Your Own Body is the Best Weight You’ll Ever Lift

As your qualified trainer, Lucy Wyndham-Read, I love to remind people of one simple truth: your body is already a weight. That’s right—before you even think about picking up a dumbbell or a kettlebell, you’re already carrying around the best training tool nature ever designed, and that is your own bodyweight!!

And here’s the best part: when you use your bodyweight correctly, you strengthen your muscles, support your bones, and even fight back against age-related muscle loss (known as sarcopenia). So let’s break this down, as I always say, education is key. The more you understand how your body works, the more motivated and grateful you are.

We often hear, especially for women over a certain age, that we must lift weights to stay strong and spend a fortune on protein powder (you won’t ever see me selling or promoting this).

But don’t forget. Your body is a weight, and every step you take, every lunge, every squat, push-up is weight/strength training in disguise.

If you can climb stairs, sit down and stand up from a chair, or push yourself up from the floor, you’ve already been lifting weights all along—your own!

HOW DOES BODYWEIGHT BUILD MUSCLE? 

When you perform a bodyweight exercise, say a squat or even simply walking, your muscles are put under tension. This tension causes tiny microscopic tears in your muscle fibres (don’t worry, it’s a good thing). Your body then gets to work repairing these fibres, making them thicker and stronger so they can handle the challenge next time.

This process is the same whether you’re lifting a kettlebell or at the gym pushing a heavy weight. The key isn’t the kettlebell or the machine —it’s the effort and consistency. With bodyweight exercises, you can progress by changing angles, slowing the tempo, or doing more repetitions. That’s how you keep challenging your muscles without needing extra equipment.

BONES LOVE BODYWEIGHT TOO

Muscles aren’t the only ones that benefit. Bones are living tissue that respond to stress just like muscles do. When you place your body under resistance—whether through push-ups, lunges, or even walking —you gently stress the bones. This stress signals your body to lay down more minerals, strengthening the bone matrix. Think of it as giving your skeleton a little nudge, saying: “Remember to stay strong—we’ve got work to do.” Over time, this reduces the risk of osteoporosis and keeps your bones resilient.

THE SARCOPENIA STORY 

As we age, we naturally start losing muscle mass—this natural process is called sarcopenia. It can start as early as our 30s and really speed up in our 50s and beyond. Without exercise, sarcopenia leads to weakness, poor balance, and a higher risk of falls. Here’s the good news: bodyweight exercises are a powerful weapon against sarcopenia. By regularly challenging your muscles with movements like walking and bodyweight exercises, your body thinks, “Don’t let go of this strength—I still need it.” The result? You maintain lean muscle, support your joints, and keep your independence for longer.

JOINTS SAY “THANK YOU” FOR USING BODYWEIGHT

One of my favourite things about bodyweight workouts is how joint-friendly they are. Heavy lifting can sometimes overload joints, especially if form isn’t perfect. Bodyweight exercises, on the other hand, tend to follow natural movement patterns—standing, pushing, pulling, bending  and balancing. These are the movements you actually need in everyday life. So not only are they safer, but they’re also more functional. Functional means training your body in ways that carry over into real life—like lifting shopping bags, climbing stairs, or playing with grandchildren

HABITS NOT HEROICS 

Here’s the bigger picture: the real magic isn’t in doing one heroic gym session a week with heavy weights!. The magic comes from daily movement habits. A few minutes of bodyweight exercises every day beats an occasional heavy workout that risks strain or injury. Because let’s be honest—what we want isn’t just strong muscles, but a lifestyle that keeps us moving and feeling good long-term. And bodyweight training makes that possible. No equipment, no intimidation, no excuses—you can do it in your living room, garden, or even on holiday.

You can try now my 5 at Home Best Body Weight Exercise to look after your bone, joint and muscular health, this is free and can become a routine to do 4 -5 times a week.

This exercise will help strengthen your thighs, glutes, and hip bones, while also building your chest, shoulders, and arms, as well as keeping your wrists strong. It engages your entire midsection, teaching your muscles to brace and protect your spine. Essentially, you are “lifting” your own body weight during this process.

SUMMARY

So next time someone tells you that you “have to lift weights,” smile and remind them: “I already do—my own!” Bodyweight training is safe, effective, functional, and brilliant for keeping both muscles and bones strong. It helps reverse sarcopenia, protects your joints, and fits easily into daily life. Remember, your body has everything it needs to stay strong. Use it daily, challenge it gently but consistently, and it will reward you with resilience, energy, and confidence at every age.After all, the best piece of gym equipment is yourself.

However, if you have a specific goal to bulk up, that’s a different story altogether. To achieve muscle shortening and bulking, incorporate additional weight to create that effect where you shorten and bulk the muscle.