Getting ripped without a gym membership

1235

Replies

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Let's recap. The quote in the OP was:
    I plan to gain about 25 pounds over the next year and a half without going to the gym once.

    Any of us could do that. I could easily gain 25 pounds in a year and a half without going to the gym once. Hell, I could do it without even working out once. It may be about 75%-90% fat, but no BF% or muscle parameters were stated, so goal met.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Egger29 wrote: »
    dart_si wrote: »
    Hello forum. I notice many people on here think it's impossible to get into good shape without going to the gym and lifting multiple times a week. I plan to gain about 25 pounds over the next year and a half without going to the gym once.
    I have a pullups bar, I will be doing a lot of modified body weight exercise. I'm at 145 pounds right now and 5'10. My body fat stays around the single digits naturally so this may be easier for someone like me compared to others. If you want to see my progress in the future feel free to contact me.
    Has anybody had any success doing what I'm doing or similar?

    Haters Gonna Hate.

    I've done professional sport programs that are entirely based on Body-Weight calisthenics. No one "Needs" a gym, so long as you focus on what you're working on and using proper form. Single Leg Squats, Push Ups, Body Rows...all worthwhile exercises. Take a look at Professional Gymnasts for Inspiration.

    I've been a fitness trainer for almost 20 years and recently I signed up for an Adult Gymnastics Class and it killed me every week! Who'd have thought bouncing on a trampoline would knock you out of breath but yeah...killer workout.

    I read a study the other week highlighting Zero Difference in Strength gain between Bench Press and Push-Ups., if anything Pushups are more effective as you require more core stability throughout the range of motion.

    But as I said at the start, there's a lot of hate on the threads for anyone who dares challenge the status quo!

    I wish you the best of success in it!

    Cheers!

    So you're saying he can gain 25 lbs while remaining at single digit BF% in a year and a half doing bw exercises at home? Because that is what the push back is for.

    He didn't say staying in single digits afaik. He just said he wanted to be 170 and he was currently in single digits.

    It doesn't seem that unreasonable to me.

    He's a pretty lean dude...wants to put on some weight and use bodyweight stuff to try to make it muscle. That's not crazy I don't think.

    Maybe it isn't optimal, but it could be if that fits his lifestyle.

    Because he mentioned he "naturally" stays in the single digits, whatever that means, I read that as he expects that to continue.

    Of course he can gain 25 lbs in a year and a half, but I think the "haters" are suggesting that if he gains 25 lbs in 18 months and he's not following a specific program (bw or otherwise) a good portion of that is going to be fat. And that's fine, as you said he's pretty lean and can probably carry a little more fat along with new muscle, but I didn't think that's what he was talking about. And he doesn't seem to be coming back, so I guess we'll never know :smiley:

    I think if he had asked how to do it, everyone would have told him to set his goal to gain half-a-lb per week, follow one of the bodyweight programs out there, and don't panic if you get a little fluffy, you can always cut to get back to your desired bf% afterward.
  • jseams1234
    jseams1234 Posts: 1,218 Member
    edited March 2018
    Egger29 wrote: »
    dart_si wrote: »
    Hello forum. I notice many people on here think it's impossible to get into good shape without going to the gym and lifting multiple times a week. I plan to gain about 25 pounds over the next year and a half without going to the gym once.
    I have a pullups bar, I will be doing a lot of modified body weight exercise. I'm at 145 pounds right now and 5'10. My body fat stays around the single digits naturally so this may be easier for someone like me compared to others. If you want to see my progress in the future feel free to contact me.
    Has anybody had any success doing what I'm doing or similar?

    Haters Gonna Hate.

    I've done professional sport programs that are entirely based on Body-Weight calisthenics. No one "Needs" a gym, so long as you focus on what you're working on and using proper form. Single Leg Squats, Push Ups, Body Rows...all worthwhile exercises. Take a look at Professional Gymnasts for Inspiration.

