Can a body weight exercise routine replace lifting?

eig6

Hi!

Ive been going to the gym and lifting for about two months and Ive gone from 27.8% body fat to 25% my current goal is to get down to 22% by the end of the summer but Im not at home so I cant go to my gym anymore. I would rather not get a gym membership (at home I use the schools) for money reasons. Can a body weight routine get me there? Eventually I want to look like Spezzy:




I dont know if that is a realistic goal for this summer but eventually, I want that. Can I do that without weights? She lifts heavy I know, but this summer, as I said, I cant. For cardio I do 2-4 runs a week of about 2-3 miles at an 11-12 mile pace. Also, I go on long hikes about twice a month. I eat 1800 calories, try to limit carbs to whole grain ones and fruit, and I dont eat exercise calories. In the past I have gone to the gym to lift 2-3 times a week for 45-60 minutes, I mix it up with free weights and machines. Will I lose what Ive achieved If I just do things like as many squats as I can, pushups, pull ups (not even one yet haha) crunches and lunges? Or will that be good? Thank you so much for reading my post and any input is appreciated!

Edit: fix pic

ladyjoie

bodyrock.tv has some great bodyweight only workouts, and a lot of their weights can be improvised (they don't use traditional dumbells). Hope this helps! Awesome inspiration pic : )

JNick77

Hi!

Ive been going to the gym and lifting for about two months and Ive gone from 27.8% body fat to 25% my current goal is to get down to 22% by the end of the summer but Im not at home so I cant go to my gym anymore. I would rather not get a gym membership (at home I use the schools) for money reasons. Can a body weight routine get me there? Eventually I want to look like Spezzy:




I dont know if that is a realistic goal for this summer but eventually, I want that. Can I do that without weights? She lifts heavy I know, but this summer, as I said, I cant. For cardio I do 2-4 runs a week of about 2-3 miles at an 11-12 mile pace. Also, I go on long hikes about twice a month. I eat 1800 calories, try to limit carbs to whole grain ones and fruit, and I dont eat exercise calories. In the past I have gone to the gym to lift 2-3 times a week for 45-60 minutes, I mix it up with free weights and machines. Will I lose what Ive achieved If I just do things like as many squats as I can, pushups, pull ups (not even one yet haha) crunches and lunges? Or will that be good? Thank you so much for reading my post and any input is appreciated!

Edit: fix pic

First, you look great and have had amazing results!

Secondly, the answer to your question is, not really. The only bodyweight exercises of any real value to strength are Chin-Ups and Dips. Plyometric jumps aren't a bad form of exercises for your lower body and just teaching yourself how to transfer power, but nothing will replace solid strength training.

rileysowner

Bodyweight exercises can work as well. You need to be much more creative, for example instead of doing squats for 100s of reps you may want to go to one legged squats, split squats, and lunges. A good book is Mark Lauren's "You Are your own Gym" Also check out the bodyweight training group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/166-bodyweight-training as there are a bunch of links to both free and paid programs.

eig6

First, you look great and have had amazing results!

Secondly, the answer to your question is, not really. The only bodyweight exercises of any real value to strength are Chin-Ups and Dips. Plyometric jumps aren't a bad form of exercises for your lower body and just teaching yourself how to transfer power, but nothing will replace solid strength training.

Thank you :blushing:

eig6

Bodyweight exercises can work as well. You need to be much more creative, for example instead of doing squats for 100s of reps you may want to go to one legged squats, split squats, and lunges. A good book is Mark Lauren's "You Are your own Gym" Also check out the bodyweight training group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/166-bodyweight-training as there are a bunch of links to both free and paid programs.

Thank you, I will take a look at that!

Mercenary1914

Hi!

