A long time ago I wrote a post in which I spoke about how you can get big and strong using just your bodyweight. I still stand by that statement but my approach has entirely changed. In this post I am going to flesh out some of the fundamental considerations while trying to get big using bodyweight exercises only.
I am assuming here that the reader is familiar with basic bodyweight exercises and their progressions. If you are not, just see the posts marked bodyweight exercises first.
Basic Concepts
1. Progressive Overload must be maintained. Over time you have to increase the resistance of the exercise you are performing. In bodyweight work this is done by doing one of 4 things-
a. Changing the leverage
b. Putting more weight on one limb
c. Increasing the range of motion
d. Tightening up the form
Just go through the archives of this blog to find progressions for everything.
2. You must incorporate all the basic movements. Don't just do pull ups and dips. You have legs, use them. In addition the added leg size will increase the resistance for your upper body, enabling you to build a larger upper body in the long run.
The basic movements are-
1. Pushups of all sorts
2. Pull Ups of all sorts
3. Squats
4. Leg raises and sit up variations
5. Bridges and hip extensions
6. Inversions
7. Loaded carries of all sorts
3. You have to train in a variety of repetition ranges to get truly big. You have to utilize movements that let you to do very few repetitions to build raw strength. However, the majority of your training must be done in the 6-20/set range. A few higher repetition sets here and there will build the tendons as well. Using maximum effort isometric exercises like front levers, flags and L sits will develop absolute strength as well.
4. For the majority of your bodyweight work think like a sculptor. Build the beauty of the body by targeting your weakest areas. Have an idea of exactly how you want to look. Then use tons of volume to target those areas. Use variations that throw more work on the under developed parts. Don't underestimate single joint movements like sissy squats, ham glute curls, bodyweight tricep extensions and front lever pulls. They are still fairly compound and will transfer well to other bodyweight work.
5. To build the muscles of the torso use bilateral exercises. To build the muscles of the limbs use unilateral exercises.
6. Do some crazy explosive work to help develop your maximum strength. Jumps, clapping push ups and pull ups must be performed. You have to do some throwing as well. All this will help keep your strength ahead of your training intensity, giving you space to grow.
I want explain this concept a little more here. Basically the biggest thing that stops people from continually getting big from bodyweight work is the fact that they get good at doing repetition work, because of which they are either training too close to their maximums all the time, or too far away from it. To counter this, increasing your maximum strength will ensure you have a good margin within which you can train productively.
Biggest Mistakes People make
The really important thing to remember while designing a training program for getting big with bodyweight work is to cover all your bases. This is the biggest reason people fail to get big with calisthenics. They will forget to train the lower body, or do heavy loaded carries or isometric holds or jumps and sprints and then wonder why they cant get bigger. Because the body is a unit, and you have to stress the whole body to get the stimulus for growth. You can only get so far just trying to pump up your arms with chin ups.
The second reason people fail to make progress is that they have not learned how to juice exercises for all their worth. They will do push ups in sloppy form and do a set of 30 and think its time to move to diamond push ups. In reality you have to squeeze every little size increase you can get from an exercise before going to harder variations. Learn to contract the glutes and abs to make the push up super tight. Hold your breath during the repetition and use power breathing to make it stricter. Screw you hands into the ground and maximally tense your triceps and shoulders while doing the pushup. Really enjoy the pause at the bottom and squeeze the chest to come up. You really have to learn how to make a movement literally perfect. Only then move to something more advanced.
The other mistakes are training too often, training too hard too early, moving to harder variations too soon, not keeping a training journal, not moving to harder variations ever and wanting to destroy the body every training session. But this is not really specific to bodyweight training. People in gyms everywhere make the same mistakes. Don't make them.
Also not eating enough. You have to eat to grow, specially around workouts. This is as true of bodyweight work as it is of powerlifting or bodybuilding. But be mindful of fat gain, as unlike powerlifting or bodybuilding, it will immediately hamper your progress with bodyweight work. Stay below 15% bodyfat and eat a lot of proteins and carbs around workouts. If you feel you are getting fat, just cut the calories for a few days or add conditioning work. Keep it simple and don't get so fat in the first place that you need to do something dramatic or complicated. If you are over 15% bodyfat, deal with that first and gaining mass later. You will never go beyond rudimentary bodyweight movements being fat.
Program Checklist
1. Any productive mass gaining routine utilizes limited exercises and decent volume and intensity. Aim and program for a balanced physique.
2. Have decent mix of extremely difficult, quality repetition work, ultra high repetition work, heavy isometric and explosive training.
