Im highly considering this once I recuperate my injuries but dont know the typical results were from such a program. Of course, it won’t ALL be bodyweight exercises, but most of them will:
Blast Straps push ups elevated on a medicine ball
Blast Straps inverted rows " "
Single-leg squat
Single-leg straight leg deadlift
Handstand push-ups
Chin-ups
I’ve shifted my goals from mass to strength. I guess ive been inspired by gymnasts after seeing most of their physiques.
So if anyone can lend me a hand and tell me whether or not an all bodyweight training regime has given them good results, thatll b great. thx
Purchase “Never Gymless” from Ross Enamait (www.rosstraining.com). Great book utilizing bodyweight exercises along with some band and med ball work. It will put you in the right direction.
Bodyweight routines are good for developing a strength base and strength endurance. You can create some nice fat-burning circuits from them, but I think exclusively relying on bodyweight routines would be cutting yourself short.
[quote]Bldr wrote:
Bodyweight routines are good for developing a strength base and strength endurance. You can create some nice fat-burning circuits from them, but I think exclusively relying on bodyweight routines would be cutting yourself short. [/quote]
Not true. You can get very strong with bodyweight only training. Can you do one-arm pushups? One-arm chins? One-legged squats? Get the point?
To each his own. Use bodyweight only, weights only or a combination of both and more. They are only “tools” to be used for the same goal.
[quote]Bldr wrote:
Bodyweight routines are good for developing a strength base and strength endurance. You can create some nice fat-burning circuits from them, but I think exclusively relying on bodyweight routines would be cutting yourself short. [/quote]
i really want to start getting into rock climbing and hiking and i think training bw only will help me familiarize myself with the whole sport.
so ya, im really not that interested in gaining muscle anymore.
[quote]Nate Dogg wrote:
Purchase “Never Gymless” from Ross Enamait (www.rosstraining.com). Great book utilizing bodyweight exercises along with some band and med ball work. It will put you in the right direction.[/quote]
Ross is awesome. That dude can move.
Also Dinosaur Training has some good stuff in it. I have read it all yet, but seems good.
Bodyweight will never work as well as including external resistance, but it is the best tool we have. Its also very easy to travel with.
[quote]B.b. in stress! wrote:
Bldr wrote:
Bodyweight routines are good for developing a strength base and strength endurance. You can create some nice fat-burning circuits from them, but I think exclusively relying on bodyweight routines would be cutting yourself short.
i really want to start getting into rock climbing and hiking and i think training bw only will help me familiarize myself with the whole sport.
so ya, im really not that interested in gaining muscle anymore.[/quote]
ya, if you want to rock climb bodyweight exercises are key, if you weight train and put on to much bulk it will make your climbing experience much harder.
[quote]B.b. in stress! wrote:
i really want to start getting into rock climbing and hiking and i think training bw only will help me familiarize myself with the whole sport.
so ya, im really not that interested in gaining muscle anymore.[/quote]
As Tsatsouline said in his interview on this site: “You don’t see many 250 pound rock climbers because, well, they’re all dead”
You’ll gain muscle anyway, it comes with strength - but you wont be gaining bulging muscle, but then most people can’t do that with any ease anyway.
i really want to start getting into rock climbing and hiking and i think training bw only will help me familiarize myself with the whole sport.
so ya, im really not that interested in gaining muscle anymore.[/quote]
Well coming from a rock climber. Focus on balance first and foremost. Strength, of all types endurance/burst, is important, but learning to minimizing your struggle against forces pulling you down (gravity) would probably better suit you.
Look into slacklining(and other balance sports). Most guys tend to try and brute force their way up a rock when they first start(I did), but you become a much better climber, if you don’t rely on pure strength.
But yea, anyway strength is important but so is balance and technique. Check out “The Self Coached Climber” by Dan Hague. It helped my climbing out a ton.
As for BW training, I do a lot of it, because as someone above said a lot of the movements are single limbed, which also helps with balance I suppose, but I find it also tends to recruit more of the smaller stabilizing muscles in your legs etc. which really tend to help climbing.
For the last 10 weeks I’ve been training very strictly BW, I’ve hit the gym a couple times and my stats aren’t too far off. I’ve maintained a lot of lean body mass. I’m still deadlifting 3 plates for reps, pressing 2 plates on flat, throwing up the 100’s on incline dumbell. Only took a loss on squats.
Originally my circuit looked like:
Wide Grip PU x Failure
Alternating Sit ups x 30
Alternating Hammer Grip PU x Failure
Push ups x 30
Rest 3minutes/Repeat x 3
After noticing the loss of hams/quads I upped the ante:
Prisoner Squats x 30
Wide Grip x Failure
Push ups x 30
Alternating Sit ups x 30
60seconds rest:
Leaping Squats x 30
Alternating Hammer Grip x Failure
Close Grip Tricep Push ups x 25
Knee Raises x 20
Triceps & Chest:
Dips
Inverted Dips (palms facing away from you)
Pushups
Pushups with your feet on a chair
Pushups with a wider ROM (pushup grips, some books…)*
Jumping pushups
1 1/2 handed pushups (1 hand elevated, so the triceps on 1 side won’t be able to give 100%)
Handstand pushups
Handstand pushups with wider ROM
Jumping handstand pushups (err, better be careful with those…)
1-handed pushups (actually those also hit the abs pretty hard - the closer you bring your legs together, the harder they hit the abs)
1-handed handstand pushups
Jumping 1-handed handstand pushups
After that, you’ll need additional resistance.
Back & Biceps:
Pullups/Chinups
1 1/2 Handed Pullups & Chinups (1 hand holding on to the wrist, so the triceps on 1 side won’t be able to give 100%)
1 Handed Pullups & Chinups
Bodyweight-Rows
Bodyweight-Rows with your feet on a chair/a ball
Legs:
Bodyweight squats
1-Legged squats
1-Legged jumping squats
After that… well… as I said, get some weights. It’s still possible to train 1-legged squats with relatively cheap equipment - a weighted vest, some dumbbells… or anything heavy you can get a hold of.
I stick to bodyweight stuff when I need a break from heavy lifting. Pushups seem to help my shoulders, while bodyweight squats seem to help my knees and form.
I’m sure you know this already, but try making the pullups harder by decreasing leverage (raising knees, or holding legs out).
And handstand pushups are amazing. I must warn you, you’ll have the urge to walk on your hands whenever you see an open space, no matter where you are.