Increase Your Pull-ups with Density Training

Jim Stoppani, PhD, Senior Science Editor for Muscle & Fitness Magazine and author of Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength, teaches you how to increase your strength on pull-ups. Of course, this method could be used to increase your strength in any exercise. This would be great for anyone preparing for a fitness test.

How to Use Push-ups to Build Muscle Mass

Former NFL great Herschel Walker was a mountain of solid muscle, yet he never lifted weights. Instead, he did push-ups. This push-up program, which is similar to what Walker did, allowed the writer to gain 15 pounds of muscle mass in three months. If that doesn't pique your interest, you have no idea how hard it is to put on that much muscle in that short a time.

Having spent many years doing many different workouts involving weights, cardiovascular machines, and calisthenics, I determined that the best way to build mass and boost metabolism is by doing pushups. Lots of pushups! After less than three months training, I was able to complete a one-thousand pushup routine in exactly 80 minutes. I gained 15 lbs of solid muscle mass, lost a considerable amount of body fat and consistently ate 5000-6000 calories daily. Read more

Planche Push-ups Training

This video outlines a program to build the strength to do full planche push-ups, which he says took him five months of consistent training to achieve.

Bar-Barians: Ninja Masters of the Pull Up Bar!

Rusty Moore at Fitness Black Book profiles the Bar-Barians, who prove that bodyweight exercise can build muscle. Be sure to check out the requirements to become a Bar-Baron. Can you meet them?

This post is to prove to people they can reach an ultra-high degree of conditioning with something as simple as the pull up bar. I've been writing a lot about body weight training and I've personally been trying to get better at pull ups and chin ups. You guys may or may not have heard of the Bar-Barians, but these guys are flat out impressive. They don't train with weights, but I would go as far to say that they are most likely in better shape and more ripped than just about anyone in your gym. If you have never been exposed to the Bar-Barians, prepare to be "Wow'ed"!

[The Bar-Barians were founded in 2004 and are based out of Brooklyn, New York. These guys are some of the most impressive athletes I have ever seen. Brooklyn has a reputation for being a tough area, but I'm guessing people don't mess with this group.] Read more

Man Makers

Man makers are an extreme burpee with dumbbells. Try a few of these with 15 pound weights to work on form. Start out doing 10 if you can. Do these first for time, and then increase the weight and try to keep doing them for time. Once you can do 35 pound workouts in a good time, increase the number of reps in your set.

100 Burpees in 4:49

If you've been doing the workouts from my posts The Prison Workout: A Total Body Exercise Routine or The Ultimate Burpee Ladder Workout and need a new challenge, try this: 100 burpees in under five minutes.

The Real Hood Workout

If the prison workout and its variations has become too easy, try the "Real Hood Workout." This is one of the best workout videos I've ever seen. All you need is a pull-up bar and some dip bars for the workout of your life.

5 Ways to Get Fit for Free

Are you getting the most out of your gym membership? Sam Murphy says there's a better way to exercise, and it doesn't cost a penny.

Last summer, I ditched my gym membership for the first time in 20 years. It dawned on me that, having visited the premises precisely twice that year, each of my workouts (in a no-frills council leisure centre, mind) had cost me £120.

[...]

I have to admit, there are still times when I hanker after a warm, dry gym, but the joy of exercising wherever and whenever I like, without expense or time limits, more than makes up for it. And I don't have to put up with out-of-order machines, crap music and other people's sweat.

Five ways to get fit for free Read more

17 Push-Up Variations

Body Weight Exercise Online has posted video demonstrations of 17 push-up variations. As of now, your "reasons" for not doing push-ups - they're boring, not challenging enough, etc. - are now transformed into excused.

One of the greatest bodyweight exercises is the push-up. This is just the beginning of the quality content that I will be providing on this website. I hope this is of help to you. I want to thank my son for being my guinea pig and allowing me to take pictures of him.

Below you will find video for a number of different types of push-ups. If you use your imagination you could probably come up with a few other variations. Please make sure that you do your push-ups with good form. Good form would include a straight back and your head up and looking forward. Do not rush them. Perform them generally with a 1-0-1 count. That would mean taking 1 second to lower, no pause at the bottom and 1 second to raise back to the starting position. If you want a little more of a challenge them perform them with a 2-0-1 count. Read more

The Interval Challenge

The benefits of interval training include anaerobic endurance, fat loss, work capacity, and muscular endurance. Traditional interval training consists of intense running followed by a period of active rest, but Ross Enamait's Interval Challenges integrate interval running with a variety of bodyweight calisthenics instead.