Ive been going to the gym and lifting for about two months and Ive gone from 27.8% body fat to 25% my current goal is to get down to 22% by the end of the summer but Im not at home so I cant go to my gym anymore. I would rather not get a gym membership (at home I use the schools) for money reasons. Can a body weight routine get me there? Eventually I want to look like Spezzy:




I dont know if that is a realistic goal for this summer but eventually, I want that. Can I do that without weights? She lifts heavy I know, but this summer, as I said, I cant. For cardio I do 2-4 runs a week of about 2-3 miles at an 11-12 mile pace. Also, I go on long hikes about twice a month. I eat 1800 calories, try to limit carbs to whole grain ones and fruit, and I dont eat exercise calories. In the past I have gone to the gym to lift 2-3 times a week for 45-60 minutes, I mix it up with free weights and machines. Will I lose what Ive achieved If I just do things like as many squats as I can, pushups, pull ups (not even one yet haha) crunches and lunges? Or will that be good? Thank you so much for reading my post and any input is appreciated!

Edit: fix pic

First, you look great and have had amazing results!

Secondly, the answer to your question is, not really. The only bodyweight exercises of any real value to strength are Chin-Ups and Dips. Plyometric jumps aren't a bad form of exercises for your lower body and just teaching yourself how to transfer power, but nothing will replace solid strength training.

I couldn't agree with this comment more... First and Secondly!

eig6

When I go back home, I will definitely be going back to lifting, I guess Ill have to do my best for now, Im just worried about my progress taking a nosedive because of it...

rileysowner

Secondly, the answer to your question is, not really. The only bodyweight exercises of any real value to strength are Chin-Ups and Dips. Plyometric jumps aren't a bad form of exercises for your lower body and just teaching yourself how to transfer power, but nothing will replace solid strength training.

I would have to disagree with you on that. Yes you can achieve your goals more quickly with weights, no question about it, but to say only chin and dips are of any use is to ignore a whole host of other exercises. From what you posted you don't seem to be a person who has done a lot of bodyweight work. I don't even know if you realize that gymnasts train pretty much exclusively with bodyweight exercises, and they have rocking bodies. Training with only bodyweight requires being more creative, knowing how to increase the difficulty of moves (eg. going from an incline pushup to a regular pushup, to a decline pushup to a one armed pushup or semi-planche pushup to a full planche pushup), and knowing how your muscles work. Will a person become huge doing this, no, but it doesn't look like the OP is looking to get huge, but to get a rocking bod.

gpstrucker

Have you considered tension bands? Not a replacement for lifting, but inexpensive and very portable for travel.

eig6

bodyrock.tv has some great bodyweight only workouts, and a lot of their weights can be improvised (they don't use traditional dumbells). Hope this helps! Awesome inspiration pic : )

I took a look at that before I left home and found their site very confusing! Any suggestions on where to start?

jaxxie

I honestly don't know the answer to your question, but I would love to know what you were doing to achieve the results you have attained...I'm betting, I'm not the only one! You look totally SMASHING HOT!

Wishing you much success in your goals and hope you find the answers to your question!

LilRedRooster

Yes, they can replace lifting. It just depends on what you do. Have you seen gymnasts? They have more muscle than most weight-lifters, and they don't touch weights.

BUT they also do very intense body-weight exercises like pushups, pullups, handstand training (including planges, press handstands, and a lot of other very advanced balance moves). So you won't get the body of a gymnast unless you can do more advanced moves, but you can definitely get great workouts doing exercises involving plank-type positions, pushups, pullups (if you can), lunges, squats, and some balance moves (think yoga with headstands), and then adding plyometrics (jump training).

I never did weights when I was in gymnastics and then martial arts, but I got down to around 18% body fat, and had abs and plenty of muscle in my arms and thighs from doing everything I listed. Most people assumed I lifted, actually, because I looked like it. I still have plenty of muscle, and rarely find the time to get to the gym to manage weight-lifting.

tolygal

Yes, I think so. I just read a book called "You Are Your Own Gym." I've finished NROLFW at the gym and I still think the bw excercises in this book will be challenging for me. There are TONS of ways to add more resistance and make an excercise more challenging just by changing the way you do the excercise. I found that book at the library, but I'm sure there are plenty of resources online that can help too.

eig6

I honestly don't know the answer to your question, but I would love to know what you were doing to achieve the results you have attained...I'm betting, I'm not the only one! You look totally SMASHING HOT!

