Posted by Marianne in Beginner's Bodyweight Workouts, Beginner's Corner, Body Weight Workouts, Workouts | 18 Comments
Beginner’s Body Burn
Hi everyone,
Based on a request from my mother (who is new to exercise) I thought I would help her and other beginner’s with ideas of what a bodyweight workout could consist of.
I remember when I first started exercising I couldn’t squat, lunge or even do half press-ups! The key to success is persistence. Even if you can just manage a partial movement, keep trying because it will still build your strength and flexibility up enough to eventually be able to perform the full exercise. Remember that you’re body adapts quickly to new exercises if they are repeated regularly, so the more you do it the better you’ll become. Tell yourself you can do it too, because sometimes it’s not that you can’t do it, but you’re afraid to fail. If you fail, don’t worry and keep trying! I swear it will get easier, then you can advance the basics.
The good thing about most of these exercises is that they are almost like the foundation for any other body weight workout. So if you can do these, you can master anything.
This workout has 8 exercises. The goal is to complete 2 rounds as fast as you can. If you are completely new to this then one round might be more realistic, but remember sometimes you need to push yourself to change. If you need to rest after a few reps then do so, but try and complete the set.
The exercises are:
- Jumping Jacks x 30
- 1/2 Press-ups x 15
- Squats x 15
- Crunches x 15
- Partial Tricep Dips x 15
- Squat Jump Jump x 15
- Reverse Crunches x 15
- Lunges x 20 (10 each side)
Hope you enjoy the workout. I was having problems with my words today. Think I did about 30 takes for the end of the video! Was funny to watch back though. LOL
Intermittent Fasting:
Learn and Train:
Hi Marianne,
Thank you for posting this beginners video. I’m impressed with your other workouts but they were too advanced for me.
I appreciate the suggestions as I have no experience of body weight exercises so this will start me off. I’ll take your advice and start small and build on it as I get fitter!
I’ll let you know how I get on.
Phyllis
Great website. I really like the way you have set it up. I will make sure to pass on your blog to a good buddy of mine who I know will enjoy it. Thanks!
Hey Angela, Glad you like my site, please do pass it on to others, the more the merrier
Marianne
thanks so much for the website. I am just starting with the beginner workout. I am excited to do this. Today was my first day. I always love the way i feel after I exercise. Can I do this routine everyday? and Can I do it twice a day? thanks for all that you do. Thanks again Michelle Murray
Hi Michelle, Glad you like the site. You can do the routine every day, but I would try and vary it with other workouts too. Just so your body doesn’t get used to it and the exercises lose their effect so to speak. I’ll hopefully be posting a different beginner’s workout soon as even my mum has shown interest in starting bodyweight exercises. As for doing the workout twice a day, I think it’s best to exercise for short bursts once a day, and then you have the rest of the day free. Do this 5 or even 6 days a week. Be careful though you don’t overtrain and end up with an injury. You should see good results if you have your diet under control. Keep up the good work.
Marianne
Hey nice website came across you guys on gumtree.
Me n my mate work with KB’s and have done for about a year and a half now, highly addictive and the ultimate toning tool.
Gaz – County Armagh
Thanks Gas_22, Gotta love the KBs!!
The biggest problem I keep running into, in my attempts to lose weight, is: I have no clue how many calories I am burning when I exercise. I want to burn more calories than I take in, but since I am unsure of how many I am burning, it makes things difficult and frustrating.
I do enjoy this beginner’s burn you put out, but I am wondering if you have any ideas how many calories one would burn while performing it (to your spec.s you have written)? Or is there too large of a variable because of the different body weight people have?
Thank you in advance for your time and any info you can provide!!
Hi Amy,
It is impossible to say how many calories you personally would burn, the only suggestion I can make, if this is how you want to calculate input / output, is to invest in a Heart Rate monitor with a watch that will count calories according to your heart rate, weight, height, age and fitness differential. The average person, with moderate – high intensity activity could burn about 600 – 700 kcal per hour. So if this workout takes 20 minutes for example, the average person would burn 200 – 250 kcal. But it all depends. Plus remember there is usually an calorie “afterburn” effect from exercise, especially from resistance and High Intensity Interval Training.
The best advice I can offer though, is try to ignore the numbers and go by how you feel. I know it’s easy for me to say, but you will “free” your mind of worry and you will enjoy the activity more. Also remember that as you start toning and building more muscle, you will naturally start burning more fat, provided you are not on an extremely low calorie diet.
You should feel out of breath, hot and sweaty. On a scale to measure intensity (from 1 – 10), if 1 is very comfortable and 10 is you feel sick with the intensity, you want to aim to be from 7 to 8 most of the time, with periods of 5/6 and periods of 9.
The other thing that may seem really obvious, but is vital to fat loss success, is consistency! Stick with it for at least 12 weeks before judging if it works, measuring progress every 3 weeks. If you keep changing the intensity and working the whole body, mixing cardio and resistance, you WILL be burning far more calories and you will see changes.
I hope this helps a little.
Cheers
Marianne
I hope this is useful, sorry I could be of more help.
Thank you very much! That actually is a huge help =D
I really do apperciate that you took the time to explain all of this to me!! You Rock! =)
Marianne,
Please ignore my previous post asking for beginner/intermediate programmes – I just found this one! Sorry!
Hey Helen! I know you found this one, but there are loads of workouts in the Beginner’s Corner that have Beginner/intermediate/advanced options.
Good luck and congrats on the wedding
Hi Marianne, I’m interested in beginning to work out again and love your site. I’m only in my 40′s but had to have a hip replaced, the jumping exercises worry me a bit as I’m scared of the impact on the hip, is there anything else I can do to replace those? Thanks so much, Barb
Sure, Barb, I understand
How about replacing the Jumping Jacks with Mountain Climbers and the Squat Jumps with running lightly on the spot, skipping or, if you have a Kettlebell, the 2 Handed Swing.
I am going to revamp this workout category and have more options in the future
Marianne, I initially found you while searching for kb routines, and I have to say, you really do provide the best instructions and workouts I have seen. I am recovering from my second shoulder surgery (both have now been repaired in the past 18 months) and I am trying to find beginner-type workouts and exercise alternatives that will help me develop strong, flexible, injury resistant shoulders, but are appropriate for my situation. I have had to recover and take it easy for long enough! Do you have any specific suggestions? At this point, I am capable of performing most exercises, and have completed the normal post-surgery physical therapy program. Certain movements, like the chair dips in your beginner’s bodyweight routine, unfortunately just are not suitable.
Marcus, did your physio not recommend movements for you to continue with? I would stay away from Dips of any kind, but focus on shoulder stability exercises like overhead carries, windmills. And stable pressing movement like, push ups, floor presses, close grip bench press. Minimise overhead pressing etc.
I am not qualified to advise on your specific issues, so I would tell you to ask someone who is before embarking on a new training regime
Marianne, thank you for responding to my question Yes, my physio gave me some general guidelines and some specific movements, but she didn’t cover a full range of upper body exercises. I see her again, for the next to the last time, on Wednesday, and I will ask her for a broader range of movements that I can include in my routines. I think I am afraid of how little she is going to say it is safe to do, and in particular, I am going to be sad if she says nothing dynamic, including working with kb’s.
Good, keep me posted