Traditional interval training consists of intense running followed by a period of active rest (ex. jogging or walking). Common distances include 200, 400, 600 and 800 meters. The active rest period typically ranges from 30 to 90 seconds depending on interval distance and the athlete’s condition.

The Interval Challenge (below) differs from the traditional interval training protocol. The workout integrates interval running with a variety of bodyweight calisthenics. There are no defined rest periods between intervals. The athlete attempts to complete the circuit as fast as possible. Rest comes on an as needed basis.

When performing The Interval Challenge, the athlete must complete four continuous circuits. This brief conditioning routine is extremely demanding (physically and mentally). Read more

Commando Cardio Bodyweight Workout

Cardiovascular fitness is an important component of overall fitness, but cardio doesn't have to mean running, swimming, or cycling. If you don't like typical aerobic activities or they're inconvenient, you can use bodyweight exercises or calisthenics to get an equally good cardio workout.

This is the basic "Commando cardio" a full blown intense bodyweight workout! Remember...this is the easiest workout version.

If these body weight exercises have you confused, you can see most of them in video on our main exercise descriptions page. Read more

Travel Workout with Calisthenics and Resistance Tubes

If you work out with weights, you often have to find an alternative way to exercise when you travel, so many people just wind up skipping exercise altogether when they're on the road. However, you can replicate many weight exercises with resistance tubes, which are much easier to pack than a weight set. Combine resistance tube exercises with calisthenics, and you have an excellent short-term substitute for your weight workout.

... When my clients travel, I ask them to pack a couple resistance tubes in their suitcase and ask them to follow a calisthenics based routine during each day of the week. Here is a sample routine that could be done daily for someone who already has a moderate level of fitness and has no orthopedic problems: Read more

Pump Yourself Up with Bodyweight Calisthenic Exercise

Bodyweight calisthenics exercise is cheap and convenient. The only piece of equipment you might want to have is a pull-up bar. You can do a bodyweight calisthenic exercise routine at home or on the road - no need for a gym. Many people don't think you can build big muscles without weights, but those people probably haven't heard of former NFL great Herschel Walker.

It's not necessary to follow Walker's 1,000 push-ups and sit-ups a day routine to build muscle with calisthenics, however. This full-body workout uses a system of sets and reps that will pump you up without endless repetitions. You only do the workout three days a week, and it should take around 30-45 minutes per workout. For each exercise, do three sets like this:

1) Do maximum reps with perfect form. Rest one minute.

2) Do the same number of reps with perfect form as you did in set one. If you have to, pause a few seconds between reps to complete the last few. Rest one minute.

3) Do the same number of reps with perfect form as you did in set one. If you reach a point where you have to pause more than few seconds between reps, change to an easier variation of the exercise to complete the set. For example, if you were doing regular push-ups, change to push-ups from the knees to finish the set.

If you find yourself able to do three sets of maximum reps with one minute rest without having to pause or change to an easier variation of the exercise even in the third set, there are two possible explanations: you did not do maximum reps in your first set, and/or you were not using perfect form. Remember that the numbers don't mean anything in and of themselves. They're just a way of measuring progress. Effort is what counts. Don't cheat yourself by cheating.

Sample Routine
1) Hindu squats (half knee bends)
2) Wide-armed push-ups (push-ups from knees)
3) Pull-ups (negatives)
4) Dive bomber push-ups (Hindu push-ups)
5) Sit-ups (crunches)
6) Supermans (Raise only upper body.)
7) Calf raises on 4-6 inch block (calf raises on floor)

The exercise in parentheses is an example of an easier variation of the exercise.

To get a pump, you need to do some repetitions, but, when you reach sets of 30-50 repetitions for an exercise, change to a harder variation. For example, you could substitute split squats or pistols for Hindu squats, decline push-ups for regular push-ups, V-ups for sit-ups, and so on. You can then use the variation you were doing as your new easier variation.

By concentrating on doing the exercises with perfect form, you should be able to avoid pain from injury. However, you may experience an excruciating level of soreness after your first workout. The Navy SEALs say that kind of "pain is just weakness leaving the body." Nevertheless, for the first week you may want to (or need to) allow two days recovery between workouts. For example, if you planned to work out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, you may need to change to Monday, Thursday, and Sunday for the first week. The second week, try Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. By the third week, you should be on schedule and on your way to a more muscular physique.

For a free mini course on how to simultaneously improve strength and conditioning while burning fat, click here. Read my review of the two best bodyweight exercise courses you can choose.