Wow, thank you:blushing:

I started with a PT, we did interval training, a lot like what Jillian Michaels does on her videos but HARDER if you can believe it! Did that for 5 weeks, 2-3 times a week for an hour. I started running on off days 2-3 times a week and Ive been eating at about 200 calories under my TDEE for more than a month, Thats when I really started seeing results. After my sessions with my PT ran out, I just took the moves that she taught me and I go to the gym and do them until Im exhausted 2-3 times a week, sometimes it takes 45 minutes, sometimes more than an hour. I grab the heaviest weight I can lift 6-8 times. Still run on off days.

reyopo

Gymnasts, trapeze artists, rock climbers, yoga enthusiasts...hell, even strippers get great bodies from using body weight resistance. Anyone who says different is myopic and clueless...gyms aren't everything, be creative!

walkner88

Yes they certainly can. I don't do much lifting due to my being in love with rock climbing and the negative impacts being larger would have on that. A good routine will require you to do circuits and they aren't easy. Here is one my old boxing coach taught me as a kid.

5 minute warm up with jump rope
20 pushups (if too easy elevate your feet on a chair. This changes it to moving 85% body weight instead of 45%)
30 sit ups with arms straight out behind your head (keep them straight and don't swing them this makes it just abs)
15 jump squats
14 lunges
30 seconds of planks on each side

This is one
Do 3 minutes of full effort jump rope in between and do the cycle three times. On days you want to build triceps he would throw in a dip with hands on a chair or bench behind you and feet on another chair, or pushups with your feet on the bench and your hands touching in a diamond. This is great for building lean muscle and cutting body at. I like to throw in sets of mountain climbers after the planks.

jaxxie

That is Stellar, and thank you! Best of luck.... I just looked up You are your own gym and I think I'm going to try that too. GOOD LUCK GIRL!

eig6

Yes, they can replace lifting. It just depends on what you do. Have you seen gymnasts? They have more muscle than most weight-lifters, and they don't touch weights.

BUT they also do very intense body-weight exercises like pushups, pullups, handstand training (including planges, press handstands, and a lot of other very advanced balance moves). So you won't get the body of a gymnast unless you can do more advanced moves, but you can definitely get great workouts doing exercises involving plank-type positions, pushups, pullups (if you can), lunges, squats, and some balance moves (think yoga with headstands), and then adding plyometrics (jump training).

I never did weights when I was in gymnastics and then martial arts, but I got down to around 18% body fat, and had abs and plenty of muscle in my arms and thighs from doing everything I listed. Most people assumed I lifted, actually, because I looked like it. I still have plenty of muscle, and rarely find the time to get to the gym to manage weight-lifting.

Cool! Ill actually be doing some martial arts but Im just starting. Thank you!

Awkward30

Bodyweight exercises can work as well. You need to be much more creative, for example instead of doing squats for 100s of reps you may want to go to one legged squats, split squats, and lunges. A good book is Mark Lauren's "You Are your own Gym" Also check out the bodyweight training group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/166-bodyweight-training as there are a bunch of links to both free and paid programs.

I agree. The only thing REQUIRED is progressive overload. As long as you progress properly, no gym is necessary! ie if you can do lots of pushups, you should progress by elevating your feet, thus increasing the difficulty.

eig6

Yes they certainly can. I don't do much lifting due to my being in love with rock climbing and the negative impacts being larger would have on that. A good routine will require you to do circuits and they aren't easy. Here is one my old boxing coach taught me as a kid.

5 minute warm up with jump rope
20 pushups (if too easy elevate your feet on a chair. This changes it to moving 85% body weight instead of 45%)
30 sit ups with arms straight out behind your head (keep them straight and don't swing them this makes it just abs)
15 jump squats
14 lunges
30 seconds of planks on each side

This is one
Do 3 minutes of full effort jump rope in between and do the cycle three times. On days you want to build triceps he would throw in a dip with hands on a chair or bench behind you and feet on another chair, or pushups with your feet on the bench and your hands touching in a diamond. This is great for building lean muscle and cutting body at. I like to throw in sets of mountain climbers after the planks.

Wow! That sounds intense! I definitely have to give that a try! Thank you!