Bodyweight training is slowly becoming the optimal choice for individuals who wish to get in shape in the comfort of their own homes. In fact, this is one of the most important benefits to bodyweight training: convenience. You can literally perform bodyweight movements anywhere, and anytime you wish.

I hear people say, “Oh, I don’t have time to go to the gym,” or, “I can’t afford a gym membership.” Well, with bodyweight training you have absolutely no excuses! You can save lots of time by not having to drive to a gym. In addition, you save lots of money on gym membership and expensive equipment.

The second benefit of bodyweight training is functional strength and mobility. Functional strength simply means strength you can use in the real world. There is no time in our lives where we will need to curl or bench something. However, pushing ourselves off the floor, getting up off a couch or squatting on the ground, and pullingyourself up onto another surface are movements we actually use in the real world.

In addition, mobility refers to the ability to move. I know guys who are big and strong but walk as if they have something stuck up their “you know what.” What good is muscle is you can’t move? In fact I had a friend of a friend who came to workout with me.

He stuck to mostly bodybuilding workouts and was extremely stiff. Despite looking better than me, I could still out sprint, and out train him. My athletic conditioning levels were far superior to his. However, just after 3 weeks of training with me, he was better able to tap into all that muscle mass and strength he was holding.

Bodybuilding might be able to build you up, but it’s bodyweight training that teaches you how to effectively use your own muscles for daily life and athletic activities. And here comes benefit number 4: superior conditioning. Bodyweight exercises don’t just train your muscles.

They also train your heart and lungs. If you were to get down and do 10 pushups right now, I guarantee you will be breathing heavier. I’ve never been out of breath after a typical gym workout. There’s only a few exercises that you can do in the gym that make you feel as tired as basic bodyweight movements.

The final benefit of bodyweight training, number 5, is improved joint health. There have been a lot of heavy weight lifters out there who have literally destroyed their bodies in their pursuit of exceptional strength. As I’ve mentioned earlier, that strength is only as good how you use it.

Heavy weight training is tough on the joints. Bodyweight training is not. In fact, after just a few bodyweight workouts, your joints will actually feel better. Less pressure on the joints means less risk of injury. It also means better mobility. Bodyweight training strengthens your joints instead of damaging them.