Body Weights

ruggedshutter

I've been reassessing my goals this past weekend and I've decided to transition into maintenance. I've lost 65 pounds over the past 4 years (half of it in the past 7 months). I'm at 175 pounds and I'm 5'11" which puts me just a hair under the upper limit of my healthy BMI. I am happy with this weight so I'm not worried about trying to get down another 10, which is where my final goal was.

With all of that said, I still want to recomp a bit. I don't want to get huge but I would like to get a little bit of the love handles and lose skin in my triceps area firmed up. I would like some definition in my chest and arms. I don't have a lot of extra income for a weight set but I have a suspension trainer (similar to a TRX). Would this be enough to add some definition or do I need to invest in some weights before I would see some results? I plan on a full body routine 3x's a week. Thoughts or advice?

AsISmile

Well, from Nerdfitness I know it is possible to bulk doing bodyweight exercises, so in theory it should be possible.
However, when I asked something similar in the recomp thread I was warned it might be difficult.

I guess just try to make it a bit harder every time just like you would do when lifting weights.
Also, perhaps try to find the trx exercises that use muscles in a similar way as when doing compound lifts.

BigGuy47

Do dips and feet elevated push ups to work the chest using the suspension trainer. Get a doorway pull up bar, it's a small investment ($30). I made a decent amount of progress on BWF alone. Eventually I started adding dumbbells, mainly for OHP work.

Consistency is far more important than the choice of tools. Bang it out for a few months with what you have and then decide if you need to add weights. The difficulty of some of the bodyweight progressions is often underestimated; L-sits, V-sits, Levers (front and back), dragon flags, HSPU and others

ruggedshutter

Thanks for the feedback. I have mine setup on a punching bag eyelet suspended from a floor joist in my basement right now. Looking at finding a pull up bar that would work for it right now.

RaspberryTickleChicken

First of all CONGRATS!

And I think it's a general misnomer that you have-to-have an extensive weight set or gym membership to tone & define. There us a current fitness trend which requires ZERO equipment, can be done anywhere, using nothing but your own body weight.

You can check out some of the exercises & routines HERE and HERE

And personally I have gained better results using this approach compared to when I was lifting.

Best of luck to you!

KarlaH9801

TRX is fantastic for building muscle. More resistance= feet closer to the wall. Some of the moves like push-ups, rows, etc. you can even elevate your feet so you are on an incline for even more resistance. Good luck!