Bodyweight exercises

[RedSky]

Hey everyone

I was wondering what everyone opinions of bodyweight exercises are.
I been doing some for the past few weeks and i personnal think they are brilliant.

Handstand pressup, one arm pressup and one legged squats are just some of the exercises i do and i always feel like a had a realy good workout afterwards compared to when i train using machines or free weight exercises.

 

[Alle_Gory]

I hate working biceps so I do chinups instead of curls. It's much more satisfying because I get to to work the back some.

Pullups are great as well.

Dips on parallel bars are great for the chest and shoulders, little bit the back.


Don't discount machines. They're excellent for isolation exercises. If you've got a lagging muscle or you really want to focus on a body part, machines are excellent. Also good for recovering from injuries.

 

[Matt281]

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-fitness/

This thing's all based on body weight stuff, and the author is really good. 92 page document, well writen and free.

 

[asifa]

Lemon Squeezers - This used to be my favorite ab/torso strengthener, and I need to get back on them myself. Lie flat on your back with legs straight and arms extended above your head. Now, "jack knife" your body by raising your legs straight up, and crunching your stomach until your toes and fingers meet straight above your body. Legs and arms are straight thoughout the movement. Imagine that you're squeezing a giant lemon with your body.

 

[speed dawg]

Go to a playground with monkey bars. You can just about do any bodyweight exercise imaginable....

 

[runner83]

Yes, they can be good for a start, but remember that muscles respond to intensity and progression.

Once you can lift your own weight (doing whatever exercise), unless you increase the weight, your muscles will not grow significantly. Depends on your goal.

At present, the only body weight exercise I do is overhand chin-ups, and even with that, I hold a dumbbell between my legs to add some weight.

 

[aeronroy]

Your body is a great building that is protected at all times. So when you do these exercises your body's metabolism will do everything possible to ensure you lose fat and therefore make the exercises easier and less prone to injury. Quite the contrary has been weight training because you are lifting your body's natural inclination is to get more.

 

[mrRuckus]

What does "feeling like you had a good workout" have to do with actual effectiveness and usefulness of the workout?

 

[RedSky]

Nothing really.
But i like to finish my workouts feeling the burn/ache in my muscles to let me know i have really pushed them out their comfort zone. I always get it after doin some bodyweight exercises but didn't always on machines or with free weights

 

[Paintballguy]

I have a pull up bar in my apartment which is convenient. I can bang out some pull ups, do some pushups and sit ups for a quick workout. I still go to the gym also, but it's just nice to do a quick workout at home.

 

[Alle_Gory]

What does "feeling like you had a good workout" have to do with actual effectiveness and usefulness of the workout?

Not much. I make most of my gains when I don't feel like I had a good workout. The aches and pains for me usually tell me that I did too much work, and I'm going to pay for it later with slow gains and poor appetite (stress).

My best gains are done when I feel like I had a bit of a pump, and I'm still fairly energetic but sweaty as hell leaving the gym.

Anyone else?

 

[Being_the_Don]

Hey everyone

I was wondering what everyone opinions of bodyweight exercises are.
I been doing some for the past few weeks and i personnal think they are brilliant.

Handstand pressup, one arm pressup and one legged squats are just some of the exercises i do and i always feel like a had a realy good workout afterwards compared to when i train using machines or free weight exercises.

Bodyweight exercises are fantastic for developing functional strength, I regularly do them along with free weight exercises. You should know that gymnasts are very strong, most of their training focuses on bodyweight exercises proving that they have practical uses.

 

[emilyammy]

Body weight exercises are great for developing functional strength, which regularly do weight training. And take fresh foods and vegetables in daily diet. You should know that the gymnasts are very strong, most of their training focuses on body weight exercises, which proves that they have practical uses.

 

[Being_the_Don]

Body weight exercises are great for developing functional strength, which regularly do weight training. And take fresh foods and vegetables in daily diet. You should know that the gymnasts are very strong, most of their training focuses on body weight exercises, which proves that they have practical uses.

You re-posted my comment almost word for word. You liked it that much? (below is the comment made by Being_the_Don):

Bodyweight exercises are fantastic for developing functional strength, I regularly do them along with free weight exercises. You should know that gymnasts are very strong, most of their training focuses on bodyweight exercises proving that they have practical uses.

 

[Alyssatom]

Well I think that body weight exercise help us to increase in body fluid, muscle mass, or fat. We can easily consume more calories, for that we should try to eat food with extremely high caloric value, Eat five or more meals a day. Drink plenty of fluids that supply calories like juice, milk, milkshakes, and sports beverages. I think that this will really help in body weight exercise.

 

[RedSky]

Its been about 10 weeks now since i started training using bodyweight exercises and i gotta admit, i had some good results.

I have gained some muscle but the strenght gains are incredible.

Also its amazing how hard exercises like the front lever and planche push ups are. Even the progressions towards them are really challenging.

 

[J. Darko]

I'm thinking about incorperating bodyweight exercises like the hand stand, diamond push ups and one arm push ups. Because I feel that unlike weights, which can vary depending on your energy level, sleep and diet, bodyweight exercises are more like a skill that you have or not. That way, learning a couple of bodyweight skills and practicing them a couple of times in the morning might increase my basic muscle mass without severe stress.

In short, a supplement to my muscle mass and free weight training.

 

[Bible_Belt]

Every post on this thread with a link in the signature was made by a spam-bot and not an actual person.

 

[Jack Wealthy]

Yes, they can be good for a start, but remember that muscles respond to intensity and progression.

Once you can lift your own weight (doing whatever exercise), unless you increase the weight, your muscles will not grow significantly. Depends on your goal.

At present, the only body weight exercise I do is overhand chin-ups, and even with that, I hold a dumbbell between my legs to add some weight.

Muscle respond to tension and fatigue. Resistance can be increased in a lot of ways, resistance can be more plates on the barbell or less leverage.
The name of the game is increasing tension, for bodywieght excersises 5-9 reps seems to work best for me.
Before you do front levering and planches, get a decent advanced l sit (30 secs) and a back lever (15 secs). It will really speed up your progression.
Also, building muscle (as anyone can tell you) is mostly eating more and burning off less through cardio and high reps.

 

[RedSky]

Another update and i'm sure everyone already knows this but just incase you don't

Bodyweight exercises (One arm press-ups, pull-ups, etc) = Amazing strenght gains, little mass gains

Free weight exercises = depends on the weight you use but can be brilliant for mass gains

So which one better then?

Neither, both can be as good as each other so i've decided to incorporate both into my workout