Strength Training Without Weights

I'd been lifting weights for years and was getting fairly strong but, like a lot of other people, I felt that I was throwing my money down the drain as the gym fees mounted up. Also, as I was getting older , my joints were starting to suffer. Knees, shoulders and elbows all started to make creaking noises and I got pain when pushing the big stuff so I needed to find a way to do strength training without weights and give my joints and bank balance a break.

So I looked at the positives :

• They can be done indoors and outdoors without going to the gym.


• You can train alone if you have an aversion to crowds.


• You are not over-stressing your joints.


• You can do them when you are away from home.


• Little to no cost involved. What more could you ask for!

It was a big relief when I discovered a very informative and worthwhile course from body coach Eddie Lomax on how to get strong from bodyweight exercises called Workout Without Weights. The information he provides is from years of experience as a trainer and his course certainly taught me stuff I didn't know about. Just by following his course I actually put a whole extra inch on my chest and knocked 1 and 3/4 off my waist and the pain stopped in my shoulder.

You've probably heard the old saying 'without a plan you are just like a ruderless ship - not getting anywhere. Well - something like that. It definitely pays to have a well thought out plan in anything you want to achieve in life. To succeed in sports and exercise is no exception. So what is in the workouts without weights plan to aid you in your aim to gain strength without lifting weights?

It is a step by step progressive plan designed by Coach Eddie Lomax to improve strength and conditioning whilst burning fat, in the shortest time possible, using just your bodyweight as resistance in the exercises. To make sure you keep progressing, the exercises are rated by difficulty whereby you move to the next level once you have mastered the current exercise you are doing.

To make sure you are doing the exercises correctly, they are all given a full description and accompanying photograph so you don't have to worry about if you are doing them right or not.

Throughout his program, the training is broken down into phases so you keep progressing and with so many exercises and strategies to choose from you are able to custom design a workout for yourself.

As well as getting a virtual personal coach, a full journal is provided so you can see if you are improving.

These are some of my favourite bodyweight exercises that I do in my strength training without weights workouts.

Upper Body Exercises

Push-Ups - Put your feet up on a chair with your hands on the ground to shift the emphasis to the upper chest. Using a narrow grip puts more strain on the triceps. One Hand Anybody?
Hand Stand Push-Ups and Hindu Push-Ups (this is an excellent shoulder exercise and is also great at stretching the back)
Pull-Ups of various types (Widegrip, Narrowgrip, Reversegrip). Can also be done one handed on the reverse grip.
Tricep Dips - done using a pair of chairs or parallel bars. Leaning forward puts more emphasis on the chest.

Lower Body Exercises

Squats - See video below for a demo of One Legged Squats. If you master these hold some extra weight to make it harder.
Lunges - Great for strengthening the outer thigh
Calf Raises - Do these one leg at a time on a brick for a greater stretch.
Sit-ups
Crunches
Hanging Leg Raises
Hyper-Extensions - These are great for strengthening the lower back. A strong core is very important.
Plank Exercise

These are a few examples of the basic exercises. Of course they sound a bit simplistic and you probably already do them or have tried them but by altering the hand position, foot position or body position you can really make a difference. It is important that you use correct techique and apply the different intensity methods to keep the body growing. The different techniques required are all outlined in Eddie Lomax's course as are the more advanced exercises to help you achieve the beach body you've always wanted.

As with most exercises it is important to warm up first. Do this by either spending 10 mins on an exercise bike or if you are keeping to a tight budget, running on the spot or skipping with a rope are both great. Always remember to only stretch muscles that are warm. Never stretch a cold muscle.

• Supersets are a great way of add intensity to a workouts. This involves training the exact opposite of a muscle group after only a short rest period of between 10-30 secs. Push-ups followed by chin-ups is a good example.


• Train with as high an intensity you feel comfortable with but remember, your body will not get stronger/respond if you don't push it to its limits.


• It's all about mental attitude. Try and remain focused. Work hard, train smart and eat a balanced diet for better growth. i.e. keep your fat intake to a minimum whilst not going crazy with the carbs. Keep your protein at about 40%.


• INTENSITY is king when it comes to gaining strength without weights. Keep the workouts short and to the point. You are not training for a marathon.


• Give your body plenty of time to recover between workouts.

For a more thorough explanation on the best techniques when doing strength traning without weights, you may want to visit Eddie Lomax's Workout Without Weights site. Every workout regimen requires a plan and he sets out a group of progression strategies to keep the improvements coming.