bodyweight exercises are considered strength training:)

ummommyme

Why do so many people on MFP think you have to lift heavy to be strength training? I push around my body weight and am getting stronger. Those in the military use these same exercises and they certainly seem to be strong and get stronger. I just wanted to remind those that don't lift heavy you can still be strong by just using your own body and resistance!

Jynus

Strength training is anything that uses your bodies ATP-CP energy system to power the fast twitch muscle fibers to do maximal intensity work for a short period of time (<30 seconds).

Can you do this using body weight? Well yes you can, depending on the movement. Gymnasts are a perfect example. But this principle has to be followed. Once you are able to to a movement for an extended period of time, you're no longer doing strength training. you're then doing muscular endurance, and then doing cardio. So you know those 30 bodyweight squats you just busted out during your workout dvd? Congrats, you just did a round of intense cardio, NOT strength training.

If you're interested in doing strength training using bodyweight exercises, Convict Conditioning is a perfect template.

ummommyme

That's good info, thank you. I think for now i'll keep making up my own but would love to be able to get to one armed push ups and i would love to be able to do just one pull up some day,lol.

dr_tina

What I have read is that if you can do more than 10 in sequence it isn't hard enough, once you get beyond 12 reps, then it is time to up the resistance, at least to be considered strength training.

InfinitePoss

Well I can only speak to my personal experience but I am pretty big guy and I lifted weights consistently for about twenty years. Due to herniating a disc about a year and a half ago I had to back off completely.

For the past two months I have been doing Tony Horton's Power 90, using nothing but Resistance Bands and my body weight for my resistance training. The Resistance Bands are primarily used for arms, shoulders and back but for my chest I do exclusively push ups and for my lower body I do nothing but squats and lunges. I now have more definition in my legs and chest than I ever had in all of my years of doing bench presses and weighted squats and lunges.

So I agree that body weight exercises are perfectly legit for building muscle mass and definition I just think that when you plateau you need to come up with a different exercise or add in weights.

waldo56

If you're interested in doing strength training using bodyweight exercises, Convict Conditioning is a perfect template.

Yes and no. It is a good introduction to progressive calisthenics but it is much too dogmatic and the progression plan is idiotic. You should be progressing MUCH faster than that. By 6-8 reps you should be working on the next most difficult movement.

It is a good intro but he rabbit hole goes far deeper than that. Convict conditioning ignores static strength completely (then again so do weightlifters), static strength when it comes to bodyweight is where you get the really high resistance.

weisegirl1119

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