3. Stress the whole body with loaded carries and reap the anabolic benefits.
4. Build the torso muscles first and then the extremities.
5. Build your weaknesses.
6. Use intelligent repetition, set and frequency schemes. Don't exercise for no real reason and avoid junk exercises and sets.
7. Eat well but in moderation.
Sample Routines
Any of these routines can be used with just minimal modification. You will have to see what exercises suit you and what does not, but don't mess around with the basic scheme.
Raw Beginner
Do this workout on three non consecutive days a week after a general warm up.
Chin Up Isometric holds- Hold the top position for as long as possible, After 2 mins do the same for the mid position.
Pushups-
2 sets of 20 wall pushups or high incline pushups as warm up
3 sets of 3-5 reps of a hard push up variation such as full push ups, diamond push ups, feet elevated pushups while the hands are on bricks to get a full range of motion, pushups while wearing a back pack with weight in it and push ups while wearing a backpack in front with weight in it, while the feet, hand and feet are elevated on stools or bricks so that the bag can drop low and a full repetition can be done.
2 sets of 6-30 repetitions of incline or kneeling push ups, depending upon training level. Start with a conservative number or reps (like 8) and add a rep each workout until you hit the end of the range. Then move to a harder variation and repeat.
Bodyweight Rows- 3 sets of 6-20 of high, low or very low rows.
Jack knife Pull Ups- 1 set of 6-15.
Assisted Squats or full Squats- 3 sets of 10-35
Reverse plank hold- 2 sets of 30-120s
Short Bridges- 1 set of 20-50 reps
Knee tucks, lying leg raises or hanging knee raises- 3 sets of 8-20
Jumps onto bench or box- 3 sets of 6
Throwing rock or shot for distance- 3 sets of 6 per arm
Sled Dragging, rock carrying, car pushing, rock dragging or walking lunges with a rock/log/pole held at the chest- 5 sets of 20-40m with 60s rest.
Follow this program until you can do 5 chin ups, 10 push ups, 3 sets of 30 full squats, 10 hanging knee raises and have mastered reverse planks. It should take about 8-12 weeks depending upon your starting point.
Basic Size Routine
In this routine we are trying to build the muscles of the torso. For this we will primarily use bilateral movements. A backpack and some kind of weight (like bricks) can be used to add weight to movements as well. A sled will be indispensable. Just buy an old car tire and fill it up with cement and tie a rope to it. If it becomes too light just tie another cement filled tire to the first. Alternatively you can push your car around. Just make sure someone is in the driver's seat. If nothing else is there find a big rock and lift and carry it.
You will train in the following pattern-
Workout A
Workout B
Off
repeat
When you are feeling beat up, just take an extra day off.
Workout A-
Dips with weight in back pack- 5 sets of 3-5 reps
or Push ups with back pack in the front and the feet and hands on stools, bricks or benches.
Chin Ups with weight in back pack- 5 sets of 2-3 reps
Dips- 30 reps in as few sets as possible
Chin ups- 30 reps in as few sets as possible
Push Ups- 50 reps in as few sets as possible
Bodyweight Rows- 50 reps in as few sets as possible
In any of these when you can complete all the required reps in 3 sets or less, simply add weight using the back pack. We want to get to the stage where you are using 10-15kgs in the bag for all your reps
Workout B
Box Jumps with back pack or weight held in hands- 3 sets of 6
Heavy sled dragging/ car pushing/ Hugging a rock and walking- 3 sets of 10m
Close Squats (with or without back pack)- 2 sets of 10-30
Standard Squats with back pack- 2 sets of 50
Squat jumps with weight in the hands- 3 sets of 6
Hopping with weight in the hands- 3 sets of 10m
Stool/ Head/ Full Bridges- 3 sets of 6-20
Hanging Leg/knee/frog raises- 3 sets of 6-20
Throwing 5-10kg rocks- 3 sets of 6 per arm
Sit ups- Total 100 reps in less than 3 sets
Follow this system for about 12 weeks until you can do 12-15 chin ups, 20-30 weighted pushups with 10kgs, 30 dips in 1 set and can do 30 close squats with 10kgs.
Primary Bulk Routine
This routine should be used for a long time (a year plus) and follows the traditional progressive approach to bodyweight exercises detailed in the earlier bodyweight posts on this blog.
You will have balanced training of the extremities and torso muscles.
You will follow the following workout pattern every week-
Workout A1
Workout B1
Off
Workout A2
Workout B2
Off
Off
Workout A1-
Weighted Dips- 5 sets of 3-5
Front Lever Holds- (tuck, flat, straddle, half or full)- 5 sets of 10-15 seconds
Chin Up Progression- 3 sets of 5-15 depending upon the variation
Handstand Push Up Progression- 3 sets of 5-20 depending upon variation
Dips- 2 sets of as many reps as possible. Use weight if you can do more than 30 after all the previous work.
