Posts Tagged ‘bodyweight exercise’
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.
By Hugo Rivera
Bodybuilding training is composed mostly of weight training exercises. For the best results possible, your bodybuilding training should be composed of mostly free weight exercises that use dumbbells and barbells for resistance. However, I often get asked the questions: “What about bodyweight exercises? Are these useful for bodybuilding?”
Truth of the matter is, that bodyweight exercises are the best exercises for the fastest bodybuilding results! Examples of such exercises are the pull-ups, chin-ups, push-ups, dips, squats, lunges and calf raises. Any exercise where you have to move your torso through space and that can be done just by using your body as the resistance is a bodyweight exercise.
These exercises provide the best bodybuilding results because you have to activate the most amount of muscle fibers (since they provide the most neural stimulation) and use several stabilizer muscles (in addition to the main muscles being targeted) to accomplish the task of moving your body through space. In addition, these exercises are excellent for creating functional strength; in other words, strength that can be used to any task in your daily life.
As you get stronger, resistance can be added by using a weight belt for exercises like the pull-ups, chin-ups and dips, while barbells and dumbbells can be used for the squats, lunges, and calf raises. For push-ups, you can have a partner provide you with the resistance.
So be sure to incorporate plenty of bodyweight exercises in your bodybuilding routine and watch your bodybuilding results soar!
I have run across an exercise program that I believe will be just the thing that some of you are looking for. Many have been searching the internet for some sort of body weight exercise program. You are aware of many different types of body weight exercises but you aren’t sure how to put them all together in a program. That is where Body Weight Exercise Revolution comes in.
If you are like me then your hectic schedule often sabotages your exercise goals. That today as an example. I left the house at 5:45 am and did not return home until 7:15 pm. The local gym in my small hometown closes at 8:30 pm. So often I do not have a gym at my disposal even though I am paying for a membership. I haven’t made it to the gym in four days because of my schedule.
Training at home is the perfect solution if you find yourself running short of time like I do. But many are put off by the need to buy expensive home exercise equipment, weights, etc. The nice little home gym can set you back a pretty buck.
As I have shared with you before, however, is that you don’t need a gym membership or an expensive home gym to get in the best shape of your life. You have everything that you need already to get an incredible workout day in and day out. By using your own bodyweight and utilizing a little specialized knowledge you can whip yourself into a state of peak fitness.
This program, Body Weight Exercise Revolution, is not merely a regimin of push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups. It consists of innovative bodyweight exercises and movements to help you reach your goals.
If you are looking for any of the following then I encourage you to check it out.
# Increased energy
# Improved pain-free range of motion
# Peace of mind from knowing that you’re working towards your exact and personal goals
# Fat loss
# Greater strength
# Muscle gain
# Longevity
# General athleticism
# Fun-to-learn bodyweight exercises
I could go on and on about it but they can describe it better than I can. Give them a look. You will be glad you did.
One of my favorite pieces of equipment for body weight exercises is the good ole ab wheel. It is a tremendous tool for building up real core strength. You can find them in just about any store that sells fitness equipment (i.e. Target, WalMart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, SportsMart, etc). They aren’t very expensive and they last forever.
The ab wheel that I have is almost as old as I am. Yes, they have been around that long. It was originally my parents and I can remember using it as a young teenager (about 30 years ago). I absconded with it when I moved out on my own. I enjoyed using it then and I enjoy using it now.
When you begin using the ab wheel you will most likely have to begin on your knees. While on your knees, grab each handle with your hands and slowly begin to slide it away from your body. You want to reach the position where your arms are extended fully over your head and your body is virtually touching the floor. Now slide it back up. You can see how well this works your abs. Trust me you will be sore the next day.
When you master this part of the ab wheel you can begin to try the advanced version by performing the same exercise from a standing position. I am not going to mislead you. This is tremendously difficult but I am confident you can find success if you work at it. You will probably think I am crazy the first time you try it.
In order to build up to the point where you can do this you will probably need to take it in stages. Perform the exercise and just before you feel as if your are going to collapse to the floor roll back to your feet. In time you will be able to get lower and lower until you are able to perform it without problem. Don’t give up.
There are fancy ab wheels on the market that allow you to hook your feet into straps on the wheel and present you with the opportunity to perform more advanced exercises. I do not have one of these yet but I am quite interested. If you want to learn more about it you can click on the picture below.
