switching to callisthenics

[tatdawg]

i am going to lay off the weights completely for a while and go back to a military style workout. old injuries and so many aches and pains are popping back up i feel the need to swap over. a few years back i found myself in a situation where i could not get to weights and could only do bodyweight exercises and i was surprised that i got into the best all around shape of my life.
what i did is pushups, diamond pushups, dips, pullups, chinups, bw squats and core exercises. i lost muscle size but dropped down to a 32 waist pants and body fat way down. my endurance was way up and stayed pretty strong. mostly joint pain went away and lower back problems was in check.
anybody here ever switched to bodyweight exercises for a time? i am fixing to turn 50 so the desire to be more all around fit and less joint pain is starting to override the pull to lift weights.
any thoughts or opinions on this?

[SumthinOrNuthin]

Hey tat, I honestly think that listening to your body is the key thing here. Many of us ignore our body even when its screaming at us so I think your approach is very sensible.

Sometimes the niggling aches and pains can be more debilitating than we think both metally and physically. Its one of those situations whereby you don't realise how badly its affecting you til it stops, if you know what I mean.

I hope you'll keep us posted on how it works out for you

Here's to a pain-free, ache-free future

[Carl123]

Originally Posted by tatdawg

i am going to lay off the weights completely for a while and go back to a military style workout. old injuries and so many aches and pains are popping back up i feel the need to swap over. a few years back i found myself in a situation where i could not get to weights and could only do bodyweight exercises and i was surprised that i got into the best all around shape of my life.
what i did is pushups, diamond pushups, dips, pullups, chinups, bw squats and core exercises. i lost muscle size but dropped down to a 32 waist pants and body fat way down. my endurance was way up and stayed pretty strong. mostly joint pain went away and lower back problems was in check.
anybody here ever switched to bodyweight exercises for a time? i am fixing to turn 50 so the desire to be more all around fit and less joint pain is starting to override the pull to lift weights.
any thoughts or opinions on this?

Smart move! Due to years of intense and heavy lifting I have sustained two knee and shoulder surgeries, lumbar and cervical disc bulges and a hernia. Currently my entire body is so achy and uncomfortable plus having some difficulty walking due to damage due to the vertebrae that I am forced to reduce my wieght training substantially.

[tatdawg]

the way i see it is if i am forced to use higher reps and lower weight why not switch to tried and true military style callisthenics. i mean due to injuries i can only do bw squats for legs and for back only pullups and chinups. i can bench my bodyweight 15+ times now but pushups and dips should be a fair trade off. diamond pushups will trade off for close grip bench press for triceps. and chinups will trade off for db curls for biceps.

i just finished a workout and this is what i did. everything is supersetted.

4 sets of pushups superset with 4 sets of pullups
4 sets of diamond pushups superset with 4 sets ofclose grip chinups
4 sets of dips superset with 4 sets bodyweight squats and calf raises
finish with burpees and core exercises.

good pump, worked up a good sweat and no joint or lower back pain.i will do this tues-thur-sun. and treadmill and a little mixed martial arts type training on off days

[PeteB]

I did mainly body-weight exercises a couple years ago when I started to recover from some medical issues. Main advantage I found was that bw exercises generally spare your joints and tendons.

Main disadvantage was not being able to make small adjustments in resistance, like you would by adding or taking off a just few lbs from a bar.

Other notes:

- could not find a really good shoulder exercise w/o using DB's, at least small ones.

- body weight squats may be OK for legs if you do enough of them, but just don't seem like a compound exercise any more. I compromised on doing Iron Crosses w. very small DB's, just enough to feel it in the upper body, or one-legged squats weighted w. the same small DBs.

- Pullups and Chins were great. I think my lats got bigger, and the Bi's actually got some definition, probably from close-grip pullups. You could actually see some evidence of the little end on the side of that underlying muscle (Brachialis?) that gives the Pro's that peaked bicep look... <chuckle>.

- I find Pushups boring (who wants to look at a carpet from two inches up), but elevating feet on a box or a chair works well. Someone suggested hanging a rope from the chin bar, and sticking my feet in it for more adjustment, but I never quite got the hang of that (pun-intended - )

[LogPressing]

Sounds like a good idea.

And if you feel like lifting later on why not just go with about 70-80% of your one rep max to keep things a little stronger. Not alot of reps maybe keeping in the 4-8 rep range. Maybe put in a couple of whole body workouts in the middle of your week, just some ideas.

