Bodyweight Training

“I don’t need to lift anything other than my own bodyweight”

This is something that friend said when I told him about kettlebells.  He’s spent most of his life boxing..  He wasn’t dismissive, but it was interesting to hear this view point.  He wasn’t interested in finding out how much he could deadlift, press or squat.  He just wanted to be strong enough for his boxing – and he got all of this from bodyweight training.

This is not a scientific article.  There are copious studies that have proved that fighters have benefitted from lifting heavy, and for everyone one of them you can find a world-class fighter who does not lift any weights.  This article is about bodyweight training and the fact that is shouldn’t be forgotten as a tool in everyone’s conditioning arsenal.

Bodyweight training has a lot of benefits.  It is a portable training system.  If you know what you are doing you can keep yourself in incredible shape without any weights or large spaces.  If you are a travelling salesman or possibly a family man with little time (or no back garden) it can work well.

Bodyweight training teaches you a lot about your own strengths and weakness.  I’ve known people who can bench 120Kgs – but can do a strict pull-up.  Is this person really strong, or is he just good at “benching”.  Bodyweight training finds you out.

Bodyweight training is a great way to increase work capacity.  By including a session of timed reps in a timed circuit you can increase your general fitness quickly.

For example.

1 min rounds

Pressups

Squats

Pull-ups

Burpees

Rest 1 minute and repeat 2-3 times more.

Bodyweight training (can) minimise the risk of hurting yourself.  Trying to deadlift 200Kg with bad form – or a poor 40Kg KB swing, can damage backs.  Doing a press-up (whilst still dangerous if done wrong) is less likely to hurt – as there is less to worry about, you do not have a livewire weight flying around.  You’re only managing your body, and if you can’t do that, give up now!!

Certain bodyweight exercises can be used as a warm up, to improve flexibility and mobility prior to the strength session.  This is another excellent way to integrate bodyweight exercises into your program to gain direct benefits.  Look at Yoga type exercises or Tai Chi derivates; build a 10 minute program and do it every day.  Either in the morning, or prior to training your main sets.  If you get the right exercises you will get long term benefits.  They will complement your strength.

They can BUILD STRENGTH and SIZE.  (Controversial).  Have a look at a some boxers , the top parkour athletes or maybe gymnasts.  These guys have muscular frames and they’ve got it from using their own weight in various difficult exercises.  Exercises such as the one armed press-up, pistol and one-arm pull-up are huge strength builders.  High volumes of press-ups and bodyweight exercises will put on size too if they are done correctly. (Search on the internet for Charles Bronson the prisoner – he built his body with bodyweight exercises – now read about how many guards it takes to move him)

A word of caution with bodyweight exercises though.  You still have to follow the principles talked about elsewhere on this sight.  If you do 1000 press-ups every day you will get an overuse injury.  If you do volumes and volumes of bodyweight squats you will not get large legs.  You still need to ensure progression etc…  All the same rules apply.

Hopefully you got the message.

Enjoy bodyweight exercises – they are not the poor relative.