After trying out a few studios(Kieser Training, Venice Beach, etc.), I stumbled across the trend of "bodyweight training". I'm someone who likes to read up on new topics, so I bought Mark Lauren's book Fit without Equipment. The biggest advantage I see with this form of training is that a) you don't have to travel (you can do it anywhere - at home, in a hotel, outside, etc.) and b) you don't need any equipment apart from perhaps a training mat. The work itself seems to me to be a milestone in the bodyweight movement. The author was a former soldier and instructor, but that shouldn't put you off. The exercises are possible for everyone - after all, you are training with your own body.
And that's the big difference to training in the gym. A classic example is a push-up, which trains the chest muscles, triceps, shoulders and torso. In the gym, I would do this with certain machines or dumbbells to train the chest or triceps muscle group specifically and usually in isolation. There is a risk that you will injure your muscles or, even worse, your joints, tendons, etc. because the weights are too heavy. When training with your own body, this can be avoided if you proceed step by step and slowly increase the load. Because you can also do this with your own body. For example, beginners start standing upright with push-ups "against the wall", move on to push-ups on their knees and then to "normal" push-ups. You can then increase these by keeping your hands closer together, putting your legs on a bench, etc. I confess that I have never seen so many variations of the good old push-ups (which we always had to do as a disciplinary measure during swimming training as children and teenagers). And so it goes on in the book for all possible muscle groups. The functional approach avoids one-sided training, as several muscle groups are always strengthened.
The individual exercises are always described with pictures and an accompanying text on over 100 pages - that makes up just over half of the book. According to reviews, the new edition also presents the exercises in a much more contemporary way and describes them even better than before. However, the exercises alone are only worth anything if they are combined in a meaningful way. This is why the exercises are followed by various programs lasting several weeks, which guarantee progressive muscle building - if you persevere. They are divided into First Class (beginners), Master Class (advanced) and Chief Class (extremely advanced). A self-test is included for correct classification. For example, as a beginner you should be able to do 10 push-ups, as an advanced student 8 one-arm push-ups per side (hand placed on a medium-high surface) and as an extremely advanced student 8 "normal" one-arm push-ups. It quickly becomes clear that most people start a program like this as beginners - and that makes perfect sense. If you stick with it, you will quickly notice how your strength increases and how you can move on to the more challenging exercises.
Finally, something about the beginning of the book. In the first 50 pages, Mark Lauren introduces himself, introduces the topic of bodyweight training, talks about fitness, nutrition, motivation, etc. I think it's worth it to at least skim through that. However, there are also sections that I ignored right after reading - especially on the topic of nutrition, I rather advise to consult works of a nutrition professional.
I find the section on motivation the most important, also because it talks about the excuses you can think of to skip a workout. Discipline over the long term is and remains the key to success in this and any other workout. If you find this too difficult alone, you should look for a training partner, this type of training is also great for a lockdown-compliant video call session.
I would buy the book again and it has given me valuable impulses for the way of training and permanent motivation. It was a turning point for me towards functional training, which I still do to this day in one form or another. You have to approach this, as always, with life in mind. Which exercises suit me? Which ones don't? There are definitely some that I simply couldn't do and had to replace with alternatives.
And here's my suggestion as a test to start here and now: how many push-ups can you do right off the bat? 1? 5? 10? I look forward to hearing your feedback. There is also an app to accompany the book, which I will report on separately.
