Gym workout alternatives: Some no-equipment workouts

It’s a known fact that a gym is a great and possibly the best destination for people who want to stay healthy. Doesn’t matter whether the objective is to gain muscle mass, lose body fat or just general fitness, almost any gym (even the very basic ones) provides the necessary equipments to achieve and maintain your desired physique. Just stay focussed on your goals, eat right and you should be on your way to your dream body.

However, just getting a membership might be an issue for some because of various reasons, and I’m not talking of just financial barriers here.

The person might have a job that requires travelling a lot, so getting a gym membership might not serve him/her well. Getting membership of a gym chain (where you can workout in another gym in a different location that is part of the same chain, like Gold’s gym) can be a solution, but such gyms are usually expensive and might not be in the budget of everyone. 

Doing workouts with gym equipments to achieve and maintain the general health and well-being might be a challenge for such an individual. Calisthenic or plyometric workouts can prove to be an extremely beneficial alternative in such a scenario.

• Calisthenic workouts (or simply calisthenics): Such workouts involve using one’s own body weight as a resistance in working the muscles, and generally do not involve any equipments. Some of the workouts can be extremely taxing on the target muscles, and are considered as a must-have in every training regimen.
• Plyometric workouts (or simply plyometrics): Such workouts involve explosive movements to increase one’s speed and power, and are mostly done by athletes to improve their performance in their respective fields. Such movements involve very rapid extension and contraction of the muscle fibres, and hence can be beneficial in situations such as sprinting. They also tax the cardiovascular system, thus increasing one’s cardiovascular fitness.

Below listed are some of the calisthenic and plyometric exercises that can be done in a single workout session to target almost the entire musculature of the body, resulting in a full body workout. Please have a read (NOTE: The listed exercises are just an alternative to weight training. Most of the workouts listed do not qualify to be a substitute for iron pumping gym workout sessions). Do perform some warm-ups like rope jumping and light jogging, to loosen up the joints and get the blood flowing in the muscles.

          

      1) Pull ups: One of the best workouts for your back and biceps muscles (pull chain). Grab a bar or a overhead support that is strong enough to hold your body weight. Take a shoulder width grip with your palms facing away from you. Take a deep breath and pull your body up until your chin come in line with your fists. Exhale, then lower slowly to starting point while inhaling, and repeat.

It might be extremely difficult initially to perform this movement, especially if you are a beginner; in that case, try finding someone who can give little help by pushing you up a little bit. Alternately, you can try doing chin ups, with an underhand grip (palms facing towards you). This is comparatively easier because of more biceps engagement. Later on you can switch to pull ups once you have the strength.

      2) Push ups: This workout will target your chest and triceps (push chain), and to some extent the front head of your shoulders. Lie on the ground face down with your palms flat on the ground about shoulder width apart, just below your shoulders. Now push your chest up while keeping your torso straight and lock your elbows. At this position your entire body will just be resting on your palms and your toes. This will be your starting position.

Take a deep breath and start lowering your torso towards the ground keeping your torso and legs straight, while exhaling. Reach to a point where your nose touches the floor, then push your torso up to a position just before your elbows lockout; inhale while doing the pushing up (NOTE: Do not lock out your elbows at the top, this simple trick keeps the chest engaged the whole time). Repeat for reps.

3) Body weight squats: This workout will build size and strength in your legs. Stand with a shoulder wide stance and descent by folding your knees as if you are going to sit on a low platform, inhaling all the way. Go down as low as possible and stand back up, exhaling. 

4) Plank: Plank is an excellent exercise that builds up core strength and stability, which is the foundation for all physical activities. Lie face down on your elbows with your legs straight and torso resting on the floor. Now slowly lift your torso up while keeping your legs straight and hold that position for as long as possible. At top position your entire body will be balanced only on your elbows and toes (IMP: Do not forget to breathe).

5) Squat jumps: This exercise will build up explosive strength in your legs, necessary for high intensity exercises like sprinting. Inhale and descent down in the half squat position. Then in one explosive push, jump up as high as you can. Repeat this for repetitions.

  

So here it is folks, a full body workout routine using different plyometric and calisthenic exercises. These are the workouts I used to do when I was in school, and built the muscular and cardiovascular foundation for the gym workouts that I am doing now, and sometimes still do it when I’m on a vacation away from my home.  

I’d recommend doing 3 sets of each with a minute rest in between each set, each set going to failure. When done intensely, the whole workout is going to take somewhere between 30-45 minutes, which is decent enough in my opinion. Once you become stronger and intend to increase the intensity, try cutting down on the rest intervals. 

Do let me know your feedback and opinions in the comments. Stay fit, grow strong !!!