Walk into any new training facility and you’ll see top-of-the-line equipment. Even schools are upgrading their weight rooms and sport facilities. Workout Wonderlands are great—when they’re available—but what happens when there’s nowhere to go? Maybe you’re on the road and just can’t get to the gym. Maybe you’re bored and want to spice up your normal routine. Whatever the case, you can always use the best piece of equipment ever made—the human body!
This ultimate resistance-training machine is made up of 700 muscles and 206 bones, all of which can be used for bodyweight training. Below are a few examples of bodyweight exercises that can replace traditional weight room exercises.
Chest
Push-Ups = Bench Press
Feet-Elevated Push-Ups = Incline Press
Wide-Grip Push-Ups = Dumbbell Fly
Legs
Body Squats = Squat or Leg Press
Multi-Directional Body Lunges = Lunges
Bridges = Hamstring Curls
Step-Ups = Leg Extensions
Shoulder
Up-and-Down Push-Up Walks = Front Dumbbell Raise
Side-to-Side Push-Up Walks = Lateral Dumbbell Raise
Bleacher Body Walks = Behind-the-Neck Press
Forward and Backward Inchworm Walk = Band Rotational Pulls
Back
Wide-Grip Pull-Ups = Lat Pulldown
Narrow-Grip Pull-Ups = Narrow Low Row
Overhead Med Ball Good Mornings = Back Hyper Machine
Protraction/Retraction of Back in Push-Up Position = Dumbbell Shrugs
By thinking outside the box, looking at body movements and using your body as your “weight set,” you can get a great workout in any situation.