Body weight exercises are better than free weights!

[1MikeD]

Supp yall, I'm a former college athlete and armature boxer who has had several back and neck injuries. I have lifted free weights for a number of years and after consulting with my chiropractor and doing some reading I have come to the revalorization that I DO NOT NEED FREE WEIGHTS. Here are some of the exercises I use;

Pull-ups (Drop pull-ups, one handed, one armed, behind the neck, chinning and so on), Hand stand presses and holds, grip work, dips, push-ups, farmers walking, lunges, jump squats, one leg calve raises on a ledge, Pistols (bend one leg and point one leg forward kind of like your doing a one leg squat all the way down and up), rope climbing.

I use a weight belt for the dips and pull-ups and my ruck-sack or a book-bag to add weight for the pistols, jump squats and lunges.

Here is my split each work-out takes between 25-70 minutes, I use 2-6 of the exercises listed above for 2-6 work sets;

M-HIIT and abs
T-Body weight training
W-HIIT and abs
Th-Body weight training
F-HIIT and abs
Sat-Jogging and maybe abs depending on how I feel
Sun-Body weight training

This program has done wonders for my back and neck. I would love to get input from some of you meatheads on my program Hit me up.

,Mike

[Lloyd Braun]

Supp yall, I'm a former college athlete and armature boxer who has had several back and neck injuries. I have lifted free weights for a number of years and after consulting with my chiropractor and doing some reading I have come to the revalorization that I DO NOT NEED FREE WEIGHTS. Here are some of the exercises I use;

Pull-ups (Drop pull-ups, one handed, one armed, behind the neck, chinning and so on), Hand stand presses and holds, grip work, dips, push-ups, farmers walking, lunges, jump squats, one leg calve raises on a ledge, Pistols (bend one leg and point one leg forward kind of like your doing a one leg squat all the way down and up), rope climbing.

I use a weight belt for the dips and pull-ups and my ruck-sack or a book-bag to add weight for the pistols, jump squats and lunges.

Here is my split each work-out takes between 25-70 minutes, I use 2-6 of the exercises listed above for 2-6 work sets;

M-HIIT and abs
T-Body weight training
W-HIIT and abs
Th-Body weight training
F-HIIT and abs
Sat-Jogging and maybe abs depending on how I feel
Sun-Body weight training

This program has done wonders for my back and neck. I would love to get input from some of you meatheads on my program Hit me up.

,Mike

How much do you weigh?

[Tarkana]

I have come to the revalorization that I DO NOT NEED FREE WEIGHTS.

nice try at fancy words use, but thats way off, you can't come to a revalorization like you would a realization, and revalorization isn't even technically a real word.

and while ur program aint bad, its not gonna get the kind of results most here are loking for, especially if ur not a naturally large person.

[user25891]

You are sick strong to be doing some of those bw exercises youre doing. Im glad youve found something you like, but this meathead needs weights to get to his goals!

Jason

[1MikeD]

How much do you weigh?

I weigh 180lb's I run a lot as I ran track and cross in college so you can guess how low my bf is, I feel a very good sense of control over that weight.

,Mike

[Thewhite9t]

So you do farmers walks with your bodyweight? Never heard that one before.

[1MikeD]

nice try at fancy words use, but thats way off, you can't come to a revalorization like you would a realization, and revalorization isn't even technically a real word.

and while ur program aint bad, its not gonna get the kind of results most here are loking for, especially if ur not a naturally large person.

You ever tried any of those exercises? Got any new cool ones that I missed to put out?

,Mike

[1MikeD]

So you do farmers walks with your bodyweight? Never heard that one before.

I use sand bags (75's, 100's or 125's) after I cannot carry them any longer and they fall out of my hands I go dirrectly into push-ups to failure.

,Mike

[TheCore]

I do both

I love bodyweight exercises, but it's best to combined them with weight training

[1MikeD]

You are sick strong to be doing some of those bw exercises youre doing. Im glad youve found something you like, but this meathead needs weights to get to his goals!

Jason

I take it your in an airborne unit from the red bret but what about when your on a deployment? I bet you would love to be able to have a way to lift when you are in the field. That is what orriginally got me to thinking about this but now I realize that these body weight movements accually beat out free weights and are better for the spine.

,Mike

[1MikeD]

I do both

I love bodyweight exercises, but it's best to combined them with weight training

I think that is the overall best type of program for people with good backs for the weights, what body weight exercises do you use?

,Mike

[TheCore]

The basics; one legged squats/pushups, I do bridches, handstand pushups, pull/chin ups and dips (for core cruches and hypers), I finish off with burpees or some other form that works the body in it's total...

After reaching a certain amount of reps, I try to do a more difficult version of the ones mentioned above...

[1MikeD]

The basics; one legged squats/pushups, I do bridches, handstand pushups, pull/chin ups and dips (for core cruches and hypers), I finish off with burpees or some other form that works the body in it's total...

After reaching a certain amount of reps, I try to do a more difficult version of the ones mentioned above...