Diamond Push Ups- 2 sets of as many reps as possible.
Workout B1-
Squat Jumps with weight- 3 sets of 6
Pistol Squats progression- 3 sets of 6-30 depending upon variation
Bridges Progression- Full or a unilateral variety- 3 sets of 6-20
Ham Glute Curls- Try for total 15 reps. Once you can do it in 2 sets, try for 25
Hanging Leg Raises Progression- 3 sets of 7-20
Roman Chair Sit Ups on parallel bars- 2 sets of as many reps as possible
Heavy Sled Dragging- 5 sets of 10-15m
Workout A2
Throwing Weights- 3 sets of 6 per arm
Weighted Pull ups- 5 sets of 3-5
Planche Holds- 5 sets of 10-15s
Push Up Progression- 3 sets of 6-20
Pull ups- total 50 reps
Bodyweight Rows- 3 sets of as many reps as possible.
Workout B2
Box jumps with weight- 3 sets of 6
Weighted Pistol Squats- 5 sets of 3-5
Sissy Squats- Total 30 reps
Ham glute curls- Total 15-25
Bridges Progression- 3 sets of 7-20
Hanging Leg Raises- 2 sets or as many reps as possible
Roman Chair Sit ups with weight behind the head- 3 sets of 10
Hugging Rock and walkinging- sets of 10-15m
When you feel you have had enough of this routine, you can start playing around with other advanced movements like sternum chin ups, maltese cross push ups, full ROM handstand push ups, weighted one arm bodyweight rows, pistol squat jumps, one leg wall squats, front lever pulls, back lever pull ups, dragon flag, human flags and planche push ups.
You can also slowly start dropping all the weighted bilateral work and move towards more unilateral movements. You can train both limbs together with upper body gymnastic holds and sled pushing.
I hope this gives you some ideas on how to organize a bodyweight routine for size. I would like to close with the point that this is all for maximum bulk and mass, not bodyweight exercise for the sake of getting good at bodyweight work itself. For that you are better off following the progressions more closely.
I am assuming here that the reader is familiar with basic bodyweight exercises and their progressions. If you are not, just see the posts marked bodyweight exercises first.
Basic Concepts
1. Progressive Overload must be maintained. Over time you have to increase the resistance of the exercise you are performing. In bodyweight work this is done by doing one of 4 things-
a. Changing the leverage
b. Putting more weight on one limb
c. Increasing the range of motion
d. Tightening up the form
Just go through the archives of this blog to find progressions for everything.
2. You must incorporate all the basic movements. Don't just do pull ups and dips. You have legs, use them. In addition the added leg size will increase the resistance for your upper body, enabling you to build a larger upper body in the long run.
The basic movements are-
1. Pushups of all sorts
2. Pull Ups of all sorts
3. Squats
4. Leg raises and sit up variations
5. Bridges and hip extensions
6. Inversions
7. Loaded carries of all sorts
3. You have to train in a variety of repetition ranges to get truly big. You have to utilize movements that let you to do very few repetitions to build raw strength. However, the majority of your training must be done in the 6-20/set range. A few higher repetition sets here and there will build the tendons as well. Using maximum effort isometric exercises like front levers, flags and L sits will develop absolute strength as well.
4. For the majority of your bodyweight work think like a sculptor. Build the beauty of the body by targeting your weakest areas. Have an idea of exactly how you want to look. Then use tons of volume to target those areas. Use variations that throw more work on the under developed parts. Don't underestimate single joint movements like sissy squats, ham glute curls, bodyweight tricep extensions and front lever pulls. They are still fairly compound and will transfer well to other bodyweight work.
5. To build the muscles of the torso use bilateral exercises. To build the muscles of the limbs use unilateral exercises.
6. Do some crazy explosive work to help develop your maximum strength. Jumps, clapping push ups and pull ups must be performed. You have to do some throwing as well. All this will help keep your strength ahead of your training intensity, giving you space to grow.
I want explain this concept a little more here. Basically the biggest thing that stops people from continually getting big from bodyweight work is the fact that they get good at doing repetition work, because of which they are either training too close to their maximums all the time, or too far away from it. To counter this, increasing your maximum strength will ensure you have a good margin within which you can train productively.
