"Best" is a tricky term when it comes to exercise. The best plan for an experienced athlete is different from the best plan for an obese person trying to lose weight. Choosing the bodyweight exercise plan that suits you is a matter of deciding what your goals and priorities are for taking on the plan in the first place.
Weight Loss
If your main goal for taking on an exercise program is weight loss, your bodyweight exercises should be low weight and high repetition. You may also face the challenge of weighing too much to successfully perform some of the more challenging exercises available. One effective option is to perform bodyweight exercises while waist or chest-deep in water. The buoyancy from the water will reduce the amount of weight you must lift with each repetition -- and protect you from injury if you lose your balance. Calisthenics and plyometrics are two good choices for in-water bodyweight workouts.
Strength
Effective strength training with bodyweight exercises is a matter of maximizing the resistance your body places on the muscle groups you are working. For beginners, classic calisthenics like pushups, situps and jumping jacks can be ideal. As your strength grows, you can move up to exercises that involve more of your body such as pullups, dips, hanging crunches and box jumps. Adventurous athletes might try gymnasics, capoeira, parkour or breakdancing for an aggressive bodyweight strength program.
Recovery
Bodyweight exercises are often ideal for people in recovery -- whether they're recovering from injury or the simple atrophy of aging. As with bodyweight exercises for weight loss, working out in the water can help mitigate many of the risks and disadvantages of using body weight during the early stages of recovery. Another good choice is tai chi. This low-impact practice uses your bodyweight to gently work out every muscle in the body. As your strength returns, you can take on increasingly challenging postures.
Maintenance
If you've reached your strength goals, you can still opt to use bodyweight exercise to keep yourself in the condition you want. For this purpose, you can always keep doing the exercises you've been doing all along. Another option is yoga. The hundreds of yoga postures include many that use body weight to increase strength, balance and flexibility. The wide range of available postures also means that you can choose a routine composed of those in the strength range you want to maintain.
References
- Body Building: Bodyweight Exercises for Size and Strength
- "You: The Owner's Manual"; Oz & Roizen; 2006
- "Capoeira Conditioning"; Gerard Taylor, 2005
- Ben Cohn; Fitness Coach; Hillsboro, OR
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