Is anyone out there doing bodyweight training and gaining mass?

s3rialthrill3r
s3rialthrill3r Posts: 49 Member
I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.
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Replies

  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    There are a lot of jacked guys who only do bodyweight stuff. Have you ever seen some of those street gymnasts? Seriously, do some dips, pullups, HLRs, etc. on a set of rings and let me know how it goes. Never seen any with big legs though. Leg muscles just seem to require a lot more loading.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.

    No, it's not the only way to put on mass. Bodyweight training can indeed work.

    Muscles respond to stimulus. If you can provide adequate stimulus AND you can increase that stimulus over the course of time and you provide the muscle with enough fuel, it will grow, basically.
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
    SideSteel wrote: »
    I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.

    No, it's not the only way to put on mass. Bodyweight training can indeed work.

    Muscles respond to stimulus. If you can provide adequate stimulus AND you can increase that stimulus over the course of time and you provide the muscle with enough fuel, it will grow, basically.

    Yup! But to take that point further, you'll have to consider the fact that bodyweight training is the least efficient way to put on mass over the long term. At some point doing pushups and bodyweight dips and pullups is going to give you diminishing returns!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    edited January 2017
    aelunyu wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.

    No, it's not the only way to put on mass. Bodyweight training can indeed work.

    Muscles respond to stimulus. If you can provide adequate stimulus AND you can increase that stimulus over the course of time and you provide the muscle with enough fuel, it will grow, basically.

    Yup! But to take that point further, you'll have to consider the fact that bodyweight training is the least efficient way to put on mass over the long term. At some point doing pushups and bodyweight dips and pullups is going to give you diminishing returns!

    At some point it might, but I think that point is probably further away than most people think it is at which point you may need to get creative and find ways to make training more efficient whether thats by using bands or some form of external resistance, or manipulating the exercise itself (progressing it).

    I don't know that I'd agree that it's "least efficient" -- I would say that eventually it's less efficient in comparison to more traditional resistance training methods. But I don't mean to hammer on your word choices, I think I mostly agree with what you're saying.
  • Gimsteinn
    Gimsteinn Posts: 7,678 Member
    I started working only with body weight in pole fitness. It did wonders for me. But then I wanted to add more so I started lifting to and then the progress really began
  • s3rialthrill3r
    s3rialthrill3r Posts: 49 Member
    edited January 2017
    Thanks for the responses so far everyone. It's very reassuring to hear that bodyweight training does work well too. I'm in a strange position right now since I'm lacking in strength and in some cases, flexibility. So, it's a pretty big jump to move on to harder variations.

    If I can just go on a different tangent, it's really confusing as to what I should be doing. I changed my diet up by quite a bit about 6 months ago because I wasn't getting enough protein, or enough food in general. I actually used to have a thigh gap, but I lost it after gaining about 10kg. According to some old Cron-o-metre logs, I was having about 2400 calories a day. I was still pretty skinny though, since I didn't see much in the way of belly fat.

    I've been at about 65kg since the change in diet. About 5 weeks ago, I've tried aiming for about 2000 calories and now I'm wondering about where I should go from there. How much of a surplus is enough for gaining muscle and at what point does it become too much?
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited January 2017
    SideSteel wrote: »
    aelunyu wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.

    No, it's not the only way to put on mass. Bodyweight training can indeed work.

    Muscles respond to stimulus. If you can provide adequate stimulus AND you can increase that stimulus over the course of time and you provide the muscle with enough fuel, it will grow, basically.

    Yup! But to take that point further, you'll have to consider the fact that bodyweight training is the least efficient way to put on mass over the long term. At some point doing pushups and bodyweight dips and pullups is going to give you diminishing returns!

    At some point it might, but I think that point is probably further away than most people think it is at which point you may need to get creative and find ways to make training more efficient whether thats by using bands or some form of external resistance, or manipulating the exercise itself (progressing it).

    I don't know that I'd agree that it's "least efficient" -- I would say that eventually it's less efficient in comparison to more traditional resistance training methods. But I don't mean to hammer on your word choices, I think I mostly agree with what you're saying.

