The Best Beginner's Body Weight Workout To Lose Weight And Build Muscle

The Best Beginner’s Body Weight Workout To Lose Weight And Build Muscle

It’s time to get into the best shape of your life! And it is easier than you think! You do not need a gym. You do not need an expensive home gym. You do not need machines. You do not need group fitness classes.

All you need is your body and spirit.

While going to a gym has many benefits, it can also come with downsides. Gym membership can be expensive, at times too far away from home, or too busy during peak hours.

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But don’t worry. You can get into shape at home with an intense body weight exercise routine.

Bodyweight exercises are great because you can do them literally anywhere at any time. Meaning, you have no excuse for not doing a workout each day.

A bodyweight workout can be done at a high intensity so that you get both a strength and cardiovascular workout that helps you build muscle and burn fat. So instead of running on a boring treadmill for an hour, you can kill two birds with one stone by doing a bodyweight circuit.

If you have muscle or joint injuries, bodyweight exercises allow you to progress along in a safer way while you rehab. In addition, bodyweight training allows you to implement new exercises into your workout routine quickly without delay since all you need to do is change your body position. This is commonly referred to as circuit training.

more: The 10 Best Ab Exercises For Your Workout

Circuit training is when you do one set of exercises and immediately go to another so that you build muscle and work your cardiovascular system to improve your heart, burn calories and stay leaner.

For example, in a typical circuit you would go from a jumping squat and after completion of that set you would immediately, with minimal rest, go into another exercise such as a pushup. Once that is done, you would immediately go into another excise such as a lunge with minimal rest. The variations of bodyweight exercises are endless and so are the muscles you can train.

You can train with bodyweight circuit training at home before work, during your lunch break or even in your office during downtime. There is no excuse for not training! Here is the 3 step process to successfully completing an effective bodyweight circuit training exercise program.

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Part 1: The Warm-Up

Before beginning bodyweight circuit training, ensure that you are adequately warmed up to avoid injuries to muscles and joints.

Take 5 minutes to jog in place, do jumping jacks, or simply jump rope. If you have access to a stationary bike, use it. Or just go for a jog outside.

Get your heart rate up and your muscles loose. Do not overexert yourself. Remember, you want to get loose and your mind focused so that you can train effectively.

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Part 2: Bodyweight Circuit Training

Your circuit will consist of you doing each exercise listed below in sequence. You will go from one exercise to the other.

Do not rest. However, if you need a rest, take a brief one. If you can do the circuit with no rest, this is great news, so only then takes a rest after you complete the entire circuit.

After you complete exercises A-H, only then take a 1 minute rest. Then repeat the circuit.

Aim to do this high intensity bodyweight circuit training routine 4-6 times for an intensely rewarding muscle building and fat burning workout.

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The Best Beginners Body Weight Workout Circuit

  1. 10 Burpees
  2. 15 Push-ups (use your knees if you need assistance)
  3. 10 Jump Squats
  4. 20 Back Extensions with Towel
  5. 10 Switch Lunges
  6. 20 Mountain Climbers
  7. 20 Lying Toe Touch Crunch
  8. 10 Single Knee Crunch (5 reps each leg)

beginners body weight workout

You are going to do the most difficult exercises first when you are fresh which is why a burpee is done first and abs focused on last.

If these are too hard, then reduce the number of repetitions and please take a longer break between exercises to avoid hurting yourself.

Do this routine 3-4x a week and give yourself a day of rest in between each workout. As you build stamina you can do this workout routine as much as 5 times a week and add more sets so that you do the circuit 6-8 times total. Overtime add some weights for more resistance.

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You can even try other routines by using a gallon from your refrigerator. Try a water gallon workout at home.

After you finish working out then cool down for 5 minutes with a light jog, and then stretch to avoid any muscle injury.

more: Body Weight Training For Beginners

Part 3: Post-Workout Nutrition

Your workout efforts are in vain if you have a terrible diet. Once you are done then head home and drink a whey protein shake containing at least 20g of protein to refuel and rebuild your muscles.

Maintain a calorie deficit so that you burn more calories than you consume so you can burn fat. Increase your fiber intake so that you are able to stay fuller for longer.

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Drink a gallon of water a day to stay full and hydrate. Most importantly, keep your protein intake high as much as 1-1.5g of protein per kilogram of your bodyweight a day.

Keep your fat and carbohydrate intake low to maintain that calorie deficit. With each meal eat protein and a source of vegetables so that you stay lean with protein and fiber.

Also, avoid alcohol as well as smoking or illicit drugs. And if you do notice that you binge eat, remove all junk food from your house to avoid cravings.

more: Beginner Body Weight Workouts

At the end of the day, you really do not need a fancy gym to get lean if you stick to a consistent bodyweight circuit training regimen with a disciplined diet. Stay focused and the results pay off!

