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As we have learned over the past year, it’s not always possible for our clients to have access to exercise equipment, which makes it even more important that you are able to design exercise programs that require little-to-no equipment while also addressing a wide range of needs and desired fitness outcomes. When equipment and facilities are inaccessible, knowing how to use body-weight exercises to achieve various fitness goals is paramount.
The three main components of a workout program are mobility training, muscle strengthening and cardiorespiratory exercise; because it provides a number of different options for exercises in each of these categories, the human body is the perfect piece of fitness equipment. Your clients don’t need cumbersome equipment that takes up space at home, and if you teach outdoor workout programs, you don’t need to carry around a bunch of heavy equipment. In either situation, you just need to know which exercises to use, along with when and how much of them to program to achieve an effective workout.
Body-weight exercises are often thought of as basic or foundational, and while many may indeed be at a lower level of intensity when compared to those that rely on external resistance, body-weight exercises can be used to achieve a number of different outcomes. This includes enhancing definition, improving strength, expending energy to manage a healthy body weight and reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases that can occur as a result of a sedentary lifestyle.
The ACE Integrated Fitness Training® (ACE IFT®) Model offers a systematic approach for designing exercise programs that help clients improve overall postural stability and kinetic chain mobility, movement pattern efficiency, and athletic performance through muscular training, while also enhancing the body’s overall fitness level with cardiorespiratory training focused on enjoyment and increasing the duration and frequency of exercise bouts and progressing to higher intensity intervals when appropriate . This article describes how you can apply the ACE IFT Model to your work with clients and offers specific strategies for designing exercise programs featuring only body-weight exercises.
The ACE IFT Model of exercise program design is an evidence-based system of organizing exercise based on intensity, program focus, client goals, and complexity. Introduced in 2010 and revised in 2020, the ACE IFT Model is structured into two main components: Cardiorespiratory Training and Muscular Training.
The Cardiorespiratory Training component is organized into three specific phases based on exercise intensity: Base, Fitness and Performance. These three phases correspond to how the body’s metabolism responds to exercise. Below the first ventilatory threshold (VT1), which can be identified with the talk test, is the Base Training phase; at and above the second ventilatory threshold (VT2), which corresponds with the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) and can be identified with the VT2 threshold assessment, is the Performance Training phase; and in between these two metabolic markers is the Fitness Training phase.
The Muscular Training component of the ACE IFT Model has three specific phases based on progressing the complexity of movement and intensity of muscle force production: Functional, Movement and Load/Speed. The Functional Training phrase focuses on exercises that can improve the strength and function of muscles that stabilize the spine and improve joint function to create a foundation of postural stability and kinetic chain mobility. The body was made to move as an integrated system, with multiple muscles working together to produce coordinated movement. For this reason, Movement Training focuses on enhancing the ability to execute the primary movement patterns. These include bend-and-lift movements (e.g., squat, hip hinge), single-leg movements (e.g., lunges, step-ups), pushing movements (e.g., push-ups, overhead presses), pulling movements (e.g., chin-ups, bent-over rows) and rotational movements (e.g., cable chops, lunges with rotation). In the Load/Speed Training phase, loads can be applied to exercises using external resistance to improve the magnitude of muscle force production; alternatively, more explosive tempos can be employed to increase the rate of force production.
Exercise in general, and body-weight exercises in particular, can be further classified into two broad categories: those that can enhance movement skill and those that can improve conditioning. Skill-based exercises enhance efficiency for performing the primary patterns of movement. Conditioning exercises challenge the physiological systems to deliver energy to working muscles and help the body become more efficient at producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP)—the chemical muscle cells use to fuel contractions—while removing metabolic byproducts, such as lactic acid or hydrogen ions. Body-weight exercises can be used to improve both skill and conditioning with the same workout.
Exercise programming in the Base Training phase should focus on helping clients establish a foundation of aerobic endurance using lower-intensity exercises that cause individuals to breathe faster than normal yet not be completely out of breath. The Base Training phase has two primary purposes: (1) to help improve the ability to deliver oxygen to working muscles; and (2) to help clients develop the confidence and self-efficacy to successfully complete an exercise program. The primary energy source for exercise in the Base Training phase is fat, which is the primary metabolic substrate for lower-intensity exercise, making this phase reliant on the use of oxygen to generate ATP.
