What does your exercise routine look like?

Another Bodyweight Culture article, this one courtesy Cheesedog at:

http://www.bodyweightculture.com/forum/showthread.php?11058-Bodyweight-Strength-Training

Bodyweight Strength Training

People are always asking about strength training using only bodyweight. This is nothing new or revolutionary. I am borrowing HEAVILY from Rippatoe, Bill Starr, and lots of other great authors and trainers. This is your basic 5 x 5 template. (To clarify, 5x5 is 5 reps x 5 sets. The idea is to work at a difficulty level where you could only do maybe 7-8 reps on the first set, and are struggling to finish 5 reps on the last set). You would do strength training 3 times a week, say Monday-Wednesday-Friday with the weekends off. These are done "lazy circuits" style, with about 1 minute rest between each set.

Workout A
1A. Knee dominant - 5 x 5
1B. Horizontal push - 5 x 5
1C. Horizontal pull - 5 x 5
2A. Ab - flexion - 3 x 5
2B. Ab - static 3 x 30 seconds

Workout B
1A. Knee dominant - 5 x 5
1B. Vertical push - 5 x 5
1C. Hip dominant - 5 x 5
1D. Vertical pull - 5 x 5
2A. Ab - rotation - 3 x 5
2B. Grip and neck training - 3 x varies

Exercise Progressions - with regular weight training you can just add weight to the bar. With bodyweight progression is mostly about changing your leverage. These are just a few examples, I'm sure we could come up with dozens more if needed. You can always add resistance in the form of a weighted vest or backpack or resistance bands.

1. Knee Dominant -- squats, lunges, step-ups, bulgarian split squats, unilateral bent leg deadlift, partial one leg squat, one leg squat, box or stair pistols, full pistols.
2. Horizontal Push -- pushups, decline pushups, resistance pushups, side to side pushups, stair one arm pushups, negative one arm pushups, full one arm pushups.
3. Horizontal Pull -- body row, resistance body row, negative one hand row, incline one hand row, full one hand row.
4. Ab - flexion -- crunches, situps, resistance or incline situps, reverse situp, resistance or incline reverse situps, hanging knee or leg raise, hanging pikes, rollout from knees, rollout from feet, dragon flag. Also included are oblique moves like side lying crunches with or without resistance and side lying two leg raise.
5. Abs- static -- 4 point prone bridge, 3 point prone bridge, 2 point prone bridge, 4 point supine bridge, 3 point supine bridge.
6. Vertical Push -- pike pushup, hindu pushup, divebomber pushup, decline pike pushup, decline hindu pushup, decline divebomber pushup, one arm pike pushup, negative handstand pushup, handstand pushup with head touching floor, full handstand pushup.
7. Hip Dominant -- supine hip extension, good morning, one leg stiff leg deadlift, split one leg good morning, one leg supine hip extension, hyperextension, one leg hyperextension, natural glute-ham raise.
8. Vertical Pull -- jumping or assisted pullups, pullups, resistance pullups, side to side pullups, negative one hand pullups, one hand pullups. All these can refer to chinups or neutral grip pullups as well.
9. Ab - rotation -- twist crunches or situps, resistance or incline twist crunches or situps, russian twists, lying windshield wipers, standing rope rotations, hanging windshield wipers.
10. Grip and Neck Training -- for grip you can use handgrippers, deadhangs from a pullup bar (especially a fatbar or gripping a towel). For neck nothing beats wrestlers bridges. If you are involved in a striking martial art or sport, finger and fist pushups are very important also.

None of these lists have to end here. If you get strong enough you can always add resistance to your full range of motion one limb exercise. Or if you can do more than 5 one hand pushups do decline one hand pushups, or start working on one hand hindu and then eventually one hand dive bombers, and so on.

The nice thing about this routine is it scales dramatically depending on your fitness level. If you can't do even ONE regular pull up, you can scale it down and do assisted pull ups (legs on a chair), or ballistic pullups (where you jump to provide the initial momentum). It's actually easier to do properly when you're very unfit...because once you're healthy and strong...you're going to be searching for challenging enough exercises to only allow you 5 reps max by the finish of the 5 sets.