    I've been a fitness trainer for almost 20 years and recently I signed up for an Adult Gymnastics Class and it killed me every week! Who'd have thought bouncing on a trampoline would knock you out of breath but yeah...killer workout.

    I read a study the other week highlighting Zero Difference in Strength gain between Bench Press and Push-Ups., if anything Pushups are more effective as you require more core stability throughout the range of motion.

    But as I said at the start, there's a lot of hate on the threads for anyone who dares challenge the status quo!

    I wish you the best of success in it!

    Cheers!

    That study was on low load (40% of 1RM) bench press vs. push-ups.... 40% of 1RM is a warm up set.

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X17301028
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    jseams1234 wrote: »
    Egger29 wrote: »
    dart_si wrote: »
    Hello forum. I notice many people on here think it's impossible to get into good shape without going to the gym and lifting multiple times a week. I plan to gain about 25 pounds over the next year and a half without going to the gym once.
    I have a pullups bar, I will be doing a lot of modified body weight exercise. I'm at 145 pounds right now and 5'10. My body fat stays around the single digits naturally so this may be easier for someone like me compared to others. If you want to see my progress in the future feel free to contact me.
    Has anybody had any success doing what I'm doing or similar?

    Haters Gonna Hate.

    I've done professional sport programs that are entirely based on Body-Weight calisthenics. No one "Needs" a gym, so long as you focus on what you're working on and using proper form. Single Leg Squats, Push Ups, Body Rows...all worthwhile exercises. Take a look at Professional Gymnasts for Inspiration.

    I've been a fitness trainer for almost 20 years and recently I signed up for an Adult Gymnastics Class and it killed me every week! Who'd have thought bouncing on a trampoline would knock you out of breath but yeah...killer workout.

    I read a study the other week highlighting Zero Difference in Strength gain between Bench Press and Push-Ups., if anything Pushups are more effective as you require more core stability throughout the range of motion.

    But as I said at the start, there's a lot of hate on the threads for anyone who dares challenge the status quo!

    I wish you the best of success in it!

    Cheers!

    That study was on low load (40% of 1RM) bench press vs. push-ups.... 40% of 1RM is a warm up set.

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X17301028


    Expected as much.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    jseams1234 wrote: »
    Egger29 wrote: »
    dart_si wrote: »
    Hello forum. I notice many people on here think it's impossible to get into good shape without going to the gym and lifting multiple times a week. I plan to gain about 25 pounds over the next year and a half without going to the gym once.
    I have a pullups bar, I will be doing a lot of modified body weight exercise. I'm at 145 pounds right now and 5'10. My body fat stays around the single digits naturally so this may be easier for someone like me compared to others. If you want to see my progress in the future feel free to contact me.
    Has anybody had any success doing what I'm doing or similar?

    Haters Gonna Hate.

    I've done professional sport programs that are entirely based on Body-Weight calisthenics. No one "Needs" a gym, so long as you focus on what you're working on and using proper form. Single Leg Squats, Push Ups, Body Rows...all worthwhile exercises. Take a look at Professional Gymnasts for Inspiration.

    I've been a fitness trainer for almost 20 years and recently I signed up for an Adult Gymnastics Class and it killed me every week! Who'd have thought bouncing on a trampoline would knock you out of breath but yeah...killer workout.

    I read a study the other week highlighting Zero Difference in Strength gain between Bench Press and Push-Ups., if anything Pushups are more effective as you require more core stability throughout the range of motion.

    But as I said at the start, there's a lot of hate on the threads for anyone who dares challenge the status quo!

    I wish you the best of success in it!

    Cheers!

    That study was on low load (40% of 1RM) bench press vs. push-ups.... 40% of 1RM is a warm up set.

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X17301028


    Expected as much.

    No wonder they had similar hypertrophic responses. That's such a biased and controlled study then.

