Strength/size exercises at home without weights

[d11wtq]

Hi All,

About 6 weeks ago I decide to try and put some weight on (I'm naturally skinny). I've been primary, until now, focusing my training around push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups, whilst trying to eat at minimum 100g protein each day, drinking shakes to maintain this since I'm not an over-eater really.

I workout one day, then off for a day.

Currently I'm doing 200 push-ups every other day ads 4x25 then 15,20,15,15,20,15. I try to do pull-ups (palms forward) but these are too hard at the moment so I'm battling with them and hoping I'll get stronger.

To get to the point, I went from being able to do 80 push-ups in sets of 10 to doing 200 the way I do them now and I am starting to see the gains in my pecs and triceps, however it's becoming obvious to me that the backs of my upper arms (triceps) are starting to bulge out while I still have small biceps and shoulders and I'm conscious that this will start to look weird if I keep working those muscles, so I want to even out.

I have a steel bar I place across my open-plan staircase that allows me to do chin-ups with my palms facing towards me but I've only recently started doing them. They're easier.

What I'd like to know is, what exercises can I do that require no equipment, just my own body weight, in order to work out: biceps, lower arms, shoulders, back. Will the pull-ups work by lower arms well or will I end up looking bulky at the top and skinny at the bottom? With regards to shoulders, these are worked by pushing weight up above your head, right? Are there any specific exercises I can do that work these muscles without being in a gym lifting weights?

Also curious, can I work my biceps without hanging from a bar to do chin-ups, so say for example I'm living in a hostel for 9 weeks (I will be in June), I can do these exercises.

I'm not opposed to using weights, but the convenience of knowing a few tips and tricks for exercises you can do anywhere without equipment appeals to me.

NOTE: I'm not looking to be a strongman, I'm just aiming to look toned in an athletic way. Some nice definition.

[jgreystoke]

Add bodyweight squats and work up to 100 rep sets. Do them ass to the grass to hit quads. Do box squats on a chair to load hamstrings.

Still won't get you much muscular size.

When you go from one to 10 pushups, you have increased strength. Going from 20 to 40 to 80, the improvement is really just endurance. Marathon champions don't even get strong legs.

Save up and buy a barbell and a quarter ton of plates.

[Kelei]

Deadlift the back or front end of your car, or at least try to do so, eventually you'll be strong enough to lift it. Get a heavy sandbag or anything heavy without sharp edges/points and put it in a backpack, you can use this to add weight to nearly all your exercises, it even works for pushups because it sits on your back.

[d11wtq]

Yeah I think I might start packing 5 litre water bottles into my rucksack and putting it on my back when I do the push-ups, and eventually the pull-ups. I didn't know how to do a bodyweight squat so just watched it on YouTube. Will incorporate this.

I've been reading through the stickies and will keep doing so. The workouts are all equipment centric but I imagine I can tailor them to use bodyweight variations instead (e.g. push-ups in place of bench press).

I clicked through to another video demonstrating a bodyweight row (like a pull-up but almost lying down). While my bar is too high for this, I can actually do something similar on the underside of my stainless steel staircase by holding onto a step that is higher, then placing my feet on a lower stair, such that my body is now straight, parallel with the incline of my staircase, then pull my chest towards the staircase I'm holding, whilst keeping my back straight. I'm not sure if I can substitute something like that for rows. It has made both my lower arms and upper arms tight (it feels primary my lower arms) and my upper back. If nothing else that workout might help me towards being able to gain the strength to do pull-ups with my palms facing forward.

It's interesting reading the stickies with various programs. I'll try to take on of these and swap out the free-weight routines for approximately equivalent bodyweight routines. Difficulty there is programs focused around increasing/decreasing weights. All you can really do with bodyweight is to change reps counts and tempo.

[snapey1]

Just add weight to all the body weight exercises, i'd at least get some dumbells though.