. I challenge anyonw who thinks bodyweight exercises are “too easy” to give these a try. Plus, you will immediately identify lower body imbalances that you might not normally know exist when doing squats with both legs at a time.

Here is a video of one leg squats:

Option 1:

Workout Without Weights is my flagship bodyweight workout program. If you like building you own workout programs (following a proven, progressive method), this is for you.

Option 2:

First, alternate through the Fitness, Fat Loss and Strength & Size workouts to build the strong, lean, athletic body you’ve always wanted. Then put your newly developed body to the test with the Above & Beyond workouts. And did I mention, these workout use only bodyweight calisthenics exercises and can be done in the comfort of your own home?

Remember… progression is the key for any workout to improve fitness, burn fat and build an athletic body. After all, if you are not progressing then nothing is going to change. And that means you workouts are nothing more than a waste of time. So, make sure to put your bodyweight workouts together in a way that keeps you progressing toward the ultimate goal of a strong, lean, athletically muscular body!

<- Back to 10 Bodyweight Calisthenics Exercises You Can Do At Home (Videos)

Bodyweight Training – The Biggest Problem And The Solution

Eddie Lomax — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:00:07 +0000

The key to success with ANY form of physical training is PROGRESSION. If you are not progressing, you are not improving. And if you’re not improving, you’re wasting your valuable training time. Progressive training (whether it be with outside resistance like dumbbells or barbells, or with your own bodyweight) is what translates into real world physical improvements you can USE, and physique improvements you can SEE.

So, it should go without saying that in order to get the most from your bodyweight training, you must progressively become better. For your exercise sessions to be successful, (producing the ability and physical changes you desire), you must be making progress. If you are not increasing the challenge of your training on a regular basis, you are doing little more than manual labor, and you will never reach your goals.

Sounds simple, but here’s the biggest problem:

Bodyweight training is different than progression in other types of training because the weight of resistance is fixed! Your bodyweight does not change. So, how do you continue to progress when the weight you are using as resistance remains the same, or actually becomes less due to fat loss?

In other forms of resistance training, there are multiple ways to progress, for example… increasing the weight you use for the exercise. You can use heavier dumbbells. Or you can add more weight to the bar.

But these options don’t exist for bodyweight training. And unfortunately, instead of searching for a reasonable solution to this problem, most people ONLY progress by increasing the amount of repetitions performed. And this is ONE way to progress.

However, this SINGULAR progression approach often leads to boredom, or worse, overuse injuries. In either case, the bodyweight training only goes so far.

So, what’s the solution?

In simple terms, look to progress on multiple levels. Be creative, and there are many ways to progress even when the weight of the resistance stays the same. Here are a few of my favorites:

- Split the exercises up into Basic, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Progress by increasing the difficulty of the exercises in the program.

- Increase the amount of repetitions performed PER SESSION. Don’t go for high reps per set, but increase the amount of overall reps by doing more set, circuits, rounds, etc. In this way, you can increase the volume of your workout effectively and safely.

- Reduce rest periods between exercises, sets, circuits, rounds, etc. This places greater stress on both the muscles and cardiorespiratory systems by increasing the density of the workout.

- Here is the most important one. Do a combination of all three. Simultaneously uses more difficult exercises, do more overall reps and reduce the rest periods. Talk about a progression method that forces your body to become stronger, leaner and more fit.

Here is the one thing you should notice. All the above progression methods do not involve increasing the amount of resistance. And I think these methods should be used with weighted resistance programs as well.

As you can clearly see, bodyweight training is not limited because of the inability to add weight to the exercises. There are many ways to progress that does not involve only adding weight. Multiple progression methods should be used in bodyweight exercise as well as other forms of training.

Are you using these progression methods effectively in your training?

Coach Eddie Lomax builds strong, lean, athletic bodies by using multiple progression methods in Ultimate Gymless Workout. Bodyweight calisthenics are an integral part of this ebook.

Train Like An Athlete

Eddie Lomax — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 10:00:04 +0000

Most men and women start resistance training and aerobic training because they want to change the way they look. They want to build muscle to change the shape of their body. They want to lose fat to reveal a tighter, harder physique. Normally, they want to do both to get the most physical changes for their efforts. So they go out and look for muscle building and fat loss workout programs.

And that’s their first mistake!

Bodybuilding programs combined with long, slow aerobic exercise has failed time and again to produce the strong, lean, athletic bodies most men and women are after. Don’t believe me? Just walk into any commercial gym and see how many people there have successfully reached their physique goals. I guarantee you it won’t be much, because they are using the bodybuilding and aerobic exercise duo.

To get a better understanding of what I mean, let’s reverse engineer your workout program. By that I mean, let’s look at the result you want first, and then figure out how to get it. This approach promises to be revealing.