    How about the bench people train at 65-75% of their 1rm and the pushup stays the same. I guarantee the results would be quite different.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,420 MFP Moderator
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jseams1234 wrote: »
    Egger29 wrote: »
    dart_si wrote: »
    Hello forum. I notice many people on here think it's impossible to get into good shape without going to the gym and lifting multiple times a week. I plan to gain about 25 pounds over the next year and a half without going to the gym once.
    I have a pullups bar, I will be doing a lot of modified body weight exercise. I'm at 145 pounds right now and 5'10. My body fat stays around the single digits naturally so this may be easier for someone like me compared to others. If you want to see my progress in the future feel free to contact me.
    Has anybody had any success doing what I'm doing or similar?

    Haters Gonna Hate.

    I've done professional sport programs that are entirely based on Body-Weight calisthenics. No one "Needs" a gym, so long as you focus on what you're working on and using proper form. Single Leg Squats, Push Ups, Body Rows...all worthwhile exercises. Take a look at Professional Gymnasts for Inspiration.

    I've been a fitness trainer for almost 20 years and recently I signed up for an Adult Gymnastics Class and it killed me every week! Who'd have thought bouncing on a trampoline would knock you out of breath but yeah...killer workout.

    I read a study the other week highlighting Zero Difference in Strength gain between Bench Press and Push-Ups., if anything Pushups are more effective as you require more core stability throughout the range of motion.

    But as I said at the start, there's a lot of hate on the threads for anyone who dares challenge the status quo!

    I wish you the best of success in it!

    Cheers!

    That study was on low load (40% of 1RM) bench press vs. push-ups.... 40% of 1RM is a warm up set.

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X17301028


    Expected as much.

    No wonder they had similar hypertrophic responses. That's such a biased and controlled study then.

    How about the bench people train at 65-75% of their 1rm and the pushup stays the same. I guarantee the results would be quite different.

    Right. Who the hell benches at 40% 1RM. That isnt even my warmup weight.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jseams1234 wrote: »
    Egger29 wrote: »
    dart_si wrote: »
    Hello forum. I notice many people on here think it's impossible to get into good shape without going to the gym and lifting multiple times a week. I plan to gain about 25 pounds over the next year and a half without going to the gym once.
    I have a pullups bar, I will be doing a lot of modified body weight exercise. I'm at 145 pounds right now and 5'10. My body fat stays around the single digits naturally so this may be easier for someone like me compared to others. If you want to see my progress in the future feel free to contact me.
    Has anybody had any success doing what I'm doing or similar?

    Haters Gonna Hate.

    I've done professional sport programs that are entirely based on Body-Weight calisthenics. No one "Needs" a gym, so long as you focus on what you're working on and using proper form. Single Leg Squats, Push Ups, Body Rows...all worthwhile exercises. Take a look at Professional Gymnasts for Inspiration.

    I've been a fitness trainer for almost 20 years and recently I signed up for an Adult Gymnastics Class and it killed me every week! Who'd have thought bouncing on a trampoline would knock you out of breath but yeah...killer workout.

    I read a study the other week highlighting Zero Difference in Strength gain between Bench Press and Push-Ups., if anything Pushups are more effective as you require more core stability throughout the range of motion.

    But as I said at the start, there's a lot of hate on the threads for anyone who dares challenge the status quo!

    I wish you the best of success in it!

    Cheers!

    That study was on low load (40% of 1RM) bench press vs. push-ups.... 40% of 1RM is a warm up set.

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X17301028


    Expected as much.

    No wonder they had similar hypertrophic responses. That's such a biased and controlled study then.

    How about the bench people train at 65-75% of their 1rm and the pushup stays the same. I guarantee the results would be quite different.

    Right. Who the hell benches at 40% 1RM. That isnt even my warmup weight.

    Worst part is they note that both groups increased their 1RM. from ~60Kg to ~65Kg. Which is pathetic, for a relatively unconditioned group going in.

    Using an appropriate progressive BW program should have resulted in greater gains than that.

