If you’ve decided to live a nomadic life but wonder how you could ever keep a fit lifestyle, then you can relate to Stephanie Lee in her initial struggles. Somehow, she managed to shift from weightlifting to bodyweight exercises. Let me outline to you what she did. Perhaps you’ll gain enough courage from what she was able to accomplish herself without dumbbells.
Overcoming Doubt
Like almost anybody, Stephanie doubted whether bodyweight exercises can be sufficient for her fitness goals.
“…can I still really maintain my strength gains and current aesthetics—and in an ideal world, also build strength and muscle—with body weight alone?”
Nonetheless, she overcame her own doubts. Using her curiosity and enthusiasm for a nomadic life, she found several pieces of research that motivated her shift. According to her readings, bodyweight exercises
- increase your strength and power,
- help you gain bone mass, and
- improve your general athleticism.
I bet if she kept listening to her own skepticism, she would never have started a trial. She would not have succeeded in her journey of shifting from weightlifting to bodyweight exercises.
Mixing It Up At First
For a start, Stephanie mixed up some bodyweight workouts with her gym exercises. She trained for all her muscle groups, including her “chest, back, legs and shoulders.”
Stephanie did a bodyweight routine five days weekly, and once a week she poured herself out in the gym. With two upper-body and two lower-body workouts for 30 to 40 minutes each, she gave her all. I definitely agree with the advice she told next:
“…you need to consciously push yourself out of your comfort zone to continue to see results, especially in a bodyweight program.”
Again, a lot of mind-setting was needed for that.
The Shift From Weightlifting To Bodyweight Became Fun!
Eventually, the author was surprised to notice her strength increase with the best bodyweight workouts that she combined. She found fun in them!
“These days, the world is truly my oyster-gym. Freedom from the weight room has allowed me to get creative and view almost everything as a fitness possibility.”
To her, a tree branch becomes a pull-up bar. The stairs would work well for her step-ups, crawls, and calf raises. Any bench can also serve well for her for the following bodyweight exercises:
- feet-elevated push-ups
- dips
- hip thrusts
- split squats
- single-leg box squats
- box jumps
At the end of the day, Stephanie learned the hard way – like literally – that a shift from weightlifting to bodyweight workouts is possible. Here are her tips:
- Prioritizing quality over quantity
- Keeping the workout challenging
- Making the exercises harder
- Training more often and more consistently
- Adding variety
I could add that opening her mind to the benefits of using body weight for workouts was what really made her start the journey. Who knows it could also begin yours?
View original article at vitals.lifehacker.com.
