Strength training with no weights?

JenniferMary_9169

Do body weight training to start with; use your body weight to work with you for starters. Remember to feel the muscle you are working....if you don't you are doing it wrong.

Triceps: Find a chair or a bench, sit on it, place arms beside you, legs in front bent at a 90d angle. Move forward off the chair and dip, using your arms to bring you up..not your legs. Do a set of 5-10 reps to start with 2xs. If you want some weight use invest in 3lb dumbells for starters or elastic bands.

Lying on your back.....lift tricep above your head, keeping your elbows at a 90d angle, and lifting straight up, then control the downward motion and repeat. 1 set of 10


Chest: Push-ups - Use the bench, assume pushup position and go. If this is too hard, do them against the wall until you can do 10 then move to the bench or counter or even on the floor if you can.

Bicep curls - 1 set of 5 for starters...then graduate to 10. Remember to hold/squeeze for one count at the top, control the motion down.

Modified for rows - lay on a bench, pull-up weights to bust line, squeezing the back muscles, and control downward motion. Do a set of 5 and graduate to 10. Then once you have that mastered, go to bentover rows.

Deadlifts (hamstrings): Legs slightly wider than shoulders, stick butt out (feel glutes), pick up weights. Lift by bringing butt up slightly, straightening knees (should feel hamstrings engage), and come up. Set of 10.

This is just a small example of what you can do with body weight and 10lb dumbbells for starters.

awesome! TYVM for the tips!

VegKate

If you have never ever done any strength training and have no muscle, it's very believable to add muscle with yoga. Especially over a long period of time.

VegKate

I've put on 10lbs of muscle doing yoga every day. It uses your own body weight to build muscle.

Also, google image Rodney Yee. I do his videos. That guy is pure muscle!

Iron_Feline

I've put on 10lbs of muscle doing yoga every day. It uses your own body weight to build muscle.

Also, google image Rodney Yee. I do his videos. That guy is pure muscle!

I actually have one of his dvd's. He is also a former gymnast and dancer which will be where he built his muscles up in the first place. He is also not pure muscle, he just has a low body fat. There is a big difference.

I really really doubt you put on 10lbs of muscle from doing just yoga. You probably gained a small amount and saw great increases in strength, but strength increases =/= muscle gain. How did you come to the conclusion you gain 10lbs on muscle btw - DEXA scan?

VegKate

I've put on 10lbs of muscle doing yoga every day. It uses your own body weight to build muscle.

Also, google image Rodney Yee. I do his videos. That guy is pure muscle!

I actually have one of his dvd's. He is also a former gymnast and dancer which will be where he built his muscles up in the first place. He is also not pure muscle, he just has a low body fat. There is a big difference.

I really really doubt you put on 10lbs of muscle from doing just yoga. You probably gained a small amount and saw great increases in strength, but strength increases =/= muscle gain. How did you come to the conclusion you gain 10lbs on muscle btw - DEXA scan?

Well, I have to admit nothing more official than taking measurements. I lost a couple inches off my waist, thighs, etc and gained 10 lbs. I know correlation does not equal causation, but it has been motivating for me to keep it up. I shared this information mostly just to be helpful to anyone looking for a low impact way to build some strength (without going to a gym) before moving onto something more challenging. I'm doing yoga to build strength after knee injuries so that I can do cardio later on.

AllonsYtotheTardis

Well, I have to admit nothing more official than taking measurements. I lost a couple inches off my waist, thighs, etc and gained 10 lbs. I know correlation does not equal causation, but it has been motivating for me to keep it up. I shared this information mostly just to be helpful to anyone looking for a low impact way to build some strength (without going to a gym) before moving onto something more challenging. I'm doing yoga to build strength after knee injuries so that I can do cardio later on.

I don't think you'll find anyone here is debating the usefulness of yoga, BTW. It's great for your body, and many people here who lift weights also do yoga.

To the OP - I would like to also recommend the book "Body By You" - written by the same author as "You Are Your Own Gym" and aimed at people who are just starting with body weight strength training. The steps are well explained, and the program progresses you through increasingly more challenging movements as you get stronger.

Iron_Feline

I've put on 10lbs of muscle doing yoga every day. It uses your own body weight to build muscle.

Also, google image Rodney Yee. I do his videos. That guy is pure muscle!

I actually have one of his dvd's. He is also a former gymnast and dancer which will be where he built his muscles up in the first place. He is also not pure muscle, he just has a low body fat. There is a big difference.

I really really doubt you put on 10lbs of muscle from doing just yoga. You probably gained a small amount and saw great increases in strength, but strength increases =/= muscle gain. How did you come to the conclusion you gain 10lbs on muscle btw - DEXA scan?

Well, I have to admit nothing more official than taking measurements. I lost a couple inches off my waist, thighs, etc and gained 10 lbs. I know correlation does not equal causation, but it has been motivating for me to keep it up. I shared this information mostly just to be helpful to anyone looking for a low impact way to build some strength (without going to a gym) before moving onto something more challenging. I'm doing yoga to build strength after knee injuries so that I can do cardio later on.

