Bodyweight training is the fastest growing trend in fitness to date for good reason. The benefits greatly outweigh the drawbacks – because there really aren’t any.
Adopting either as stand-alone workouts or as part of your existing program will not only spark new enthusiasm, but will also incorporate making you full-body strong. What Can It Do For You?. Shore-up weak spots in your range of motion. on almost every exercise. Make you whole-body strong by supporting your own weight. Turn you into one functional, athletic machine!. Engage a host of supportive muscle that was once ignored through too much isolation work 5 Things You Should Know Before You Start.
You can gain muscle and lose fat doing bodyweight workouts: Yes, contrary to meatheads in your local gym you can performing bodyweight exercises. The key is to know how to be progressive and up the ante regarding difficulty.
Still not convinced? Just look at male gymnasts. They have massive shoulders and arms anyone would envy from simply doing bodyweight training. Challenge yourself: Learning the proper way to perform exercises with precise form and how to progress and regress when needed will give you all the tools you need to challenge yourself. Shifting your bodyweight, single-limb movements and speed of reps are just a few ways to add to the intensity. Stay efficient: The beauty of bodyweight training is the ability to kill two birds with one stone, namely and.
This type of training combines these two factors into one fast-paced, fat scorching, muscle-building workout. Keeping an eye on pace and simply sustaining your own bodyweight will have your muscles and lungs working overtime. Keep it interesting: Just as you would your traditional, feel free to change up your bodyweight workouts.
There’s more than one way to perform a push-up, pull-up or squat. With seemingly countless ways to change up movements it won’t be hard at all to keep it interesting and challenging all the while keeping you on the right road to progress. Change it up, have some fun!. Adding to your arsenal is easy: Though conventional bodyweight training has you using, well, your own bodyweight, you can easily add in a few tools without too much hassle or money. Kettlebells, bands, weight plates, benches, steps and blocks can be extremely useful pieces of equipment that are not only effective additions but also cheap to boot. As you advance, get stronger and you may want to include a few of these to your program. So let’s take your newfound love and understanding of bodyweight training and put it into practice.
Below is a complete 9-week bodyweight workout solution anyone can do. Starting with the simple basics, it’s progressive, challenging and contains enough variation to keep you coming back for more. On Sep 11, 2014 at 3:21pm PDT The 9-Week Progressive Bodyweight Workout Phase 1: Weeks 1 – 3 This phase introduces you to the basic bodyweight exercises and progresses your volume slightly each week.
Perform the following routine three times per week on nonconsecutive days such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Rest 30 – 60 seconds between sets.
AMRAP = As many reps as possible WEEK 1 Sets Reps 3 15 3 10 3 10 (3 Second Pause At Bottom) 3 15 3 15 3 10 3 10 3 10 WEEK 2 Sets Reps 4 15 4 10 4 10 (3 Second Pause At Bottom) 4 15 4 15 4 10 4 10 4 10 WEEK 3 Sets Reps 4 AMRAP 4 AMRAP 4 AMRAP (3 Second Pause At Bottom) 4 20 4 AMRAP 4 20 4 15 4 15 Phase 2: Weeks 4 – 6 This phase increases the intensity and difficulty. Since you will be performing more challenging moves you will again build up your volume over time. Perform the following routine three times per week on nonconsecutive days such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Rest 30 – 60 seconds between sets. WEEK 1 Sets Reps 4 15 4 10 Feet Elevated Diamond Push-Ups 4 10 4 10 4 10 4 AMRAP Decline Board Crunches 4 10 4 10 WEEK 2 Sets Reps 4 20 4 15 Feet Elevated Diamond Push-Ups 4 15 4 15 4 15 4 AMRAP Decline Board Crunches 4 15 4 15 WEEK 3 Sets Reps 4 AMRAP 4 AMRAP Feet Elevated Diamond Push-Ups 4 AMRAP 4 15 4 15 4 AMRAP Decline Board Crunches 4 15 4 15 Phase 3: Weeks 7 – 9 This phase increases the intensity and difficulty yet again so building up your tolerance to volume will be the goal. Exercises labeled as 1A, 1B, for example are performed back-to-back without rest. After the two sets are completed you can then rest for 30 seconds.
Perform the following routine three times per week on nonconsecutive days such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Week 3 will utilize a few bodyweight assisted pieces of equipment. WEEK 1 Sets Reps 1A: 3 15 1B: or 3 10 2A: or 3 15 2B: 3 10 3A: 3 10 3B: 3 10 4A: Box Jumps 3 10 4B: 3 15 5A: 3 15 5B: 3 15 WEEK 2 Sets Reps 1A: 3 AMRAP 1B: or 3 AMRAP 2A: or 3 AMRAP 2B: 3 AMRAP 3A: 3 15-20 3B: 3 15 4A: Box Jumps 3 15 4B: 3 20 5A: 3 20 5B: 3 20 WEEK 3 Sets Reps 1A: w/ Bands 3 AMRAP 1B: 3 AMRAP 2A: TRX Triceps Extensions 3 AMRAP 2B: TRX Biceps Curls 3 AMRAP 3A: Jump Split Squats 3 20 3B: Weighted 3 15 4A: Weighted 3 15 4B: Kettlebell 3 20 5A: TRX Pikes 3 15 5B: TRX Leg Tucks 3 15.
Brad I am about to begin week 9 of this program. I have been eating clean, resting and doing yoga on my off days and have not felt this good since I was in my 20's and I'm 58! I have been doing only body weight workouts for the past two years for the sake of my joints. I gave up flour and sugar in March and have lost 25 lbs. Question: my body is telling me to rest.how long should I rest between programs? What would you suggest I do during these rest periods? Any suggestion for my next challenge?
I'm getting older but I am NOT getting old! Thanks for your encouragement. I appreciate your writing and articles!