Switching to bodyweight training

alondrakayy
alondrakayy Posts: 304 Member
edited November 23 in Fitness and Exercise
Recently, I realized that no matter what strength gains I make with dumbbells/barbells, I still cannot do any exercise with just my bodyweight. I'm talking, no more than 5 reps of ugly push ups, forget about pull ups, laugh at myself when I try to dips, etc. I started looking for an app to help with bodyweight exercises but after a couple days of research.. I'm thinking about switching to bodyweight training. At least for some time (not forever).

I'm currently on a diet break (on maintenance) after cutting for 12 weeks, so I think now it's the prefect time to try this out. Thoughts?

Stats if needed:
140 lbs
5ft 7 in
23.7% body fat

Replies

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Bodyweight is hard and the exercises you mention are very hard.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    Not a single thing wrong with bodyweight training. I've been doing it for almost 3 years and have built some decent definition and strength. I do mine in circuits to make it a nice calorie burning workout.. for instance, 12 pushups, 12 pull ups, 12 bodyweight dips.. no rest.. 12 incline pushups, 12 chin ups, 12 bodyweight dips.. no rest.. 12 incline push ups, 12 pull ups, 12 body weight dips... etc. and soforth. I just use a couple of kitchen chairs side by side for the dips, and I have a pull up bar mounted in a door frame. I use another kitchen chair for decline and incline push ups and the floor for plain push ups. I usually do about 6 circuits like that, then hit my elliptical in the winter, or go for a run in the warmer weather, then I come back, switch to core work and finish my workout. Burns a crap ton of calories and I never needed a barbell. I do have them, but I have back issues so using them effectively I found was difficult, so they collect dust in my workout room most of the time lol.

    Body weight exercises are more compound exercises than using weights. They'll help you build overall strength better in my humble opinion.
  • kimcalica
    kimcalica Posts: 525 Member
    Most of my working out is body weight training because common sense tells me that if I can’t lift and maneuver my own body, then I won’t have the endurance I’m looking for to live an active lifestyle. I do a lot of barre and ballet exercises for my legs and core, and use a yoga swing to do upper arm work. I’m working towards a free headstand.. I’ve been working for years, slowly to build myself up.. pretty much everywhere.. I have this goal to be able to move outside of water, the way I move in water.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    I was doing a 4x25 decline pushup, 5x10 pullup and 5x15 dip routine 3x/wk but the volume and frequency caused tendonitis in my rt elbow.

    Took a 2 (going on 3) month break but the elbow still hurts.

    Did a few pushups, pullups snd dips the other day but don't want to aggravate the elbow further by doing too many.

    Something to consider if you start doing a bodyweight routine involving a lot of pushups, pullups snd/or dips.
  • MsHarryWinston
    MsHarryWinston Posts: 1,027 Member
    I suuuuuck at body weight exercises so they are something I’ve started working on as well. Right now I’m focusing on pushups.
    I think doing body weight work is a great idea.
  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
    Bodyweight training is good.

    Since you'd like to get better at pushups, pullups and dips why not concentrate on them.

    Throw in some legwork for good measure.

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    You may lose some strength with the freeweights if you drop them completely. Freeweight strength, for me, tends to be more practical for the real world than bodyweight exercises, so i'd keep a couple sets of the major lifts - deadlifts, overhead press, lunges, carries, etc. :+1:
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Pull ups are very difficult and take a lot of strength and practice so don't be too discouraged if you are struggling. I started with chin ups, resistance bands, negatives.. and still can only do a few.

    I think bodyweight exercises are great, but I love using weights as well. I incorporate chin-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, bodyweight hip thrusts into my routine as well as yoga which also has a lot of bodyweight work into it.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I think any strength program, regardless of what a person has access to, should involve a basic minimum of bodyweight movements
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited December 2017
    One of the hardest workouts I've done was suggested by my son. Very simply, 300 pushups and 300 situps in a day. Add in 100 or so squats and that's quite a workout.
  • swebb1103
    swebb1103 Posts: 200 Member
    I do body weight workouts 3 days a week, following a training plan geared to getting me ready for Spartan races this summer. I love them and hate them. Love them because I am making much bigger gains than I was doing weight machines, hate them because, well, they suck! I run the other 2 days.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    alondrakayy wrote: »
    I'm currently on a diet break (on maintenance) after cutting for 12 weeks, so I think now it's the prefect time to try this out. Thoughts?

    i think i saw something on nerd fitness a while ago, where one of the guys had been told to quit lifting due to some kind of spine issue, and so he'd made a transition to bodyweight work. that might be a great place to investigate for what you're planning.

  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    I have gotten into calisthenics lately, and absolutely love it. I can do body weight exercises anywhere, so that is very freeing. Check into some of the youtube calisthenics people, especially Chris Heria, as he has a bunch of advice for those just starting out. I was surprised at how quickly my form improved for things i could never do well, like pull ups and pushups. I can even do diamond push ups now, i never could before.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    MikePfirrman wrote: »
    One of the hardest workouts I've done was suggested by my son. Very simply, 300 pushups and 300 situps in a day. Add in 100 or so squats and that's quite a workout.

    Once you get past 40-60 pushups and a corresponding number of situps, you're really not gaining anything.
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