Biggest Mistakes People make
The really important thing to remember while designing a training program for getting big with bodyweight work is to cover all your bases. This is the biggest reason people fail to get big with calisthenics. They will forget to train the lower body, or do heavy loaded carries or isometric holds or jumps and sprints and then wonder why they cant get bigger. Because the body is a unit, and you have to stress the whole body to get the stimulus for growth. You can only get so far just trying to pump up your arms with chin ups.
The second reason people fail to make progress is that they have not learned how to juice exercises for all their worth. They will do push ups in sloppy form and do a set of 30 and think its time to move to diamond push ups. In reality you have to squeeze every little size increase you can get from an exercise before going to harder variations. Learn to contract the glutes and abs to make the push up super tight. Hold your breath during the repetition and use power breathing to make it stricter. Screw you hands into the ground and maximally tense your triceps and shoulders while doing the pushup. Really enjoy the pause at the bottom and squeeze the chest to come up. You really have to learn how to make a movement literally perfect. Only then move to something more advanced.
The other mistakes are training too often, training too hard too early, moving to harder variations too soon, not keeping a training journal, not moving to harder variations ever and wanting to destroy the body every training session. But this is not really specific to bodyweight training. People in gyms everywhere make the same mistakes. Don't make them.
Also not eating enough. You have to eat to grow, specially around workouts. This is as true of bodyweight work as it is of powerlifting or bodybuilding. But be mindful of fat gain, as unlike powerlifting or bodybuilding, it will immediately hamper your progress with bodyweight work. Stay below 15% bodyfat and eat a lot of proteins and carbs around workouts. If you feel you are getting fat, just cut the calories for a few days or add conditioning work. Keep it simple and don't get so fat in the first place that you need to do something dramatic or complicated. If you are over 15% bodyfat, deal with that first and gaining mass later. You will never go beyond rudimentary bodyweight movements being fat.
Program Checklist
1. Any productive mass gaining routine utilizes limited exercises and decent volume and intensity. Aim and program for a balanced physique.
2. Have decent mix of extremely difficult, quality repetition work, ultra high repetition work, heavy isometric and explosive training.
3. Stress the whole body with loaded carries and reap the anabolic benefits.
4. Build the torso muscles first and then the extremities.
5. Build your weaknesses.
6. Use intelligent repetition, set and frequency schemes. Don't exercise for no real reason and avoid junk exercises and sets.
7. Eat well but in moderation.
Sample Routines
Any of these routines can be used with just minimal modification. You will have to see what exercises suit you and what does not, but don't mess around with the basic scheme.
Raw Beginner
Do this workout on three non consecutive days a week after a general warm up.
Chin Up Isometric holds- Hold the top position for as long as possible, After 2 mins do the same for the mid position.
Pushups-
2 sets of 20 wall pushups or high incline pushups as warm up
3 sets of 3-5 reps of a hard push up variation such as full push ups, diamond push ups, feet elevated pushups while the hands are on bricks to get a full range of motion, pushups while wearing a back pack with weight in it and push ups while wearing a backpack in front with weight in it, while the feet, hand and feet are elevated on stools or bricks so that the bag can drop low and a full repetition can be done.
2 sets of 6-30 repetitions of incline or kneeling push ups, depending upon training level. Start with a conservative number or reps (like 8) and add a rep each workout until you hit the end of the range. Then move to a harder variation and repeat.
Bodyweight Rows- 3 sets of 6-20 of high, low or very low rows.
Jack knife Pull Ups- 1 set of 6-15.
Assisted Squats or full Squats- 3 sets of 10-35
Reverse plank hold- 2 sets of 30-120s
Short Bridges- 1 set of 20-50 reps
Knee tucks, lying leg raises or hanging knee raises- 3 sets of 8-20
Jumps onto bench or box- 3 sets of 6
Throwing rock or shot for distance- 3 sets of 6 per arm
Sled Dragging, rock carrying, car pushing, rock dragging or walking lunges with a rock/log/pole held at the chest- 5 sets of 20-40m with 60s rest.
Follow this program until you can do 5 chin ups, 10 push ups, 3 sets of 30 full squats, 10 hanging knee raises and have mastered reverse planks. It should take about 8-12 weeks depending upon your starting point.
Basic Size Routine
In this routine we are trying to build the muscles of the torso. For this we will primarily use bilateral movements. A backpack and some kind of weight (like bricks) can be used to add weight to movements as well. A sled will be indispensable. Just buy an old car tire and fill it up with cement and tie a rope to it. If it becomes too light just tie another cement filled tire to the first. Alternatively you can push your car around. Just make sure someone is in the driver's seat. If nothing else is there find a big rock and lift and carry it.
You will train in the following pattern-
Workout A
Workout B
Off
repeat
When you are feeling beat up, just take an extra day off.