[ChocoChick]

Originally Posted by tatdawg

4 sets of pushups superset with 4 sets of pullups
4 sets of diamond pushups superset with 4 sets ofclose grip chinups
4 sets of dips superset with 4 sets bodyweight squats and calf raises
finish with burpees and core exercises.

That is one heck of a workout! I don't care what you call it (I see it as general physical conditioning more than calisthenics), many people here couldn't keep up with that.

I think there are multiple paths to fitness and you are just on a different one for the moment.

[bodyhard]

I had a similar thread like this several months back as my training partner thought it was a good idea to workout one week with weights and one week with calisthenics, I didn't really think that was a good idea as I felt I would lose too much size.

But we did start doing cal once every month and it feels really good, My workouts are similar to your except we did pistols for legs and upside down push ups (legs against a wall for balance) for shoulders.

[blabber]

Ouch, that looks like a killer workout!

You can't ever go wrong by listening to your body! A lot of people don't, and they end up spraining a giblet or something.

[tatdawg]

thanks for the replys folks. my body has always responded well to this type of WO. with this i can push myself hard. it is safe and effective and takes my lower back issue out of the picture.

they pulled all the weights out of georgia prisons in 95 and put in pullup-dip stations so the last 6 years of my sentence was this type WO. when i was released i could bench over 250 on the first try so i did not lose a lot of strength. by taking the weights out they thought they could weaken the inmates but all they did was create a more leaner, physically fit, higher endurance inmate.

if any of you ever watch those lockdown-inside prison documentarys on cable notice that most of the cal. and other prisons have no weights in the yard. they all do BW exercises and notice the shape most are in. i saw firsthand the benefits of pushups and exercises like that. trust me they work.

[IR45N]

Tat, no doubt you'll do good with the calisthenics; most people (myself) wouldn't have the discipline to stick with it to get the results they can provide.

Don't remember if you lifted at home or a gym but hope you don't ditch the iron entirely. Lots of ways you could utilize a bar, bench and some plates; superslow reps etc. for one intensity example. Either way, keep it up & the tread. What are you using for dips?

[neutrolizr]

I think its a good idea. My gym holds boxing classes, not womens aerobic type boxing classes, but hard half hour to an hour class. There are several guys and gals in there who only do heavy bag, jumping rope, speed bag, and callisthenics and are in better shape than most people i know who lift, except for the heavy bodybuilding types.

They have six packs, big arms, strong legs and tons of energy.

Im 46, got those elbow pains that haunt me everyday.

I also personal train in peoples homes. All i bring are light dumbells, jump ropes, boxing gloves a bosu and heavy bars..about 12lbs. The lose weight, gain energy and feel good. they get pretty hard bodies for poeple who were overweight and only do it two or three times a week.

I think your workout is excellent. Im currently looking at a bootcamp workout to do with clients with nonstop callesthenics....

Do me a favor, let me know who it works out for you, and what you're doing.

Mark

[tatdawg]

Originally Posted by IR45N

Tat, no doubt you'll do good with the calisthenics; most people (myself) wouldn't have the discipline to stick with it to get the results they can provide.

Don't remember if you lifted at home or a gym but hope you don't ditch the iron entirely. Lots of ways you could utilize a bar, bench and some plates; superslow reps etc. for one intensity example. Either way, keep it up & the tread. What are you using for dips?

hey my friend, how are you? i have a power station which has dip bars on one side and a pullup-chinup bar on the other. i also use a set of pushup bars
so i can protect my wrist and get a deeper stretch.

[tatdawg]

Originally Posted by neutrolizr

I think its a good idea. My gym holds boxing classes, not womens aerobic type boxing classes, but hard half hour to an hour class. There are several guys and gals in there who only do heavy bag, jumping rope, speed bag, and callisthenics and are in better shape than most people i know who lift, except for the heavy bodybuilding types.

They have six packs, big arms, strong legs and tons of energy.

Im 46, got those elbow pains that haunt me everyday.

I also personal train in peoples homes. All i bring are light dumbells, jump ropes, boxing gloves a bosu and heavy bars..about 12lbs. The lose weight, gain energy and feel good. they get pretty hard bodies for poeple who were overweight and only do it two or three times a week.

