With work to go to, kids to put to bed, homework to check, dishes to get done, and wives to spend time with, it’s almost impossible for most dads to find time to exercise. For example, I have a 2 year old son, a wife who works, and a number of business projects I’m involved in. To say my life is busy is an understatement.
The easiest way I’ve found to stay in shape is to practice body weight exercises, including isometrics and plyometrics. They probably won’t bulk you up as quickly as lifting weights, but if situps, pushups, and pullups are good enough for army commandos, then they’re good enough for me too.
Here’s why you should be doing body weight exercises:
Mobility – You can do body weight exercises anywhere. We all have cell phones and laptops, so we know how important it is to be able to move around. Why should we rely on exercise equipment and gyms? It’s a lot easier to do pushups in the basement or living room than it is to drive to the gym and wait around for equipment to be free. When you add static holds and isometric contractions to the mix, you really have no excuse to stay fit. Sitting in the bathroom giving your child a bath? Then do some palm presses. They’re easy to do and can be done anywhere.
Effectiveness – Are you wondering if body weight exercises are effective? Just ask the firemen, police officers, elite fighters, and special forces commandos who do them on a daily basis. They may not be the biggest guys you’ve ever seen, but they’re all about getting the job done. And that’s the only thing that matters. If you feel like you’ve hit a plateau, you can add weights, increase the reps, do variations, etc. It’s easy to find weighted vests to add more resistance to your situps, pullups, etc.
Efficiency – What could be better than free? Body weight exercises are effective and incredibly economical. Just think, you can finally start saving for that pony your daughter has always wanted! Not only are isometrics and body weight exercises financially efficient, they are time efficient. In certain martial arts there is a big emphasis on “economy of movement”, meaning you shouldn’t exert a lot of energy on something if it’s not necessary to do so. Focus on the task at hand and get it done with the least amount of effort.
Speed – Body weight exercises are fast. It is said that an isometric contraction can last for as little as 7 seconds for you to benefit from doing it. When done properly, isometrics make use of more muscle fibers than isolated exercises, leading to more strength. Your full workout can be done in just half an hour.
Obviously, weight training is incredibly important if you want to get stronger and build lots of muscle. If we could spare an hour for the gym everyday we would. But with a lifestyle that that has to accommodate so many non-exercise related tasks, body weight training is the next best thing.
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