Workout A-
Dips with weight in back pack- 5 sets of 3-5 reps
or Push ups with back pack in the front and the feet and hands on stools, bricks or benches.
Chin Ups with weight in back pack- 5 sets of 2-3 reps
Dips- 30 reps in as few sets as possible
Chin ups- 30 reps in as few sets as possible
Push Ups- 50 reps in as few sets as possible
Bodyweight Rows- 50 reps in as few sets as possible
In any of these when you can complete all the required reps in 3 sets or less, simply add weight using the back pack. We want to get to the stage where you are using 10-15kgs in the bag for all your reps
Workout B
Box Jumps with back pack or weight held in hands- 3 sets of 6
Heavy sled dragging/ car pushing/ Hugging a rock and walking- 3 sets of 10m
Close Squats (with or without back pack)- 2 sets of 10-30
Standard Squats with back pack- 2 sets of 50
Squat jumps with weight in the hands- 3 sets of 6
Hopping with weight in the hands- 3 sets of 10m
Stool/ Head/ Full Bridges- 3 sets of 6-20
Hanging Leg/knee/frog raises- 3 sets of 6-20
Throwing 5-10kg rocks- 3 sets of 6 per arm
Sit ups- Total 100 reps in less than 3 sets
Follow this system for about 12 weeks until you can do 12-15 chin ups, 20-30 weighted pushups with 10kgs, 30 dips in 1 set and can do 30 close squats with 10kgs.
Primary Bulk Routine
This routine should be used for a long time (a year plus) and follows the traditional progressive approach to bodyweight exercises detailed in the earlier bodyweight posts on this blog.
You will have balanced training of the extremities and torso muscles.
You will follow the following workout pattern every week-
Workout A1
Workout B1
Off
Workout A2
Workout B2
Off
Off
Workout A1-
Weighted Dips- 5 sets of 3-5
Front Lever Holds- (tuck, flat, straddle, half or full)- 5 sets of 10-15 seconds
Chin Up Progression- 3 sets of 5-15 depending upon the variation
Handstand Push Up Progression- 3 sets of 5-20 depending upon variation
Dips- 2 sets of as many reps as possible. Use weight if you can do more than 30 after all the previous work.
Diamond Push Ups- 2 sets of as many reps as possible.
Workout B1-
Squat Jumps with weight- 3 sets of 6
Pistol Squats progression- 3 sets of 6-30 depending upon variation
Bridges Progression- Full or a unilateral variety- 3 sets of 6-20
Ham Glute Curls- Try for total 15 reps. Once you can do it in 2 sets, try for 25
Hanging Leg Raises Progression- 3 sets of 7-20
Roman Chair Sit Ups on parallel bars- 2 sets of as many reps as possible
Heavy Sled Dragging- 5 sets of 10-15m
Workout A2
Throwing Weights- 3 sets of 6 per arm
Weighted Pull ups- 5 sets of 3-5
Planche Holds- 5 sets of 10-15s
Push Up Progression- 3 sets of 6-20
Pull ups- total 50 reps
Bodyweight Rows- 3 sets of as many reps as possible.
Workout B2
Box jumps with weight- 3 sets of 6
Weighted Pistol Squats- 5 sets of 3-5
Sissy Squats- Total 30 reps
Ham glute curls- Total 15-25
Bridges Progression- 3 sets of 7-20
Hanging Leg Raises- 2 sets or as many reps as possible
Roman Chair Sit ups with weight behind the head- 3 sets of 10
Hugging Rock and walkinging- sets of 10-15m
When you feel you have had enough of this routine, you can start playing around with other advanced movements like sternum chin ups, maltese cross push ups, full ROM handstand push ups, weighted one arm bodyweight rows, pistol squat jumps, one leg wall squats, front lever pulls, back lever pull ups, dragon flag, human flags and planche push ups.
You can also slowly start dropping all the weighted bilateral work and move towards more unilateral movements. You can train both limbs together with upper body gymnastic holds and sled pushing.
I hope this gives you some ideas on how to organize a bodyweight routine for size. I would like to close with the point that this is all for maximum bulk and mass, not bodyweight exercise for the sake of getting good at bodyweight work itself. For that you are better off following the progressions more closely.
