Body Weight Exercises to Get You Ripped

If they’re not already, body weight exercises should be an integral part of your workout and fitness routine.

Here’s why. Most body weight exercises typically mimic more natural and organic movements, which means they’ll have a bigger impact on your daily living. For example, when you do a sit-up, it mimics a natural movement that you might engage in when getting out of bed. Similarly, a squat mimics the movement you engage in when standing up. So engaging in these more natural and fluid exercises will actually improve your daily functioning.

What’s more, body weight exercises allow you to challenge your body and increase your strength while reducing the likelihood of injury. For this reason, they are especially appropriate for beginners who may not be comfortable with dumbbells or free weights. They’re also ideal for home workouts or workouts on the go, when equipment may not be available.

Whatever the reason, I recommend including more body weight exercises into your fitness routine. At the very least, they’re a great way to add some variety to your workout program and challenge your muscles in new ways.

7 Body Weight Exercises to Get You Ripped

To help you get started, I’ve designed 7 basic but totally effective body weight exercises to get you in amazing shape. Add them to your current workout routine, or perform 3 sets of each for a complete, total boy body weight workout.

1. Ab Crunch – If you’re looking for a basic but effective abdominal exercise, the ab crunch is where you want to start. Make sure you’re not pulling on your neck, and really engage your core muscles throughout. Aim for 20-30 reps per set. To view this exercise, click here.

For another great abdominal exercise that relies on body weight, also try the Bicycle Crunch. To view this exercise, click here.

2. Squat – The squat remains one of the most effective lower body exercises, and you don’t need any added weight to reap the benefits. Lower in control, and keep your back as straight as possible throughout. Want to make it even harder?  Try doing squats on just one foot and have your other leg straight out in front of you.  Aim for a minimum of 12-15 reps per set. To view this exercise, click here.

3. Lunge – The lunge is another great lower body body weight exercise that really targets your hamstrings and glutes (aka butt!). If you want to challenge yourself even more, try the Lateral Lunge. Aim for 10-12 reps per side. To view this exercise, click here.

4. Push-Ups – Push-ups are probably the best body weight exercise you can do, engaging your chest, triceps, and core muscles all at once. An easy way to change up the push-up while still relying on your body weight is to use a workout bench, a chair or anything else that will allow your feet to be at a higher level then your chest. Try it with your hands on a bench (view exercise), or with your feet on a bench (view exercise).

5. Pull-Ups – Pull-ups target the upper body muscles that don’t get worked in the standard push-up, namely your back muscles and biceps. You can vary the width of your grip in order to target your muscles in different ways. Try a narrow grip pull-up (view exercise) or a wide grip pull-up (view exercise) to get started.

6. Step-Ups – Another great lower body exercise, step-ups on a bench or set of stairs can be done with dumbbells in hand or with your body weight alone. To view this exercise, click here.

7. Superman – If you’re looking for a fantastic core exercise, you’ve got to include the superman. It hits your lower back and abdominal muscles for an intense core workout. To view this exercise, click here.

For many of these exercises, you’ll notice that the option is there for adding dumbbells and weights. Feel free to do so as needed, but remember, relying on your body weight alone is also totally effective and will get you ripped!

Looking for a good home workout routine to take things to the next level? Check out my Home Workout in 30 Minutes or this No Equipment Home Workout.

Sam Omidi is the founder of Weight Loss and Training and is accredited with a Bachelors in Kinesiology as well as certification in Nutritional Sciences, Personal Training and Advanced Exercise Nutrition. Follow Sam via Twitter @samomidi