Strength Training Without Weights
What is strength training?
A strength training workout is designed to make your body stronger.
To do this you will need to slowly increase the work your muscles need to do during a movement.
If you think about using weights, you would slowly increase the weight load to put your muscles under more tension, but I am going to talk about how you can do this without them with these bodyweight exercises.
Below are some equipment free body weight exercises and as you start to find these exercises easier, you can add some bands to increase your workload.
If you are new to bands, they come in various strengths, don't cost much and don’t take up much space to store!
They are simple to use and perfect if you are just starting out.
The Benefits
There's more benefits to strength training workouts than to just build muscle;
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Firstly increasing your muscles helps burn more calories. Someone who has more muscle on their body, will burn through more calories doing everyday activities.
After you have completed a strength training session, your body will continue to burn through extra calories for hours after.
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Strength training exercises and body weight exercise encourage your bones to grow stronger, reducing injuries.
Increasing your muscle mass also helps protect you from injuries, the stronger your back is, the less likely you are to suffer back pain.
Having a strong core promotes good posture and helps you balance, so you are also less likely to damage yourself doing daily activities.
- It's great for your mental health. Exercising helps release feel good endorphins and promotes a good mood. It also improves your sleep quality.
Here are some great strength exercises to get you started:
1 - Pull Throughs
Banded pull throughs are a great exercise for your glutes, lower back and hamstrings. They are great for beginners as they help with muscle imbalances.
As they require you to hinge at the hip, they are a great exercise to keep your hips mobile and strengthen your lower back, reducing that lower back pain.
If you eventually want to go onto more advanced exercises like good mornings, this is a great exercise to get you maintaining good form.
Loop your band at a low point on your Axium Pole, start standing with your back to your Pole. Legs either side of your band, holding either end of the band in each hand.
Step forward to create a little tension in the band. Stand knees bent in a half squat position. Remember to keep your arms straight, elbows locked throughout.
Make sure you keep your back flat, you want a straight line from your head through your back and to your hips.
Now stand up, by hinging from your hips. You want to push your hips forward, and squeeze your glute muscles whilst you do so, make sure to keep all your body weight in your heels.
Repeat for 12 reps.
Try 5 sets of these.
Keep your back straight to avoid any stress on your lower back. As always make sure your core is tight and engaged.
2 - Jumpin Jacks
Jumpin jacks will help strengthen all the muscles that you use whilst jumping which are, your core, lower back, hip abductors and adductors, calves and your shoulders.
As it is a high tempo workout, it will help increase your fitness level.
Your starting position is standing, hands down by your sides. Now, bend your knees and jump up, landing with your feet spread apart.
Slightly wider than your shoulders. Whilst you jump, you want to lift your arms out and up toward the ceiling.
Now jump back to your start position, moving your arms down to your sides. That is a jumping jack.
To increase the workout, you can try adding a resistance band. Do this by simply looping a small band around your ankles.
3 - Step Ups
Step ups are designed to make your glutes, quads, hamstrings, core and lower back stronger.
It is a really useful leg strength exercise because it is a single leg exercise, it will show you if you have any imbalances. Allowing you to correct them.
Your core and lower back will get a good workout as these will be used to help keep you balanced.
There are two ways of doing this exercise, Loop your band around a low point on your Axium Pole. Stand in your band so that it is looped around your waist.
Take a few steps forward so there is tension in your band and position a box in front of yourself. Or you can loop a band around your legs like you do when doing a banded squat.
Starting with your left leg, step up with your left leg and stand up on your box.
Lift your right leg up and stand on the box with both feet. Now step back down with your opposite leg. You will feel this in your left thigh.
Do all your reps and then switch sides and work your right leg.
Try 5 sets of 10 reps.
When this becomes easier, use a stronger band creating more tension. You can also use a higher box to step up on.
4 - Chest Press
The chest press is a great exercise for someone looking to get a stronger upper body.
Doing a standing press, which we are going to talk about below, will not only work your upper body but your lower body too.
Loop your band around your Axium Pole at about chest height.
You will need a straight bar that you can attach your band to on either end.
Standing with your back to your anchor point, hold your bar in both hands at chest height with your palms down.
Take a few steps forward so that there is some tension in your band before you start. Keep your feet hip width apart.
To start your elbows should be bent at a 90 degree angle.
Now push the bar straight out in front of you, avoid locking your elbows out at the end of the movement or leaning too far forward. Pause and then slowly return to your start position.
Stand strong at all times. Try 5 sets of 10 reps. You can also do these in a squat position for a full body workout.
5 - Flutter Kicks
Flutter kicks are my favorite ab exercise. These are perfect for anyone who struggles with sit ups.
The lower trunk of your body forms your core and you can really work this without putting any strain on your back or neck.
Again, it's an important strength exercise as most of your power and strength comes from your core.
Your core supports your body, so you need to keep it strong.
Lay on the floor, now start by placing a small band around your legs, just above your ankles.
Raise both your legs up so they are about 12inches from the floor, keep your legs straight.
The lower your legs are, the more it will work your lower abs, so if you are a beginner, you can have your legs higher.