A couple of years ago I first heard about Crossfit. I made my way over to their site and within a short period of time I was in love with what I saw.
The thing that drew me in more than anything else is that they had a different opinion of what real fitness was all about. Most of us have imbalanced views of what fitness is. If you have a running background, you might think that being fit means you have the ability to run 10 miles at a 5 – 6 minute pace for each mile.
If you are a weightlifter you might believe that being fit means that you can bench press in excess of 400 pounds, squat nearly 600 pounds and deadlift about 500 pounds.
If you are a bodybuilder you might believe that being fit is easy to determine. If you have built large muscles and rippling abs, then you have arrived.
The point is that we have a tendency to define fitness by the standard defined by the fitness area that we gravitate towards the most. Although, all of the above things are positive and beneficial they don’t necessarily define fitness. What good is it if you can run 10 miles but struggle carrying two gallons of milk in from the store?
It is nice to be able to lift heavy weights but if you are tired after walking a couple of flights of stairs then I would venture to say that your overall fitness level is not too great.
Crossfit looked at this problem and developed a workout protocol that attempts to build proficiency in all areas of fitness. They focus on endurance, strength, and flexibility. They incorporate running, body weight exercise, olympic lifts, kettlebell training, medicine ball training, etc.
Here is Crossfit type workout that I have modified slightly. It will kick your butt and have your heart leaping out of your chest. Give it a try and let me know what you think of it.
50 Body weight squats
40 Push-ups
30 Sit Ups
20 Pull-Ups
This list above is meant to be performed in succession without any rest in between the exercises. As soon as you are done with the squats fit the ground and move on to the push-ups. At the end of the entire set you can rest for 3 minutes. Repeat the set five times. At the end you will have done 150 body weight squats, 200 push-ups, 150 sit-ups and 100 pull-ups.
Good luck and let me know how it went and how long it took you to complete it.
Rope climbing is a tremendous body weight exercise. It works the grip, the forearms, the biceps and the back. It is a tremendous test of your strength.
I remember in elementary and junior high school that rope climbing was a part of our physical fitness training. I never liked getting to the top of the gym since I was not a big fan of heights but it was a great body weight exercise. Today we seem to have gotten away from it.
Many people are caught up with the idea of big biceps. The guns look good in a short sleeve shirt. But for the most part the bicep curl is a mostly worthless exercise. It doesn’t really mimic anything we do in real life. I am a firm believer that you can build huge biceps without ever doing bicep curls. Climbing rope is one of the ways to do it and not only are you working your arms but your back as well. You will also be working your core also.
So if you have never considered rope climbing before in your bodyweight exercise workout then give it a shot. Make sure you buy a quality rope. They are a little pricey but well worth it over the long haul. After all you will use it for years. Just attach it to a sturdy tree limb in your backyard and get to climbing. Below you will find a rope on Amazon if you need to purchase one.
Here is a little bit of a bonus. I ran across this video and just had to show it to you. This guy is insanely strong. Check it out and enjoy. This is the type of strength that can be developed by doing body weight exercises. The core strength required to do this is quite amazing. Enjoy!
This is the second part of the series “Body Weight Exercises for Size and Strength.” The first part centered in on specific exercises that you can do using only your body. However, there a few products that exist that I would recommend getting to help you get the most out of your bodyweight exercises. These products can enable you to perform exercises that you would normally not be able to do.
One of these products is the TRX Suspension Trainer. I highly recommend this training tool. When you buy the TRX Suspension Trainer Professional it comes with a DVD providing workout programs, a training guide showing you the different exercises that you can perform, and a storage bag. I could go on and describe all of the different exercises that you can do but it would be easier for you to watch a few videos. So I have included them below so that you can see the versatility of the TRX Suspension Trainer and how it can help take your body weight exercises to a new level.
This first video is called an atomic push-up. I know that you can tell by looking at it how difficult the exercise can be to perform.
The second video involves three Pittsburgh Pirates that use the TRX Suspension Trainer. They discuss how they use it. One of the things that I like about it is that it allows you to perform some body weight bicep exercises. The only other body weight bicep exercise that most can do is the chin-up or pull-up. This gives you more options. Check out the video.
This is kind of a cool video. Someone took a TRX Suspension Trainer on the the BART train in the Bay area and performed a workout on the train. It shows how easy and portable the TRX Suspension Trainer is. You can literally get a workout anywhere (even on the train).
