We’ve all dreamt about having a physique to make men and women green with envy, and perhaps, burning hot with feelings of lust and desire. We all want to look our best, it’s perfectly natural and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that in the slightest. People may call you vain but who cares? There’s nothing wrong with wanting to better yourself and taking a bit of pride in your appearance so who cares what other people think? Drill-doggy is proud of each and every one of you, and that’s all that matters. Now, we’ve spoke about the foods you should be eating, now let’s talk about the training, more specifically, bodyweight workouts.

Sure you could go into your local gym, pick up a set of heavy dumbbells and do 1000 bicep curls in the mirror, but that will do you little good, and will just make you look like an inexperienced fool to be perfectly honest. The same goes for any gym. People think that you have to lift heavy weights for hours a day in order to lose weight, tone up, and build muscle. The truth is, that you can build good quality lean muscle mass, in the comfort of your own home, with nothing more than the body you were born with. No dumbbells, no benches, no lat pull-down machines, no weights whatsoever. Before you call us crazy liars, just try to take this in. Many boxers rely heavily on bodyweight workouts, and very rarely pick a weight up whilst training for a fight. Now, have you seen the physiques on many boxers? They look pretty damn good, and certainly better than the average Joe. They’re usually lean, ripped, muscular, fit, and healthy, all thanks to a training regime which relies heavily on bodyweight workouts. In this post, we’ll be looking at some of the more effective bodyweight exercises, to help give you a better idea of what they are, and how you can complete them in the comfort of your own home. So, let’s begin.

Chin ups/ pull ups – Ok, you’ll need a chin up bar to complete this exercise, but it’s worth it. Chin ups and pull ups are vastly used in a whole variety of different training programs, and are ideal for helping to improve your upper body strength, and more building a muscular, toned, defined back. Many bodybuilders actually skip certain back machines, and instead rely on pull ups to give their backs a real hardcore workout. To complete them, it’s really quite simple. You grab the bar, either with a wide grip, a narrow grip, or underhand grip, and pull yourself up until your chin is at least level with the bar. You slowly lower yourself back down, and repeat the process to failure.

Spiderman press ups – This is a great exercise that works your chest, arms, shoulders and your back, as well as helping to improve your balance and coordination. To complete this exercise, first you must get into a standard push up position, with the palms of your hands just a little wider than shoulder width. Next, you should slowly bend your arms allowing your chest to lower towards the floor. At the same time however, you should bend your right leg out, bring it towards you, and try to touch your knee to your right elbow. Return to normal, and repeat the process with your left leg. Try to complete at least 12 reps. 3 sets of 12 reps should be adequate enough.

Bodyweight squats – when it comes to bodyweight workouts, squats are simply a killer. They’re designed to strengthen your lower back, but more specifically, target your hamstrings and quadriceps in your legs. To complete these exercises, simply stand upright looking ahead. Cross your arms over your chest, so that your right palm grabs your left shoulder, and your left arm grabs your right shoulder. Next, slowly squat down with your legs, keeping your back straight, and looking dead ahead. Slowly return to the starting position, and repeat for at least another 15 reps. 3 sets of 15 reps will be more than enough. It’s worth noting that the next day, your legs will be absolutely on fire. This is a good sign, and it is simply a case of delayed onset muscle soreness (doms).  The soreness shows it has worked. The more you do them, the easier they get, and before you know it, you’ll hardly be experiencing any soreness in the slightest.

Burpees – If anybody ever says that bodyweight workouts aren’t hardcore enough, ask them to bust out 4 sets of 20 reps of burpees. They are absolutely brutal, in an extremely good way. Burpees are great forms of cardio, as well as being great for strengthening your core, and your legs. To perform a burpee, start by standing straight with your feet together. Next, move down into a low squat position, place the palms of your hands firmly on the ground, then spring your feet backwards, bringing your body into a push up type position. Next, you want to spring your feet towards your hands again, and explode upwards into the air, trying to jump as high as you possibly can. Repeat this process at least another 15 – 20 times, or to failure.

Sit ups – Want to strengthen your core and get a set of rock hard six pack abs? Of course you do, that’s why you should do sit ups. Sit ups should be a staple part of every bodyweight workout as they’re so easy and so beneficial to do. To perform a basic sit up. Lay flat on your back, with your hands behind your neck, and your legs bent at the knee. Make sure your feet are tucked under something firm to keep you in position. Next, simply sit up, making sure not to move your legs, and to use nothing but your abdominal muscles. Sit up as straight as you can, and slowly return to the starting position. Repeat this process until absolute failure. You should experience a slight tightness and burning sensation in your abs if you’ve been doing them right. These are great exercises for strengthening your core and toning your abs in the process.