The idea of exercising always conjures up visions of personal trainers, expensive gyms, high-end equipment, and lots of grunting, groaning, and personal torture. That’s never the case when we use the term exercise. The idea of exercise is to better yourself, mind and body, and to put you on the path to a healthy life. We’ve discussed how the term “no pain, no gain” has no merit when you exercise, because pain is a very serious issue. After visiting your personal physician, did you know a physical therapist (PT) can help you create a personalized plan to get you healthy and keep you healthy for life? The idea is to stay healthy, and maintain it. A PT can work with you on proper form, and injury prevention, especially understanding where you might currently be experiencing pain and working within those limits.
With this in mind, what if we also said that exercise didn’t require a personal trainer, a gym, or high-end equipment? It seems like there are no excuses left to step outside and try some of these exercises, using your own body, as the weight.
Top Equipment Free Exercises
Plyo
Funny word, simple exercise. Plyo or plyometrics, also known as “jump training,” is a way to exert maximum force over shorter periods of time to build strength. The simple act of jumping straight up and down is plyometric exercise. You’ll also find exercises like the jump lunge, skater jumps, and jump squats. These exercises when properly done can really give your body a workout and build great leg strength.
Pushups
Remember gym class? There is a reason why pushups were so important. This simple exercise works so much more than the arms. The exercise puts a workout on your shoulders, core, and all your stablizing muscles as you go down and push up. There are lots of variations of the push up, but all of them come in time after you master the standard pushup. It doesn’t get any more simpler than this.
Wall Sit
Seems easy. But once the timer starts you’ll start to feel your calves, quads, and core muscles all activate to keep you in a sitting position. If you want to add a bit of an added challenge, once you’re comfortable with the standard wall sit, try holding some weight, like books, or a bag. The added weight increases the challenge and provides another level of mastery.
Squats
If you’re looking at working your core as well as your legs and glutes, look no further than the squat. It’s a simple exercise that requires you to lower yourself into a sitting position and then push up. You can space your legs at different distances apart from one another to variations to the difficulty, or hold weight as you squat, similar to the weight you held during the wall sit.
Walking/Running
Another simple approach that doesn’t require anything more than a place to walk the desire to make it happen. Simply walk out your front door, or visit a park and pick a direction. It’s easier when you do it with a friend or while listening to music. It’s a great way to explore your neighborhood, your parks, or your downtown.
Any one of these workouts keeps you moving, strengthens you, and works towards the overall goal of keeping you healthy for life. Any one of these exercises completely eliminates the excuses of not having time, not having access to a gym, not having the right equipment, etc. We encourage you to start your health journey, so that you continue to do what you love while staying healthy for life.
If you are planning to exercise and would like a professional opinion/assessment, sign-up for a FREE Pain Assessment. We will then contact you to schedule an appointment for you to come in and have someone take a look and talk with you to create a personalized plan. Our goal is to get you healthy for life!
