Body Weight Exercises

[poopypants]

Bottom line Is I will soon be in a situation where I will most likely only have my own body weight to work with and would like to diversify my arsenal of BW exercises I have at my disposal.

Everyone knows about good old push ups, their many varients and also pullups and dips if you have something to brace/hang from but what else can one accomplish to target direct muscle groups using only ones own BW?

Any and all ideas/videos/questions are welcome, lets discuss.

[SilentBob187]

Burpees, let me find Hurley's old thread....

[SilentBob187]

Found it

Bodybuilding In Jail

[poopypants]

Found it

Bodybuilding In Jail

shoulda just looked that up.... considering....

I remember that thread Ill skim it again.

[poopypants]

I know the burpee but thats also a mostly aerobic type of exercise based on explosiveness and endurance but lookin for some more direct focused exercises for groups rather then full body exercises... still a good one though.

any one else?

[poopypants]

bumpy

[Highlanda01602]

Crossfit.com is filled with BW/Pylometric videos, check that one out.

Random exercises coming to mind...
If you have a pullup "bar", try "Knees to Elbows". Just as it sounds, from a dead hang, drive you hips up and forward and make contact. Your torso should be rotating slightly backwards to make the movement more natural.

Pistols, aka one-legged squats, builds balance, coordination, and flexibility. Nonetheless builds strength, but that's fairly obvious.

Hand-stand pushups... very difficult if you have yet to try these... essentially overhead pressing your bodyweight, despite a smaller range of motion (unless you're advanced and use something like cinder blocks for a deeper ROM).

Pike pushups... "dive bomber" stance, but just nose-to-ground touches. In other words, bent at the waist in the pushup position, making an incline pushup position.

Planks and neck bridges... core stability for the win.

There's really no secret though with BW exercises, but you already know that. It's just about getting creative and designing your own ass-kicker. People underestimate how powerful bodyweight exercises can be when done at high intensity! I think you'll have fun doing this.

[poopypants]

Thats great Highlanda! thanks for all the info brotha should be very useful!

[crader]

Walkouts are a good core exercise, if you can get 2 6lb medicine balls you can use them to roll out with your hands and back in again to make it harder.

I assume you will be using heavy things around the house to do squats and curls and tri kickbacks with? Over head baby lifts..lol

[poopypants]

Walkouts are a good core exercise, if you can get 2 6lb medicine balls you can use them to roll out with your hands and back in again to make it harder.

I assume you will be using heavy things around the house to do squats and curls and tri kickbacks with? Over head baby lifts..lol

These Ive done, lol..... in fact I even patented what I like to call "dog bells" back in '05

[Manimalia]

hit up some headstand shoulder press against a wall (HARD. i can only do about 5). follow that with...

bent-over shoulder presses. put your butt in the air and make an upside down v. press yourself down and up. it's HARD if you move through it slowly/correclty.


then for triceps, you will wanna prefatigue with dips and then hit up some diamond pushup 21's. but you don't HAVE TO finish with ONLY 7 full pushups. do 10, 12, whatever you can.


deadlift squats are a good option for legs. stand on one leg and imitate a deadlift and do this for high reps. mix that in with some one-legged step ups for quads/butt, and don't let your other foot touch the floor much at all. just the tip.

do some mary katherine lunges as well.

wide pullups for back. chin 21's for bis.

that's about all i can think of.

oh and burpees/walking to and fro for cardio.

[Resolve]

Man, everybody took my suggestions...

Just kiddin' - there's some great info here!

For one leg squats, I prefer to do them standing on a box, so the leg not being worked hangs off the side. This increases ROM. Same for One leg Deads.

And burpees? Roll from squat position onto your back, then forward again into squat position, then push-up, etc. Adds one step to the movement, but it will REALLY get you winded quick.

Also, plyometric push-ups and pull-ups are killer.

[poopypants]

Also, plyometric push-ups and pull-ups are killer.

plyometric meaning slowed down or the same as TUT? these are the only way IMO to make up for the fact that pushups can become depressingly easy after doing them regularly (i can hit a quick rigid 100 no problem for sets when doing them constantly)

pullups are still difficult enough on their own for me so I couldt imagine trying to slow that down too much.... suppose If I did them avidly that they would get easier as well...

[Omen]

I was gonna post my routine cause it might help someone, then I decided against, then I read your post and I'll post it before my workout tonight.

You will be VERY VERY happy with the results you see from it but will cuss me out everytime you do it

In less than 2 hours I'll post it, I'll post the link here for ya, it's nothing but body weight exercises for strength, endurance, explosiveness and like any workout fat loss and muscle gain will follow.

[poopypants]

Tons of great suggestions so far guys.... keep em comin...

even if you see something you were thinking but know a specific twist to make them more difficult or focus on a specific muscle group then please dont hesitate to mention it as well.

to everyone who contributed thus far... reps to all.

[poopypants]

I was gonna post my routine cause it might help someone, then I decided against, then I read your post and I'll post it before my workout tonight.

You will be VERY VERY happy with the results you see from it but will cuss me out everytime you do it

In less than 2 hours I'll post it, I'll post the link here for ya, it's nothing but body weight exercises for strength, endurance, explosiveness and like any workout fat loss and muscle gain will follow.

That would just be supurb, great to hear of someone applying these types of exercises with viable feedback. Please feel free to post a link or copy and paste it directly, I want to clutter this up with info so others can reap the benifits as well.

[John Smeton]

weighted push ups are supoosed to be awesome I may try these as a chest exercise when i can

Step up lunges holding somethingand there may be a time that you can have access to weightsif the system allows it

Goodluck! and keep positive

[Resolve]

Plyometric meaning fast and explosive. A plyometric push-up is one where you launch yourself from the ground every rep. A plyometric pull-up is where you move upward so quickly you can release the bar momentarily. They work. Well.

Interested to see Omen's routine - bw is a viable addition to any program, but designing a workout entirely with BW movements is tough.

[poopypants]

Plyometric meaning fast and explosive. A plyometric push-up is one where you launch yourself from the ground every rep. A plyometric pull-up is where you move upward so quickly you can release the bar momentarily. They work. Well.

Interested to see Omen's routine - bw is a viable addition to any program, but designing a workout entirely with BW movements is tough.

LOL. well guess I fudged that one, lol. I can do plyometric pullups then... my only worry will be crackn my chin or teeth on the bar as I tend to get carried away with them as it is sometimes and have popped myself pretty good.... Ill be trying these though.

[poopypants]

weighted push ups are supoosed to be awesome I may try these as a chest exercise when i can

Step up lunges holding somethingand there may be a time that you can have access to weightsif the system allows it

Goodluck! and keep positive

Thanks Smeton bro, Im a positive guy anywho so Ill make the best of everything... thats why Im researching now, gotta have plenty to do.