As a lot of you know, I am a big advocate of body weight training. It's incredibly versatile and can be designed to drop your body fat or boost your strength. Body weight training also has the added benefit of being able to give you one heck of a workout no matter where you are on earth! It's also the most natural form of exercise possible, what's more natural than the ability to move your own body with control and ease? Those reasons alone are enough to tell you why Jungle Fit training (natural training) is rooted in body weight exercises. However, body weight is not the end all be all of fitness, but it is a great place to start and use as the glue to build your fitness program. In my experience it is best to blend a mix of body weight training with some of the many functional fitness tools available on the market today! These tools will not only challenge your body weight routine, but also throw your body for a loop and keep it guessing. I'm sure some of you are wondering what kind of equipment is functional and not just another crazy "globo gym" apparatus? That's why I have created a little list of just some of the many products you might decide to use in your own fitness routine...
1. Resistance Bands: I would suggest Rubberbanditz bands. These bands are an excellent tool to challenge your body through limitless ranges of motion and countless exercises. Use them to assist your chin ups, put pressure on your squats, make push ups even more challenging, even for stretching and re-hab! The bands are guaranteed not to snap, and if they ever do then you will be sent brand new bands free of charge! They're a green company as well and the bands are small and portable, what more can you ask! Visit them at http://www.rubberbanditz.com/.
2. Suspension Trainers: Gym Rings, Lifeline Jungle Gym, TRX these are some of the best tools for taking your body weight training to the next level. They come in many names and colours but really, they all do the same thing! Throw them over your chin up bar (another MUST HAVE), soccer net or even a tree branch! Aiding with progressions in multiple areas such as chin ups, push ups, rows, squats etc. it's the perfect tool for anyone of any fitness level. Find one for a good price, shop around and you will not be disappointed. For some exercises such as push ups I have even combined the use or resistance bands and the suspension trainer to make the exercise even more challenging!
3. Kettlebells: No surprise here people! We all know my love for kettlebell training being that I am a kettlebell trainer myself. A very primal design and so many options. Blast yourself with explosive movements such as the swing and snatch, or focus on strength with high tension exercises like the double front squat or renegade row! Kettlebells work so well with body weight training that I think of them as the yin to the others yang! Do yourself a favour and learn from a qualified instructor how to use kettlebells. You will not be sorry!
4. Stability Balls: What I think I love so much about stability balls is the fact that I feel like a little kid again! It's a giant colourful ball that you get to roll around on and can add unique challenges to a workout, who wouldn't love that?! They're great for stretching, crunches, push ups, internal abdominal work and much more. It's even useful as a chair when it's not being used for exercise! Find a good anti-burst ball (not burst resistant) and get rolling.
... so there you have it guys! It's nowhere near all of them, but that's a great place to start and if you shop around you can find all of these products for a great price. Body weight training will cost you nothing at all, but if you want to spice things up a bit then you don't have to break the bank! Until next time, take care!
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