Lifting weights sounds horrible

ReadyWillingEager
ReadyWillingEager Posts: 56 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone have suggestions for ways to build muscle and decrease body fat WITHOUT doing weight lifting? Programs that utilize ones own body weight? I definitely don't want to do a lot of weight lifting.

Replies

  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    well you kinda need to lift weights to build muscle. But there are plenty of bodyweight exercise, check out suspension training, like the TRX. you can build strength and some muscle, but eventually you'll max out and need to go with iron if you want to build muscle, but you might just be happy with body weight exercises. lots of people get in nice shape with out ever touching a weight.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    Be your own gym

    https://www.marklauren.com/books.html

    https://www.marklauren.com/
  • elgie3
    elgie3 Posts: 23 Member
    Ditto TRX / Lifeline Jungle Gym type of setup or bodyweight. Mark Lauren is good, check YouTube for some that do vids: Zuzka Light, Tatiannamania, probably some BeFIT vids, etc
  • elgie3
    elgie3 Posts: 23 Member
    edited June 2016
    .
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,982 Member
    ReadyWillingEager wrote: »
    Does anyone have suggestions for ways to build muscle and decrease body fat WITHOUT doing weight lifting? Programs that utilize ones own body weight? I definitely don't want to do a lot of weight lifting.
    Body weight training is literally "weight lifting". You're just using your own weight.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,610 Member
    [b]ReadyWillingEager[/b] wrote: »
    Does anyone have suggestions for ways to build muscle and decrease body fat WITHOUT doing weight lifting? Programs that utilize ones own body weight? I definitely don't want to do a lot of weight lifting.

    Why does lifting weights sound horrible?

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    ReadyWillingEager wrote: »
    Does anyone have suggestions for ways to build muscle and decrease body fat WITHOUT doing weight lifting? Programs that utilize ones own body weight? I definitely don't want to do a lot of weight lifting.

    in what way is it 'horrible'? have you tried it?
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    ReadyWillingEager wrote: »
    Does anyone have suggestions for ways to build muscle and decrease body fat WITHOUT doing weight lifting? Programs that utilize ones own body weight? I definitely don't want to do a lot of weight lifting.

    Personally I find weight training of any sort very dull, but I can fit bodyweight training into my wider plan to make it more bearable.

    Look at nerdfitness.com, Convict Conditioning or You Are Your Own Gym for structured plans.

    As upthread bodyweight is perfectly suitable, but nit does reach a limit in terms of what you can do. More advanced work requires a degree of coordination that many don't have. In that sense progression using weights is easier to achieve.

    Something I do regularly is stick a suspension training rig in my camelbak, run up into the woods and then do a workout with the rig hanging on a tree, before running back.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,941 Member
    Starting body weight: http://www.startbodyweight.com/ is free and might be a good start and there are few exercises where you can really get injured, maybe apart from the crow stand (if you fall forward and have the weight on your hands it's not easy to prevent you from falling on your face. Ouch!)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    OK take the basic exercise forms and don't add weight, add instability or intensity or increase reps or sets or types of movements

    eg take your basic squat
    - learn to do a decent bodyweight squat to full ROM
    - adapt it eg to jumping as you come up; to one legged with support; to one legged without support, jumping as you come up from one leg

    I assume you mean heavy weights - you could hold a dumbbell or kettlebell and that would be the same as adding intensity (then increase weight as you feel more comfortable - that's the basic concept of progression in resistance training)

    Big thing is - don't knock it until you try it - with training

    it is amazing the things in life one discounts without actually experiencing them firsthand

    this former couch potato loves weight lifting

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