If you're reading this, you've probably been on the site, buying up an elitefts 5 ring bar, some bands, and maybe even a rack. But even if you're just here looking around for a free home workout, you're in the right place.
Bodyweight exercises can be harder than loaded exercises. It's one reason why we always give our clients a GPP based off of bodyweight exercises.
So if you really don't have absolutely any way to get your hands on any equipment, try these variations to make bodyweight exercises harder.
1. Tempo - change the tempo of the exercise by doing a slow eccentric or a slow concentric. Or both. When you go down slowly, really think about feeling the muscle staying tight. Now, go slow on the way up too. This goes against everything we know as lifters who try to apply force as quickly as possible. But with a squat or a push-up, this is a game changer.
2. 1.5 reps - I've been doing 1.5 reps for quite some time in my bodybuilding training. The idea is to get to the "bottom" range of motion, but only come up half way, go back to the bottom/end range, then all the way up. Squats, push-ups, lunges are great with this.
3. Pulsed - Pulsing exercises is when you go down to the bottom/end range position and then "pulse" small movements by only moving a couple inches up and down.
4. Pauses - Adding pauses in can make an exercise harder as well. Just like the ones above, it really is all about keeping tightness and tension while you're pausing. Like a squat, for instance, don't just sit there, squeeze every muscle while you're pausing.
5. Full isometric - Instead of doing reps with pauses, just hold the bottom position for as long as you can. Wall sit is a good variation of this.
6. Plyometric - Turn bodyweight movements into jumping movements. There are SO many variations of squat jumps, lunge jumps, burpees, clapping push-ups and more.
7. Reps for time - Pretty simple. Do as many reps as you can in a set amount of time.
8. Combination - Pair exercises together. A burpee is a great example of this. It's a squat jump with a push-up. Try 2 lunges + 2 squat jumps. Or push-ups with mountain climbers. Or squat with step-ups.
9. Positional/mechanical change - Like these ladder push-ups, you can change mechanical tension by changing positions. Try doing these with push-ups, pull-ups (varying grips), squat stances (narrow, med, wide), and even split squats with your back foot at high, mid and low elevations.
Try adding some of these ideas to your bodyweight exercises. The options are endless! If you want to add a little more to some exercises, get yourself some bands!