Simplefit: How You Can Build Muscle Without Weights

Bodyweight exercises, also called calisthenics, are an excellent workout alternative for people who do not have time to get to a gym, have no money to join a gym, or are reluctant to jump right into heavy weight training. There are a variety of exercises available to try, such as push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups (chin-ups), squats, and dips, that can hit a variety of muscle groups and promote muscle strength and stamina. The Simplefit workout plan is a way of combining bodyweight exercises with weekly fitness challenges in order to increase overall fitness level.

The plan itself is very easy to follow, and allows for some modification if needed. The first step is to select 3 non-consecutive days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) to perform the exercises. The first day of each week is devoted to promoting Endurance. Strength is the focus of the second day of each week. Finally, the last day of the week is Judgment Day, which determines whether or not you are physically ready to move on to the next level of exercises.

The plan itself only calls for you to perform push-ups, pull-ups, and squats, but if you are having trouble with one you can always substitute another exercise.

Each day has the same exercises, but with a slightly different purpose. If the workouts are taking longer than a half hour to complete, you may want to go back down a level until you are ready to move back up again. Workouts under 5 minutes may be a sign that you need to move up to another level for more of a challenge.

Day 1: Endurance

• Do as many rounds as possible within 20 minutes.

Day 2: Strength

• Do 5 rounds of each exercise, and time how long it takes to complete all rounds.
• Rest for 3 minutes between each round.
• Do not count rest time in your final time stats.

Day 3: Judgment

• Finish the full set as quickly as possible (count rest times in final time stats).