I would like to introduce you guys to an innovative method I've found for building mass and strength. It does not require any equipment, other than a place clean enough where to train. It does not cost money. And, it is insanely fun!

What is it?
Acrobatics. What do I mean by that? I mean, doing handstands, pushups, situps and the very simple elements, and building them up to new levels. I am talking here of doing crazy figures with your own body.

I learned last month how to do handstands. I kept doing them, all the time. The result? In a week, I had doubled my balance, and my chest, abs and back got bigger.

After doing this, I started doing more complex figures. I tried to lift myself up from laying down on the floor, with only my hands (no feet). This built me up too, and now I can do it for a few seconds.

These types of exercices work your body so hard that you don't need to work out a lot. Do handstands and other exercices for 10 minutes every other day, and you'll see results: practical results. Right now, I can lift myself up into a handstand by starting on the ground. It feels great, and it looks awesome as well

I believe it. Acrobats have to lift their own bodyweight many times over, so will always have musculature to that effect.

However, I also believe that you need the genetics and body-frame to be able to build significant muscle through acrobatics or gymnastics.

are you sure? I mean, when I lift my own bodyweight (meaning, I do upright pushups with the feet not touching the ground), genetics or not, the weight and the effort is enough to promote growth, dont you think?

AlexTheGreat said:

are you sure? I mean, when I lift my own bodyweight (meaning, I do upright pushups with the feet not touching the ground), genetics or not, the weight and the effort is enough to promote growth, dont you think?

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if you believe in it so much.. try it and see. what else can I say? I've given my opinion.

Kerpal said:

A personal trainer told me they did some study where they took a bunch of gymnasts and had them lift weights. None of them had ever lifted a weight before and they could bench 2X their body weight and etc. I was a bit skeptical. Anyone ever heard of this?

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This is why they say the negative is the important part for strength and muscle growth.

Gymnasts are doing a ton of negatives/statics on the horse and those ring thingies on the ceiling and stuff... and they get pretty strong.