Hey Tejas, your blog is great. I like especially your posts about calisthenics. I'm doing calisthenics since 1 year now and on the road to master the one arm pull up and push up. I'm also very interesting in gaining mass mass because I'm very light. (66 kg on 178 cm) In your first post about raw mass with calisthenics you have only bodyweight exercises and progressions. That is similar to the idea of Paul Wade, author of convict conditioning, maybe you know this book. Paul is also against weights and recommend bodyweight exercises only. He thinks that adding weights to bodyweight exercises can be dangerous. Now my question, why you recommend adding weights to dips and pull ups? I can do 20 pull ups, 20 dips, 13 HSPU, 20 pistols each side, its time now to add weights to my workout or should i stay with my OAPull ups and Push ups progressions? My goal is to add more muscle mass and have an athletic body, e.g. like sprinter or gymnasts have. I dont wanne be a big bodybuilder.
ReplyDeleteI have also rounded shoulders and sometimes shoulder pain in my right shoulder after performing some muscle ups or HSPU. Have you some tips to fix that. I especially want to have a better posture and pain free. Do you also have sometimes problems with your shoulders?
My routine looks like:
Upper Body
warm up
handbalancing and front lever practice
3 sets HSPU max reps
3 sets OH pull up progression
3 sets OH push up progression
2 sets pull ups max
2 sets ring dips
2 sets horizontal pulls max
2 sets push ups max
sometimes i mix the order up or do after my progressions supersets of pullups, dips, and push ups without rest between exercises
Lower Body:
3 sets vertical jumps max
2 sets pistols max
2 sets 50 squats
2 sets one leg calf raises (my calfs are very small, so i try to make them grow :D)
3 sets hanging leg raises (toes to bar)
3 sets bridging holds max
i have also some shoulder pain during hanging leg raises, so i changed from pull up grip to chin up grip.
I do this routine twice a week. UB LB REST UB LB REST REST. what do you think about it?
Keep the nice work going on. Sry for my english xD
Greets,
Denis
Thank you for reading I am glad you enjoy my writing.
DeleteFirst of all I have added weighted chin ups and dips to this routine because if increasing size is the goal then the torso muscles have to get bigger. There is only so much size you can build if you work your arms and legs more than your hips, lats, chest and core. The thing is regular calisthenics progressions focus on moving toward unilateral variations of the movements used. But unilateral movements build the smaller, weaker and far away muscles more as they are generally the weak link in unilateral exercises. For example a one arm chin up will use the biceps a lot more than a 2 arm chin up with equivalent added weight. This is because in bilateral movements the bigger muscles have better leverage to exert force. But in unilateral movements the leverage for these muscles are very poor so the smaller muscles take the load. Ultimately if you want to grow the muscles that make you look big like the chest, lats, traps, glutes etc you have to use bilateral exercises. And the best way to make bilateral exercises harder is to add weight.
In convict conditioning the reasons Mr Wade gives for weights being dangerous are also the reasons why weights are useful. Ultimately due to spinal loading and greater loading potential in barbell exercises and their open chain nature, they impose great amounts of systemic stress on the body which could easily lead to injury. Unfortunately the only way the skeletal system, the connective tissues, the adrenal system and the CNS get the trigger to get stronger is for large amounts of systemic stress to be imposed upon the body. As the soviets established effective strength training has 3 componenets- Maximal (extremely heavy) training which will build the connective tissues, the bones and will make the CNS stronger, Repetition (moderate weight, moderate volume) training will strengthen the joints and tendons and build stronger and bigger muscles and dynamic (high speed) training which will build the CNS. For optimum gains all three have to be done.
As I have mentioned in creating training programs number 2, calisthenics is the ultimate repetition tool because it builds the joints and muscles with minimal systemic stress to the body. This is excellent as this is the purpose of repetition training. But it fails as a maximal training tool for the same reasons- it does not impose enough stress on the body and does not tend itself to heavy loads. Similarly barbells fail as repetition tools- beacuse the stress is so high that doing higher repetitions will destroy the joints and the body as a system. It is worth noting that the soviets established that when using anything above a minimal load (above 60% of max) barbell lifts should be restricted to not more than 6 repetitions a set. Thus it is not weights that are inherently dangerous but their incorrect application as a repetition training tool- as a bodybuilding method not a strength training tool.
This is something that has been understood since ancient times by the greeks, in patanjali's yoga sutra and in various mythological literature- you have to build the beauty of the body to create the potential for strength, this requires many repetitions and sets and the muscles must be depleted. You have to move heavy objects to get stronger and you have to move fast to move fast. It is true that calisthenics was a major part of traditional training programs comprising as much as 60% of the volume of work but this is because they believed that "bodybuilding" was an integral part of getting stronger and they did this using bodyweight exercises as it is the simplest, most effective and most natural way to do so. But at the end of the day it was only a part, the other part always was lifting abnormally heavy loads, comprising as much as 20% of the training volume. This is not because it is less important but because it is more stressful.
