Bodyweight Exercises

Recently some ExerciseGurus (esp. KarlIstaz?, MikeFurey?) have rediscovered exercise techniques originally made popular generations ago in India by Indian wrestlers. The advantages of these things are

• There are just 3 exercises to do.
• You need no equipment to do them.
• You can do them effectively in just 5 minutes a day.

Optimum effect might take 15 minutes ... but you'll take weeks to get past 5 minutes and you can split those minutes up into however small chunks of time you like. You could seriously do them in the elevator on the way to the office. Well, if you don't mind bumping into people ...

Now I'm not one of the above-mentioned ExerciseGurus but I'm trying this stuff out and so far I'm impressed. I'm well aware that as I move into my later forties I need weight-bearing exercise to prevent degenerative diseases. But I hate lifting weights and all kinds of gym exercises. I don't have enough time to spend on the fun exercises I do enjoy so I need something else. It seems to me that this stuff is it.

Presuming you're a fat lazy old slob like me, here's a nutshell of the techniques. I'm not a doctor, don't do this without medical supervision, don't sue me if you do this and injure yourself because if you're dopey enough to try exercises you find on some old wiki some place then it's you're own silly fault when you wind up in hospital. No liability accepted under any circumstances and in general go look this stuff up on google and youtube and see how the ExerciseGurus say to do it rather than taking me seriously here ...

• Hindu Squats: you stand comfortably, put your arms straight out in front of you, then go into a deep squat on the balls of your feet while breathing in. Lower your arms to your sides on the way down and then breath out and stand up explosively, lifting your arms fast as you do. That arm-lifting thing increases the effective load. Do a whole bunch of these fast - if you can get to 50 in 3 minutes you're fit in my book. If you can do 100 in 4 then you're ready to become a professional wrestler.

• Hindu Pressups: You put your hands at shoulder width on the floor, legs spread wide, elbows and knees straight with your butt in the air. You bend your elbows and slide your body forward until your shoulders raise up and you straighten your elbows again while you look up at the sky. Basically your torso moves down and forward and then up as if it were arching around a cylinder. Then you keep your arms straight while you raise your butt back to the starting position. From the side it looks like your hips move in a circle I think.

• Back Bridge: This one's controversial so do be careful. But I like it as far as I can do it. You find a nice bit of wall or a wide doorway - I like the latter - and stand straight with your feet, butt, and head touching the wall. Walk forward two steps heel to toe - about 3 feet. Lean back until your hands touch the wall, then use your hands to start walking yourself down the wall into an arched position. Once you get properly frightened, hold it there as long as you're comfortable. Then use your hands to walk yourself back upright.

I find that doing these for less than 5 minutes makes me sore all over and feeling like I've lifted weights for maybe an hour. I'll say more about the effects in a couple weeks.