Have you ever noticed the incredibly lean and athletic bodies of gymnasts? Now, we know that these athletes don't lift weights, but do you really think that these athletes have built up their amazing bodies just by sticking to pushups, pullups, and bodyweight squats? I'll tell you exactly what they do: each of the exercises they perform are complex and multi-directional.
Complex and multi-directional movements will help you engage more muscle mass and thus give you a more leaner and athletic look.
Dancers, gymnasts, and yogis take a variety of movements and string them together to create a specific routine.
Don't believe this method will work for you? Try this exercise: perform a regular squat thrust, and then jump forward into a roll.
With this movement, you are starting in a standing position, then dropping down to the ground, followed by a roll.
Hence, you're moving in two directions (down and forward).
This movement comes from basic gymnastics, and is a great fat burning exercise.
You'll notice that your heart rate is beating higher than normal and after a few repetitions you'll start to get tired.
Start making all your basic movements multi-dimensional and you'll be leaner and stronger in no time.
If your goal is to take your bodyweight workouts to the next level and make it more effective, you need to think more about movement.
Take 3 to 4 multidimensional movements and perform them back to back with little to no rest in between each exercise.
This will keep your heart rate up, and thus burn more fat!