3 Reasons to Use Bodyweight Exercises for Weight Loss

You don't need fancy cardio machines to help you lose weight. In fact, a good weight loss program can be done with bodyweight exercises only. You don't even need traditional "cardio" to do this...or an expensive gym membership.

Here are 3 reasons you can use bodyweight exercises to lose weight.

1) Bodyweight exercises are a total body interval cardio circuit workout.

You don't need any fancy machines for "cardio" when you have your own bodyweight to move around. For a great circuit, simply pick 3 lower body exercises and 3 upper body exercises that you can do with only your bodyweight.

Then alternate between upper and lower exercises, doing 10 reps per exercise, and don't take any rests between exercises. Rest 30 seconds at the end of the circuit and repeat up to 5 times. That will take you 20 minutes. See below for a great circuit.

2) Bodyweight exercises boost metabolism

Strength and interval training both boost metabolism more than slow cardio, so you burn more calories after exercise. And bodyweight training is the perfect "hybrid" of strength and interval exercise. So you'll benefit from calories burned during AND after exercise.

3) Bodyweight exercises build muscle

In addition to an increase in metabolism, muscle makes you look good. After all, who has better arms, Madonna or the skinny, starving young celebrities of today? Madonna of course, because she has built her arms in the gym and with bodyweight movements in yoga and other forms of exercise. Think of bodyweight training as positive bodysculpting, and avoid that negative, cardio "body breakdown" mentality that too many runners have.

After all, what's the main thing that runners and other cardio addicts neglect? Strength. And that's one of the reasons they end up in the physio and doctor offices so often.

Get started with your bodyweight workouts today.

For example, here's a great circuit:

- Prisoner Squat
- Pushup (or incline pushup for beginners)
- Split Squat
- Elevated Pushup (or kneeling elevated pushup for beginners)
- Step-up
- Mountain Climber

10 reps per exercise (10 reps per side for the split squats, elevated pushups, stepups, and mountain climbers).

Whew! Better than cardio!

You only need 20-30 minutes per session to sculpt your body with exercise that is much better than traditional, slow, boring cardio.

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Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training for Fat Loss have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Turbulence Training for Fat Loss workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig's bodyweight workouts for fat loss help you lose fat without any equipment at all.