    Using an appropriate progressive bar, dumbbell or kettlebell program would have produced even greater gains.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited March 2018
    psuLemon wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jseams1234 wrote: »
    Egger29 wrote: »
    dart_si wrote: »
    Hello forum. I notice many people on here think it's impossible to get into good shape without going to the gym and lifting multiple times a week. I plan to gain about 25 pounds over the next year and a half without going to the gym once.
    I have a pullups bar, I will be doing a lot of modified body weight exercise. I'm at 145 pounds right now and 5'10. My body fat stays around the single digits naturally so this may be easier for someone like me compared to others. If you want to see my progress in the future feel free to contact me.
    Has anybody had any success doing what I'm doing or similar?

    Haters Gonna Hate.

    I've done professional sport programs that are entirely based on Body-Weight calisthenics. No one "Needs" a gym, so long as you focus on what you're working on and using proper form. Single Leg Squats, Push Ups, Body Rows...all worthwhile exercises. Take a look at Professional Gymnasts for Inspiration.

    I've been a fitness trainer for almost 20 years and recently I signed up for an Adult Gymnastics Class and it killed me every week! Who'd have thought bouncing on a trampoline would knock you out of breath but yeah...killer workout.

    I read a study the other week highlighting Zero Difference in Strength gain between Bench Press and Push-Ups., if anything Pushups are more effective as you require more core stability throughout the range of motion.

    But as I said at the start, there's a lot of hate on the threads for anyone who dares challenge the status quo!

    I wish you the best of success in it!

    Cheers!

    That study was on low load (40% of 1RM) bench press vs. push-ups.... 40% of 1RM is a warm up set.

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X17301028


    Expected as much.

    No wonder they had similar hypertrophic responses. That's such a biased and controlled study then.

    How about the bench people train at 65-75% of their 1rm and the pushup stays the same. I guarantee the results would be quite different.

    Right. Who the hell benches at 40% 1RM. That isnt even my warmup weight.

    Worst part is they note that both groups increased their 1RM. from ~60Kg to ~65Kg. Which is pathetic, for a relatively unconditioned group going in.

    Using an appropriate progressive BW program should have resulted in greater gains than that.

    Using an appropriate progressive bar, dumbbell or kettlebell program would have produced even greater gains.

    I agree but at the same time I would wonder why people would want to get really big with bodyweight. I always kept my weight in the 140s when doing BW since the leverage multipliers were a killer.

    That being said I know you are in the 220s or so, but I would die trying a lot of my old routines right now.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jseams1234 wrote: »
    Egger29 wrote: »
    dart_si wrote: »
    Hello forum. I notice many people on here think it's impossible to get into good shape without going to the gym and lifting multiple times a week. I plan to gain about 25 pounds over the next year and a half without going to the gym once.
    I have a pullups bar, I will be doing a lot of modified body weight exercise. I'm at 145 pounds right now and 5'10. My body fat stays around the single digits naturally so this may be easier for someone like me compared to others. If you want to see my progress in the future feel free to contact me.
    Has anybody had any success doing what I'm doing or similar?

    Haters Gonna Hate.

    I've done professional sport programs that are entirely based on Body-Weight calisthenics. No one "Needs" a gym, so long as you focus on what you're working on and using proper form. Single Leg Squats, Push Ups, Body Rows...all worthwhile exercises. Take a look at Professional Gymnasts for Inspiration.

    I've been a fitness trainer for almost 20 years and recently I signed up for an Adult Gymnastics Class and it killed me every week! Who'd have thought bouncing on a trampoline would knock you out of breath but yeah...killer workout.

    I read a study the other week highlighting Zero Difference in Strength gain between Bench Press and Push-Ups., if anything Pushups are more effective as you require more core stability throughout the range of motion.

    But as I said at the start, there's a lot of hate on the threads for anyone who dares challenge the status quo!

    I wish you the best of success in it!

