“Erica, I don’t have any equipment to workout at home”….
Even when you don’t have equipment, you can still get in a great workout. Just apply a few simple rules of physics to get more from every move!
If you’re looking for home workouts without equipment, but worried about the results, I’ve got good news: It is possible to build muscle without weights ! In fact, all bodyweight exercises can be just as challenging (and effective) as a pullup. You just have to know how to tailor them to your fitness level and then adapt them when that level changes.
And it turns out that bodyweight exercises are good for more than just building muscle! Recent research has even found that bodyweight exercises–when performed at a “challenging pace”–can improve cardiorespiratory fitness.
To get leaner (add muscle) be longer!
As you increase the distance between the point of force (your target muscles) and the end of the object you’re trying to lift (your body), you decrease your mechanical advantage. Translation: The longer your body, the weaker you become and the more your muscles have to work. This is the major difference between “girly” pushups and regular ones. When you get off your knees your core muscles have to work a whole lot harder to support more of your body weight.
Apply it: Raise your hands above your head so your arms are straight and in line with your body during lunges, squats, crunches, and situps. Too hard? Split the distance by putting your hands behind your head !