Don't get me wrong - yoga is excellent and I need to do more of it :blushing: It does increase strength and flexibility - but a woman on a proper training plan would be happy to put on 10lbs on muscle in a year, I'm sure you did gain some, just sadly not 10lbs.

Losing inches is always a great motivator - congrats on your loss :flowerforyou:

toutmonpossible

Buy some lighter dumbbells nd bring them with you to the gym. Bodyweight exercises are good, too, but I found some of them easier to do once I gave myself a foundation with a little weight work. If you're too weak to use 10 pound weights, you obviously shouldn't start with them as you won't be able to use proper form. I have no idea if those adjustable weights work, but you could look into them.

Yoga's good exercise for flexibility, balance, etc., but as others have said, it's not an exercise you do to build muscle.

Yogi_Carl

Building muscle is incredibly difficult, even harder for a woman. Building 10lbs of muscle lifting heavy weights without roids would be a challenge, doing it using yoga is quite honestly unbelievable. Feel free to do some research before criticising people who are correct in their disbelief. :noway:

It's a Yoga thing - you weight-lifting folks wouldn't understand. :flowerforyou:

No it's a science thing, and just because we do weights doesn't mean we don't do yoga :noway:

This was meant in light jest - sorry it failed. :flowerforyou:

hausisse

Doesn't pilates count as strength training? Go to fitnessblender or blogilates and do some of the videos by yourself in your apartment! They don't usually require any weights and make me REALLY sore

helmsara

I like these ideas.

Joreanasaurous

Google Nerd Fitness. He has some body weight workouts that might help you get started.

stealthq

What about going old school and using cans of food, books, bottles of water, that sort of thing as your weights? If you're looking to start out at 5 lbs. and under, you should have a fair number of household items that would work. Of course, body weight works, too, and is more convenient. If you want to up the difficulty, do your movements as slowly and smoothly as you possibly can and concentrate on absolutely perfect form.

Yogi_Carl

Yoga's good exercise for flexibility, balance, etc., but as others have said, it's not an exercise you do to build muscle.

You may not build a lot of muscle but you will develop a good deal of strength.

waldo56

Eh, if you do the right Yoga, you can build quite a bit of muscle.

Do yoga like this, in the presence of a calorie surplus, and you WILL gain muscle mass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loszrEZvS_k

Nobody really disputes that gymnasts can build muscle; there is an awful lot of crossover between gymnastics and yoga.

Basic beginners yoga though, not so much.

ashleymcn01

Check out the book 'you are your own gym' - it has tons of body weight exercises. Push-ups and squats will take you quite a ways by themselves.
I just started the program from 'new rules of lifting for women' and most beginners moves in there that call for extra weight, were easy enough to do with 10lb. Don't forget, you can use a barbell without plates, if there is one. Or use phonebooks etc for extra weight.

I second this, pushups (from your knee position) and squats are two of the absolute best exercises there are for toning, and not one dumbbell is needed!!

rainbowbow

If you have never ever done any strength training and have no muscle, it's very believable to add muscle with yoga. Especially over a long period of time.

and while eating more calories than your body needs.

Yogi_Carl

Eh, if you do the right Yoga, you can build quite a bit of muscle.

Do yoga like this, in the presence of a calorie surplus, and you WILL gain muscle mass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loszrEZvS_k

Now THAT's awesome. Interesting - no a hint of a six pack but undoubtedly a strong core. I am working towards hand and headstands without kicking up as shown in this video.

Also - for those intersted in a good solid power style full yoga routine; try Mark Gonzales:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLi93EIHx5o

waldo56

Going up into a handstand without kicking up (called a handstand press) requires a ton of shoulder and core strength or extreme shoulder and compression/pancake flexibility (even then, its still frickin hard). If you can't really stack yourself up near perectly vertical (forget touching your toes, flatpalming between your heels), it gets difficult fast.

Your average dude will find a handstand press every bit as difficult as a 1x BW overhead press, if not harder if flexibility is a serious issue.

i'm not even close to being able to do one, and I can bang out 10 handstand pushups without issue.

CoderGal

Eh, if you do the right Yoga, you can build quite a bit of muscle.

Do yoga like this, in the presence of a calorie surplus, and you WILL gain muscle mass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loszrEZvS_k

Now THAT's awesome. Interesting - no a hint of a six pack but undoubtedly a strong core. I am working towards hand and headstands without kicking up as shown in this video.

Also - for those intersted in a good solid power style full yoga routine; try Mark Gonzales:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLi93EIHx5o

She also has a healthy amount of body fat, which would contribute to not seeing her abs fully. I'm stuck with the same vague line going down my front. And I just saw the video of her earlier, how absolutely gorgeous! We also do not know if her only training is yoga. And as a person who is into yoga, there's definitely core involved, but her legs and arms did most of that work. I just saw this video earlier, it has me inspired to lift weights to get my leg and arm strength up quicker lol.