Rajiv M Mallipudi, md, mhs is an internal medicine resident physician, personal trainer, athlete and author. He has over a decade of personal training experience and helped hundreds of clients of all levels achieve their weight loss and fitness goals. This inspired him to work as a clinical researcher at the nationally recognized Johns Hopkins Hospital Weight Management Center. During medical school he and his classmates created the health and wellness organization, medfit, which provided personal training and nutrition counseling to the medical student body. In his spare time, Dr. Mallipudi enjoys playing ice hockey, dancing, and training for his next bodybuilding and powerlifting competitions. Dr. Mallipudi serves as a contributing writer for the Diet and Fitness sections.

disclaimer: Vixen Daily and its authors may offer health, fitness, nutritional advice but this is designed for educational and informational purposes only. All the information contained on Vixen Daily and its articles is not intended to constitute the practice of medicine. The information provided in articles on Vixen Daily should never be relied on, or used as a substitute or replacement for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Vixen Daily and its authors are not responsible for any actions or inaction, safety or liability on a User’s part based on the information that is presented in the Site. If you seek medical advice, speak to a health professional in person about your particular issues.

31 comments… add one
  • Lara C April 17, 2018, 10:41 pm

    Love body weight workouts, especially when I work out at home. I’m going to use some of these exercises!

  • regine February 26, 2018, 2:21 pm

    thanks for the sample circuit workout exercises, i can now start my journey to losing weight a bit faster and building muscles soon.

  • meranda February 22, 2018, 7:13 pm

    yey! i have decided to shed a few pounds and build muscles but don’t know where to start. glad i came to the right place and saw this post.

  • alison February 21, 2018, 7:40 pm

    circuit training is very popular nowadays. i think i might give it a try soon.

  • eileen February 20, 2018, 8:00 pm

    i am so happy to know that i won’t need to go to the gym or enroll in group fitness classes to begin my weight loss journey. thanks for your detailed article.

  • lourdes February 19, 2018, 1:51 pm

    i tried circuit training at home and it’s the best i’ve done so far. it was challenging at first but once i got used to it, i was really having fun. the results are remarkable also, but for most parts..i love how i feel about myself.

  • sherilyn February 19, 2018, 11:43 am

    thank you for explaining what makes these workouts useful. i am a beginner and i really need helpful tips and advice like what is in your article.

  • melania February 16, 2018, 7:52 pm

    thank you for explaining what makes these workouts useful. i am a beginner and i need helpful tips and advice.

  • josephine February 15, 2018, 8:32 pm

    i removed all the junk foods in my pantry after reading this article.

  • alexa February 14, 2018, 2:50 pm

    it is really essential to eat right nutrients soon after your workout.

  • savannah February 13, 2018, 7:04 pm

    i knew i needed body weight circuit training but i ‘m too busy to start. this post made me realize what i’m missing. thanks for the motivation, i’ll make time for this hopefully real soon.

  • barbara February 12, 2018, 12:49 pm

    thanks for this 3 step process i can follow. i’m more determined now than ever. thanks for motivating me!

  • olive February 12, 2018, 2:36 am

    post-workout nutrition is very important because however hard anyone works out, it won’t matter.

  • marline February 8, 2018, 6:37 pm

    it’s very important to watch what you eat and drink esp after any workout.

  • amanda February 7, 2018, 3:12 pm

    circuit training is so much fun specially if you’re doing it with your friends. i have a Thursday group for this activity and we always look forward to it.

  • sam February 6, 2018, 12:57 pm

    thanks for this post, i need this as a beginner

  • regina February 6, 2018, 12:50 am

    i really need these tips to have an effective workout routine

  • pamela February 4, 2018, 6:52 pm

    i can’t wait to try these workouts

  • diana January 29, 2018, 9:33 pm

    i don’t really have time to go to the gym. glad i came across this article. i can do these workouts at home.

  • violet January 25, 2018, 4:36 pm

    i’ve been wanting to lose weight and build muscle. thanks for posting this helpful article.

  • fely January 23, 2018, 10:55 pm

    i like these tips, i can actually do these at home.

  • gigi October 9, 2017, 11:58 pm

    i do a lot of burpies and push ups

  • karina October 2, 2017, 9:06 pm

    i’ll try these out soon, i’m going to start working out in like 2months.

  • amanda September 28, 2017, 5:48 pm

    aside from the workout routines, make sure you have also set a proper and balanced diet to go with.

  • laura September 27, 2017, 2:21 pm

    thanks for sharing these great workouts. i think these are really safe and effective.

  • irene September 25, 2017, 12:25 pm

    definitely doing this. i can’t wait to lose my target weight and gain some muscles after.

  • eva September 18, 2017, 6:41 am

    protein is key to building muscles. load up on white meat and whey protein if you must.

  • leah September 14, 2017, 11:46 pm

    i want this! i need to build some muscles

  • maika September 11, 2017, 11:36 pm

    thanks for this, i now have an idea on how to start a routine

  • ellaine September 8, 2017, 6:25 pm

    this is exactly what i’m looking for! i love it and i’ll try this!

  • riley September 7, 2017, 12:31 pm

    my friends are into circuit training nowadays and they have been telling me to join. i’m gonna try to make time for it soon!

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