    Example:

    Wall pushups
    Knee pushups
    Full (standard) pushups
    Band/chain/weighted pushups
    Decline pushups (feet elevated)
    One-handed pushups
    Band/chain/weighted one-handed pushups

    By the time you get to the point where you can knock out multiple sets of weighted one-handed pushups, you should have made some noticeable gains in upper body mass and strength.

    One could add in headstand pushups and one-handed headstand pushups to take the progression a bit further, but I guess then it could be said that you're working different muscle groups than pushups which are more or less done in the horizontal plane, no?
  • edickson76
    edickson76 Posts: 107 Member
    If I can just go on a different tangent, it's really confusing as to what I should be doing. I changed my diet up by quite a bit about 6 months ago because I wasn't getting enough protein, or enough food in general. I actually used to have a thigh gap, but I lost it after gaining about 10kg. According to some old Cron-o-metre logs, I was having about 2400 calories a day. I was still pretty skinny though, since I didn't see much in the way of belly fat.

    I've been at about 65kg since the change in diet. About 5 weeks ago, I've tried aiming for about 2000 calories and now I'm wondering about where I should go from there. How much of a surplus is enough for gaining muscle and at what point does it become too much?

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10226536/bulking-for-beginners/p1
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    aelunyu wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.

    No, it's not the only way to put on mass. Bodyweight training can indeed work.

    Muscles respond to stimulus. If you can provide adequate stimulus AND you can increase that stimulus over the course of time and you provide the muscle with enough fuel, it will grow, basically.

    Yup! But to take that point further, you'll have to consider the fact that bodyweight training is the least efficient way to put on mass over the long term. At some point doing pushups and bodyweight dips and pullups is going to give you diminishing returns!

    At some point it might, but I think that point is probably further away than most people think it is at which point you may need to get creative and find ways to make training more efficient whether thats by using bands or some form of external resistance, or manipulating the exercise itself (progressing it).

    I don't know that I'd agree that it's "least efficient" -- I would say that eventually it's less efficient in comparison to more traditional resistance training methods. But I don't mean to hammer on your word choices, I think I mostly agree with what you're saying.

    Example:

    Wall pushups
    Knee pushups
    Full (standard) pushups
    Band/chain/weighted pushups
    Decline pushups (feet elevated)
    One-handed pushups
    Band/chain/weighted one-handed pushups

    By the time you get to the point where you can knock out multiple sets of weighted one-handed pushups, you should have made some noticeable gains in upper body mass and strength.

    One could add in headstand pushups and one-handed headstand pushups to take the progression a bit further, but I guess then it could be said that you're working different muscle groups than pushups which are more or less done in the horizontal plane, no?

    You would definitely be working different muscles. Honestly, I'd say headstand pushups are probably the only acceptable bodyweight replacement for OHP, and who doesn't want the shoulder girdle that only overhead work can provide? If they weren't so damned challenging and demanding, I'd say that they should be included from the outset, along wiith standard pushups, just like 5/3/1 pairs bench and ohp.
  • Cylphin60
    Cylphin60 Posts: 863 Member
    Don't leave out the speed of each rep and holding a position for various times. That can add a lot to a session.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    aelunyu wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.

    No, it's not the only way to put on mass. Bodyweight training can indeed work.

    Muscles respond to stimulus. If you can provide adequate stimulus AND you can increase that stimulus over the course of time and you provide the muscle with enough fuel, it will grow, basically.

    Yup! But to take that point further, you'll have to consider the fact that bodyweight training is the least efficient way to put on mass over the long term. At some point doing pushups and bodyweight dips and pullups is going to give you diminishing returns!

    At some point it might, but I think that point is probably further away than most people think it is at which point you may need to get creative and find ways to make training more efficient whether thats by using bands or some form of external resistance, or manipulating the exercise itself (progressing it).

    I don't know that I'd agree that it's "least efficient" -- I would say that eventually it's less efficient in comparison to more traditional resistance training methods. But I don't mean to hammer on your word choices, I think I mostly agree with what you're saying.

    Example:

    Wall pushups
    Knee pushups
    Full (standard) pushups
    Band/chain/weighted pushups
    Decline pushups (feet elevated)
    One-handed pushups
    Band/chain/weighted one-handed pushups

    By the time you get to the point where you can knock out multiple sets of weighted one-handed pushups, you should have made some noticeable gains in upper body mass and strength.

