How much exercises per body part?

JuroNemo14

Hey guys and gals,

I know this answer is pretty easy to find on google, but I was still wondering if people with experience or so could answer this question: how many body-weight exercises are enough for one body part(like, say, the core)?

I have planned in my routing pushups(chest), situps(core), dips(upper arm), squats(legs and back) for now, and because I don't have money and time for a gym membership, I will have to rely on body-weight, or light packed exercises(with dumbbells). My intention is to train myself the first 6 weeks through these programs: http://www.hundredpushups.com/#sthash.Ya8nh4WU.dpbs
Thing is, there is not really a point to it for me, if it doesn't help me get stronger or more built. So my question is: will these exercises(pushups-situps-dips-squats) be enough for me to train these body parts, or do I need more of every body part?

jayche

I find 8-16 sets for each muscle group is good enough for me.

notthatthis

actually, it isn't easy to go directly to the correct information from the internet. But, ignoring my previous statement - why do you think that you will not put on mass through bodyweight exercises? All bodyweight exercises are progressed and for many of them you would have to hit the freeweights hard to build the strength and muscle required to achieve them.

www.beastskills.com - demonstrates the progression from easy to most difficult bodyweight exercises.

100 reps will not build muscle (as you already know), 15 reps with a weight vest will build muscle. 3 reps with a very heavy weight in the vest will build strength. 5-8 reps builds power. That goes for the major muscles - calves and forearms require much higher rep ranges at 75%-80% of 1RM. The small muscles that make the rotator cuff (for example) need very light weight or resistance for high rep ranges to ensure blood starts to flow to them.

rep range, rep timing (like a dervish or nice 1234,4321 count), sets, %of1Rm, which body part, your goals - .Muscle is Type I or Type II (a, b and x) dominant- how your body burns energy in exercise - alactic, anaerobic, aerobic. Complicated stuff really

JuroNemo14

So, you're saying, that the body-weight exercises won't cut it alone? I either need to make it harder for myself, or start using equipment?

notthatthis

So, you're saying, that the body-weight exercises won't cut it alone? I either need to make it harder for myself, or start using equipment?

Set your goals, what do you want to achieve, what body style do you want. I am saying that bodyweight exercises progress, but once you can do 3 sets of 15 of something comfortably you need to find something more difficult in order to break down muscle fibres and therefore rebuild.

Look at beastskills - he clearly demonstrates progression to more difficult moves but he also states that for some moves he had to freeweight train in order to achieve the strength for the next progression.

But for example - you can move to plyometric bodyweight moves, one-arm press ups, clapping press ups, one arm one leg press ups, spiderman press ups on fingertips. Narrow stance press ups, wide stance - hand postion ie the rotation, once you can do 3 sets of 15 with ease - it is time to change up, whether a back exercise or leg exercise. Just like me adding 1.25kg to a DB or 2.5 or even the fractional weights, whatever starts to overload the system.

Or think of it this way, you want to lose weight - so you use bodyweight - chin ups, pull ups, press ups, squats, single leg straight leg deadlift - you start at 100kilos body weight and in 3 months you are 90 kilos - your reps go up but your weight has gone down - surely you should really be doing the same reps as you were at 100 kilos but with a 30-40 kilo rucksack penalty to reflect the progression of your muscle strength and your weight loss.

Lady_Bane

I do it until failure....until I just CANT anymore

notthatthis

I do it until failure....until I just CANT anymore

Is that 1000 reps or 15? What %1RM?