DeleteThe greeks used slabs of stone that could be attached with other stones as a progressive tool. Both the greeks and the ancient hindus used heavy carts for a variety of movements. Jumping halters, leather straps used to lift large rocks, and lifting logs were other tools. The repetitions were always low working up to very heavy weights. Incidentally the ancient greek record for deadlifting a rock from the ground was close to 500kgs. And this was as a supplementary training exercise. Check out this link - http://ditillo2.blogspot.in/2008/11/ancient-greeks-benton-pride.html
As far as adding weights to your bodyweight exercises, it depends upon your objectives. If you want to get better at unilateral work then it makes no sense as it will not help. But if you want to build the torse muscles than go ahead. I however do not recommend adding weight to pistol squats as it can do a number on your knees. Instead use heavy sleds/ carts to train the legs and do pistol squats after that when the legs are tired. Another option is to start working towards doing pistol squats on your toes and add bodyweight ham glute raises to your routine. Adding weight to pull ups can be particularly useful as it will really build your lats. Just dont hyper extend the shoulder.
For push ups dont add weights on the back rather wear them on the front with a back pack. You will need to elevate your hands and feet so that you can go all the way down. This will reduce the weight requirement considerably.
However once again if your main target is to get good at one arm push ups and chin ups then devote most of your time and energy to that and only spend 20-25% of your volume on weighted bodyweight work.
When you have rounded shoulders, pull ups and other hanging exercises can make it worse and cause pain. A good solution is to practice sticking your chest out and arching your upper back during reps. Start using gymnasic rings or trx for all your pulling work for sometime. This will build the external rotators and force you to do the movements correctly. Spend some time and effort doing thoracic mobility exercises, foam rolling the shoulder joint and doing shoulder dislocates.
DeleteSometimes this kind of shoulder pain can also be due to a weak neck or traps. Try handstand shrugs and neck bridging. Do a lot of shoulder revolutions and strech your neck using dynamic movements. it could also be a bicep inflammation at the shoulder joint. Dig in below your anterior deltoid and use your index finger to find the origin of the bicep tendon. Then massage it in circles. When I had shoulder problems it was always due to a lack of neck strength and flexibility.
As far as your routine it looks pretty good though it seems like a lot of volume. I would try to economize a little. Have one or two "personal record" sets in a workout where you really push yourself each workout but the vast majority of the workout should not anywhere close to approach failure. It seems like too many as many reps as possible sets to me. Add some heavy sled work for the legs would be my next suggestion. Its pretty easy to make using an old motorbike tire, some GI plumbing pipes and a clothes line. It will cost you less than nothing and you can do a variety of pulling exercises with it.
Other than that great progress. I can't believe you are doing this much in one year. Good luck and train hard.
Thank you a lot for this great answer.
ReplyDeleteIt's the first time I hear that I can get rounded shoulders from pull ups. Mostly people say that comes from doing to much push work like dips and push ups, so pull ups should be good for a good posture. But this is a great idea. I will try to sticking my chest out and arch my back. This will also activate more the lats. The right technique is here the key I think.
All the time I thought hanging is good for the shoulder. It open the shoulder specially in the dead hang. Do you recommend dead hangs or do you think it will make the shoulder weak and instabil? This is also a problem. During dips and push ups my shoulder feels sometimes instabil.
My first goal is to gaining muscle mass. So I think I must add some weight to my dips, pull ups and squats. With weight I should do only a max of 6 reps to save my joints, right?
Is it possible to gaining mass with only repetition work? Can I gain mass on the torso when I train for high reps like 50 pullups, 50 dips and 100 push ups? When I add reps so it is also a progressiv overload. What do you think about it? Here is also a study about high reps.
http://muscleevo.net/how-to-build-muscle-with-high-reps/
Also a blogpost with interesting comments from the user Michael who use high reps. Check this out if you find this also interesting like me.
http://www.trainingscience.net/?page_id=301
Whats your opinion about that? Thats a very interesting topic I think. Some people in prisons train also with high reps when they don't have weights. Also the people in the outdoor parks in the USA e.g in New York. They also train with pull ups, dips, push ups and a lot of static holds like front levers e.g Hannibal for King. Do You know him? Whats your opinion about this guys?
Its nice to speak with people who help other people and share there knowledge
like you.
Greetings,
Denis
More than dead hangs try to focus on shoulder retraction. I think Jim bathurst of beastskills has a few posts on this. Basically practice pulling your shoulder blades down and back while hanging from the bar, both with one and two arms. This will build shoulder stability. Also try to screw the floor during pushups. This really helps. Basically imagine you are twisting your hands outwards on the ground. This will force the elbows inwards as well as pull the shoulders down and back. This will isometrically train the external rotators. You can also try doing external rotations by using your other hand to provide resistance. its a common method used by Indian wrestlers. Or you could do hammer revolutions using a mace, a hammer or a club.
