Toning Question~

altinker

You could always do barre at home. Get a dvd like Change Your Body by Bar Method and just use a chair and some small weights. Works on your seat, thighs, abs, arms, etc.

sofitheteacup

Listen to these people they know what they are talking about. Don't be afraid to lift heavy. You won't look like she-hulk from doing squats.

This.

waldo56

That's BS. I bulk just fine with mostly bodyweight and am an >200 lb lean guy (mutliple bulking cycles too, I bulk very clean). There is no end in sight for difficult resistance either for me either . A women will never get strong enough to run out of bodyweight only resistance, a man won't in the upper body either.

Resistance is resistance.

This article contains or links to practically everything you could ever need to know about bodyweight training:
http://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/faq

The only part I disagree with is their suggestion to use barbells for the legs if possible. Pistol squats, shrimp squats, and glute ham raises will take you a long way, and only require a small amount of weight from DB's when they get too easy.

So I'm curious. How do you make a push up harder in prone position without adding weight on the body? Or a pullup? Or a deadlift? We've spoken about this before and my stance was that just because someone who couldn't do a pullup at 200lbs, but now can at 150lbs doesn't mean they got stronger essentially, but your argument was that it was BS. Realistically, a 50lbs difference in weight makes a difference.
Now that's not to say that you CAN'T get stronger from body weight exercises (even with leg exercises), but eventually you'll tap out because unless you're adding body weight (which is how you may have bulked up more), it's no longer progressive.

Enlighten me with your knowledge. I'm willing to learn.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Pushup options:
One Arm Pushups - Remove an arm. Progressively move the legs closer together (a feet together one arm pushup is HARD). Begin to elevate the legs. NO ROTATION ALLOWED
Pseudo Planche Pushups - Move your hands toward your waist. This increases the moment (and this load) applied to the shoulder a great deal. Reps have to be up and down, straight waist, with full arm lockout. The standard pushup is a high leverage position. Moving the hands reduces the leverage a lot. Next step, elevate your feet. Next step, do them with elevated feet using only a wall. Using only a wall is very, very hard. These can also be modified by moving your hands out away from the body, like an arrow when viewed from above, hits the muscles a little different, a hair harder.
Planche Pushups - Remove your feet from the ground, so that the only part of your body touching the ground is your hands. Hips must remain level with the shoulders (it is a pushup, not a dip) at all times. Arms must come to lockout each rep. Start out with knees tucked to your chest (will need hand holds for ground clearance), extend them as you get stronger. The same prime movers of the pushup also have to hold your body rotated in a very deleveraged position. This magnifies the load of the pushup a great deal. Very few people are strong enough to even do the most basic variant.

In the incredibly unlikely event that planche pushups are too easy, you can add ankle weights. As the position is extremely deleveraged, a tiny bit of weight has a huge effect.

Pullups:
Same deal. Remove an arm (or work toward it with one arm emphasized pulls), add front lever elements to magnify the load. As an example, take the yewki, start in a dead hang with a straight body, rotate 90 degrees during the pull and pull your abs to the bar, your body should be perfectly straight and horizontal at top of the rep. Holding the rotated position greatly magnifies the load on your prime movers. Other lever-pulls are lever rows and ice cream makers. Straight arm 360 pulls are also pretty hard when you go slow and extend your legs as much as possible.

Closest thing to a deadlift is a glute ham raise. Gyms have glute ham raise apparatuses, but most homemade apparatuses (pillow/towel and foot hold) will have the support below the knee, not above the knee, increasing the moment applied to the hams/glutes and making the exercise much more difficult (with low leverage, a couple inches is a huge difference). If these start getting easy, hold a small weight overhead. Body should be straight at the waist, no butt sticking up (holding the waist open isometrically is the hardest part of the movement, hinging at the bottom, as many do on the gym apparatus, makes it easier). Most people will spend most of their time using progressively less and less hand assist, an unassisted GHR with support below the knee is HARD. Holding the bottom position also increases the difficulty.

ladymiseryali

What are some Calisthenics I could do in addition to the the normal crunches, push ups, lunges, squats? I don't have access to a gym currently, but I do have two 5lb hand weights. I'm mainly concerned about the the abdominals, The upper arm muscles, and the butt.