This video discuss the concept of vector resistance. You have the ability to increase the intensity of any exercise by altering the angle of your body.
I firmly believe the TRX Suspension Trainer is a must to have for your arsenal when performing bodyweight exercises.
You can get a great workout for any part of your body with body weight exercises. In this post I want to review some of the exercises that you can perform for a great bodyweight workout for your back. The back is one of the greatest looking body parts when it has been developed correctly. You will find out as you have a chance to do many of these exercises that bodyweight exercises are one of the best ways to develop your back. In fact the great Arnold Schartzeneggar once said that if you want to develop your back then one exercise in particular was what you should concentrate on.
That one exercise is the pull up. If you want a big back then you need to do pull-ups. In this post we will cover a number of pull-up variations along with a few other back exercises.
Before I go any further let me state that the pull-up is the greatest of all bodyweight exercises. It is a pure strength exercise. Pull-ups can be very difficult for many people to do. If they are difficult for you then you can do a cheat pull-up. I provide an example of my son doing a cheat pull-up with a chair. You merely place one foot on a chair or stool and use it to give you the boost you need. Or you can attach an exercise tube to each end of your pull up bar so that it hangs to your waist or knee level when you are hanging from the bar. You would put one foot in this to give you an extra boost to help you get up.
Different grips on the pull-up bar will work different parts of your upper back. So experiment with your hand grip and see what results you get. So here we go.
The best pull-up exercise and potentially the most difficult to perform is the wide grip pull-up. This exercise will work your lats to a great degree and will be more responsible for wide lats than any other exercise.
The next picture shows what most consider to be a standard chin-up. It involves an underhand grip where the wide grip involved an overhand grip. This pull-up is also a great exercise for your biceps.
You can also perform the close grip pull-up with an overhand grip.
For a real challenge you can do the towel pull-up. These are quite difficult. This exercise is also killer on your grip since you need to grip the towel in order to do the pull-up.
This is a variation on the towel pull-up. One hand grips the towel while the other hand grips the bar. The staggered grip makes for a difficult and challenging exercise.
The pull-up is not the only bodyweight exercise for the back. Another great exercise is the inverted row. It works the same muscles as the bent over row. Simply support a weight bar between two different object (I used my squat rack) and perform the exercise as shown in the picture. You can also use a sturdy dowel rod or broom handle laid across two stools. My son has his feet on the floor in the first picture and to make the exercise more difficult he places his feet on the bench in the second picture.
For your lower back you can perform reverse hyperexetensions. I do not have a reverse hyper bench so we use a makeshift bench. I have a preacher curl bench. We slide it up to my old tablesaw and hook our feet under the tablesaw (not running of course). It works just fine.
You can also perform a superman exercise for the lower back. Lay on the floor on your stomach with your hands extended out above your head. To perform the exercise lift your head, arms and feet off the floor and hold them in the air for a count of 15 – 30 seconds. Rest and then repeat.
Oh, I almost forgot. Here is the picture of the cheat pull-up.
If you perform these exercises I think you will be pleased with the result. Give them a shot.
When I posted my Push-up variation post a little while back, I should have included Hindu push-ups. Hindu pushups are a fantastic exercise that are a little more challenging than the normal push-up. Hindu push-ups are a much more dynamic exercise.
Not only do they work your chest but they work your shoulders and triceps as well. I am sure others may be different but they tire me out much quicker than regular push-ups. Regular push-ups do not necessarily get my heart rate up but Hindu push-ups do. They can be used as a conditioning exercise and not merely a strength building exercise.
So how do you perform them? Here is how you perform Hindu pushups:
- From a standing position with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders place your palms flat on the floor several feet in front of your feet. Your feet should also be wider than your shoulders. Your arms and legs should be straight. You should in essence look like a giant inverted V.
- Without bending your legs lower your upper body towards the floor in sort of a swooping motion. You want to get as close to the ground as possible (nearly grazing your nose on the floor). As you swoop through you will begin to push your upper body back up into and upward dog (for all you yoga fans) position. Once you have reached this position, return to the original starting position. You do not swoop down through on the way back to the starting position. That would be known as a dive bomber push-up (another great exercise).
I would shoot for 3 sets of 15 – 20 reps to start. If you find this easy then increase the reps. Enjoy.
