If you have access to a gym, there’s nothing wrong with using exercise machines. But it’s also a good idea to sometimes forgo equipment and use the weight of your own body to work out. Here’s why: While machines tend to isolate specific muscle groups, “a lot of body-weight exercises force you to control your movements and stabilize yourself, and to do that you need to recruit and train a lot of different muscles,” says Chris Gagliardi, a certified personal training and weight management specialist with the American Council on Exercise.
It’s a good workout for your brain, too, since body-weight moves often require more concentration than machine-based exercises. Not to mention stepping off the machines also gives your body a chance to make different shapes and move the muscles that machines might miss. With this in mind, here are the three best exercises that require nothing more than your own body weight.