    Cheers!

    That study was on low load (40% of 1RM) bench press vs. push-ups.... 40% of 1RM is a warm up set.

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X17301028


    Expected as much.

    No wonder they had similar hypertrophic responses. That's such a biased and controlled study then.

    How about the bench people train at 65-75% of their 1rm and the pushup stays the same. I guarantee the results would be quite different.

    Right. Who the hell benches at 40% 1RM. That isnt even my warmup weight.

    Worst part is they note that both groups increased their 1RM. from ~60Kg to ~65Kg. Which is pathetic, for a relatively unconditioned group going in.

    Using an appropriate progressive BW program should have resulted in greater gains than that.

    Using an appropriate progressive bar, dumbbell or kettlebell program would have produced even greater gains.

    I agree but at the same time I would wonder why people would want to get really big with bodyweight. I always kept my weight in the 140s when doing BW since the leverage multipliers were a killer.

    That being said I know you are in the 220s or so, but I would die trying a lot of my old routines right now.

    I'm actually 230 right now. 255-260 in the photo, and there's quite a few of my old routines I can't do right now because I'm coming off of a couple injuries. I couldn't do a single OAPU right now. at 255 I could do them for reps of 5. I was doing inverted and elevated PU for sets of 10. But yeah, 220 is the goal.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jseams1234 wrote: »
    Egger29 wrote: »
    dart_si wrote: »
    Hello forum. I notice many people on here think it's impossible to get into good shape without going to the gym and lifting multiple times a week. I plan to gain about 25 pounds over the next year and a half without going to the gym once.
    I have a pullups bar, I will be doing a lot of modified body weight exercise. I'm at 145 pounds right now and 5'10. My body fat stays around the single digits naturally so this may be easier for someone like me compared to others. If you want to see my progress in the future feel free to contact me.
    Has anybody had any success doing what I'm doing or similar?

    Haters Gonna Hate.

    I've done professional sport programs that are entirely based on Body-Weight calisthenics. No one "Needs" a gym, so long as you focus on what you're working on and using proper form. Single Leg Squats, Push Ups, Body Rows...all worthwhile exercises. Take a look at Professional Gymnasts for Inspiration.

    I've been a fitness trainer for almost 20 years and recently I signed up for an Adult Gymnastics Class and it killed me every week! Who'd have thought bouncing on a trampoline would knock you out of breath but yeah...killer workout.

    I read a study the other week highlighting Zero Difference in Strength gain between Bench Press and Push-Ups., if anything Pushups are more effective as you require more core stability throughout the range of motion.

    But as I said at the start, there's a lot of hate on the threads for anyone who dares challenge the status quo!

    I wish you the best of success in it!

    Cheers!

    That study was on low load (40% of 1RM) bench press vs. push-ups.... 40% of 1RM is a warm up set.

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X17301028


    Expected as much.

    No wonder they had similar hypertrophic responses. That's such a biased and controlled study then.

    How about the bench people train at 65-75% of their 1rm and the pushup stays the same. I guarantee the results would be quite different.

    Right. Who the hell benches at 40% 1RM. That isnt even my warmup weight.

    Worst part is they note that both groups increased their 1RM. from ~60Kg to ~65Kg. Which is pathetic, for a relatively unconditioned group going in.

    Using an appropriate progressive BW program should have resulted in greater gains than that.

    Using an appropriate progressive bar, dumbbell or kettlebell program would have produced even greater gains.

    I agree but at the same time I would wonder why people would want to get really big with bodyweight. I always kept my weight in the 140s when doing BW since the leverage multipliers were a killer.

    That being said I know you are in the 220s or so, but I would die trying a lot of my old routines right now.

    I'm actually 230 right now. 255-260 in the photo, and there's quite a few of my old routines I can't do right now because I'm coming off of a couple injuries. I couldn't do a single OAPU right now. at 255 I could do them for reps of 5. I was doing inverted and elevated PU for sets of 10. But yeah, 220 is the goal.