Look up "blogilates" or "pop-pilates" on youtube. Her workouts are short, but they burn! I do her "what makes you bootyful" and her "drive-by inner thighs" challenges after I do weight training that focuses on the lower body.

ninerbuff

That's BS. I bulk just fine with mostly bodyweight and am an >200 lb lean guy (mutliple bulking cycles too, I bulk very clean). There is no end in sight for difficult resistance either for me either . A women will never get strong enough to run out of bodyweight only resistance, a man won't in the upper body either.

Resistance is resistance.

This article contains or links to practically everything you could ever need to know about bodyweight training:
http://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/faq

The only part I disagree with is their suggestion to use barbells for the legs if possible. Pistol squats, shrimp squats, and glute ham raises will take you a long way, and only require a small amount of weight from DB's when they get too easy.

So I'm curious. How do you make a push up harder in prone position without adding weight on the body? Or a pullup? Or a deadlift? We've spoken about this before and my stance was that just because someone who couldn't do a pullup at 200lbs, but now can at 150lbs doesn't mean they got stronger essentially, but your argument was that it was BS. Realistically, a 50lbs difference in weight makes a difference.
Now that's not to say that you CAN'T get stronger from body weight exercises (even with leg exercises), but eventually you'll tap out because unless you're adding body weight (which is how you may have bulked up more), it's no longer progressive.

Enlighten me with your knowledge. I'm willing to learn.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Pushup options:
One Arm Pushups - Remove an arm. Progressively move the legs closer together (a feet together one arm pushup is HARD). Begin to elevate the legs. NO ROTATION ALLOWED
Pseudo Planche Pushups - Move your hands toward your waist. This increases the moment (and this load) applied to the shoulder a great deal. Reps have to be up and down, straight waist, with full arm lockout. The standard pushup is a high leverage position. Moving the hands reduces the leverage a lot. Next step, elevate your feet. Next step, do them with elevated feet using only a wall. Using only a wall is very, very hard. These can also be modified by moving your hands out away from the body, like an arrow when viewed from above, hits the muscles a little different, a hair harder.
Planche Pushups - Remove your feet from the ground, so that the only part of your body touching the ground is your hands. Hips must remain level with the shoulders (it is a pushup, not a dip) at all times. Arms must come to lockout each rep. Start out with knees tucked to your chest (will need hand holds for ground clearance), extend them as you get stronger. The same prime movers of the pushup also have to hold your body rotated in a very deleveraged position. This magnifies the load of the pushup a great deal. Very few people are strong enough to even do the most basic variant.

I can see one handed pushups affecting the chest area, but from a kinesiology standpoint, the planche is more a tricep exercise than chest exercise.

Pullups:
Same deal. Remove an arm (or work toward it with one arm emphasized pulls), add front lever elements to magnify the load. As an example, take the yewki, start in a dead hang with a straight body, rotate 90 degrees during the pull and pull your abs to the bar, your body should be perfectly straight and horizontal at top of the rep. Holding the rotated position greatly magnifies the load on your prime movers. Other lever-pulls are lever rows and ice cream makers. Straight arm 360 pulls are also pretty hard when you go slow and extend your legs as much as possible.

Pulling to the abs makes it more a row than an actual pullup. Switching to one hand changes the "width" of the pull (the "spread" of your scapula) since leverage with straight legs would force one to pull straight up, unlike with hands in a Y position.

Closest thing to a deadlift is a glute ham raise. Gyms have glute ham raise apparatuses, but most homemade apparatuses (pillow/towel and foot hold) will have the support below the knee, not above the knee, increasing the moment applied to the hams/glutes and making the exercise much more difficult (with low leverage, a couple inches is a huge difference). If these start getting easy, hold a small weight overhead. Body should be straight at the waist, no butt sticking up (holding the waist open isometrically is the hardest part of the movement, hinging at the bottom, as many do on the gym apparatus, makes it easier). Most people will spend most of their time using progressively less and less hand assist, an unassisted GHR with support below the knee is HARD. Holding the bottom position also increases the difficulty.