The Fitness Training phase helps clients become more efficient at using glycogen for a fuel source and helping muscles remove metabolic by-products, such as lactic acid and pyruvate, which are produced as the result of higher-intensity exercise. Glycogen is metabolized into ATP both with and without oxygen, so exercise in the Fitness Training phase can either be aerobic or anaerobic. Finally, Performance Training occurs at the highest level of intensity, where anaerobic metabolism produces the ATP to fuel muscle contractions. The intensity of body-weight exercises can be adjusted to help clients utilize either aerobic and anaerobic metabolism and can be used to improve metabolic efficiency in each of the three phases.
The variables of exercise program design include:
How these variables are organized determines whether body-weight exercises are being used for cardiorespiratory exercise in the Base, Fitness or Performance training phases. Organizing a series of body-weight exercises into a circuit is one of the most efficient ways to use them for cardiorespiratory exercise. Quickly transitioning from one exercise to the next can elevate the heart rate because the working muscles increase the demand for oxygenated blood.
Exercise selection for the Base or Fitness Training phases can feature a number of movements that involve larger muscle groups to perform integrated movement patterns. Glute bridges, planks, body-weight squats and crawling patterns are all examples of compound exercises that can help elevate the heart rate when performed as part of a circuit. Increasing the number of repetitions, speeding up the pace of movement or eliminating the rest interval will challenge the body to work harder to clear metabolic by-products and produce ATP.
When designing a body-weight circuit for Base Training, have clients maintain a steady tempo, perform a limited number of repetitions and allow a brief rest interval between exercises. To increase the intensity and challenge clients to work in the Fitness Training phase, simply increase the number of repetitions, encourage them to use a faster tempo and reduce or remove the rest interval so they are quickly transitioning between exercises.
Using the talk test can help identify in which phase of Cardiorespiratory Training a client is working. If a client can easily answer any question or provide feedback using complete sentences, they are probably below VT1 and performing Base Training. However, if a client is noticeably breathing quickly, can only say brief phrases or a few words without breathing hard, they are mostly likely in the Fitness Training phase. When performing explosive exercises at a high level of intensity, a client should be breathing hard enough so that saying anything other than a single word or grunt is not possible, which would be an indication of Performance Training intensity.
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This is a sample circuit of body-weight exercises that could be used for Base and Fitness Training in the Cardiorespiratory component of the ACE IFT Model. The primary differences between the phases are the speed of movement, the number of repetitions and length of time between exercises. Pay attention to the client’s breathing rate to determine the optimal intensity level. During Base Training, a client should be breathing more quickly than when at rest, but they should be able to speak in complete sentences. In Fitness Training, a client should be working hard enough to only speak in brief phrases. |
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|
Exercise |
ACE IFT Model Phase |
Repetitions* |
Tempo |
Rest Interval+ |
Sets |
|
Base |
10−20 |
Slow |
15−30 seconds |
1−3 |
|
|
Fitness |
20−45 seconds |
Moderate-fast |
— |
2−4 |
|
|
Base |
10−30 seconds hold |
Isometric hold |
15−30 seconds |
1−3 |
|
|
Fitness |
20−45 seconds hold |
— |
2−4 |
||
|
Base |
10−20 |
Slow |
15−30 seconds |
1−3 |
|
|
Fitness |
20−45 seconds |
Moderate-fast |
— |
2−4 |
|
|
Base |
10−20 |
Slow |
15−30 seconds |
1−3 |
|
|
Fitness |
20−45 seconds |
Moderate-fast |
— |
2−4 |
|
|
Base |
10−20 |
Slow |
15−30 seconds |
1−3 |
|
|
Fitness |
20−45 seconds |
Moderate-fast |
— |
2−4 |
|
|
Base |
10−20 |
Slow |
15−30 seconds |
1−3 |
|
|
Fitness |
20−45 seconds |
Moderate-fast |
— |
2−4 |
|
|
Base |
10−20 |
Slow |
15−30 seconds |
1−3 |
|
|
Fitness |
20−45 seconds |
Moderate-fast |
60−90 seconds |
2−4 |
|
|
*During the Fitness Training phase, use a timer and challenge clients to do reps for time (as many reps as possible during a given time interval). Start with a shorter time; as the client’s fitness level improves, increase the duration.