I think your workout is excellent. Im currently looking at a bootcamp workout to do with clients with nonstop callesthenics....

Do me a favor, let me know who it works out for you, and what you're doing.

Mark

thanks for the reply. callisthenics and BW exercises are a form of bodybuilding just not so mass focused. i am looking to get involved in a straight up boxing class also. i have dabbled in several martial arts and now work at something called gutterfighting which is a mix of krav maga and military style training. my brother teaches mixed martial arts and i work with him some but all the jiu jitsu is tough on my back and joints. i am to old to be wallowing around on the ground so i focus on standup. mostly for cardio nowadays. that is why i am looking for a good boxing class. not for fighting skills but for the great cardio it brings.

[blabber]

Wow, krav maga! I tried that a few years ago, and it was BEYOND intense! No warmup at all, just instant intensity! I asked the instructor, "Huff, puff, pant, wheeze, hey how come we don't (gasp) warm up first?" He said in a street fight, an assailant is not going to wait for you to stretch and breathe yoga-style before he attacks you. Heh, good point... Duh!

We were doing these urban street drills like knocking weapons like fake but heavy yellow pistols out of each other's hands and disabling an attacker before they have a chance to react. It was awesome, I may try it again some day. I got took down several times by a 115 lb 5'1" woman. I went down hard, boom! Ouch...

I watch all those lockdown series on cable (mostly on MSNBC), and I did notice a lot of them don't have weights in the exercise yards now. If by cal you mean California, I recall there was a big hoo-haw here some years back about trying to prevent prisoners from getting bigger and meaner, thus more intimidating once they're back out in the world, so they yanked out all the weights. I think that pretty much backfired on them here! Now most average people can't outrun them. Oops!

[tatdawg]

krav maga is the real deal for street situations for sure. yea they thought they could stop people from getting big and that would be it but with this BW style workouts people were still strong but now were in great physical shape too so it backfired on them.

[SumthinOrNuthin]

I never knew that about the prisons. I visited one here about a year ago as part of the job I was doing at the time. Got to meet some of the inmates and people involved with prison education and helping them return to work upon release.

The thing that immediately struck me was the size of some of the inmates. They used gym work to train for skills that they can use when they get out. Hell, they were huge. I mean, huge I scanned the room and looked at all the wardens who looked mostly pasty, overweight and unfit and I thought well, if these inmates wanted to take this place over it'd take about 5 minutes!

tat, nice workout mate, that workout is going to tighten everything up and combined with some boxing or similar, it should all end up in a leaner tighter tat

[tatdawg]

Originally Posted by SumthinOrNuthin

I never knew that about the prisons. I visited one here about a year ago as part of the job I was doing at the time. Got to meet some of the inmates and people involved with prison education and helping them return to work upon release.

The thing that immediately struck me was the size of some of the inmates. They used gym work to train for skills that they can use when they get out. Hell, they were huge. I mean, huge I scanned the room and looked at all the wardens who looked mostly pasty, overweight and unfit and I thought well, if these inmates wanted to take this place over it'd take about 5 minutes!

tat, nice workout mate, that workout is going to tighten everything up and combined with some boxing or similar, it should all end up in a leaner tighter tat

thanks annie, the guards only run the joint because inmates let them and both sides know it. i am going to drop this prison talk now and focus on the type of workout i am trying. i only brought it up because that is where i learned it and where it is prevalent.

[FatherOfThree]

Hey Tatdawg, when I was in the service (10 years Army) I took lots of breaks from lifting and good old military PT, and partner pushups (your bud pushing down) kept up my size fairly well (being young surely helped!)

Do what's right for your body my friend - right now mine is responding well to the punishment, but I thkn cycling things like that is a good idea.

[tatdawg]

Originally Posted by FatherOfThree

Hey Tatdawg, when I was in the service (10 years Army) I took lots of breaks from lifting and good old military PT, and partner pushups (your bud pushing down) kept up my size fairly well (being young surely helped!)

Do what's right for your body my friend - right now mine is responding well to the punishment, but I thkn cycling things like that is a good idea.

bonus nachos amoeba, the folks that came up with pt in the military are not stupid. they know a thing or two about functional strength and how to build it.

[Torch]

Takes stones too listen to your body instead of "hey ya'll watch this....call 911!", good job man.