But totally different exercise compared to a deadlift.

Again, I DON'T disagree that you can definitely increase strength with body weight exercises, however there will be a limit that body weight alone (even if you could master the HARDEST movements) will limit certain movements. This is why even people who have mastered it will add weights (preferably dumbells) to their body weight movements.

I'm not debating that one can't do it with body weight alone. I DO believe that a combination of both weight and body weight exercises provide more options especially for those who want to do a pullup, but use a pulldown machine to work on strengthening themselves up until they can do a pullup.

I do appreciate you giving information on the body weight options so that those who don't have access to a gym have avenues that can still be used.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

waldo56

That's BS. I bulk just fine with mostly bodyweight and am an >200 lb lean guy (mutliple bulking cycles too, I bulk very clean). There is no end in sight for difficult resistance either for me either . A women will never get strong enough to run out of bodyweight only resistance, a man won't in the upper body either.

Resistance is resistance.

This article contains or links to practically everything you could ever need to know about bodyweight training:
http://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/faq

The only part I disagree with is their suggestion to use barbells for the legs if possible. Pistol squats, shrimp squats, and glute ham raises will take you a long way, and only require a small amount of weight from DB's when they get too easy.

So I'm curious. How do you make a push up harder in prone position without adding weight on the body? Or a pullup? Or a deadlift? We've spoken about this before and my stance was that just because someone who couldn't do a pullup at 200lbs, but now can at 150lbs doesn't mean they got stronger essentially, but your argument was that it was BS. Realistically, a 50lbs difference in weight makes a difference.
Now that's not to say that you CAN'T get stronger from body weight exercises (even with leg exercises), but eventually you'll tap out because unless you're adding body weight (which is how you may have bulked up more), it's no longer progressive.

Enlighten me with your knowledge. I'm willing to learn.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Pushup options:
One Arm Pushups - Remove an arm. Progressively move the legs closer together (a feet together one arm pushup is HARD). Begin to elevate the legs. NO ROTATION ALLOWED
Pseudo Planche Pushups - Move your hands toward your waist. This increases the moment (and this load) applied to the shoulder a great deal. Reps have to be up and down, straight waist, with full arm lockout. The standard pushup is a high leverage position. Moving the hands reduces the leverage a lot. Next step, elevate your feet. Next step, do them with elevated feet using only a wall. Using only a wall is very, very hard. These can also be modified by moving your hands out away from the body, like an arrow when viewed from above, hits the muscles a little different, a hair harder.
Planche Pushups - Remove your feet from the ground, so that the only part of your body touching the ground is your hands. Hips must remain level with the shoulders (it is a pushup, not a dip) at all times. Arms must come to lockout each rep. Start out with knees tucked to your chest (will need hand holds for ground clearance), extend them as you get stronger. The same prime movers of the pushup also have to hold your body rotated in a very deleveraged position. This magnifies the load of the pushup a great deal. Very few people are strong enough to even do the most basic variant.

I can see one handed pushups affecting the chest area, but from a kinesiology standpoint, the planche is more a tricep exercise than chest exercise.

Pullups:
Same deal. Remove an arm (or work toward it with one arm emphasized pulls), add front lever elements to magnify the load. As an example, take the yewki, start in a dead hang with a straight body, rotate 90 degrees during the pull and pull your abs to the bar, your body should be perfectly straight and horizontal at top of the rep. Holding the rotated position greatly magnifies the load on your prime movers. Other lever-pulls are lever rows and ice cream makers. Straight arm 360 pulls are also pretty hard when you go slow and extend your legs as much as possible.

Pulling to the abs makes it more a row than an actual pullup. Switching to one hand changes the "width" of the pull (the "spread" of your scapula) since leverage with straight legs would force one to pull straight up, unlike with hands in a Y position.