DeleteHanging and pulling exercises are excellent for the shoulder as they promote better posture and muscular balance, but in actuality the rotator cuff muscles, which stabilize the shoulders, are trained during pushing movements. That is why drills like screwing the floor, external rotations, pushups on basketballs and unstable surfaces will do more for shoulder stability. Ring dips are an exception as the plane of motion is different. Also lay off the muscle ups for a while as the shoulder rotation is a bit extreme, which can irritate an already unstable shoulder.
As for gaining muscle, muscle groth is basically a function of 2 things-
1. The volume of work performed
2. The amount of tension being produced.
Therefore to make a muscle grow you have to use a resistance that is heavy enough to create sufficient tension and allows you to do enough repetitions to cause microtrauma in the muscles forcing them to grow. This is why extremes don't generally lead to muscle growth. Ultra heavy weights do not permit enough repetitions to cause microtrauma and will not lead to muscle growth. Jogging will cause a lot of microtrauma but there is not enough tension.
In between there is a lot of range and a variety of repetitions can lead to growth, depending upon the muscle being trained. Higher repetition, upto even 100reps a set train the slow twitch fibers and are useful for smaller muscles that have very little strength and therefore require lesser tension to grow. In beginners loads as light as 30% can lead to muscle growth. In a person who has not trained with ultra high repetitions ever, such training will lead to new growth. But due to the hermann size principle, heavier resistances (lesser than 20reps per set) will lead to the best growth. Basically heavier weights recruit not only the fast twitch fibers but also the slow ones, therefore training more with lesser volume. Once again very low repetitions (below 4) will have no to minimal effect on muscle growth. Thus the optimum range is somewhere between 4-20.
DeleteWhen prisoners train for strength or even when you are talking about people like hannibal for king, the main reason they use higher reps is because it makes growth manageable. Basically making the jump from say diamond pushups to lever pushups is a big one. If you could only do 10 diamond pushups, you chances of doing lever pushups properly are slim. The ultra high repetitions build the space for future growth, so that you can jump to the next movement.
But the bottom line is efficient muscle growth happens in medium repetition ranges. Ultimately if you get stronger in any repetition range, be it 10-12 or 30-50 you will get bigger as long as it is more than 4 reps as the tension used will increase.
You can gain muscle with only repetition work. Infact the primary purpose of repetition work is to gain muscle. But it will be faster and better if you include some maximal work, as it allows you to produce more tension during your repetition work.
Finally when starting with weighted bodyweight movements add weight very slowly. The added weight will change the leverage a lot so you will need time to get used to it. Also use your normal repetition range for all weighted upper body work, as you are still doing a closed chain kinetic movement and not really using too much weight. If you plan on using more than 40% of your bodyweight, then restrict the reps. For lower body weighted movements, reduce the reps.
Finally adding reps to already high repetition sets is not a form of progressive overload from a strength point of view, as the limiting factor is no longer your strength but your localized muscular endurance.
Thank you for your tips Tejas. I will try to get better results with it. Your blog is very interesting so I will keep reading it. Hope you will post some more posts in the future about calisthenics. Peace.
DeleteHey Tejas, I thought about increasing of tension. Whats about increasing time under tension? So if normal pullups are to easy you can do them very slow. For example you can go 5s up hold 1s and go 5s down. Will this train the slow twitch fibers better?
ReplyDeleteYou said that increasing of volume can cause muscle gains. Can I increase sets? So doing 10 sets of 10 reps pull ups, will this make growth? Or ist this high number of sets stupid?
What do you think about doing pullups (without weight) and pushups every day? For example every day 1 set of maximal reps? Will this increase size or will the body adapt?
It willl train the slow fibers more, but you will get that effect from slow high tension exercises as well. This depends on your weaknesses. If you have weak slow fibers, then it will help.
DeleteHigh sets and reps can be used to cause muscle growth, but after a time as the level of tension becomes easier, it will crease to have effect on growth. Typically this type of training just leads to early burnout, specially considering the fact that muscle growth is typically limited by body metabolism not training. Most people are actually training enough to grow, their body just can recover fast enough.
As for daily training, it can be done, but not to failure. Typically you have to fluctuate the intensity though to keep over training at bay. I hope this help.
Great article, Tejas. Thank you so much for everything you’ve shared. I love your blog. Are you still active anywhere on the web?
ReplyDelete