Now, in order to make this process as simple as possible I’m going to use some generalizations. When I ask most people what they want to end up looking like as a result of their workout program, very few say bodybuilder or marathoner. And when I say very few, I mean almost NONE.

The fact is, most people want to look like some form of athlete. They want a strong, muscular, lean, athletic body. They want the kind of muscle and low body fat that exemplifies a high performance physique.

So, why are they training like a bodybuilder and marathoner? Good question!

I propose your train like an athlete to get the good looking body of an athlete. Sounds like a simple solution, but I can’t tell you how hard it is to get “regular” people to adopt athletic training. They would much rather focus their efforts on things they can see, like building muscle and reducing fat. And this ultimately leads to failure in reaching their physique goals.

Have you ever heard the expression, “A watched pot never boils”. If you’ve ever been in hurry and tried to cook pasta you know what I mean. If you stand over the pot waiting for the water to boil, it seems like it never boils. However, when you are busy doing other things, the next thing you know, the water is boiling.

The same thing happens when you are trying to transform your body. If you focus on the things you can see (building muscle and fat loss) it seems like you are not making any progress. However, if you concentrate on something else (performance), the next thing you know the physical changes you wanted are staring back at you from the mirror.

So, here’s what you need to do to finally reach your fitness, fat loss and physique goals: train like an athlete. And by that I mean, train for performance. Train to get stronger, more powerful, faster, more flexible, more agile and coordinated… and the next thing you know, you’ll have the body you want. Athletic training is not just for athletes. It is for every man and women who what the physical attributes of an attractive athlete. (And in my experience, this is most of us!)

So, stop watching the pot by training like a bodybuilder and marathoner. Divert your attention to performance based training and focus on improving your athletic performance. You body will naturally make the physical changes you can see in order to improve performance. This means, building strong muscles and burning performance robbing fat. And that, my friends, is how you finally get the body you’ve always wanted.

Don’t you want the strong, lean body of a champion athlete?

Coach Eddie Lomax believes we are all athletes and should train like athletes. His Gladiator Body Workout targets general fitness, fat loss and strength and muscle building for an athletic body you can be proud of.

Basic Calisthenics – Fitness Made To Order

Eddie Lomax — Sat, 23 May 2009 10:00:17 +0000

Basic calisthenics, you know what I mean right? Well, if you’re old enough to remember Physical Education Class (sadly, this is dying out these days), ever played a sport or been in the Military, you know exactly what I mean. Basic calisthenics are the exercise method of choice to build strong, conditioned bodies with little or no equipment.

Unfortunately, in today’s world with expensive gyms full of shiny equipment and the fitness industry marketing “quick”, “easy” fitness gimmicks, bodyweight calisthenics are often overlooked. In my opinion, this is a big mistake.

You would think bodyweight exercise would be the most widely used form of exercise because of its accessibility, versatility and effectiveness. After all, bodyweight calisthenics can be used by complete beginners all the way up to elite athletes to improve performance, heath and physique. But, many men and women have been convinced (brainwashed) that basic calisthenics pale in comparison to other forms of training.

But I insist:

Basic calisthenics should be the starting point for any physical training program, and should remain an integral part of your exercise program.

There is a place for calisthenics exercise in everyone’s exercise program, ranging from being the full workout program to being a part of the over-all workout plan. Your body has always been, and will always be, the greatest tool for improving fitness, burning fat and building a strong, lean, athletic body. So, let’s take a look at some of the ways you can start using basic calisthenics today!

Basic Calisthenics Make An Excellent Warm Up

Before you start any physical training, a proper warm up should be performed. And, in my opinion, there is no better warm up for every type of physical activity than bodyweight calisthenics. There is no other activity that can prepare your body for the multitude of movements of sport, work and life quite like bodyweight exercise.

Basic Calisthenics Make A Great Full Body Workout.

You can use bodyweight exercise to improve upper body, lower body and core strength and endurance. Plus, the rhythmic nature of some calisthenics makes them excellent heart and lung workouts. So you can get a true full body workout which includes all muscle groups and the cardiorespiratory systems. And the best part, you don’t need any equipment!

Mix Bodyweight Exercises With Other Forms Of Training

Just because you use some other form of training, like dumbbells, barbells and machines, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t mix in some calisthenics as well. Just think about it. The challenges of sport, work and life require moving the weight of your own body, moving other objects or moving your own bodyweight and other objects. You should train accordingly by mixing bodyweight exercise and weighted resistance.

You Can Do Bodyweight Cardio Intervals

At the end of most people’s workout, they do some “cardio”. Unfortunately, this often means zoning out on the treadmill or exercise bike while reading a magazine or watching the T.V. I suggest you pump up the intensity by throwing in some Bodyweight Intervals. Every once in a while, jump off the bike or treadmill and do some basic calisthenics. This boosts the intensity of your workout by breaking your breathing and heart rhythms, ultimately providing a better workout.

