Introduction
We call it handset-free, which means you can exercise using your body weight without the help of any equipment. Free hand exercise is the best medium for those who are very busy and like to do everything at home. Here, you don’t have to worry about transportation or taking any gym membership. You can maintain your regular fitness from your comfort zone. The most important thing is that free hand exercise will save you much time.
From this block, we will gain a complete understanding of free-hand exercises. We will also know how many types of free hand exercises there are, how to do them, and their benefits. At the end, you will have a weekly routine.
What are free-hand exercises?
The activities you do using only the body are free-hand exercises. You can exercise without the help of any equipment using only your body and weight. These types of exercises have been done in different cultures for centuries.
The great benefit of free hand exercise is that you can maintain your fitness anytime, anywhere, in less time. As many famous sportspeople and athletes have done, you can do it in your home or yard. Moreover, fitness leads to effectively improving muscles by combining the muscles of your body. The latter increases your strength, improves endurance, and makes you more active in daily activities than before.
Types of free hand exercises
Here, we have divided our free-hand exercises into five categories. Every exercise is very important for your body. When you do these things together, they will take your muscles to another level.
Free hand exercise for upper body
Push up
How to do it:
- Go to the plank position with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
- Gradually lower your chest until it touches the floor.
- Go back to your starting position and repeat this for ten reps.
- Perform this for at least three sets.
Benefit: It mostly works multiple muscles, such as the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. Among the seven exercises, this is the one that increases upper body strength to a maximum level.
Pull up
How to do it:
- Hold on to a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, with your hands wider than your shoulders.
- Entirely hang as much as possible, extend your hands, and pull your chin until it’s above the bar.
- Go back to your starting position and repeat this for 15 reps.
- Perform this for at least three sets.
Benefits: This is one of the seven exercises that strengthens a major part of the back and significantly improves your upper body, biceps, and shoulders.
Dips
How to do it: For dips, you can use a parallel bar or the edge of a complex and heavy chair. Face the chair and grab it with your hands. Straighten your arms and extend your legs forward. Lower your upper body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, then return to the previous position.
Benefits: Its primary benefit is that it will strengthen your triceps, chest, and shoulders and improve upper body stability and endurance. Defining your PC will strengthen your upper body.
Free hand exercise for lower body
Squats
How to do it:
- Stand with your shoulders and legs apart and gradually lower your body, sitting like on a chair.
- Keep your chest up and back straight.
- Push on your feet, return to your starting position, and repeat this for 15 reps.
- Perform this for at least three sets.
Benefits: Squatting strengthens the major parts of your leg, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, and burns fat around these muscles. It also engages your core and increases your overall stability.
Lunges
How to do it
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart.
- Step forward with one leg and lower your body until your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
- Push through your heel to your starting position and repeat this with the opposite leg.
- Perform at least 10-12 reps.
Benefits: Lunges effectively work for your legs and glutes, enhancing balance and coordination and correcting muscle imbalances.
Calf raises
How to do it:
- Stand near a wall or solid object for balance with your feet hip-width apart.
- Slowly raise your heels as high as you can and hold for a while, then slowly lower down.
Benefits: This will strengthen your calf muscles and improve ankle balance and stability. It increases performance for running and jumping compared to before.
Free hand exercise for core
Plank
How to do it:
- Go to the forearm plank position with your elbows directly under your shoulders.
- Keep a straight line from your head to heels and hold this position for at least 30 to 60 seconds.
Benefits: It excellently strengthens core strength, abs, back, and shoulders and increases posture stability.
Bicycle crunches
How to do it:
- Lie on your back, keep your hands behind your head, and raise your legs.
- Bring your knee close to your chest and your opposite elbow close to the knee.
- Now, do this in a pedaling motion in the opposite direction. Perform this for at least 20 reps per side.
Benefits: Daily bicycle crunches will slim your waist and help tone your midsection. Among the seven exercises, this is the only one that works the entire abdominal region and improves your core strength and endurance.
Leg raises
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with your legs straight and arms by your side.
- Slowly lift your legs until your hips are at a 90-degree angle without touching, then slowly lower your legs down.
Benefits: It targets your lower abdominal muscles to improve your core strength and stability and increase overall body flexibility.
Mobility and flexibility
Yoga poses
Downward Dog:
- Start on your hands and knees, then lift your hips straight up with your hands shoulder-width apart.
- Straighten your legs to form an inverted V shape.
Warrior 2: Stand with your feet wide apart. Put your right foot out and the left side facing forward. Extend your arms parallel to the ground. Drop your right knee and hold the pose by placing it over your ankle.
Tree pose:
- Stand on one foot and place the other foot against your inner thigh.
- Your hand position will be in front along your chest or head.
- Hold this pose as long as possible, maintaining your balance.
Benefits: It increases mental balance and stability by improving flexibility and balance. Depending on the pose, it strengthens different muscle groups.
