How can I do weight training without weights?

ainokea8 · January 2014

Some back story: I'm at a low weight but completely out of shape and flabby. I don't want to drop any weight but I want to lower bf% and gain muscle.

Therefore,I need to do weight training but I have no access to a gym at the moment and no weights at home.

So I looked up some exercises I could do at home instead. Would this be a good substitute? :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iwl0TGfmDg

Now I have some questions about this kind of exercise:

Most of it seem to be some variation of a plank or a squat. And I'm wondering, aren't these exercises mostly used to target the arms and legs?

Most of my fat distribution goes to my stomach and thighs. So I know my legs could definitely use some work. But when I'm building muscle in my legs by doing these squats w/o dieting, wouldn't that just cause muscle build up under a layer of fat? So my legs would actually bulk up instead of slimming. And most of all neither of these exercise target core, so how would this lead to fat reduction in my stomach area?

ainokea8 · January 2014

bump

JoRocka · January 2014

well you aren't doing weight training with out weights.

That's just not happening.

But - wait- don't lose hope. There is a way.

Body weight exercises are an excellent way to train. There are lots of variations to improve your strength and conditioning- so once you master one- you can move on to a harder variation.

it tends to be a slower process and its' different than weight training in a few ways- but you can still achieve the same affect of progressively loading your muscles- which is what weight training does.

victoriannsays · January 2014

You cannot target lose. By doing certain exercises you won't lose in your core more by doing sit ups or lose more in your legs from doing squats. The fat comes off wherever it wants. It's annoying but it's the truth and a common misconception. Before weights I did plenty of yoga. It helped me develop a strong core but at some point the resistance of just your body won't be enough. Maybe eventually you'll become interested in purchasing your own equipment.

Edit for autocorrect

mulecanter · January 2014

You cannot target lose. By doing certain exercises you won't lose in your core more by doing sit ups or lose more in your legs from doing squats. The fat comes off wherever it wants. It's annoying but it's the truth and a common misconception. Before weights I did plenty of yoga. It helped me develop a strong core but at some point the resistance of just your body won't be enough. Maybe eventually you'll become interested in purchasing your own equipment.

Edit for autocorrect

This

ChancyW · January 2014

Bodyweight exercises are a great place to get started. Or invest in an exercise band. They are cheap and will allow you much more variety!

As far a losing weight goes, I like to think of it in terms of ponds, rivers and lakes. When water evaporates (or in your case, fat gets burned) you are going to notice much more quickly that it has evaporated from the ponds and rivers. Places where the fat is deeper are the lakes. Just because you can't see it going down, doesn't mean it's not happening.

belgerian · January 2014

Resistance bands will give you a nice workout and they are cheap but again the term Weight training sooner or later you will probably want weights. Also there are plenty of DVD programs which are good for building muscle which involve minimul investments in weights. You can do the P90X with all resistance bands. I have not done the program but did a few of the workouts with bands and it does give you a heck of a work out.

chrisrc131 · January 2014

You cannot target lose.

This is what stuck out to me too. Where your bodyfat is bothering you has nothing to do with the strength you want to build. You have two separate problems, the fat you want to lose and the strength you want to build. Address them separately.

That said, planks are absolutely a good core exercise. barbell squats are too, though I'm not sure that applies as much with bodyweight squats. Just those two exercises isn't much of a routine though. Here's a fairly well rounded one I found quickly:

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/17/advanced-body-weight-workout-warning-this-will-kick-your-*kitten*/

But that would really only be good for a start. To make strength progress you need to make each exercise progressively harder. Do pushups with a heavy backpack. Do goblet squats holding something heavy, etc.

Just because you don't have a gym or a set of barbells doesn't mean you can't progressively load your exercises, but it does require a bit more creativity. Is it strange that I think one of the reasons I keep going to a gym instead of working out at home is because I'm fundamentally lazy?.

SrJoben · January 2014

Some back story: I'm at a low weight but completely out of shape and flabby. I don't want to drop any weight but I want to lower bf% and gain muscle.

Therefore,I need to do weight training but I have no access to a gym at the moment and no weights at home.

So I looked up some exercises I could do at home instead. Would this be a good substitute? : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iwl0TGfmDg

Now I have some questions about this kind of exercise:

Most of it seem to be some variation of a plank or a squat. And I'm wondering, aren't these exercises mostly used to target the arms and legs?

Most of my fat distribution goes to my stomach and thighs. So I know my legs could definitely use some work. But when I'm building muscle in my legs by doing these squats w/o dieting, wouldn't that just cause muscle build up under a layer of fat? So my legs would actually bulk up instead of slimming. And most of all neither of these exercise target core, so how would this lead to fat reduction in my stomach area?

Ok a few things.

Planks are a core exercise! I skimmed through the video, it looks ok.

You can not spot reduce fat. What this means is that doing an exercise for a specific area will not make that area slimmer. Doing excercise with intensity while eating the right amount of food can make ALL of you slimmer. That's the only way it works. You can make your body lose fat, but you can't pick where that fat comes off of first.

Your muscles may grow a little particularly in the first few weeks and months. I'd describe it as more like waking them up then growing. When they start getting used they may fill out a little and look more shapely.

But long term growth will be small to none unless you are eating extra to make it happen (Bodybuilders who make their muscles large on purpose eat very large amounts of food) and training in the right way. Generally speaking if your diet and exercise is of a type that will make you lose fat you will get smaller not bigger.

ainokea8 · January 2014

You cannot target lose. By doing certain exercises you won't lose in your core more by doing sit ups or lose more in your legs from doing squats. The fat comes off wherever it wants. It's annoying but it's the truth and a common misconception. Before weights I did plenty of yoga. It helped me develop a strong core but at some point the resistance of just your body won't be enough. Maybe eventually you'll become interested in purchasing your own equipment.

Edit for autocorrect

What I mean is, wouldn't I be gaining muscle in certain areas than the areas I actually want to gain muscle in?
And how will I be burning fat in my core, if these exercises are meant to build MUSCLE in legs for example.

nonstopper · January 2014

body weight : push-ups, hand stand push up, Air squats, jumping air squats. (get real low), Planks, Pull-ups, and much more

How can I do weight training without weights?

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