So, I’ve just given you four great ways to incorporate basic calisthenics into your workout program. Bodyweight exercise should be a part of your workout regime, or used exclusively. Start using the gym you were born with today!

Coach Eddie Lomax, author of Ultimate Gymless Workout has put together a bodyweight training program that can be used for beginners, intermediate and advanced trainees! Start today!

Bodyweight Calisthenics: Top 6 Reasons You Should Be Doing Them

Eddie Lomax — Sat, 09 May 2009 10:00:05 +0000

When I look at many popular physical fitness training programs I am often shocked at the overwhelming absence of bodyweight calisthenics exercises.

Do you really need a costly gym membership and access to all the shiny machines or expensive equipment and magic powders to improve strength, conditioning and fitness?

Absolutely not!

Bodyweight calisthenics exercise is one of the most versatile, effective and beneficial training methods available to both the serious athlete and non-professional fitness enthusiast.

1. Bodyweight Calisthenics Can Be Done Anywhere

You don’t need expensive gym memberships or costly equipment to benefit from bodyweight calisthenics… you have everything you need right here and now.

Indoors or out… there are a multitude of bodyweight calisthenics exercises that you can perform to greatly improve strength, conditioning and fitness.

2. Bodyweight Calisthenics Are The Perfect Place To Start

If you are just starting a physical fitness training program… bodyweight calisthenics are the perfect place to start.

Bodyweight calisthenics will prepare you with a physical base from which to effectively and safely add more advanced resistance training.

Learn how to control the weight of your own body first before exploring other training methods.

3. Bodyweight Calisthenics Can Be Adapted For Any Fitness Level

There are many variations to bodyweight calisthenics exercises… giving you the ability to make them easier or harder.

This is why they are great for beginners as well as seasoned fitness enthusiasts.

4. Bodyweight Calisthenics Train Natural Body Movements

Often, resistance training methods do not directly improve movement patterns that are naturally used in everyday life… but this is not the case with bodyweight calisthenics.

Fitness excellence is often measured by your ability to control the movements of your own body… and not your ability to control the movement of an object.

Train the way you naturally move to see more physical improvements applicable in the real world.

5. Bodyweight Calisthenics Can Improve Muscular Strength, Power And Endurance

Depending on the exercises used, the reps and sets and the intensity… you can effectively target strength, power and endurance separately or collectively.

Vary rarely are the challenges of sport, work and life one dimensional… but rather a combination of strength, power and endurance weaved together.

Bodyweight calisthenics are a great way to train all three and the seamless flow from one ability to another.

6. Bodyweight Calisthenics Can Simultaneously Improve Strength And Cardiorespiratory Endurance While Burning Fat

When most of us participate in a fitness training program we want to improve strength and cardiorespiratory endurance… and simultaneously burning off unwanted fat.

Bodyweight calisthenics can do all three… in the same workout.

By varying the exercises, stresses and intensities of your workouts you can effectively and efficiently get stronger, better conditioned and leaner.

Conclusion…

Don’t let the simplicity of bodyweight calisthenics fool you… they are one of the best tools you have for the improvement of strength, conditioning and fitness.

And just because they look simple does not mean they are easy or ineffective… just try a one-armed push up, one-armed pull up of one-legged squat if you don’t believe me.

Bodyweight calisthenics exercise should be the foundation for any physical training program… It is the perfect place to start, and should remain an important part of your fitness workout program as you add more training methods.

If you are ready to use the gym you were born with and get the most from your bodyweight calisthencis training, I recommend Ultimate Gymless Workout.

You’ll Never Look At Bodyweight Calisthenics The Same Way Again!

Bodyweight Training For Athletes Or Just Regular Exercisers?

Eddie Lomax — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:52:58 +0000

Many exercisers (both athletes and non-athletes), are under the impression they don’t need bodyweight training. But bodyweight only exercise should not be ignored if you want to improve fitness, burn fat and build a high-performance body. Let’s look at how bodyweight training can benefit both athletes and regular exercisers.

Here is what happens: We have been brainwashed to believe physical training is resistance Training (weight lifting) and Cardio. We do sets and reps of a certain exercise to target a certain muscle group with certain rest periods. Then after we are done treating the body like a bunch of parts, we do some aerobic cardio to improve the heart and lungs. Athletes and non-athletes thing doing a workout without only their own bodyweight is too easy because added resistance is not applied. And the thing is, if you are going to use this predominately bodybuilding style of training, they are probably right.

