If you're changing your exercise routine and want to try something new and challenging, body weight movements and strength training can become an important part of your overall training plan. As they age, many athletes and athletes find that lifting heavy weights can put a lot of strain on the joints, leaving them open to viable alternatives to help them stay in shape. But even if you're still pumping iron like a 21 year old, you can still benefit from adding body weight movements to your weekly schedule.
Mike Fitch, fitness educator and exercise trainer and creator of Animal Flow, explains how people of all abilities can do bodyweight training and improve their longevity.
Start doing these bodyweight movements anywhere
Trying something new at the gym rest assured that home bodyweight training can be added to the mix and is great for burning calories in the park or even in a hotel room during a work trip. "You're already on the most modern exercise machine ever! Who needs a gym?" Says Fitch.
He believes there is no need to choose between a weight regimen or a bodyweight exercise plan. "I don't usually suggest that everyone switch from stress-training to bodyweight training entirely, but instead start incorporating bodyweight movements into your pre-existing workouts," he says.
Beast activation
Courtesy Mike Fitch
Start on all four and position your shoulders just above your hands. Your hips should be above your knees. Lift your knees an inch off the floor. Slowly lift your left foot and right hand off the floor a little. Repeat this process by switching positions on the opposite side.
step forward
Courtesy Mike Fitch
In the animal's activation position, replace your right foot with your right hand. Place your right hand under your face with your palm outstretched. Then switch sides by returning to the animal's activation position. Your left foot is now replacing your left hand and your left hand is palm out.
Side kick-through
Courtesy Mike Fitch
In the animal's activation position, raise your right arm and left leg at the same time. Rotate your left leg under your body, then extend it up with your toes. Raise your right arm toward your ear. Repeat on the opposite side of the animal's activation position.
"Exercise-oriented bodyweight training can certainly improve mobility and flexibility," says Fitch. "The reason for this is that movements that are more three-dimensional and work within the final ranges of motion have higher transmission."
Crab activation
Courtesy Mike Fitch
The crab activation is next to the beast the second activation position in Animal Flow. They're essentially the first step in waking up the body and letting it know that the mind and muscles need to communicate with each other. For crabs, start in a sitting position and raise your glutes a few inches above the floor to stabilize yourself with your hands and knees.
Crab reach
Courtesy Mike Fitch
From the crab activation position, bring your right hand up and rotate it so that it is on its side and you can see past either side of the hand with both eyes. Ride your feet against the floor, lifting your glutes, twisting your right shoulder and raising your right hand. This creates a three-point bridge, which means that the hips are open with both feet down and that there is stability from the shoulder to the support arm.
From there, using your raised hand as a target, move your hand to the floor and your eyes follow it. The arm frames the head with the fingertips pointing downwards. From there, return to activating the crabs and perform them on the opposite side.
The reach of crabs seems like an advanced step for beginners. If so, try practicing the three point bridge first and you will be able to master the whole process over time.
Next level crabs
For those looking to make the crabs more challenging, "it's all about positioning, lever length, one-limb training, and pacing," says Fitch. “I have to change my relationship with gravity to make the exercise more difficult. Example: If I do a push-up with my hands on the wall, the effort is minimal. Conversely, when I put my hands on a bench and eventually on the floor, I change my relationship with gravity, which makes the exercise more difficult. “He points out that transitioning from double-weight exercise to doing the same movement with a single limb is a great way to increase the load.” A one-arm push-up, one-leg squat, and one-arm pull-up will be much more difficult than your two-arm pull-ups Counterparts. "
Another way to make a bodyweight exercise more strenuous is to simply slow it down. "Slower speeds increase the time under tension, which can recruit more fibers and increase the stress on the tissue," says Fitch. Bodyweight training systems like Animal Flow are great for conditioning. Recent studies suggest that they have a positive effect on our freedom of movement in the hips and shoulders as well as on whole-body stabilization, which is of utmost importance in old age.
"In my opinion, bodyweight training is the most important exercise that older people should be doing," says Fitch. “The reason for this is that learning how to handle your own body can be life-saving. Bodyweight training for older adults is great when it has a functional focus. For example, getting off the floor to a standing position, then crouching down to do it all over again for reps. Regressive crawling patterns are also great for older populations as these movements stimulate the coordination of the brain and body. "
Whether you are making a long-awaited return to exercise with this user-friendly discipline or have decided to incorporate this into your existing fitness program, calisthenics offers many positive results.