    I'm going to assume you are doing real one arms! I could never get a true one arm, the kind where you look like you are doing a normal pushup with just one, but I was able to get close. I could do about 20 of the wide stance ones but was still about 6" from feet together for 10-15 when I lost interest. I imagine your triceps must be huge.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jseams1234 wrote: »
    Egger29 wrote: »
    dart_si wrote: »
    Hello forum. I notice many people on here think it's impossible to get into good shape without going to the gym and lifting multiple times a week. I plan to gain about 25 pounds over the next year and a half without going to the gym once.
    I have a pullups bar, I will be doing a lot of modified body weight exercise. I'm at 145 pounds right now and 5'10. My body fat stays around the single digits naturally so this may be easier for someone like me compared to others. If you want to see my progress in the future feel free to contact me.
    Has anybody had any success doing what I'm doing or similar?

    Haters Gonna Hate.

    I've done professional sport programs that are entirely based on Body-Weight calisthenics. No one "Needs" a gym, so long as you focus on what you're working on and using proper form. Single Leg Squats, Push Ups, Body Rows...all worthwhile exercises. Take a look at Professional Gymnasts for Inspiration.

    I've been a fitness trainer for almost 20 years and recently I signed up for an Adult Gymnastics Class and it killed me every week! Who'd have thought bouncing on a trampoline would knock you out of breath but yeah...killer workout.

    I read a study the other week highlighting Zero Difference in Strength gain between Bench Press and Push-Ups., if anything Pushups are more effective as you require more core stability throughout the range of motion.

    But as I said at the start, there's a lot of hate on the threads for anyone who dares challenge the status quo!

    I wish you the best of success in it!

    Cheers!

    That study was on low load (40% of 1RM) bench press vs. push-ups.... 40% of 1RM is a warm up set.

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X17301028


    Expected as much.

    No wonder they had similar hypertrophic responses. That's such a biased and controlled study then.

    How about the bench people train at 65-75% of their 1rm and the pushup stays the same. I guarantee the results would be quite different.

    Right. Who the hell benches at 40% 1RM. That isnt even my warmup weight.

    Worst part is they note that both groups increased their 1RM. from ~60Kg to ~65Kg. Which is pathetic, for a relatively unconditioned group going in.

    Using an appropriate progressive BW program should have resulted in greater gains than that.

    Using an appropriate progressive bar, dumbbell or kettlebell program would have produced even greater gains.

    I agree but at the same time I would wonder why people would want to get really big with bodyweight. I always kept my weight in the 140s when doing BW since the leverage multipliers were a killer.

    That being said I know you are in the 220s or so, but I would die trying a lot of my old routines right now.

    I'm actually 230 right now. 255-260 in the photo, and there's quite a few of my old routines I can't do right now because I'm coming off of a couple injuries. I couldn't do a single OAPU right now. at 255 I could do them for reps of 5. I was doing inverted and elevated PU for sets of 10. But yeah, 220 is the goal.

    I'm going to assume you are doing real one arms! I could never get a true one arm, the kind where you look like you are doing a normal pushup with just one, but I was able to get close. I could do about 20 of the wide stance ones but was still about 6" from feet together for 10-15 when I lost interest. I imagine your triceps must be huge.

    Semi-wide, not fully narrow(maybe 18 inches), but not the 36-40 inch versions you see in movies. Honestly, once you get there it's so much more about core than about arm strength. I was also doing narrow shoulder touches, rows, and knees to elbows with 35 lb kbells.

