Archive for March, 2010
Dips are one of the best bodyweight exercises that you can do for triceps. Not only is it a great exercise for your triceps but it is also a good exercise for your chest. If your own bodyweight ceases to be enough of a challenge at some time you can always add a little weight strapped to a belt or you can hook a dumbbell in the crook of your knee.
You can do dips on a variety of different things if you don’t have access to a health club. You can use two chairs that are pushed together. Or you can make a dip station of your own. There are probably several plans that you can find on the internet but I saw one from Matt Wichlinski of the Strength Shop in Virginia Beach, VA. It is part of a larger video that shows some of his homemade equipment. The dip station is made out of 2″ PVC. I will be trying to make one in the coming weeks. When I do I will put the measurements that I used online. In the meantime you can view the video and have a go at it yourself if you want to.
Bodyweight exercises can be a great way to increase strength and build muscle. Many people do not realize the strength level that can be achieved and the muscle that can be built with only bodyweight exercises. One of the most famous of individuals that have built an incredible physique through bodyweight exercises is Hershel Walker. In an interview done with Academy of Achievement in 1991 Herschel said the following:
“I didn’t grow up – my parents didn’t have a lot of money. My high school didn’t have a lot of money to afford a lot of the expensive weights. You know all this stuff. They used that as an excuse. I started doing push-ups and sit-ups during commercials as I was watching TV. And started doing about, sometimes 2,000 push-ups, 3,000 sit-ups, 1500 pull-ups, 1000 dips, or different things like that. I started creating different hand positions for all that, then I learned that could work you out. ”
All you have to do is to look at Herschel’s physique even today to realize that there is great merit to bodyweight exercise. It requires hard work but it can provide great gains in strength and muscle.
Bodyweight exercises such as pull ups and push ups and sit ups allow you to follow the principle of progression. You can build muscle when you progressively overload your muscle. Increase the number of push ups you do every day. Increase the number of pull ups that you do every day. Eric Cressey just made a post recently that stated if you did one set pull ups to failure every day for one month that you would double the number of push ups that you could do in one set.
It is based on the idea of progression. If you want to increase strength and build muscle then embark on a program of progressive bodyweight exercises. You will be amazed by the results. Maybe one day you will build up to 1000 push ups like Herschel Walker.
There are a number of bodyweight exercises that you can do to build muscle in your upper and lower back. One of the most effective bodyweight back exercises is the bodyweight row. The bodyweight row will work the same muscles that one would work when performing bent over rows with a weight bar or a seated row. It is a great exercise so give it a try.
If you have access to a Smith Machine you can set the bar about four feet off of the ground and drag a bench over to place your feet on. Placing your feet on a bench increases the amount of weight you are rowing. Of course, if you don’t have a bench then lower the bar and place your feet on the floor. In the absence of a Smith Machine you will need to get creative by putting a bar across a couple of stools or something that is about three feet off the ground. Look around the house to see what you might be able to use.
The best tool for doing the bodyweight row and many other bodyweight exercises is the TRX Suspension Trainer. Its versatility is unmatched. If you are serious about getting stronger through body weight exercises then this is a must. Check the video out.
To perform the exercise grab the bar with a shoulder width grip and pull yourself up to the bar so that you touch the bar with the middle of your chest. Do not take your face to the bar; it should touch your chest.
If you perform these are part of your regular back workout you will find that if favors comparably to a workout with weights. If you want to add weight you can always lay a weight plate on your stomach when performing the exercise. However, I would just be inclined to do more repetitions. Give it a try if you have never used it. It is one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do.
The benefits of bodyweight exercises can be enormous. Bodyweight exercise uses your own body to help condition you. On top of this it also help you with everyday tasks that you perform in life such as squating, jumping reaching, twisting and the like. These exercises are built for you normal everyday life.
People are worried that bodyweigt exercises may not provide the individual with gains the gains in muscle, strength, and endurance that can be provided through other means of exercise such as weight lifting or cardiovascular exercise. But this is not true. Not only can bodyweight improve on these things but it can help burn fat effectively as well.
The nice thing about bodyweight exercises is that you are not forced to get an expensive gym membership. You can perform them anywhere. You can do them in the comfort of your own home. You can do them in your backyard or in a park. You can do them in a hotel room if need be.
The military still understands the benefits of bodyweight exercises and uses them as the primary form of exercise and conditioning. If it is good for them it will be good for you as well.
Bodyweight exercises have the ability to raise your heart rate and in doing so to burn more calories and burn more fat in the process. They give you the ability to build muscle while working the heart to a great degree. Weight lifting, although, greatly beneficial to build muscle lacks greatly when trying to keep your heart rate up. There is often too long of a wait time in between weight sets to keep your heart rate up. On the other hand, cardio has the ability to elevate your heart rate but it does absolutely nothing for building muscle. In fact, a lot of cardio exercise will actually decrease muscle rather than enhance it.
One of the benefits of bodyweight exercises is the time that it can save you. You don’t have to perform weight lifting exercises and cardiovascular exercises. All you need to do is perform a circuit of bodyweight exercises to accomplish the same result in less time.
