Body weight exercise good for gains?

navillus3

Heyo!

Due to coronavirus my fitness regime has been flipped upside down - I’m sure most of you can relate! I had just started hitting the gym for about a month doing moderate dumbbells roughly 5 days a week. I started at like 5lbs and slowly progressed to 15 - total newbie but I was slowly progressing!

Now that the gym is closed until further notice, I am left with limited equipment for at home workouts - resistance bands, two 3lb weights (lol) and my own body weight. I have been following bodyweight strength routines on the Nike training app almost daily. Lots of squats, push ups, lunges, vinyasa yoga etc. I ride my bike and walk a lot as well.

My question is: is this enough to continue building muscle? My goal is to get stronger. I am female, 118 lbs, 5’7 roughly 15.5% body fat.

MidlifeCrisisFitness

Absolutely! I don't lift heavy.

Make sure your form, rep count and intensity are high. Can't stress form enough....

How much cardio do you do?

sardelsa

It is possible as long as you are adding progressive overload. Especially since you are a beginner it will definitely be a lot easier to accomplish. Over time it can become difficult/not as optimal especially when it comes to the lower body, but with some creativity using single leg work, bands, holds, etc. it can be done.

If you want to gain muscle, in your case since you are so low in weight, make sure you are eating in a slight surplus (I would set it gain 0.25-0.5lb per week), getting adequate protein (at least 0.8g per lb bodyweight) and I am not sure about the efficiency of routines on the Nike app for muscle building, but just make sure you are progressing over time.

navillus3

KHMcG wrote: »

Absolutely! I don't lift heavy.

Make sure your form, rep count and intensity are high. Can't stress form enough....

How much cardio do you do?

Form is definitely something I’m trying to work on!

I do at minimum 10 miles on my bike 5-6 days a week at a pace of about 10 mph. I also walk at least 10,000 steps a day most days (not sure if that counts) some of the workouts I do involve jumping jacks, lateral jumps and running on the spot in addition to bodyweight exercise. I guess somewhat like a HIIT type workout.

sardelsa

Since you are very active you really need to make sure you fuel yourself adequately. HIIT/very intense cardio can be especially taxing on the body and can interfere with recovery and lifting performance which can hinder muscle building, so keep that in mind.

MidlifeCrisisFitness

@sardelsa is correct. This why I asked.

If you are after muscle development use HIIT cardio strictly for cardiovascular health. Bike a bit harder but less often.

Walking every day is great. Not necessary but really good. Slower lap swimming is the same. Just keep them lower pace.

Also @sardelsa is correct progressive overload is necessary. Lots of reps. That's why form is so critical. If your form is wrong injury potential from RSI is high.

Weights do make it easier as you progress but if your foundation and core are strong you can do some crazy bodyweight strengthening. Planche planks, hand stand pushups ect. It all depends on you and your commitment to build a solid core and progress.

This is me this morning. I am 48 and don't lift anything over 35lbs. I was just learning deadlifts with 100 lbs before Covid.

navillus3

sardelsa wrote: »

Since you are very active you really need to make sure you fuel yourself adequately. HIIT/very intense cardio can be especially taxing on the body and can interfere with recovery and lifting performance which can hinder muscle building, so keep that in mind.

Proper fuel is an issue for me, I think I eat healthy and in good portions but I don’t know if it’s enough to build muscle, it seems like such a delicate balance between muscle gain and not gaining fat.

I love the way cardio makes me feel, but I don’t want it to prevent me from reaching my goals so I’ll definitely keep what you said in mind.

sardelsa

navillus3 wrote: »

sardelsa wrote: »

Since you are very active you really need to make sure you fuel yourself adequately. HIIT/very intense cardio can be especially taxing on the body and can interfere with recovery and lifting performance which can hinder muscle building, so keep that in mind.

Proper fuel is an issue for me, I think I eat healthy and in good portions but I don’t know if it’s enough to build muscle, it seems like such a delicate balance between muscle gain and not gaining fat.

I love the way cardio makes me feel, but I don’t want it to prevent me from reaching my goals so I’ll definitely keep what you said in mind.

You can keep the fat gain minimal by keeping the surplus 0.5lb per week or less

navillus3

KHMcG wrote: »

@sardelsa is correct. This why I asked.

If you are after muscle development use HIIT cardio strictly for cardiovascular health. Bike a bit harder but less often.

Walking every day is great. Not necessary but really good. Slower lap swimming is the same. Just keep them lower pace.

Also @sardelsa is correct progressive overload is necessary. Lots of reps. That's why form is so critical. If your form is wrong injury potential from RSI is high.

Weights do make it easier as you progress but if your foundation and core are strong you can do some crazy bodyweight strengthening. Planche planks, hand stand pushups ect. It all depends on you and your commitment to build a solid core and progress.

This is me this morning. I am 48 and don't lift anything over 35lbs. I was just learning deadlifts with 100 lbs before Covid.

I’m glad to know you can achieve great results without lifting crazy weights! I will definitely work on progressive overload. I’m learning patience so I must allow myself to trust the process!

MidlifeCrisisFitness

Greek yogurt, 1% cottage Cheese, hard boiled eggs are fantastic to have in your daily eating. I eat at least 1 of these foods everyday.

Jump Rope is a great option for cardio as well. This is a great chanel for bodyweight exercises.

https://youtu.be/WpobgeNpOCI