Dynamic stretching
Leg swing: Stand on one leg and swing the other leg forward and backward, repeating this on both sides.
Arm circle: Extend the arms and make small circles, slowly changing their shape. Change direction after 30 seconds.
Torso twist: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and twist your torso to the side. Keep your hips stable as you rotate your upper body.
Benefits: Preparing your muscles and joints for physical activity increases blood flow and reduces the risk of injury. Doing it regularly increases the efficiency of your workout.
Static stretching
Hamstring stretch: Sit on the ground with one leg bent and the other leg straight. Keeping your back straight, reach your upper body forward, and hold for 30 seconds.Switch legs.
Quadriceps stretch: Standing on one leg, reverse your hips and hold for 30 seconds with your knees together. Keep switching legs.
Shoulder stretch: Place one hand across your chest and hold it for 30 seconds. Then, hold the opposite hand for the same amount of time.
Benefits: You gain greater flexibility and range of motion and reduce pain. It relaxes your body and helps you recover more.
Cardio exercise
Jumping jacks
How to do it
- Stand with your feet together.
- When you jump, raise your hands and simultaneously jump apart with your legs.
- Again, jump and return to your initial position.
- Repeat this for at least two minutes.
Benefits: It is a kind of cardiovascular exercise for the whole body, which burns calories, increases your heart rate, and improves your endurance. That’s why this is the starting exercise in the seven daily exercises.
Burpees
How to do it: Stand up straight, then drop down into a squat position and then into a plank position. Perform a push-up and jump back to the previous position, reaching overhead.
Benefits: Whole-body exercise that combines strength and cardio improves vascular endurance. It increases your daily coordination and agility.
High knees
How to do it: Stand in place and run by lifting your knees as high as possible toward your chest.
Mountain climbers
- Move directly into a plank position with your hands under your shoulders.
- Bring one leg toward your chest, then quickly switch legs.
- Mimic the climbing motion, continuously alternating legs.
Benefits: It’s a full-body workout that targets your legs and shoulders to promote muscular fitness and endurance. It also improves your body’s agility and increases activity.
Jump rope
- Hold the rope with both hands on both side and place the rope behind you.
- Lift the rope above your head and jump as it passes under your feet.
- Use your wrists to control the rope and keep your jump consistent.
Benefits: This is an excellent cardiovascular workout that promotes coordination, balance, and agility and strengthens your legs and core.
What exercises should you do every week?
| Day | Exercise focus | Exercise |
| Monday | Upper body | Push-ups, Triceps Dips, Arm Circles |
| Tuesday | Lower body | Squats, Lunges, Calf Raises |
| Wednesday | Core | Bicycle Crunches, Russian Twists |
| Thursday | Flexibility and mobility | Dynamic Stretches, Yoga Poses, Static Stretches |
| Friday | Cardio | Jumping Jacks, Burpees, High Knees |
| Saturday | Full body | Combination of upper body, lower body, and core exercises |
| Sunday | Rest or light activity | Yoga, Walking, Stretching |
What are the benefits of free hand exercise?
Weight loss: Free hand exercise works perfectly to reduce weight. It increases your body’s calories and grows muscles. It also increases your metabolism more than before and reduces fat with every exercise.
Improve your heart: All exercises here increase your heart rate, especially cardio exercises like burpees and jumping jacks. These increase your heart circulation much more than before, promoting vascular health.
Balance your sugar level: Daily idle time leads to uncontrolled glucose levels, which can be controlled through free-hand exercise. It also helps reduce the risk of diabetes and maintain overall health.
Build your musculoskeletal system: These workouts, including push-ups and squats, help tone your muscles and build your bones while increasing overall strength and endurance.
Reduce stress and tension: Regular hands-free exercise releases endorphins, which help reduce stress and tension. Your daily activities promote feelings of well-being and relaxation.
Memory improvement: Free hand exercise enhances memory and makes recall sharper.
Increase your strength: Regular free-hand exercises make you more active by increasing your working capacity day after day.
Strengthen the immune system: Boosts immunity and protects you from infections of various diseases.
Improve your confidence: Achieving your goals increases your self-esteem and takes your confidence to another level.
Reduce the risk of chronic diseases: Controls chronic diseases through regular free-hand exercises, reducing the risk of major diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
What are some mistakes people make when free hand exercise?
Before doing free hand exercises, there are some mistakes that we can avoid to prevent injury.
Correct your form: Each exercise has a specific correct form that is important to know before starting. So, learn the correct form before starting the exercise and then start the workout.
Overtraining: Working out without rest can cause damage and less improvement. So, take some rest while working out.
Fast growth: Gradually increase the intensity of your workout. Instead of following a regular simple workout routine, sometimes follow some complicated steps for quicker improvement.
Conclusion
There are many benefits to free-hand exercise. You can do it anytime, anywhere, without any equipment. If you do this consistently, your body and muscle gain will change, making you carefree, disease-free, and confident. Then, you will happily complete your regular activities.