Bodyweight Exercise

Bodyweight exercises are strength-training exercises in which you use your own weight to provide the resistance for the movement. For instance, push-ups, chin-ups, and dips are examples of bodyweight exercises.

Two years ago I decided to convert to bodyweight exercises for my strength workouts. I had gotten tired of lifting weights and using resistance machines, even though it had been part of my workout regimen (off and on) for 15 years up to that point. I felt compelled to switch to a more natural form of exercise, having built up reasons over the years until a critical point was reached.

Although I had made clear fitness gains using weights, it was usually a burden for me to keep at it. I would be doing it off and on and regularly skip workouts, always having to motivate myself again and again to get back into it.

Now, there are obviously those people who are very dedicated to that type of exercise and have great physiques as a result, but I wasn't one of them. I think it had partly to do with the biomechanics of my body, which perhaps isn't well suited to some types of movements involving weights. Shoulder pain was an occasional occurrence and there was just a whole "unnatural" feeling about the whole thing.

I had started to seriously question all that I had heard and believed all along, about the best way to develop a strong body.

I did some Googling online and found other people who thought along the same lines as me. I then took it further and thought critically about animals in nature, like our primate relatives who are stronger than even bodybuilders, and whose main exercise is moving their bodyweight around through the trees. Sure, some of that strength is due to their natural makeup, but hauling your bodyweight around all day is bound to have an impact.

With that understanding, I began my new workout regimen.

Starting out I experienced premature fatigue in my wrist and forearms while doing the pull-up and chin-up exercises. They were proportionally weaker than my arms and back. But eventually my strength balanced out.

Lifting your bodyweight is a great way to identify the "weakest link", in the proportional sense. It stimulates strength gain in the weakest muscle areas, allowing them to catch up to the rest of the body, balancing your overall strength and correcting any imbalance.

I personally never have to stretch or warm up first. I just dive into the exercises. I have never injured myself either. And I'm in better shape than ever.

My exercises are chin-ups, pull-ups, wide arm dips (between two supports), and push-ups. My cardio consists of running and fast walking, which provides a leg workout as well.

Why did I choose these particular strength exercises? Think of the movements of primates as they lift themselves through the treetops: Pulling themselves up to branch level (chin-up/pull-up), and lifting themselves over the branch (combination of push-up and dip). This single movement of lifting yourself up and over is a full upper body workout.

These exercises help tremendously with heavy manual labor tasks, such as carrying 70 lb masonry blocks.

Bodyweight exercises give you functional (useful) strength, and builds good endurance. Your nervous system gets a super workout as you move the weight of your body through three-dimensional space.

It's also more efficient as you aren't focused on one muscle group at a time as with free weights or machines. You can hit entire muscle groups during the exertions, which can stimulate even greater muscle growth than focusing on just a single muscle at a time.

These exercises can be more fun and less of a chore than using gym equipment and weights.

You don't need expensive equipment. You just need a pull-up/chin-up bar, a dip apparatus, and room on the floor for push-ups.

There is less risk of injury and chronic pain than with weights and machines, because the movements are natural.

You don't need super tight form. You just lift yourself.

Workouts don't last as long as typical gym workouts and you don't have to wait to use a machine or pay a gym membership. I also rarely skip workouts because these exercises are in fact enjoyable and I do them at home.

These exercises also complement my (natural) vegetarian diet.

There is reason to believe that bodyweight exercises can even boost performance in the gym, but the reverse may not be true. For instance, I had read somewhere that chin-ups and pull-ups improve one's capacity on the pull-down machine, but using the pull-down machine doesn't help you achieve many repetitions on chin-ups and pull-ups.

Gym exercises largely serve to develop your "gym shape" which can certainly result in a high degree of strength and fitness, but doesn't contribute to functional strength in a great way. Indeed, it's good for people to develop "show" muscles and bodybuilding physiques.

Admittedly, I may not get that Ah-nuld pumped up look but bodyweight exercises give me a muscular, sinewy physique.

For each of my exercises, I do 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps each. I alternate between chin-ups & pull-ups on day 1, and dips & push-ups on day 2. I have one day of rest in between. When I do the chin-ups and pull-ups I lift my knees to my stomach to work my abs as well. Each workout takes about 10-15 minutes. And I include some running for cardio and to get a leg workout.

Some people do variations on the above exercises such as using additional weight, or using alternate gripping methods. That's up to you. I personally like to keep it simple and avoid adding unnecessary complexity to the exercises.

Have a look at Homemade Workout Stand.