[BigJohn308]

excellent post tatdawg. I have been a competitive powerlifter for for years now and am starting to see how the constant heavy training is on the body. Bulging disks, popping elbows, tendonitis, etc....I reached a high BW of 303 @ 23 % and am currently altering my training to include lots of cardio, lighter weights, and trying to lean down. I am down to 285 and hope to end up in the 210 or below range, that is a more natural weight for me. I have been very strong for quite some time, but unable to do much beyond just lift heavy weight and that sucks.

I have been wanting to take Krav Maga for quite some time ever since a buddy of mine from Israel (who is with the special police) told me about it. Have you heard of Haganah? It is supposed to be similar to Krav Maga. I will definetly try out some of teh bodyweight exercises, sounds like just the ticket for me.

Good Luck!

[monk01]

There is a man by the name of Matt Furey who really pushes this type of workout. He has three main exercises, which include: hinu pushups, hindu squats, and the bridge. I did 170 hindu squats nonstop and my legs screamed for three days. There are many bodyweight exercises out there that would be helpful for you. Did you think of trying handstand pushups? These are excellent for your shoulders, and I would bet that most "strongmen" cannot do 10 of them. Anyway, take a peak: www.mattfurey.com , maybe it will give you some ideas. Good luck in your quest.

[tatdawg]

Originally Posted by BigJohn308

excellent post tatdawg. I have been a competitive powerlifter for for years now and am starting to see how the constant heavy training is on the body. Bulging disks, popping elbows, tendonitis, etc....I reached a high BW of 303 @ 23 % and am currently altering my training to include lots of cardio, lighter weights, and trying to lean down. I am down to 285 and hope to end up in the 210 or below range, that is a more natural weight for me. I have been very strong for quite some time, but unable to do much beyond just lift heavy weight and that sucks.

I have been wanting to take Krav Maga for quite some time ever since a buddy of mine from Israel (who is with the special police) told me about it. Have you heard of Haganah? It is supposed to be similar to Krav Maga. I will definetly try out some of teh bodyweight exercises, sounds like just the ticket for me.

Good Luck!

thanks big john, i am trying to keep my bodyweight down and core strong. these exercises i do keep me strong but i have no back or joint pain which is a big plus. i may drop some size but improve functional strength. a fair trade off for me. i am unfamiliar with haganah but krav maga-gutterfighting is the real deal for the street.

Originally Posted by monk01

There is a man by the name of Matt Furey who really pushes this type of workout. He has three main exercises, which include: hinu pushups, hindu squats, and the bridge. I did 170 hindu squats nonstop and my legs screamed for three days. There are many bodyweight exercises out there that would be helpful for you. Did you think of trying handstand pushups? These are excellent for your shoulders, and I would bet that most "strongmen" cannot do 10 of them. Anyway, take a peak: www.mattfurey.com , maybe it will give you some ideas. Good luck in your quest.

thanks monk, i know about matt and his stuff. i do a mix but my mainstays are pushups, dips, pulups, chinups and squats. trust me it is no lightweight workout at 3 times a week. thanks again

[IR45N]

Tat, will have to look at the MFurey site; not familiar with it. Keep reporting in on the calisthenics; ever think of adding a heavy bag or speed bag with your equipment?

[tatdawg]

Originally Posted by IR45N

Tat, will have to look at the MFurey site; not familiar with it. Keep reporting in on the calisthenics; ever think of adding a heavy bag or speed bag with your equipment?

i work out with a torso dummy at my brothers dojo for my martial arts work. how have you been my friend?

[Spectrum1]

I am enjoying this thread and I train in gutterfighting, WW II hand to hand combat and I am looking to get into Krav Maga to keep physically fit.

I had been thinking should I do bodyweight calithensics first then work alittle bit on bodybuilding with hex dumb bell weights, kettlebells , clubs etc. then I saw this thread and thought I am gonna do bodyweight calithesics first then do alittle body building.

[tatdawg]

gutterfighting is the most effective street weapon i have found. a lot of lethal moves. good to know in this day and time. easy to learn too. callisthenics are working well for me now. i switched due to so many injuries.

[Spectrum1]

Yes, I am thinking 80 % bodyweight calithensics and 20 % just working out to keep strong, I don't know another word to say, toned. I think the word I am trying to find is primed and ready to go.

I really enjoy Gutterfighting and I would like to do Krav Maga to keep in shape and have alots of fun keeping physically fit and strong most importantly of all, healthy too.