    One could add in headstand pushups and one-handed headstand pushups to take the progression a bit further, but I guess then it could be said that you're working different muscle groups than pushups which are more or less done in the horizontal plane, no?

    You would definitely be working different muscles. Honestly, I'd say headstand pushups are probably the only acceptable bodyweight replacement for OHP, and who doesn't want the shoulder girdle that only overhead work can provide? If they weren't so damned challenging and demanding, I'd say that they should be included from the outset, along wiith standard pushups, just like 5/3/1 pairs bench and ohp.

    Pike pushups or elevated Pike pushups work as a good supplement to OHP.


    The larger concern I would have with body weight training to build muscle, is at some point, the time required to see continuous volume increases might be fairly extensive. But you can always switch by the point. My current program incorporates both barbell and some BW training.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    aelunyu wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.

    No, it's not the only way to put on mass. Bodyweight training can indeed work.

    Muscles respond to stimulus. If you can provide adequate stimulus AND you can increase that stimulus over the course of time and you provide the muscle with enough fuel, it will grow, basically.

    Yup! But to take that point further, you'll have to consider the fact that bodyweight training is the least efficient way to put on mass over the long term. At some point doing pushups and bodyweight dips and pullups is going to give you diminishing returns!

    At some point it might, but I think that point is probably further away than most people think it is at which point you may need to get creative and find ways to make training more efficient whether thats by using bands or some form of external resistance, or manipulating the exercise itself (progressing it).

    I don't know that I'd agree that it's "least efficient" -- I would say that eventually it's less efficient in comparison to more traditional resistance training methods. But I don't mean to hammer on your word choices, I think I mostly agree with what you're saying.

    Example:

    Wall pushups
    Knee pushups
    Full (standard) pushups
    Band/chain/weighted pushups
    Decline pushups (feet elevated)
    One-handed pushups
    Band/chain/weighted one-handed pushups

    By the time you get to the point where you can knock out multiple sets of weighted one-handed pushups, you should have made some noticeable gains in upper body mass and strength.

    One could add in headstand pushups and one-handed headstand pushups to take the progression a bit further, but I guess then it could be said that you're working different muscle groups than pushups which are more or less done in the horizontal plane, no?

    You would definitely be working different muscles. Honestly, I'd say headstand pushups are probably the only acceptable bodyweight replacement for OHP, and who doesn't want the shoulder girdle that only overhead work can provide? If they weren't so damned challenging and demanding, I'd say that they should be included from the outset, along wiith standard pushups, just like 5/3/1 pairs bench and ohp.

    Pike pushups or elevated Pike pushups work as a good supplement to OHP.


    The larger concern I would have with body weight training to build muscle, is at some point, the time required to see continuous volume increases might be fairly extensive. But you can always switch by the point. My current program incorporates both barbell and some BW training.

    I lean both ways as well. About to start having to wear a weight vest for pullups and dips though. The reps are getting a bit out of hand these days.
  • Verdenal
    Verdenal Posts: 625 Member
    There are a lot of jacked guys who only do bodyweight stuff.

    Bodyweight can work, depending on your goals. I was weak and found that doing a little work with dumbbells helped build me up to do bodyweight better.

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    aelunyu wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.

    No, it's not the only way to put on mass. Bodyweight training can indeed work.

    Muscles respond to stimulus. If you can provide adequate stimulus AND you can increase that stimulus over the course of time and you provide the muscle with enough fuel, it will grow, basically.

    Yup! But to take that point further, you'll have to consider the fact that bodyweight training is the least efficient way to put on mass over the long term. At some point doing pushups and bodyweight dips and pullups is going to give you diminishing returns!

    that is not correct.

    it is the least STUDIED- and least PROMOTED.

    But it is not the least effective.

    Sigh- I'm sad waldo isn't here any more.

    http://strengthunbound.com/

    Waldo used to be biggest name here on body weight progression- he was living proof-especially as an aging man- it was still more than possible.
    it is difficult- and barbell training is more accessible to the masses- but its' not impossible and it's not really inefficient if you're willing to do the work.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    aelunyu wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.

    No, it's not the only way to put on mass. Bodyweight training can indeed work.

