Bulking & Calisthenics

EzRemake

Anyone have any experience with this? I keep re-engaging my lower back injury with heavy squats and rows so I've decided to stop doing what isn't working. I've transitioned over to a mostly body weight program, hoping that I can continue to train and give my back a chance to recover. I'd like to get back onto the heavy compounds when I recover, but for now this is the plan for the winter.

AxBxAxB

A:
-Flat bench press - 3x 8-10
-Inverted Row - 3x Failure
-Pushups - 3x Failure (Upgrade to diamond pushups eventually, working towards 1 armed)
-Chinups - 3x Failure
-Lateral Raises - 2x 10-12
-Barbell Curl - 2x 10-12
-Reverse tricep extension - 2x 10-12

B:
-Pistol Squat - 3x Failure
-Bulgarian Split Squat - 3x 10-12
-Barbell Standing Calf raise - 3x 10-12
-Leg Curl - 2x 10-12
-Hanging Knee raises - 3x Failure
-Lying bicycle kicks - 3x 30
-2 minute plank


What do you guys think about this routine? Would it be effective enough to continue slow bulking?

armylife

Bulking is a product of slowing eating at a caloric surplus to gain muscle combined with providing a growth stimulus. One of the issues with majority body weight exercises is there is a endpoint to the increased resistance (stimulus) unless you are going into gymnastic style body weight work. I now plenty of guys that can do 80-100 push-ups and still have relatively non-muscular frames. Not to say you can't gain muscle and strength with a routine like this (I don't want someone to post photos of elite gymnasts and tell me they did it all with body weight) it will just take dedication to your diet and the realization that it is going to take time.

McCloud33

Two things I'd consider modifying depending on your level of competency. For push-ups, try doing 3 different hand positions (Wide/normal/military/diamond). Also, as you are able to do more of them, elevate your legs so that you're putting more weight onto your arms. Second, on pull-ups/chin-ups, rather than just going to failure, can you do weighted? So maybe once you can do 3 sets of 8 bodyweight, you add 5lbs. I did that for awhile and was able to get up to like 80lb weighted pull-ups 3x5.

AsISmile

This guy managed to bulk traveling around the world with no/irregular access to a gym.
You might be able to get some pointers from it.

https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/25/how-to-stay-in-shape-while-traveling/

EzRemake

It's really just something that I'm looking to prevent turning into jelly over the winter. I'd like to continue to bulk, just not if the program isn't challenging enough.

McCloud33 wrote: »

Two things I'd consider modifying depending on your level of competency. For push-ups, try doing 3 different hand positions (Wide/normal/military/diamond). Also, as you are able to do more of them, elevate your legs so that you're putting more weight onto your arms. Second, on pull-ups/chin-ups, rather than just going to failure, can you do weighted? So maybe once you can do 3 sets of 8 bodyweight, you add 5lbs. I did that for awhile and was able to get up to like 80lb weighted pull-ups 3x5.

I'll keep that in mind about the push ups, I've been focusing on doing them very slowly and holding at the bottom and it's quite challenging, especially after having done bench and inverted rows.

I guess for adding weight to my pullups, I could just throw plates in a backpack

armylife

You can also just put the plates on your back. I do this when I do body weight stuff they won't slide and it forces you to focus on your form.

RobynLB83

I put on about 10 lbs of muscle in a year with my only strength training being the body weight exercises I was doing for warm ups and cool downs. But I think that might just be my genetics.