A Very Advanced Push-Up Routine

Hit-Man does this very advanced push-ups routine after his workout. Can you even do the first exercise, let alone the entire routine?

The Bodyweight 100 Workout

For a change in your regular bodyweight exercise routine, try the Bodyweight 100 challenge. These compound exercises will burn a lot of fat and calories and will keep your metabolism increased for hours after your workout.

The Bodyweight 100 challenge was featured in Men's Health magazine in January 2008. This workout is the initial stage in a much longer and more challenging program called the Bodyweight 500. But that's getting ahead of ourselves.

First, let's take a look at the Bodyweight 100 workout. Do your regular workouts on Monday and Wednesday, and then try the 100 workout on a Friday or Saturday. Read more

Gain Pulling Strength without Weights

Unusual things that you can do on playground equipment to gain pulling strength.

A Whole-Body Calisthenics Routine

Daniel at Home Calisthenics outlines an excellent whole-body calisthenics routine which takes you from beginner to advanced levels.

A good friend of mine recently explained to me that the his time for retoxing had long over run, and that he now wants to get back into training. I pointed him in the direction of this blog to learn a few of the basic calisthenics exercises, in reply to this he asked, "Do you have a routine i can follow?" This is when it dawned on me that i haven't published a post that outlines a routine. Here is that post.

When i train at home i like to make the most of the time available so my routines have minimal rest periods. Instead of rest periods i prefer to exercise a muscle group immediately followed by an unrelated muscle group. This isn't advisable for everybody so i will outline a breakdown of work/rest ratios. Read more

Working out without Weights

Though she believes that nothing beats throwing heavy weights around for building muscle, floridagirl outlines an all-bodyweight workout that you can do in a tiny college dorm room without so much as a heavy soup can. The only way you could not build muscle with this routine is not to do it. What I like about this routine is that it doesn't rely on high repetitions so much as it does on using more difficult bodyweight exercises.

... Before I give the routine, I'd like to offer a brief rundown of the pros and cons. Bodyweight exercises tend to recruit a vast array of muscle groups. This is great in terms of functional strength and learning to control your body. Additionally, bodyweight exercises tend to ensure that you work the full range of the targeted muscle. For example, barbell bench presses can allow your lower pecs to bear the bulk of the load, whereas a properly done push-up will recruit the upper pecs and pectoralis minor. But, while I still hold true to compound exercises, I think that it's good to be able to isolate certain muscle groups that just can't be fully tapped without weights, such as shoulders.

As far as building muscle, in my experience, nothing beats throwing heavy weights around. However, if you're just starting out, you'll make gains no matter what you do. Eventually, you WILL get to a point where you need to add weights, especially with lower body work. But when you're starting from nothing, you will certainly progress. This routine is also good for experienced weight lifters who are traveling or who periodize their routines to have light weight days.

Despite using no weights, this routine is NOT simple. Chances are it will kick your butt! Read more

10 Minute Bodyweight Exercise Program

If you claim that you can't exercise because you don't have time, you going to have to scratch that excuse. Researchers have found that even 10 minutes of exercise can improve your fitness. Craig Ballantyne, a workout routine and fat loss expert, outlines a 10 minute bodyweight exercise program that you can do in the comfort of your home.

If lack of time was holding you back from exercise, you can now scratch that excuse off the list.

A recent study from Louisiana State University shows that even 10 minutes of exercise per day can improve your cardiovascular fitness.

Researchers studied overweight or obese sedentary subjects and found that aslittle as 72 minutes of exercise per week (or 10 minutes per day) improved cardiovascular fitness by 4% compared to subjects that did nothing at all.

If you don't get any exercise, all you need to do is get off the couch and get moving for at least 10 minutes per day and you'll start to see improvements. As you become more advanced in your fitness, you can use short, intense workouts like the bodyweight exercises in Turbulence Training.

Here are some bodyweight exercises for you: Read more

How to Make Your Bodyweight Workout More Challenging

Most trainers know how to make a weight training workout more challenging: add more weight or reps. Since you can't or don't want to add more bodyweight, is adding more reps the only way to make a bodyweight workout more challenging? Not at all. There are several variables that you can adjust to keep progressing.

We recently received a note from a few folks looking to make their bodyweight workouts more challenging. It seems that what they are currently doing just isn't getting it done so today I will go into a few techniques on how to do so.

You see, the nature of progressive resistance training is just that -- progression -- you must keep progressing for it to work and if it isnt "challenging enough" simply pick a variable and build from there. Read more