    Muscles respond to stimulus. If you can provide adequate stimulus AND you can increase that stimulus over the course of time and you provide the muscle with enough fuel, it will grow, basically.

    Yup! But to take that point further, you'll have to consider the fact that bodyweight training is the least efficient way to put on mass over the long term. At some point doing pushups and bodyweight dips and pullups is going to give you diminishing returns!

    At some point it might, but I think that point is probably further away than most people think it is at which point you may need to get creative and find ways to make training more efficient whether thats by using bands or some form of external resistance, or manipulating the exercise itself (progressing it).

    I don't know that I'd agree that it's "least efficient" -- I would say that eventually it's less efficient in comparison to more traditional resistance training methods. But I don't mean to hammer on your word choices, I think I mostly agree with what you're saying.

    Example:

    Wall pushups
    Knee pushups
    Full (standard) pushups
    Band/chain/weighted pushups
    Decline pushups (feet elevated)
    One-handed pushups
    Band/chain/weighted one-handed pushups

    By the time you get to the point where you can knock out multiple sets of weighted one-handed pushups, you should have made some noticeable gains in upper body mass and strength.

    One could add in headstand pushups and one-handed headstand pushups to take the progression a bit further, but I guess then it could be said that you're working different muscle groups than pushups which are more or less done in the horizontal plane, no?

    You would definitely be working different muscles. Honestly, I'd say headstand pushups are probably the only acceptable bodyweight replacement for OHP, and who doesn't want the shoulder girdle that only overhead work can provide? If they weren't so damned challenging and demanding, I'd say that they should be included from the outset, along wiith standard pushups, just like 5/3/1 pairs bench and ohp.

    Monkey push ups- are the first step to OHP/hand stand push ups- and you can get a pretty good progression starting there and working your way up to a real hand stand push up.

    I've found shoulders- and back are the hardest for me to work at home w/ no equipment.
  • Master_Butcher
    Master_Butcher Posts: 50 Member
    It's a great starting point if you're a newbie. I transitioned from bodyweights > home weights > gymnasium. You can also combine the two. We don't live in scarcity.
  • s3rialthrill3r
    s3rialthrill3r Posts: 49 Member
    edited February 2017
    JoRocka wrote: »
    aelunyu wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.

    No, it's not the only way to put on mass. Bodyweight training can indeed work.

    Muscles respond to stimulus. If you can provide adequate stimulus AND you can increase that stimulus over the course of time and you provide the muscle with enough fuel, it will grow, basically.

    Yup! But to take that point further, you'll have to consider the fact that bodyweight training is the least efficient way to put on mass over the long term. At some point doing pushups and bodyweight dips and pullups is going to give you diminishing returns!

    that is not correct.

    it is the least STUDIED- and least PROMOTED.

    But it is not the least effective.

    Sigh- I'm sad waldo isn't here any more.

    http://strengthunbound.com/

    Waldo used to be biggest name here on body weight progression- he was living proof-especially as an aging man- it was still more than possible.
    it is difficult- and barbell training is more accessible to the masses- but its' not impossible and it's not really inefficient if you're willing to do the work.

    I have been reading a lot of his posts recently, especially the one about bulking, which recommends a surplus of about 400-500 (!) calories for guys. I'd be pretty content with strength and a physique like Waldo's. I'll see how far I can take it with my tiny frame after increasing my intake for a while. I noticed that he stopped updating in 2014 and made an isolated Facebook post in 2015. What's he up to now?
  • s3rialthrill3r
    s3rialthrill3r Posts: 49 Member
    It's a great starting point if you're a newbie. I transitioned from bodyweights > home weights > gymnasium. You can also combine the two. We don't live in scarcity.

    I was thinking of following a similar path and eventually combining the two. I don't think I'll be giving up bodyweight training entirely, given some of the crazier long-term goals I have (the planche).
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    aelunyu wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.

    No, it's not the only way to put on mass. Bodyweight training can indeed work.

    Muscles respond to stimulus. If you can provide adequate stimulus AND you can increase that stimulus over the course of time and you provide the muscle with enough fuel, it will grow, basically.

    Yup! But to take that point further, you'll have to consider the fact that bodyweight training is the least efficient way to put on mass over the long term. At some point doing pushups and bodyweight dips and pullups is going to give you diminishing returns!

    that is not correct.

    it is the least STUDIED- and least PROMOTED.