However, to get the most performance benefits out of your training, the body needs to be trained as one complete unit. The entire body, all the muscles as well as the heart and lungs should be challenged at the same time. The lines between resistance training and cardio training need to be blurred. I would ask the athletes, “Is your sport done in a compartmentalized way with robotic actions where strength and cardiorespiratory endurance are separate? Or, is your entire body needed to work in unison in order to excel at your sport?” Bodyweight training is great for switching between strength exercises and “cardio” exercises seamlessly… which is an excellent way to train.

Plus, exercise is really a question of movement. And there are two types of movement: moving your own body through space, and moving objects through space. I would argue that for most athletes, being able to control and move your own body around with strength, balance, flexibility and coordination is going to help your perform better. And for the regular exerciser, bodyweight training is important to prepare your for the physical and mental challenges you face in your everyday life.

My recommendation is to blur the lines between strength training and cardiorespiratory training in the same bodyweight workout. For example, complete a circuit of push up, air squats and crunches as fast as possible without rest, and then do 50 jumping jacks before repeating the circuit 2-5 times… and repeat for 20 minutes without rest. This type of bodyweight workout targets all your muscles as well as your heart and lungs and trains the body to work as one complete unit.

I encourage you to add bodyweight training to your overall workout program regardless of whether you are a high-performance athlete or just a regular exerciser trying to improve fitness and control your weight. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how effective bodyweight training can be. And when your heart is pounding, your breathing is hard and you are laying on the ground in a pool of your own sweat, ask yourself… “Are bodyweight exercises too easy?”

If you haven’t done so already, get a free copy of my “Bodyweight Exercise Cardio Intervals” report.

Click Here To Get The Report

Bodyweight Calisthenics Are Better Than Boring Cardio

Eddie Lomax — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:28:10 +0000

Imagine doing a cardio workout that is quick and effective for building strong heart and lungs AND building a lean, athletic body. That is what happens when you use bodyweight calisthenics instead of your boring cardio routine. Don’t make the mistake of neglecting bodyweight exercises for the cardio portion of your workout.

You see, you’ve just overlooked one of the best ways to get a great cardio workout as well as build a high-performance, athletic body… bodyweight calisthenics. You don’t need any equipment at all to get a great cardio workout. And if you use bodyweight calisthenics instead of cardio you’ll get some added benefits.

You Can Do Bodyweight Calisthenics Anytime, Anywhere

The more you base your workouts (resistance or cardio) on equipment, the more excuses you have to NOT do the workout. If you only use an exercise bike… what do you do when the bike is in use? What happens if the row machine breaks? Most people will use that as an excuse to skip the cardio workout all together.

On the other hand, if you have a functioning body, you can use bodyweight calisthenics. As you can see, there are no excuses left for missing the workout. using bodyweight exercises for your cardio means you are ready for a workout anytime, anywhere… rain or shine.

Bodyweight Calisthenics Prepare You For Real World Challenges

Most exercisers wrongly believe that only monotonous, boring exercise is “cardio” exercise. But the truth is, ANY activity that increases your heart rate and breathing rate can improve heart and lung function. And a fast paced circuit of bodyweight calisthenics is definitely going to get your heart and breathing rates up.

The added benefit is being prepared for real world challenges. The fact is, endurance improvements are specific to the activity trained. That means if you run, your heart and lungs get better for running. This explains why you get out of breath easily doing an activity you don’t practice in your workout. But on the other hand, bodyweight workouts can be made up of so many different types of exercises that they prepare your for challenges both inside and outside the gym.

You’ve Probably Been Neglecting Your Bodyweight Exercises

The sad fact is, you probably don’t do enough bodyweight exercises. Exercise is made up of movement… both moving the weight of your own body AND weighted resistance. Unfortunately, most exercises spend most of their time training weighted resistance and neglect bodyweight only exercises. So, using bodyweight calisthenics as your cardio portion of your workout not only improves hear and lung endurance, but trains your body to move.

As you can see, bodyweight calisthenics are a great option as a substitute for your regular cardio workout. You’ll never be able to justify a skipped workout again. You’ll build a better body ready for all of life’s challenges. And you’ll fulfill a much needs training requirement… bodyweight exercise. No matter how you cut it… bodyweight calisthenics are a great way to get both a cardio workout and build a high performance, athletic body.

Best At Home Workouts » bodyweight calisthenics

Squat Thrusts – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video

Pushups – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video

Mountain Jumpers – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video

One Leg Squats – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video

Bodyweight Training – The Biggest Problem And The Solution

Train Like An Athlete

Basic Calisthenics – Fitness Made To Order

Bodyweight Calisthenics: Top 6 Reasons You Should Be Doing Them

Bodyweight Training For Athletes Or Just Regular Exercisers?

Bodyweight Calisthenics Are Better Than Boring Cardio

Get “Bodyweight Exercise Cardio Intervals” Free