Slowly lower one leg, close to the ground and then raise it back up. Now the opposite, left foot, right foot.
This is one flutter kick. Try to do 5 sets of 12 reps.
If you need to, place your hands under your bottom for support.
Once you have mastered these, use a stronger resistance band.
Think about your abs when doing this exercise, you should have them engaged and tight.
You can also do these in reverse, on your stomach. This will really work your glutes and lower back muscles.
6 - Push Ups
The push up is a great exercise to include in your strength training as it works your whole body, chest, shoulders, triceps, abs, core and glute muscles.
Your core and glute muscles will be engaged throughout the movement, and strengthening these muscles really help with your posture.
Your entire body is working whilst doing a push up, it really gets your heart pumping so it's cardio too.
Once you have mastered doing push ups with just your own body weight, try adding a band or even a more advanced variation.
Check out our How to workout at home without weights for more push up variations, bodyweight squats, squat jumps and mountain climbers.
Start in a high plank position, place your resistance band in each hand, over the top of your back.
To help stop your band slipping, some people cross the band over, so it sits in an X shape over your shoulder blades.
Straighten out your legs, with your feet being around hip width apart.
You will now be balanced on your hands and your toes. Arms straight.
Bend your elbows to lower yourself down to the ground. Pause for a moment, keep your core engaged and slowly push back up.
Don't let your back arch up or your hips dip down, imagine a straight line from your feet, through your back and to your head.
Try as many reps as you can.
7 - Biceps
Working your biceps can really help make your arms look more defined.
Your bicep muscle mainly works to bend your elbows and rotate your forearm so it is an important one to train if you want stronger arms.
Attach your resistance band at a low point on your Axium Pole, you can use a handle with your resistance band if this makes it comfier.
Hold your resistance band in one hand, your feet should be shoulder width apart and have a slight bend in your knee.
Now slowly, keeping your elbow locked into your side, curl your arm up.
Really focus on your bicep. Hold for a moment and then release. Always keep your core tight and engaged.
Try 10 reps and switch sides.
8 - Split Squats
Split squats are a single leg exercise that will help you determine if you have any imbalances and help you to correct them.
It will work your glutes, quads, but it will also engage your hamstrings, core and lower back.
As it requires you to work your large lower body muscles, it will continue burning calories for hours after. It can also get your heart pumping so is great for heart health.
Starting position - stand on your resistance band with your left foot. Hold either end of your band in either hand.
Now move your right leg back into a reverse lunge position, at a 90 degree angle. Right heel should be off the ground.
Your left knee is now bent and make sure your left knee doesn't go over your toes.
If you need help, check out our How to workout at home without weights blog for more reverse squat instructions.
Make sure you hold your band tight so there is already tension.
Now stand up straight, pushing all your weight up through your left foot and left leg. Keep your core engaged, chest up, shoulders back.
That is one rep.
Repeat for 5 sets of 10 reps, switch legs, stand on the band with your right foot and work your right leg too.
9 - Pull apart
This is a go to exercise for your upper body and particularly your rear shoulders.
If you are sat down at a desk all day, this is an important muscle group to work to keep your shoulders back and helps with posture.
Stand inside your loop band. Hold your band in both hands, arms stretched out in front of you, palms facing down.
Your arms should be shoulder width apart and you want there to be tension in the band between your hands.
Your feet should hip width apart. You can have a slight bend in the knee. This is your starting position.
Slowly spread your arms out sideways so they are both completely straight out at your sides. Pause in this position, then slowly return to the front.
Try this for 5 sets of 12 reps. As you get stronger, increase the strength of your band.
Keep your shoulders back and stand strong. Don't let your head move forward, keep your core engaged.
10 - Good Mornings
Good mornings are really good at strengthening your core, glutes, hips and hamstrings.
It is ideal for the lower back too, preventing lower back pain and doing this exercise using a band really helps to reduce any injuries you could get using traditional weights.
Core exercises are so important for good posture and helping you stand tall which actually helps you to look leaner!
Your starting position is feet shoulder width apart, standing on your looped resistance band.
You can either use a straight bar or put the resistance band behind your head. If you are using a bar, attach either end of your band to the straight bar.
Squat down and place the bar behind the back of your neck so it is sitting on your trap muscles. Hold onto the bar however is comfortable.
Now straighten your legs, and stand up. You can keep a slight bend in the knee, don’t lock your knees out!
Bend at your hips, and keeping your back straight, lower your chest until it is parallel to the floor. You should feel a stretch up the back of your legs.
Pause for a moment.
Remember it is a hip-hinge movement like the pull through, now stand back up tall.
Push your hips forward and squeeze your glutes whilst you do this.
That is one good morning.
Remember good form is the most important thing, you don't want to be arching your back.
Hold your core tight and concentrate on really squeezing your glute muscles as you rise.
Start with quite a stretchy band to begin with before going onto a stronger band. Try 5 sets of 12 reps.
Finally
You don't need any fancy equipment to complete your strength training workout, just head over to Axiumfit for your resistance bands and get started on your fitness journey.
