Are "Bodyweight" exercises considered "weight training"?

mauryr
mauryr Posts: 385
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Wondering - are bodyweight exercises (push ups, pull ups, dips, squats etc) considered "weight training"?

I ask because I have read that when weight training, you should only work out every other day, but cardio can be done every day. I am wondering which rule applies to bodyweight exercises.

Any insight would be appreciated! Thanks!

Replies

  • funkyrlish
    funkyrlish Posts: 1
    You want to give your body 24-48 hours to recover from "bodyweight" exercises so that your muscles can recover.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    In a way, it is weight training. I wouldn't do chair dips and squats every day. Also, ab work shouldn't be done everyday.
  • mauryr
    mauryr Posts: 385
    deleted. oops.
  • BOGmama2010
    BOGmama2010 Posts: 599 Member
    They are technically calisthenics. I find that if I am doing a push-up challenge, my shoulders are not up to it every day, so I have to give them a break. It would be easy enough to break it into lower half one day and upper half the next to give your body a break. Tons of different squats and lunges you can do, as well as push-up variations and pull-ups too (don't forget tricep dips as well!)
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Body weight training is definitely weight training, you are just using your body's own weight instead of adding extra weight. Athletes like gymnasts do more body weight training than with actual weights because it's their own body weight that they need to move around.
  • thomasbf
    thomasbf Posts: 47 Member
    The overarching category of body weight or dumbell weight trianing is "Strength Training." Either one counts. Things like lunges, push-ups, ab work, squats, trivcep dips, etc. are all weigth training and you need to give your body a rest day. Some schools of thought say that if you aren't working to the point of exhaustion, you may not need to take a day off in between, I do anyway. If you work a different muscle group each day (arm day, leg day, core day, etc.), you can do some form of body weight training each day.

    A great DVD, if you're into that, is Jillian Michaels Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism.
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