Sounds cool man but what is a "Bridche" and a "Burpee"? Sometimes after the pistols (one leg squats) I do truck drivers (wall-sits) to really smoke my legs.

,Mike

[TheCore]

Yeah wall sits are great!

I probably called it wrong, bridging; http://www.99shadesofgrey.com/sandfit/mattfurey.jpg

Burpees couldn't find a good pic...

Edit; http://www.frixo.com/sites/fitness/e...es/burpee.html

[user25891]

I take it your in an airborne unit from the red bret but what about when your on a deployment? I bet you would love to be able to have a way to lift when you are in the field. That is what orriginally got me to thinking about this but now I realize that these body weight movements accually beat out free weights and are better for the spine.

,Mike

Man, in the field weights are the last thing on my mind. You ever hear of Matt Furey> Hes got some books with bw exercises that are killers.

Jason

[Liquidtensi0n]

Yea... not really. Bodyweights are better for improving your ability at doing bodyweights and free weights are better for maximal strength. So what I'm saying is... you can't really compare the two. But seeing as how these are bodybuilding forums with a big subgroup of users who are into powerlifting / strength training, weights are obviously better suited for these goals. If you go onto some martial arts or military training forums, I'm sure bodyweights will be the choice there. It all depends on what your goals are.

[Viking Warrior]

I DO NOT NEED FREE WEIGHTS.

Yet in your sig it says i love to lift.

[2Fast2Furious]

I DO NOT NEED A PENIS,MY BOYFRIEND HAS ONE.

...

[Shortfuze]

I don't know why we keep going from one extreme to another. You can easily do both free weights, and BW(with resistance) and get the best of both worlds.

[braindx]

If you want an obscene amount of muscle mass stick with free weights. Bodyweight exercises have a tendency to make one's strength to bodyweight ratio absurdly high (see gymnasts), but do very little for packing on mass. My workouts consist of some of each as I need a high strength to bodyweight ratio for my sport.

[Jake The Muss]

If you want an obscene amount of muscle mass stick with free weights. Bodyweight exercises have a tendency to make one's strength to bodyweight ratio absurdly high (see gymnasts), but do very little for packing on mass. My workouts consist of some of each as I need a high strength to bodyweight ratio for my sport.

Could i get that really lean ripped look doing bodyweight exercises,kinda like Colin Farrell in S.W.A.T.

[Mond]

Gymnasts only uses bodyweight exercises and they are incredibly ripped and strong. They are pound for pound the strongest people on earth.

[TheCore]

A lot of weightlifters in the past were also capable of doing gymnastics feats...

Powerlifting/bodybuilding/strongman and gymnastic stuff were all mixed into one, you don't see that a lot anymore...

That's because if you focus on all, you can't be the best at one thing. But to me that doesn't really matter...

[1MikeD]

...

Hay ***, I'm tryen to have a descussion about body weight training verses free weights not about how you wish I was gay so you could take advantage of me.

,Mike

[1MikeD]

Yet in your sig it says i love to lift.

I do love to lift, but I have trouble with my whole back and neck and this sort of body weight training has helped me out big time. Now I am even of the opinon that you body weight training is more benificial then training with free weights once you learn the movements.

,Mike

[monkeydan]

Yea... not really. Bodyweights are better for improving your ability at doing bodyweights and free weights are better for maximal strength. So what I'm saying is... you can't really compare the two. But seeing as how these are bodybuilding forums with a big subgroup of users who are into powerlifting / strength training, weights are obviously better suited for these goals. If you go onto some martial arts or military training forums, I'm sure bodyweights will be the choice there. It all depends on what your goals are.

Bump to this.

I think most people who train solely with weights would probably benefit from some sort of bodyweight conditioning work like burpees and suchlike.

But of course it's going to depend on your goals. I'm not going to squat 400lbs or deadlift 500lbs using bodyweight exercises, so I don't use them for this purpose. However I know my conditioning could be improved so I do 100 burpees (pushup variation) and try to get the time down each time I do them. It's a killer!

[1MikeD]

Yea... not really. Bodyweights are better for improving your ability at doing bodyweights and free weights are better for maximal strength. So what I'm saying is... you can't really compare the two. But seeing as how these are bodybuilding forums with a big subgroup of users who are into powerlifting / strength training, weights are obviously better suited for these goals. If you go onto some martial arts or military training forums, I'm sure bodyweights will be the choice there. It all depends on what your goals are.

I would have to disagree with that in part. You can do singles with pull-ups/Dips if you have a weight belt and singles with pistols/calve raises by throwing some junk in a bookbag. There are many variations to this idea for the body weight exercises. I say the bennefit of this is low stress on the spinal colum. They say the best athletes are the ones who can avoid injuries. Body weight movements tend to extend the spine rather than compact it.

,Mike

[XtremeBody510]

idk about this one!!

[metaldrumr7]

once you starting using more weight other than your bodyweight, your not really doing bodyweight training anymore

[Kane Fan]

well, if you are adding weight toyour body
your not doing bodyweight exercises
your using free weights....
free of the bar but still added weight is added weight