    But it is not the least effective.

    Sigh- I'm sad waldo isn't here any more.

    http://strengthunbound.com/

    Waldo used to be biggest name here on body weight progression- he was living proof-especially as an aging man- it was still more than possible.
    it is difficult- and barbell training is more accessible to the masses- but its' not impossible and it's not really inefficient if you're willing to do the work.

    I have been reading a lot of his posts recently, especially the one about bulking, which recommends a surplus of about 400-500 (!) calories for guys. I'd be pretty content with strength and a physique like Waldo's. I'll see how far I can take it with my tiny frame after increasing my intake for a while. I noticed that he stopped updating in 2014 and made an isolated Facebook post in 2015. What's he up to now?

    Unsure honestly- he probably has a contact you could reach out- I have been hit or miss on following up with friends on MFP- but I haven't seen him in here in at least a few years. He was still tracking/posting so I saw him commenting on my news "Feed" but I haven't seen hide nor hair of him- you could email him- super nice guy- probably get back to you if the email is up to date!
  • s3rialthrill3r
    s3rialthrill3r Posts: 49 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    aelunyu wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    I see a lot of people around who are into barbell training, machines and whatnot. It makes me wonder if that is the only way to put on the mass.

    No, it's not the only way to put on mass. Bodyweight training can indeed work.

    Muscles respond to stimulus. If you can provide adequate stimulus AND you can increase that stimulus over the course of time and you provide the muscle with enough fuel, it will grow, basically.

    Yup! But to take that point further, you'll have to consider the fact that bodyweight training is the least efficient way to put on mass over the long term. At some point doing pushups and bodyweight dips and pullups is going to give you diminishing returns!

    that is not correct.

    it is the least STUDIED- and least PROMOTED.

    But it is not the least effective.

    Sigh- I'm sad waldo isn't here any more.

    http://strengthunbound.com/

    Waldo used to be biggest name here on body weight progression- he was living proof-especially as an aging man- it was still more than possible.
    it is difficult- and barbell training is more accessible to the masses- but its' not impossible and it's not really inefficient if you're willing to do the work.

    I have been reading a lot of his posts recently, especially the one about bulking, which recommends a surplus of about 400-500 (!) calories for guys. I'd be pretty content with strength and a physique like Waldo's. I'll see how far I can take it with my tiny frame after increasing my intake for a while. I noticed that he stopped updating in 2014 and made an isolated Facebook post in 2015. What's he up to now?

    Unsure honestly- he probably has a contact you could reach out- I have been hit or miss on following up with friends on MFP- but I haven't seen him in here in at least a few years. He was still tracking/posting so I saw him commenting on my news "Feed" but I haven't seen hide nor hair of him- you could email him- super nice guy- probably get back to you if the email is up to date!

    Thanks, I'll be sure to email him when I have any questions. I know your profile is exploding with friends right now but, do you mind if I send a friend request your way?
  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
    Honestly it really depends on how you interpret mass. If you have a low percentage of fat, and have some muscles, you would look "jacked" with 6-8 packs, and defined muscles, compared to a regular joe, or even compared to a muscular guy with higher fat percentage.

    I think bodyweight training is extremely useful and efficient in certain body parts. For example:
    Chin-ups, or other variations of it like pull-ups: biceps, rear delts, all the muscles involving your thoracic extension
    Dips : chest, shoulders, triceps
    You can add weights doing these, and look really "jacked" and gain a lot of mass. They are natural movements we do too, climbing etc.

    Now do I think you can make "more mass" than a body builder doing isolated moves with weights that can focus on any part of the body? Absolutely not.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    subcounter wrote: »
    You can add weights doing these, and look really "jacked" and gain a lot of mass. .

    No one gains " a lot of mass" especially not doing body weight exercises.
  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
    subcounter wrote: »
    You can add weights doing these, and look really "jacked" and gain a lot of mass. .

    No one gains " a lot of mass" especially not doing body weight exercises.

    ? I don't understand that sentence. You're saying you cant gain a lot of mass not doing body weight exercises? Uhhhm, I guess years of research and papers regarding bodybuilding is garbage ?
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
    subcounter wrote: »
    subcounter wrote: »
    You can add weights doing these, and look really "jacked" and gain a lot of mass. .