By the way guys...I just wrote up my current weight training workout for my new MFP friend Ginny...so I thought since I had it in text, I'd list it out here for any of you interested. As I mentioned, it's a modified version of my old bodyweight workout.

Ok, here's your simple routine!

You will lift 3 days a week, preferably Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You should be able to complete this workout in roughly an hour. There are two routines...called 'Workout A' and 'Workout B'. You will do Workout A on your first Monday, and Workout B on your first Wednesday. After that you will simply alternate, A, B, A, B etc. So on your first week, you'll do Workout A twice, second week, Workout B twice. You will use a 5x5 format...meaning 5 sets of 5 reps, with no more than a minute rest between. I rest FAR less than that...30 seconds tops (I actually use a heart rate monitor now, and keep the rate about 130 or so). In order to decide on a weight (this goes for all exercises), you'll need to find a weight you can do only 6 or 7 reps with on your first set. This should make it properly challenging for your last set.

Now, the exercises:

Workout A:
1 - Weighted Squats/Lunges - Using either dumb bells, kettlebells, or a smith machine, do 5 sets of 5 squats, or 5 sets of 10 lunges (5 each leg)
2 - Dumb Bell Press - Lay back on a bench, and using a 'bench press' motion, press up your matched dumb bells, twisting them so the sides touch at the top. Again, 5 sets of 5.
3 - Horizontal Row - Using the lat pull down machine, lay backwards as far down as you can, and using the bar with a shoulder width grip...pull the weight until the bar touches your chest (a slight gap is fine). 5 sets of 5.
4 - Ab Work Flex - I perfer to do leg lifts for this workout. Using the ab stand (similar to a dip bar, but with handles), lift your legs straight forward, bending at the hips...return to lowered, then lift them towards the left side, return, then towards the right, and return. That is one rep. Do 3-5 sets of 5 reps. If you cannot lift your legs with your knees straight, bend them however much is necessary to allow you to complete the workout.
5 - Ab Work Static - Forward Planks. Get in pushup position, only resting on your elbows. Hold your body straight as a board from shoulders to toes for 30 seconds. Do this 3-5 times.

Workout B:
1 - Weighted Squats/Lunges - Using either dumb bells, kettlebells, or a smith machine, do 5 sets of 5 squats, or 5 sets of 10 lunges (5 each leg)1B. Vertical push - 5 x 5
2 - Dumb Bell Shoulder Press - Using dumb bells, sit on a bench, then press your weights upward from your shoulders, to above your head. Do 5 sets of 5 reps.
3 - Weighted Extensions - Utilizing the extension stand, place a dumb bell of appropriate weight on the ground. Lock your ankles under the pads, and brace your hips against the stand. Bend down, pick up the dumb bell, then straighten your body, until your back is perpendicular to the ground...bringing the weight slightly forward. Then, lower yourself down, letting the weight touch the floor. That is one rep. Do 5 sets of 5 reps.
4 - Pullups - 5 sets of 5 reps. If you cannot complete that many regular pullups, use the assisted machine, and a level of assistance that allows you to do only 7 reps on the first set. Worst case, use the lat pull down machine, and use a pullup motion with it.
5 - Ab Work Rotation - Using the ab station, lift your legs straight outward, as if you were leg lifting, then, twisting your hips side to side, sweeping your legs side to side in a 'windshield wiper' type motion. Do 10 reps (each sweep in one direction is a rep, so left, right, left would be 3 reps), 3 sets minimum, 5 sets maximum.

That's it! This is my EXACT workout at the gym, currently. It's simple, quick, targets your entire body, and since you're lifting the heaviest weight you can...the workout is extreme. Each successive workout, try to add 5lbs to your weight. If you have to stop in the middle and lower the weight to complete the exercise, that's fine as well. The next time you do that exercise, start with the same weight, until you can complete the entire 5x5 at that weight...at which point you'll move up 5lbs again.