bodyweight exercises

[ang_soo_do_guy]

hey

 

i was wondering if bodyweight exercises will still increse strength and phsyque (sorry about spelling) cos i havent got any weights of my own and i was thinking of doing these till i lose weight improve physique and gain strength then ill get some to improve

 

b.t.w i also do cardio (bag work) every day for an hour to lose unwanted pounds aswell as the bodyweight exercises eg pull ups push ups etc

 

any advice useful

[Rich67]

Bodyweight only exercises will certainly help strength and muscular development. But there is a limit to your development using them. Weightlifting will increase strength beyond what bodyweight exercises can do, but I do a lot of bodyweight onlys and have noticed a marked difference in my strength and muscular balance over doing just weightlifting.

[ncole_91]

Well if you don't have any equipment, you can just keep doing situps, pushups (there are lots of variations). You might also look into going to a gym and practice there. I am sure there will be plenty of people willing to help you there

[kchenault]

I have found that body weight exercises have really helped my chest and legs. I do three different types of pushups and Hindu leg squats. I do the pushups in sets of 10 and the squats in sets of 25. My chest and triceps gained some size and hardness and strength. My legs have increased in size, strength, and definition. They have really helped. I can now hold a side kick for longer than I could before. It has also strengthened my hip flexors and such. If done properly, they increase cardio as well. I walk 2 miles and then do pushups, squats, and then a back bridge to do overall strength and flexibility. This really helps my lower back pain.

[daryldolittle]

ang_soo_do_guy bodywieght exercises will always develop strength, the trick i just to make the exercise harder, one way is to rejuice the leaverage

 

or to make the exercise more demanding, for example pushup can be made harder by putting your feet higher then your chest, then this can be made harder by doing handstand push -ups, push ups can also made more difficlut by using one hand on leg etc you get my draft?

[Coco]

I have found that body weight exercises have really helped my chest and legs. I do three different types of pushups and Hindu leg squats. I do the pushups in sets of 10 and the squats in sets of 25. My chest and triceps gained some size and hardness and strength. My legs have increased in size, strength, and definition. They have really helped. I can now hold a side kick for longer than I could before. It has also strengthened my hip flexors and such. If done properly, they increase cardio as well. I walk 2 miles and then do pushups, squats, and then a back bridge to do overall strength and flexibility. This really helps my lower back pain.

 

Why do you do pushups in sets of 10 and squats in 25s?! Ive found both as challanging if not squats to be even harder than pushups! Thats a first for me

[kchenault]

Coco, my legs are far stronger than my arms and chest. I can bang out 75 to 100 squats in sets of 25, but I can only pull out about 30 pushups in 3 sets of 10, then my arms start to give out. I follow up with a back bridge to work out the kinks in my back. In about 10-15 minutes, 1 minute rests in between sets, I get a pretty decent workout just doing those three exercises. That is all I have time for. It is really more of a maintenance program.

[Mischievousjoe]

I used to have the same limitations ( no accesss to a gym ) and this routine worked pretty well for me , requiring only minimal equipment

 

squats 3 sets of 20 - 30

 

flat pushups - 2 x 20

 

incline pushups 2 x 15

 

triangle pushups 2x 10-15

 

leg lifts 2x 20

 

crunches 2x 30

 

leg pushes 1 x 50

 

oblique crunches 2 x 25 ( per side )

 

and some cheap equipment - go get one of those mountable pullup bars at a sportinggoods store there cheap, and a 15 20 or 25 lb barbell ( also cheap)

 

3 x 10-15 curls per arm

 

2 x10-15 triceps extension

 

2x 10 underhand pullups

 

2x10 overhand pullups

 

I did that twice a week in addition to classes and stuff, and it was pretty tough to get through it all by the end, i think weights are probly slightly more effective , but i definitely got pretty strong doing this routine. hope it helps!

[kchenault]

That sounds like a great routine.

[Radok]

Don't any of you guys actually train? I would think you'd be up a little higher on numbers, I did 325 squats in a row on my first attempt, without working up to it.