    I've been recovering from an injury(popped pec-jumped in too fast after a break) for about a year, and the rumor of an injury for a year before that(shadow of a hairline tear on one of the tendons in my knee). The photos are about 3 years old now. And I'm just about far enough recovered to start back on my progressions, which means in 18 months or so I'll be taking pictures of 220 lb me doing those poses and maybe a planche pushup or two.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    jessef593 wrote: »
    jseams1234 wrote: »
    Egger29 wrote: »
    dart_si wrote: »
    Hello forum. I notice many people on here think it's impossible to get into good shape without going to the gym and lifting multiple times a week. I plan to gain about 25 pounds over the next year and a half without going to the gym once.
    I have a pullups bar, I will be doing a lot of modified body weight exercise. I'm at 145 pounds right now and 5'10. My body fat stays around the single digits naturally so this may be easier for someone like me compared to others. If you want to see my progress in the future feel free to contact me.
    Has anybody had any success doing what I'm doing or similar?

    Haters Gonna Hate.

    I've done professional sport programs that are entirely based on Body-Weight calisthenics. No one "Needs" a gym, so long as you focus on what you're working on and using proper form. Single Leg Squats, Push Ups, Body Rows...all worthwhile exercises. Take a look at Professional Gymnasts for Inspiration.

    I've been a fitness trainer for almost 20 years and recently I signed up for an Adult Gymnastics Class and it killed me every week! Who'd have thought bouncing on a trampoline would knock you out of breath but yeah...killer workout.

    I read a study the other week highlighting Zero Difference in Strength gain between Bench Press and Push-Ups., if anything Pushups are more effective as you require more core stability throughout the range of motion.

    But as I said at the start, there's a lot of hate on the threads for anyone who dares challenge the status quo!

    I wish you the best of success in it!

    Cheers!

    That study was on low load (40% of 1RM) bench press vs. push-ups.... 40% of 1RM is a warm up set.

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X17301028


    Expected as much.

    No wonder they had similar hypertrophic responses. That's such a biased and controlled study then.

    How about the bench people train at 65-75% of their 1rm and the pushup stays the same. I guarantee the results would be quite different.

    Right. Who the hell benches at 40% 1RM. That isnt even my warmup weight.

    Worst part is they note that both groups increased their 1RM. from ~60Kg to ~65Kg. Which is pathetic, for a relatively unconditioned group going in.

    Using an appropriate progressive BW program should have resulted in greater gains than that.

    Using an appropriate progressive bar, dumbbell or kettlebell program would have produced even greater gains.

    I agree but at the same time I would wonder why people would want to get really big with bodyweight. I always kept my weight in the 140s when doing BW since the leverage multipliers were a killer.

    That being said I know you are in the 220s or so, but I would die trying a lot of my old routines right now.

    I'm actually 230 right now. 255-260 in the photo, and there's quite a few of my old routines I can't do right now because I'm coming off of a couple injuries. I couldn't do a single OAPU right now. at 255 I could do them for reps of 5. I was doing inverted and elevated PU for sets of 10. But yeah, 220 is the goal.

    I'm going to assume you are doing real one arms! I could never get a true one arm, the kind where you look like you are doing a normal pushup with just one, but I was able to get close. I could do about 20 of the wide stance ones but was still about 6" from feet together for 10-15 when I lost interest. I imagine your triceps must be huge.

    Semi-wide, not fully narrow(maybe 18 inches), but not the 36-40 inch versions you see in movies. Honestly, once you get there it's so much more about core than about arm strength. I was also doing narrow shoulder touches, rows, and knees to elbows with 35 lb kbells.

    I've been recovering from an injury(popped pec-jumped in too fast after a break) for about a year, and the rumor of an injury for a year before that(shadow of a hairline tear on one of the tendons in my knee). The photos are about 3 years old now. And I'm just about far enough recovered to start back on my progressions, which means in 18 months or so I'll be taking pictures of 220 lb me doing those poses and maybe a planche pushup or two.


    Yeah, core rotation is the real fight I found but being lighter really helped, plus I was doing 100 continuous pushups long before that from martial arts training and my core was really strong at that time. I can only do the wide stance ones now. :confounded:

    Good luck on the recovery, I know how bad those injuries can be but seems like you are well on your way to being back 100%.