The Top 10 Benefits of Bodyweight Exercises

Every athlete should be building bodyweight exercises into their routine. Whether you grind hard at the gym, run distances, play football, tennis or basketball, bodyweight training improves performance in pretty much every sport. 

New to this form of training? This guide will walk you through the benefits of bodyweight exercises. 

What is bodyweight training?

Bodyweight workouts, which are also known as calisthenics, are a form of strength training where the weight of your body (plus gravity) provides all the resistance you work against. 

Unlike weight lifting, where you add resistance using dumbbells, plates or kettlebells, bodyweight training adds that resistance by getting you to put your body in specific positions. You then perform reps, working against your own weight. 

There are tons of different exercises you can build into a bodyweight training routine, hitting all your major muscle groups. Here are just a few:

Bodyweight training for legs 

Here are some common bodyweight leg exercises:

• Squats
• Lunges
• Donkey kicks
• Calf raises
• Wall sits

Bodyweight core exercises

Use these bodyweight exercises to condition your abs:

• Bicycle crunch
• V-ups
• Hanging leg raises
• Plank
• Hollow body hold

Bodyweight shoulder, arm and chest exercises

Build strength in your upper body with the following kinds of drills:

• Pull up/chin up
• Press up
• Downward facing dog
• Muscle up
• Dips

What are the benefits of bodyweight exercises? 

There are tons of scientifically proven benefits of doing bodyweight exercises. Here are our top ten.

Top 10 bodyweight exercise benefits

1. Proven to boost all-round athletic performance

Whatever your sport, whatever your training goals, bodyweight training is able to improve your performance. 

Research with youth footballers, for instance, showed that bodyweight training helped improve aerobic performance, agility and muscular power. Meanwhile, multiple studies with endurance runners have concluded that a bodyweight training programme can improve running economy, muscle power and speed.

2. Builds strength

Various studies have shown that, using nothing but gravity and your own bodyweight, it’s possible to significantly increase your strength and build muscle. 

For example, in one study people were asked to do push-up training three days a week for four weeks. By the end of the experiment, there were significant improvements in muscle thickness, maximum number of reps they could do, and all round strength. 

3. Super convenient

Another major benefit of bodyweight training is how convenient and accessible it is. You can do calisthenics almost anywhere and, since you don’t need a gym membership or equipment, it’s completely free. 

• At home: You can easily perform squats, lunges, press ups and most abdominal exercises in the comfort of your own home. If the weather’s bad outdoors, a bodyweight session is the ideal way to get some training in. 
• In the park: Most public parks have furniture (like benches), dedicated pull up and dip bars, or even full outdoor gyms you can use to do bodyweight exercises on. 

4.  Pretty much anyone can do bodyweight exercises

Regardless of your age or experience, pretty much anyone can do bodyweight training (always check with a medical professional if you have any health conditions or injuries). 

• Don’t yet feel confident in the weights room? Bodyweight training can help build strength till you’re ready to go further. 
• Not a member of a gym? Bodyweight training lets you build strength without dumbbells. 
• At the start of your fitness journey? Bodyweight exercises are a super accessible way to begin. 
• Too busy to hit the gym right now? Once again, bodyweight training can easily fit around your lifestyle. 

5. Gives you a new kind of training challenge

Feel like you’ve mastered your weighted squat, deadlift, chest press and other ‘traditional’ weight lifting exercises? Bodyweight training can give you a new focus for your sessions. 

If you’re already highly trained, advanced bodyweight training exercises can provide a serious new challenge. Whether it’s mastering a muscle up (combining a pull up and dip), a human flag or a handstand press up, more advanced calisthenics moves will help you find new limits to smash. 

6. Bodyweight training can improve coordination

Balance and coordination make up a big element of bodyweight training. Whether you’re doing bicycle crunches, burpees, hand release press ups or one legged pistol squats, these exercises get your brain and body to work in tandem. And studies have confirmed that following a body weight training programme can improve overall coordination. 

7. Increases muscle endurance

Muscle endurance is a measure of a muscle’s ability to exert force over a period of time. And body weight training can help. Research with a group of 15 women found that, following a 10-week bodyweight training programme, their average muscle endurance increased by almost 11%. 

8. Improves your posture

Another big bodyweight exercise benefit is its effect on your posture. In an eight week experiment, one group of men were asked to follow a calisthenics programme, while a control group did no new training. By the end of the experiment, the bodyweight training group had significantly improved their scores on a posture test. 

9. A way to build strength without ‘bulk’

In many sports, it’s really helpful to be strong. But you might not want to ‘bulk up’, since extra weight could be a disadvantage (particularly for sports like distance running). Bodyweight training is pretty much ideal here. To increase strength without adding bulk, it's usually recommended to do low weight, but high repetition exercises. Bodyweight training is perfect for that. 

10. Incredibly beneficial as you age

Numerous studies have looked into the effects of bodyweight exercise interventions among older people. Even simple bodyweight routines can reduce frailness, the risk of falls, and boost confidence climbing stairs. Want to stay strong and healthy as you age? Mastering bodyweight exercises will set you up for life. 

The best bodyweight training gear

One of the biggest benefits of bodyweight training is how little equipment you need. In fact, all that’s required are proper training shoes and performance wear.

Under Armour training gear helps you do your bodyweight training sessions better. 

Our training shoes, like the UA Reign 6, are built with our game-changing UA TriBase™ technology for maximum ground contact and balance. They come with external heel clips for added stability, and UA WARP uppers that hold your feet in place. That means you can move with confidence during all those jump squats, lunges or mountain climbers. 

Under Armour bodyweight training clothing helps you train harder, and with greater focus. Using sweat wicking fabrics, seamless designs that eliminate friction, and breathable materials, this is gear you can push your limits in. Explore the complete range.