Your Body Is Your House: Build A Strong Foundation

I love the gym. 

It’s a sanctuary for me, a place where I can go and hit ‘pause’ on whatever may be bothering me that day. When I’m in the presence of the iron, nothing else seems to matter except the pursuit of strength, but strength that is two-fold: strength of body and strength of spirit. What’s so amazing about strength training is the transformative effect it can have on other parts of our lives. I’ve spoken to many people, women specifically, who talk about how getting stronger physically helped them become stronger mentally, feel more capable, and experience more confidence both inside and outside the gym than ever before.

I can certainly attest to this fact. Strength training helped me discover my passion for fitness, and realize my desire to make a career out of it. The strength I’ve built in the gym helped me develop the confidence to try all kinds of techniques and methods, including power-and-Olympic lifting; barbells; kettlebells; and more. I’m more willing to try exercises and lifts that intimidated me before, and I approach challenges with enthusiasm and curiosity.

Most significantly, however, is what strength training has done to connect me to my body. Of course I love the aesthetic results of my efforts, but I feel more attuned to my body now than ever before. Now, I desire to work with my body, not against it: I train because I love what my body can do, not because I resent it for not looking a particular way. Strength training brought me to terms with my body, by which I mean that it has given me a renewed appreciation for everything it can currently do, as well what it will be capable of in the future as long as I train intuitively and listen to its needs.

One aspect of this is listening to my body’s cues about how it wants to move, which lately I've interpreted as “simply.” As much as I love all the gym “toys,” trying new techniques, and practicing the heavy barbell lifts, my body craves the fundamentals. It desires a more stripped-down version of traditional strength training that revolves around bodyweight movements that, while simple, are not easy and never boring.

It comes down to a simple metaphor: a house is only as strong as its foundation. Without a solid base upon which to build, any house—regardless of its aesthetics, décor, or adornments—will eventually collapse. Without a strong foundation of strength—which I argue is built through progressive bodyweight training—one cannot expect to blast through PRs in the big lifts and see consistent progress, nor avoid nagging injuries. Bodyweight training not only makes stronger, but it helps increase hypertrophy (muscle--building) and improves my flexibility, mobility, and posture. It guided me to the bar in the first place, but it will always be my first love: it’s like a home, a place I can always go back to feel safe, secure, and confident.  

I love strength training with my body weight because it is accessible (we all have the equipment!), affordable (no gym membership required!), and simple (not to be confused with easy!). Anyone—from the person who has never exercised before to the pro athlete—can do it and benefit from it. Bodyweight training is easily customizable depending on your fitness level, goals, schedule, and preferences, and you can use it to achieve a variety of fitness goals, including fat loss. When I bodyweight train, I typically choose 3-5 exercises to perform circuit-style. I'll either set my timer for a set number of minutes (usually between 20-25) or plan to complete "x" number of rounds. Because the training session is short, it can be intense which ramps up the cardio effect of the training. 

This creates a greater metabolic disturbance in the body, and subsequently encourages simultaneous fat loss and muscle-building. 

If you're intrigued, try one of these bodyweight workouts that I created. Both can be done anywhere, and you can opt for a number of rounds or complete AMRAP (as many rounds as pretty (good form is key!)) for time:

Here are a few beginner bodyweight-only workouts from my girl, Neghar Fonooni, to keep the momentum going! Be sure to check out Neghar's YouTube channel for free metcon workouts, yoga flows, nutrition tips, mindset hacks, and more!!!

Happy bodyweight training, everyone!