Bodyweight vs Weights – Which is best for you?

Both bodyweight training and weight training have their benefits. It’s up to the individual to decide what works best for them based on their overall fitness goals.
Bodyweight vs Weights - Which is better for training in the UAE

Bodyweight Training vs Weight Workouts In The UAE

Article Contributor: Andrew

If you’re new to muscle building and strength training in Dubai or Abu Dhabi you might be wondering which is better – bodyweight training or weight training.

Both can help you achieve a more defined look and both can help you increase your strength.

Strength training is important. Many believe that some form of strength training is as important for your overall health as cardio fitness, especially as we age.

Sometimes the choice of whether to do bodyweight training or weight lifting is down to personal preference and sometimes your personal trainer in the UAE might suggest one or the other or a combination of both.

Table Of Contents

Bodyweight Training

Better for balance and flexibility.

Bodyweight training (using your body as a method of resistance training) tends to be better for overall balance and flexibility.

In general, bodyweight training exercises require a more diverse range of movements which in turn helps with your balance.

Flexibility is also improved with bodyweight exercises because you will be using a range of motions in your workouts which will gradually increase how flexible you are.

 

Minimal Equipment Required.

The gym in Dubai or Abu Dhabi isn’t for everyone. Some men and women simply don’t have the time or even the inclination to visit the gym a few times a week.

You might think that improving your physique through muscle building or strength training can only be achieved by using weights or resistance training machines. But, the opposite is true.

Bodyweight training in the UAE means you will be using your body as your weight to build up muscle and strength.

This means it’s ideal for men and women who either don’t want to visit the gym or don’t have the room at home for sophisticated training kit.

Bodyweight exercises can easily be done with no equipment at all and there are a surprising number of these kind of workouts for you to try. Even if you don’t use a personal trainer in the UAE you can find example of great bodyweight training routines online.

 

Complex Movement Progression

Bodyweight training allows you to start very simply and gradually build up your range of movements and the complexity of each exercise.

Plank for example is a bodyweight exercise. Once you get to grips with doing a basic Plank you can gradually increase the amount of time you Plank for and/or add more complex variations to the type of Plank you do.

Because of those complex movement progression you can increase the intensity of your workouts at a pace to your liking. This also allows your body to adapt over time and can reduce the risk of injuring yourself.

Bodyweight training summary

  • A wider range of exercises to improve your balance and flexibility
  • No need for expensive gym equipment or gym membership
  • Gradually progress your movements and workouts

What are the benefits of bodyweight training?

The benefits of bodyweight training are numerous and because this method of exercise can be done anywhere at any time it’s suitable for all ages and all lifestyles.

Whether you want to improve your strength, improve your physique through muscle toning exercises or even lose some weight the right bodyweight training program will work for you.

Weight Training

Better for strength and muscle building

While bodyweight training will improve your strength and keep your muscles toned, weight training will increase your strength more and will also help you to build more muscle.

Weights add more resistance to your workouts which means you can gradually increase the resistance to your muscles which is where hypertrophy happens (muscle growth).

If building your muscles faster is something you are looking to do, adding weights to your personal fitness regime is the way to go.

Of course you still don’t need access to a gym to perform weight training. There are many different types of weight exercises you can do at home with minimal equipment. Smaller items of weight training equipment include:

  • Dumbbells
  • Kettlebells
  • Barbells

 

Simple progression

Simple progression using weights is easier for most people but you should still seek advice from a muscle building and strength personal trainer in the UAE to give you the right guidance.
Progression where weights are concerned simply means adjusting the ‘weight’ of your dumbbells, kettlebells etc and / or increasing the number of repetitions and sets you do.

You will find, over time, that you’re able to lift heavier weights and do more sets of a particular workout. This progression will gradually increase your muscle size and of course your strength.

 

Easier to isolate specific muscle groups

When you lift weights it’s far easier to isolate specific muscle groups when compared to bodyweight training.

This is because when using weights and weight training machines your range of motion and movement can be highly specific.

Let’s take a basic dumbbell bicep curl for example. By altering the way you lift the dumbbell and adjusting its angle you can workout not just the bicep but also the other smaller muscles at the top of the arm.

The same applies to the chest muscles. When doing a bench press, the angle of the bench allows you to isolate the lower, middle and upper chest muscles.

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In Summary.....

Both bodyweight training and weight training have their benefits. It’s up to the individual to decide what works best for them based on their overall fitness goals.

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