How To Train If You Can’t Go To The Gym?
In a perfect world, we would all be working out consistently without skipping a single meal, wouldn’t we? But that isn’t how life works. There could be several reasons why you aren’t able to make it to the gym. A few of them being having too much pressure at work, having an exam around the corner or just being out for a vacation. You see, we often have other commitments and might not always be able to make time to go to the gym. And this is absolutely fine.
I don’t want to be one of those people who tells you that you should forget your fitness goals if you don’t have time to go to the gym. After all, the goal of fitness is to enhance and improve your life, not take over it. Now, this doesn’t mean that you never have to go to the gym. It simply means that if you’re in a tight situation right now, which doesn’t allow you to make time to go to the gym and train, you shouldn’t lose hope.
As you may have guessed, the solution is very simple. Bodyweight training. Bodyweight training is very underrated. It is a very quick, simple and effective way to train and can help you put on some muscle while you get lean and build your best physique ever. And the best part is you can do this in the comfort of your own home.
Those who say bodyweight training doesn’t work simply don’t understand the concept of progressive overload. You see, your muscles will grow if you get stronger over time. It doesn’t matter if you provide this resistance using a dumbbell or your bodyweight.
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Keep in mind that bodyweight training in no way is going to get you as jacked as a bodybuilder. But this article isn’t meant to cater to that type of audience anyway. This for those of you who just want to build your best physique and get fit but don’t find time to hit the gym. As I said above, bodyweight training with the principle of progressive overload will get you exactly there.
If you build up to 3-4 sets of 10 pull-ups or 3-4 sets of 20 push-ups, you will see the difference in your body. The biggest benefit of bodyweight training is that it accounts for your bodyweight. This simply means that to progress, you will need to get rid of the extra fat you’re holding over time. This is because progressing on exercises like the push-up and pull-up is a lot more difficult when you’re heavier. In this way, you end up with a lean, strong and functional physique.
How do I progress with bodyweight training?
What most people get wrong when they try to attempt bodyweight training is the method of progression. If you just do one set of push-ups and try to keep adding reps to it, you will reach a point where you are no longer maximizing hypertrophy and rather training for endurance. Don’t get me wrong, you can definitely throw in super high rep sets here and there but a much better way of progression is to make the variation of the exercise harder after you hit a certain rep goal.
What this means is that when you hit a certain goal of, let’s say, 3 sets of 20 push-ups, you would be better off by moving to a more difficult version like the diamond push-up or any progression towards a one arm push-up. The same can be said for squats, once you can hit a rep goal with bodyweight squats, move onto harder variations like the Bulgarian split squat, or any progression towards a pistol squat.
Here’s what you need to keep in mind while structuring a bodyweight workout. Since the intensity won’t be as much as it could be while training with weights, you will manipulate other variables like volume and frequency to get the required training effect. This simply means that training full body three times a week is a great set up with the majority of your reps being in the 10-20 rep range. Again, this is not set in stone and you can follow any set up you like. But if you have no idea of what you’re doing, start with a 3 day a week full body routine and you can change it up a few months later.
What exercises should I do?
As for exercise selection, try to incorporate exercises that hit all the major muscle groups in your workout. Once you have the big exercises in place, you can add in more exercises based on your preference. Keep in mind that the program is not what will get you results. Getting stronger is. As long as you get stronger, it doesn’t matter what program you’re using. A simple way to program your routine could be as follows:
Squats
Push-ups
Chin-ups
Pike push-ups
After the big movements, you can add in 1-2 supplementary movements like:
Tricep bench dips
Jump squats
Lunges
Ab work
Hip bridges
The key here is to not overdo it with the volume. Fix a set and rep goal for the exercises. For example, you select 3 sets of 15 repetitions for push-ups. If you can’t do push-ups, start with knee push-ups. Once you can do 3 sets of 15 reps for knee push-ups, increase the difficulty and move on to normal push-ups. Once you are able to do 3 sets of 15 push-ups, move on to feet elevated push-ups or diamond push-ups. There is a wide variety of progressions available online and you can choose to do the one which feels right for you.
How much should I rest between sets?
Keep your rest time around 120 seconds between sets. This might seem like a lot to some of you but the goal of training is to build muscle, not to burn calories. You can end your workout with cardio, a cardio type circuit, or a cardio based exercise like jumping jacks if you wish to burn more calories. Just make sure you are focusing on getting stronger while you’re training and do the cardio later.
How long will such a work out take?
You can get done with such a training session in 30-45 minutes. You also save travel time to and from the gym. Moreover, you have the flexibility to move your workouts around since you will be training at home and this will make it easier for you to fit it into your busy schedule.
Conclusion
You don’t have to live in the gym if you just wish to be fit. Fitness is meant to enhance your life, not take over it. If you are someone who finds it difficult to hit the gym, you can use the help of bodyweight training to reach your goals. Like any other form of resistance training, the goal of bodyweight training is to help you get stronger and pack on muscle. Once you start applying the principles of progressive overload and dial in your nutrition, you’ll reach your best physique in no time. Just like any other thing in fitness, it will come down to consistency and patience.
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