+During the Base Training phase, the goal is to ensure clients are developing an aerobic base by working at an intensity at which talking normally is possible. Therefore, it’s important to allow brief rest intervals between exercises. As clients progress to Fitness Training, circuits with no rest between exercises can increase the intensity to the point at which talking in complete sentences is difficult, indicating the client is at or above the first ventilatory threshold. Allow for a 60- to 90-second rest interval after completing the entire circuit. |
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A body-weight exercise circuit for Performance Training should feature more explosive exercises that engage the larger muscle groups through the use of the squat, lunge, rotation and push movement patterns (pulling movements such as pull-ups or chin-ups, standard or modified, are best suited for use in the Movement Training phase). In this circuit, the goal is to perform as many repetitions of each exercise as possible in a specific amount of time with minimal rest between exercises; allow for 90 seconds to two minutes of rest after completing the entire circuit, gradually progress to having clients complete four or five circuits. |
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|
Exercise |
ACE IFT Model Phase |
Repetitions* |
Tempo |
Rest Interval |
Sets |
|
Performance |
20−40 seconds |
Quick |
— |
2−5 |
|
|
Performance |
20−40 seconds |
Quick |
— |
2−5 |
|
|
Performance |
20−40 seconds |
Explosive |
— |
2−5 |
|
|
Performance |
20−40 seconds |
Explosive |
— |
2−5 |
|
|
Performance |
20−40 seconds |
Explosive |
90 seconds to 2 minutes |
2−5 |
|
|
*To increase the cardiorespiratory demand, it’s a good idea to use timed sets and challenge clients to perform as many repetitions as possible (with proper technique) in the allotted time frame. Start with 20-second intervals; as a client’s fitness level improves, gradually progress to 40-second intervals.
NOTE: The original purpose of explosive plyometric exercises such as jumps is to reduce the time between the lengthening and shortening phases of muscle action by enhancing the strength of the elastic connective tissues. When used for skill development, plyometric exercises should focus on exploding as high as possible, use six repetitions or less and allow at least 30 to 60 seconds of rest between exercises. When using plyometric exercises for conditioning, however, rather than focusing on jumping as high as possible, the goal is to focus on speed of movement to increase the cardiorespiratory demand on the body. |
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Body-weight exercises can be extremely effective for common models of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) such as the Tabata protocol that fall within the Performance Training phase of Cardiorespiratory Training. Select two exercises and alternate for 20 seconds each to complete the full eight cycles of a four-minute Tabata protocol. For example, alternate mountain climbers with squat jumps; complete 20 seconds of explosive push-ups, rest for 10 seconds and then perform 20 seconds of the lunge jumps; complete four sets of each for a total of eight sets of 20-second intervals for the complete four-minute workout.
One study found that HIIT with body-weight exercises can deliver similar results when compared to using a treadmill. Researchers divided 55 participants (healthy men with an average age of 23 years) into one of three training groups for a 16-week program:
Once the 16-week training protocols were completed, each group improved their fitness levels, measured by time to reach VT2 and the time to reach exhaustion. The HIIT-T group demonstrated better results than the HIIT-WB or MICT groups, reinforcing the idea that HIIT is a time-efficient workout solution. More importantly, the study showed that the HIIT-WB group achieved similar results when compared to the other two groups, providing important evidence that body-weight exercises can deliver results for cardiorespiratory training.
Body-weight exercises are well suited for each phase of Muscular Training in the ACE IFT Model. Body-weight exercises for Functional Training could focus on a segment of the body; for example, you could target the hips with an exercise like the glute bridge or focus on the shoulders with an exercise like the supine snow angel. Alternatively, you could focus on improving coordination and stability by engaging most of the major muscles in the body with movements such as the bird dog or hip rotations from the push-up position. The purpose of these exercises is to enhance stability of the stable joints while improving mobility of the mobile joints in an effort to promote overall movement efficiency. Body-weight exercises for Functional Training not only help enhance movement efficiency, which is the foundation of skill development, but they also challenge muscles to work in the Base Training phase of Cardiorespiratory Training and improve the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to working muscles, which is essential for overall conditioning.