So if you have never considered doing bodyweight exercises before give it a whirl and see what you think.
Many people acknowledge that you can get a great metabolic workout with bodyweight exercises, however, many of these same people are reluctant to say the bodyweight exercises are effective at building muscle. I will dispute this thought process. Bodyweight exercises may not make you a power lifter but they are definitely a help when you are trying to pack on slabs of muscle. So let’s take a look at some of the best bodyweight exercises to build muscle.
Push Ups. There are many different variations of push ups that you can do. All of them are effective at building muscle. I remember from years ago that Herschel Walker attributed his physique to hundreds of push ups each day. A push up uses about 60% of your body weight when you perform one. If you were to elevate your feet you would be using an even higher percentage of your body weight.
You can use many different variations of the push up to build muscle. Wide grip, narrow grip and a staggered grip will each give you a different feel. Narrow grip push ups are quite challenging for not only your chest muscles but you triceps as well.
If you want to not only add muscle but are looking or a bodyweight exercise to build strength then you might want to consider performing plyometric push ups. To perform this you will set a platform on each side of your arms. Then you will explode up so that you raise yourself off the ground and catch yourself on the platforms. Then perform a depth drop and propel yourself off the platform and back on to the ground. You can view the video below to see it in action.
Adam Archuleta attributed his great strength gains prior to attending the NFL combine back in 2001 to this type of training. He benched over 500 pounds at just of 200 pounds of body weight.
Pull Ups. Pull ups are not only the best bodyweight back exercises you can perform they may be the best back exercises you can perform period. Arnold Schwartzeneggar stated that the wide grip pull up was in his estimation the best exercise to pack slabs of muscle onto his lats. Not only will pull-us give you that “V look” or “cobra loo.” to your upper back but it will also provide a great workout and build muscle for your biceps.
You will find out that if you do a lot of pull ups that you will never have to do another bicep exercise in your life. And peope will still walk up to you and ask you how you got such big arms.
There are many different variations that you ca do for push ups as well. Wide grip, narrow grip, overhand grip and underhand grip will each hit you back and biceps in different ways.
One-legged squats (pistols). This is one of the toughest bodyweight exercises to perform. Not only does it require balance but an incredible amount of strength. This exercise will build muscle in your quads.
It is a very challenging exercise to perform at first and you may need the aid of some object to help you get up initially. The TRX Suspension Trainer is great for this. If you don’t have one of these you may want to use a door knob or some other object that you can grab onto to get you past the sticking point in the squat.
Handstand push ups. The last of the best bodyweight exercises to build muscle that we will cover here is the hand stand push up. It is quite difficult. You will place your hands about 2 feet from a wall and kick up into a handstand. Then lower yourself to the ground till your head touches and raise yourself back up. As I said, this is quite a challenging exercise but it is a great bodyweight exercise for shoulders.
You may want to do this on a carpeted floor. The first time I ever tried one was outside on concrete and I ended up with a scab on the top of my head when I contacted the ground a little hard. You can walk your arms away from the wall to lessen the amount of weight you are trying to push up. The closer to the wall you are the more of your bodyweight you will be using.
These four exercises are what I would consider to be the best bodyweight exercises to build muscle. Give them a try and see what you think.
Bodyweight exercises can be used to give virtually any body part a great workout. The back is not exception. If you want a great back workout here are the best bodyweight back exercises for you to perform.
Inverted rows. If you have a TRX, I would perform this exercise with the aide of the TRX Suspension Trainer. If not then you will have to improvise a bit. If you have a weight bar around the house simply lay it across two sturdy objects such as a stool. It will need to high enough off the ground so that your arms can be fully extended and not touch the ground. If you do not have a weight bar then you can use a sturdy broom handle or something similar. You could also go to Home Depot and purchase a 4′ long section of 3/4″ dowel rod.
To perform the exercise use either an overhead or underhand grip on the bar and pull your chest to the bar.
Pull Ups. You cannot have a discussion about the best bodyweight back exercises unless you include the pull up. It is the most effective exercise at building size in your upper back. To really hit your lats use a wide grip. However, use varying grips to work your back in different ways. You can use close grip, wide grip, overhand or underhand grips. You can also use things such as towels to drape over the bar. In addition to giving your back a great workout it also wreaks havoc on your grip. You can buy a free standing pull up unit or you can get one that attaches to your door frame like Iron Gym. Or if you have exposed rafters in your garage stick a metal rod between them and knock out your pull ups. If you look around you will probably find many things to use such as a sturdy tree branch or monkey bars at your local park.
The previous two back exercises are for the upper back. If you want to work the lower back then one of the best bodyweight back exercises that you can perform is a hyperextension. These can be done on a Roman Chair if you have one. If not, then you will have to improvise and it might require a partner. Drape your body over something so that when you bend at the waist your head will not touch the ground. Have a partner hold your legs or find some way to anchor your feet. This will give you a great lower back workout.
Incorporate these bodyweight back exercises into your bodyweight exercise routine and watch your back grow in size and strength.
