Four Things You Need To Know About Body Weight Exercise

I have been doing bodyweight exercise training for a while now. In that time, I have discovered a few things that you might prefer to know about bodyweight exercising and how to best approach it. By knowing these 4 things, you would be able to overcome some problems you might run into, or even avoid them altogether.

Had I known these 4 things when I started, I'd have avoided a few surprises:

1. This isn't a race or a contest, especially if this is new to you. Instead of focusing on how many modified push-ups you could do or how fast you could do them, learn to do the movement properly and slowly, at first. Start with a proper, step-by-step understanding of the movement and it's mechanics.

It may take you some practice and patience to master the basics of a particular exercise. The more challenging the exercise, the more you need to practice it properly...slowly...step-by-step. But it's worth it. And that brings me to my second piece of advice...

2. Go easy on yourself. You may not be able to fully do a pistol, but do the best you could today (without going to fatigue), and set a goal to do better next week.

3. I advise that you work on mastering only a few exercises at a time. No more than 2 or 3 at a time. That's what I do. In a workout, I may do up to 8 different exercises, but I really work on 2 or 3 of the ones that I need the most work on. I tend to do extra sets or perform these exercises slower than I do the ones that I have already mastered.

My reason for telling you to focus on just 3 exercises (heck, you could even just pick one) is to assist you avoid being overwhelmed by having to acquire good at all of the exercises at the same time. When you check that you have gotten good at one exercise (when you could do it a certain number of times, with proper technique), it would give you the confidence to conquer the next move.

Just last week, I was doing a challenging workout, and I was acquiring a bit light-headed. I then realized that I had forgotten something...

4. Breathe! I was holding my breath at some of the tough sticking points. That's the half piece of advice I have to give you. I know it's obvious that you should breathe properly, but it's good to keep reminding yourself not to hold your breath too long. Try forcefully pushing or whistling the air out of your lips as you push yourself past a tough spot.