    No one gains " a lot of mass" especially not doing body weight exercises.

    ? I don't understand that sentence. You're saying you cant gain a lot of mass not doing body weight exercises? Uhhhm, I guess years of research and papers regarding bodybuilding is garbage ?

    ?
    I translate his sentence to mean: you will not gain a lot of body mass doing bodyweight exercises.
    @trigden1991 please could you elaborate? As a newbie who is currently only doing bodyweight,I'm interested in learning more!
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    I do body weight training almost exclusively due to previous back injuries (and surgeries) and knee injuries (also surgeries) that have left me unable to lift heavy in a lot of ways. Progress is slow but it is there. I expect it to take a couple of years to be where I want to be, a heavy lifter might get there in 6 months to a year. Part of the problem is that I stay at maintenance level for recomp, I noticed better gains if I spend a month or two bulking but I generally do very short bulks and even then only 5-10% surplus of calories because I don't want to gain a lot of fat with the muscle. However, even with 90% of my training being body weight only, I have been able to build muscle, just not a ton of it. Once you get to the point that you can do push ups, pull ups, body weight squats, etc. without much effort progress stops unless you modify those exercises to add more weight (you can do this somewhat with positioning, but they do make weight you can wear).
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    subcounter wrote: »
    subcounter wrote: »
    You can add weights doing these, and look really "jacked" and gain a lot of mass. .

    No one gains " a lot of mass" especially not doing body weight exercises.

    ? I don't understand that sentence. You're saying you cant gain a lot of mass not doing body weight exercises? Uhhhm, I guess years of research and papers regarding bodybuilding is garbage ?

    ?
    I translate his sentence to mean: you will not gain a lot of body mass doing bodyweight exercises.
    @trigden1991 please could you elaborate? As a newbie who is currently only doing bodyweight,I'm interested in learning more!

    This is the way I take it, and I don't believe it. Any program designed to provide progressive overload can improve body composition and help you gain muscle. Remember, the body responds to a stimulus, not necessarily a specific load. You definitely won't become as strong as the equivalent person using a barbell, but you can still see strength gains.
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    subcounter wrote: »
    subcounter wrote: »
    You can add weights doing these, and look really "jacked" and gain a lot of mass. .

    No one gains " a lot of mass" especially not doing body weight exercises.

    ? I don't understand that sentence. You're saying you cant gain a lot of mass not doing body weight exercises? Uhhhm, I guess years of research and papers regarding bodybuilding is garbage ?

    ?
    I translate his sentence to mean: you will not gain a lot of body mass doing bodyweight exercises.
    @trigden1991 please could you elaborate? As a newbie who is currently only doing bodyweight,I'm interested in learning more!

    This is the way I take it, and I don't believe it. Any program designed to provide progressive overload can improve body composition and help you gain muscle. Remember, the body responds to a stimulus, not necessarily a specific load. You definitely won't become as strong as the equivalent person using a barbell, but you can still see strength gains.

    I see - thanks for clarifying!
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    edited February 2017
    psuLemon wrote: »
    subcounter wrote: »
    subcounter wrote: »
    You can add weights doing these, and look really "jacked" and gain a lot of mass. .

    No one gains " a lot of mass" especially not doing body weight exercises.

    ? I don't understand that sentence. You're saying you cant gain a lot of mass not doing body weight exercises? Uhhhm, I guess years of research and papers regarding bodybuilding is garbage ?

    ?
    I translate his sentence to mean: you will not gain a lot of body mass doing bodyweight exercises.
    @trigden1991 please could you elaborate? As a newbie who is currently only doing bodyweight,I'm interested in learning more!

    This is the way I take it, and I don't believe it. Any program designed to provide progressive overload can improve body composition and help you gain muscle. Remember, the body responds to a stimulus, not necessarily a specific load. You definitely won't become as strong as the equivalent person using a barbell, but you can still see strength gains.

    Considering that a lot of bodybuilders use some hilariously light weights for stupid high amounts of reps, I honestly can't see where extremely high-rep bodyweight work would be much different, especially if extra resistance is eventually added via vests, though technically it's not bodyweight anymore.
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