The Movement Training should focus on using exercises based on the primary movement patterns. This can be accomplished using only body weight and an elevated surface such as a step, small wall or jump box. Hip hinges, squats, lunges and step-ups in multiple directions, push-up variations, modified pull-ups and exercises that require the hips and shoulders to counterrotate are all examples of body-weight exercises that can be used in this phase of exercise-program design. The primary goal of the Movement Training phase is to develop the ability to perform the primary movement patterns without compromising postural or joint stability so the emphasis is on a controlled tempo of movement, limiting the number of repetitions and allowing adequate rest between sets. However, body-weight exercises during Movement Training can be used to improve conditioning as well; simply increase the number of repetitions or do repetitions for time and challenge clients to work at a faster speed of movement and reduce or eliminate the rest interval.
While loading with external resistance can be the fastest way to achieve goals such as enhancing strength or improving definition, the most important factor for achieving either of those outcomes is to achieve metabolic overload by reaching a point of momentary fatigue (i.e., the inability to perform another repetition). Isometric muscle actions held for an extended period of time, completing repetitions to fatigue or performing explosive movements are examples of how body-weight exercises can be used during Load/Speed Training to achieve the level of fatigue necessary to stimulate muscle growth. Again, it is easy to see how the same body-weight exercise circuit can be applied for both the Performance Training phase of Cardiorespiratory Training and the Load/Speed Training phase of Muscular Training: When exercise is performed to a point of fatigue, it not only improves the body’s ability to deliver oxygen and energy to working muscles, but also stimulates the repair process necessary for growing new muscle tissues and enhancing strength.
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This is a sample circuit of body-weight exercises that could be used for both the Movement and Load/Speed Training phases of the ACE IFT Model. Movement Training should focus on technique to improve movement skill and allow optimal recovery between sets. Progressing to the Load/Speed Training phase requires working to the point of fatigue, which can be achieved by performing repetitions for time combined with minimal rest intervals to initiate metabolic overload. |
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|
Exercise |
ACE IFT Model Phase |
Repetitions* |
Tempo |
Rest Interval+ |
Sets |
|
Movement Training |
10−20 |
Slow |
30−45 seconds |
1−3 |
|
|
Load/Speed |
20−45 seconds |
Moderate-fast |
— |
2−4 |
|
|
Movement Training |
10−30 seconds hold |
Isometric hold |
30−45 seconds |
1−3 |
|
|
Load/Speed |
20−45 seconds hold |
— |
2−4 |
||
|
Movement Training |
10−20 |
Slow |
30−45 seconds |
1−3 |
|
|
Load/Speed |
20−45 seconds |
Moderate-fast |
— |
2−4 |
|
|
Movement Training |
10−20 |
Slow |
30−45 seconds |
1−3 |
|
|
Load/Speed |
20−45 seconds |
Moderate-fast |
— |
2−4 |
|
|
Movement Training |
10−20 |
Slow |
30−45 seconds |
1−3 |
|
|
Load/Speed |
20−45 seconds |
Moderate-fast |
— |
2−4 |
|
|
*During Load/Speed Training, use a timer and challenge clients to do repetitions for time (as many reps as possible during a given time interval). The goal is to reach a point of momentary fatigue to stimulate muscle growth. Start with a shorter time; as a client’s fitness level improves, increase the duration. +During Movement Training, the goal is to ensure clients are enhancing movement skill in the primary patterns. Therefore, it’s important to allow appropriate rest intervals between exercises. As clients progress to Load/Speed Training, performing circuits to the point of fatigue with minimal rest between exercises can increase the intensity. |
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The ACE IFT Model provides a systematic approach to exercise program design that can be used to help clients achieve a wide variety of health and fitness outcomes. Circuit training with body-weight exercises can be used to help clients achieve outcomes in each of the three phases of Cardiorespiratory Training, while program design in the Functional and Movement Training phases of Muscular Training should focus on technique and mastering the skill of the particular exercise being performed. The same body-weight exercise circuit that could help improve cardiorespiratory fitness can also be used to develop greater levels of muscular strength; the difference lies in how the variables of program design are applied, which can be guided by following the different phases of the ACE IFT Model. When programmed correctly, the same workout can improve both cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, while also eliciting numerous health benefits that could reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases.
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