These are some of the best body weight exercises for building muscle, these exercises have no need for heavy weights, your body provides all the resistance needed in these exercises.
You can use these exercises solely to just create a workout, or you can include them in your normal weight training workouts.
Many body weight exercises use a very natural movement which can be easier on the joints than many weight training exercises, especially resistance machines.
Rope climbing
If you can find some place to do this, then rope climbing is a fantastic body weight exercise, it primarily builds and strengthens your upper back, shoulders and arms. Try climbing to a target height and slowly lower yourself back down, increase the height you climb the easier it gets.
Press ups
No muscle building body weight workout should exclude push ups, I may have said this a few times now but press ups are great for working those shoulders, chest and triceps.
Dips
Excellent for the triceps and chest, they can be performed just on the floor, however your technique will improve if you can lower yourself down from a higher position, for example using a bench or chair you can lower yourself from.
Pull ups
One of the best exercises you can do for developing and strengthening your upper back muscles, it also targets your shoulders and biceps. Pull ups is a very difficult exercise to perform, the easiest way to perform the pull up is with a narrow grip and your palms facing towards you, also known as the chin up.
Leg raises
They can be performed while lying flat on a bench or mat, or you can perform leg raises while hanging from a pull up bar or a special arm rest which is attached to a wall. Whichever way you perform them they offer a lot of resistance to the abdominals and it’s one of the most difficult abdominal exercises to perform.
Lunges
Lunges are a fantastic exercises for targeting those thighs and buttocks, lunges are often performed while holding a pair of dumbbells, however they still offer a good amount of resistance just using your own body weight.
Handstand push ups
This certainly is not for everyone and please don’t attempt this if you are not comfortable doing so, it requires a great deal of strength and balance to perform properly and safely. Before attempting a hand stand push up, simply try and hold your body weight with your arms straight and your feet up against a wall.