Closest thing to a deadlift is a glute ham raise. Gyms have glute ham raise apparatuses, but most homemade apparatuses (pillow/towel and foot hold) will have the support below the knee, not above the knee, increasing the moment applied to the hams/glutes and making the exercise much more difficult (with low leverage, a couple inches is a huge difference). If these start getting easy, hold a small weight overhead. Body should be straight at the waist, no butt sticking up (holding the waist open isometrically is the hardest part of the movement, hinging at the bottom, as many do on the gym apparatus, makes it easier). Most people will spend most of their time using progressively less and less hand assist, an unassisted GHR with support below the knee is HARD. Holding the bottom position also increases the difficulty.

But totally different exercise compared to a deadlift.

Again, I DON'T disagree that you can definitely increase strength with body weight exercises, however there will be a limit that body weight alone (even if you could master the HARDEST movements) will limit certain movements. This is why even people who have mastered it will add weights (preferably dumbells) to their body weight movements.

I'm not debating that one can't do it with body weight alone. I DO believe that a combination of both weight and body weight exercises provide more options especially for those who want to do a pullup, but use a pulldown machine to work on strengthening themselves up until they can do a pullup.

I do appreciate you giving information on the body weight options so that those who don't have access to a gym have avenues that can still be used.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

If you feel a planche in your triceps, either:
- Your triceps are comically weak compared to the rest of your upper body.
- You're doing it wrong.

Planches and variations are chest exercises more than anything else, though the forearms, biceps, shoulders, and traps will get a good workout as well. At the point of maximum tension, the straight arm lockout, your triceps do nothing, your bodyweight will apply a huge amound of rotational torque to your elbows, holding your arms straight. You have to tense the triceps in order to control the biceps, but the biceps carry the load in the upper arm, preventing elbow hyperextension. During the bent arm pushup portion, the load on the triceps is no greater than a dip, and if you are strong enough to do a basic tuck planche pushup, BW dips should be very easy, doing 30 or more should be no issue. All of the load is on the shoulder joint (deltoids, pecs, and traps), not the elbow joint. Calling a planche/planche pushup a tricep exercise is kinda like calling a regular pushup a glute exercise; yes they play a role, but if it is limiting you, something is terribly wrong with your strength profile.

Remember a planche pushup can be thought of as an an extreme chest dip. Instead of leaning forward a little, you lean forward a full 90 degrees and use your chest/shoulders to hold your hips up. A dip station is one of the best places to do planche pushups. Making that roation and holding it is many orders of magnitude more difficult than a BW dip, the triceps do no more though than they do in a BW dip, if anything they do less because the ROM at the elbow is a little smaller.

Rows and pullups work the same muscles for the most part, though rows work the back along the spine much better than a pullup. Remember a pullup is NOT a pure vertical pull, you either have to lean back or pull eccetric to the bar, a pure vertical pull is a BW bicep curl.

Note, I did not say one hand pullups (the grabbing the wrist variant that is no more difficult than a regular pull, except on your grip), I said one arm pull, as in the other arm does not assist in the pull. One arm pullups are HARD, near the physical limits of human performance, even the strongest of the strong are hard pressed to more than a couple reps.

Yes a GHR is a totally different exercise, about the only similarity is that it primarily works the posterior chain, lower back-glutes-hamstrings. However what BW work lacks in trunk braced leg work, it makes up for with trunck braced upper body work (L-sit, front/back lever, planche, + variants), which has no equivalent with weights. The supercompound exercises with BW are in the upper body.

Most people will get more mileage out of DB rows than the pulldown machine, working up to pullups, IMHO.

One could master the hardest movements in the lower body, but I do not beleive it is possible in the upper body. Olympic level ring specialists are the strongest of the strong relative to their bodyweight, even the best of the best are only capable of holding the hardest stuff a couple seconds or doing a rep or two (as in it is near 1-2-3RM level work for them), should you somehow surpass this point, go get yourself a gold medal.

Even in the lower body, a small collection of dumbbells is plenty to provide infinite resistance, one would never need more than that.

RobynLB

For visible abs you may well have to get to bodyfat percentage that is lower than "normal". I.e. like 15%. I'm at between 14% and 16% and I still don't really have a six pack.