Bodyweight exercises are your key to getting fit with no gym membership!

How many of you have paid a monthly membership to a fitness facility that you NEVER get around to visiting?  Trust me, I have been that person before.  The YMCA took so much of my money for me to go as often as I would go to the dentist.

That’s when the guilt builds up, until one day you can’t take it anymore and you cancel your membership and try to put it behind you.

The fact of the matter is, the gym atmosphere is not motivating for a lot of people, and working one on one with a trainer is not always financially feasible.  So what to do?

First of all, if you don’t have great body awareness, I would definitely recommend working with a trainer for at least 2-4 sessions to get comfortable with your form.  This way you won’t injure yourself when you try to workout on your own.

Second, pick up a few things that make it possible for you to workout at home.  These include:

• A mat
• Some dumbells
• Rubber bands
• Lacrosse balls (for rolling out your muscles)
• A block or two
• A small towel (for sliding exercises on the floor)

There is lots you can get, but these basic tools will be, if nothing more, a visual reminder that you want to make time for yourself to workout.

Finally, the top 10  bodyweight exercises that you can do at home:

1. Squats (jump squats, pistol squats, jumping jack squats)
2. Lunges (and jumping lunges)
3. Step ups
4. Box jumps (jump up 1, 2 or 3 stairs)
5. Single Leg Deadlifts
6. Push up variations (different grips, plyometric)
7. Plank Variations (front plank, side planks, lifting hands/feet to throw off stability)
8. Sit up variations (sit ups, leg lifts, hollow rocks)
9. Mountain Climbers
10. Burpees

These exercises cover most of your major muscle groups.  The only thing that bodyweight workouts lack, are good back exercises.  For this reason, it is a good idea to get a pull up bar, and some dumbells for exercises like renegade rows and reverse flies.

Another great tool that utilizes only your body weight is the TRX.  This is my favourite tool for in-home training.  You can attach it to a door or a tree for a versatile workout that you can take with you anywhere!  The TRX will run you about $200 but it is well worth the investment for the serious home workout enthusiasts!

visit my instagram page for inspiration on how to put your workout together.