Bodyweights is a term used to describe workout equipment, such as dumbbells and barbells, and the exercises that make use of this equipment. However, the term can apply to any weighted object used to work out any part of the body. An example of this is lifting a water bottle filled with sand instead of a dumbbell to improve muscle tone and fitness. Historically, bodyweights can be traced back to both Ancient Greece as well as ancient Persia, where the training regimen of Milos of Croton and the Indian club, respectively, made important and early contributions to bodyweights. Today, bodyweights are a key component of building muscle.
Body Parts That Get Worked Out
Bodyweight exercises can give all of your muscles a good workout. While all bodyweight exercises have as their primary goal the strengthening and developing of skeletal muscle, different kinds of exercises target muscles in your arms, legs, abdomen and chest. As a result of your muscles getting targeted in bodyweight workouts, you will see all sorts of benefits if you do the exercises properly. An example of just some forms of benefits from bodyweights are improved muscle as well as ligament and tendon strength, improved flexibility, increased bone density, improved toning, heightened metabolic rates, and a greater postural support.
Safe and Proper Use of Bodyweights Equipment
With bodyweights especially, you should make it a point to exercise caution since failure to do so can result in injuries of varying degrees. Fundamentally, your movements during bodyweight exercises ought to be nothing but controlled, slow and even carefully defined. The maintaining of proper form during your workout is essential, as proper form ensures that no weak muscles get the effort of the workout transferred to them, when they may not be able to handle the weight. This may result in injury. Doing a stretch and warm-up before you begin your bodyweight exercises are also a great precaution to undertake. Breathing is also another equally significant component to a safe bodyweight workout, as proper breathing--which is deep breathing--ensures more oxygen flow to the brain and reduces the risk of blacking out during a workout. Finally, keeping yourself well hydrated during exercises is also essential to reduce the risk of injury.
Types of Bodyweight Exercises
Isotonic exercises are a form of bodyweight exercises that incorporates the use of dumbbells and barbells. The goal is to encourage your muscles to produce a force that is strong enough to push or pull said bodyweights. An example of this type of bodyweight exercise is your basic, standard bicep curl. Another form of bodyweight exercise is the isolation exercise, defined as exercise where the movement is constrained to one type of joint only. The standard leg extension is a great example of this because the movement is limited to only the quadriceps.
