The more, the better? - Non Weight Excercise

[MattofSilat]

I've been wondering this for a while now, so it's a wonder that I haven't posted this earlier. Having no weights at home, although this is set to change soon, I do Lunges, Press-Ups and Sit ups/Crunches when at home. I enjoy situps specifically because you can definitely notice the difference, especially in toning. My slight Six Pack has been pointed out before at the beach on a school trip, I was really happy.

By the way, what exactly do press-ups work? I know they're meant to work Pecs and Shoulders mainly, and I've noticed increases in strength with shoulders, but pecs still seem to be flat as can be. Arms aren't bad, but weight work whether resistance or free weight seems to simply be better.

Anyway, on to the question at hand. Is it simply that the more of these exercises you do, the more results you get? I know you should stop with weights even if it doesn't hurt because it will only lead to a loss in muscle rather than a gain if overworked. Is it best to do these exercises until you hurt the next morning, then stop until it stops hurting, then do it all again?

I speak in aesthetic terms because I have no real way of showing physical strength in any way apart from aesthetics, especially in the short term where gains in strength aren't too significant.

What do you think? Do you have a workout of some kind using these exercises (E.G. Like a Gym Workout Plan type), or do you just do them when you feel like it/aren't doing anything else?

 

[mook jong man]

I've been wondering this for a while now, so it's a wonder that I haven't posted this earlier. Having no weights at home, although this is set to change soon, I do Lunges, Press-Ups and Sit ups/Crunches when at home. I enjoy situps specifically because you can definitely notice the difference, especially in toning. My slight Six Pack has been pointed out before at the beach on a school trip, I was really happy.

By the way, what exactly do press-ups work? I know they're meant to work Pecs and Shoulders mainly, and I've noticed increases in strength with shoulders, but pecs still seem to be flat as can be. Arms aren't bad, but weight work whether resistance or free weight seems to simply be better.

Anyway, on to the question at hand. Is it simply that the more of these exercises you do, the more results you get? I know you should stop with weights even if it doesn't hurt because it will only lead to a loss in muscle rather than a gain if overworked. Is it best to do these exercises until you hurt the next morning, then stop until it stops hurting, then do it all again?

I speak in aesthetic terms because I have no real way of showing physical strength in any way apart from aesthetics, especially in the short term where gains in strength aren't too significant.

What do you think? Do you have a workout of some kind using these exercises (E.G. Like a Gym Workout Plan type), or do you just do them when you feel like it/aren't doing anything else?

Push ups or press ups mainly work the triceps and the chest with some assistance from the deltoids.
It gets to a point where all you are gaining is localized endurance in the muscle groups being worked when you do high reps.
To make the muscle grow you have to ramp up the resistance , if you don't have a bench press , and can only do push ups then you have to make them harder.

Do your push ups while wearing a back pack filled with rocks or whatever.
Do your push ups with your girl friend sitting on your back.
Put your feet up on a chair and do push ups so you are on an incline.
Do plyometric push ups by pushing yourself up ballistically and clapping your hands in mid air.
There are any number of variations to make them more difficult , but sooner or later you are just going to have to do bench presses with a barbell loaded with heavy plates.

As a side note my chest seems to be at its biggest when I've been doing a lot of pull up work , so find a kids play ground with some monkey bars or something and start cranking out some pull ups.

 

[MattofSilat]

I go to the gym, so I do weight work there, I just can't find the time to go every day so I like to do some at home too. Thanks for the answer, will definitely use some of that.

 

[mook jong man]

I go to the gym, so I do weight work there, I just can't find the time to go every day so I like to do some at home too. Thanks for the answer, will definitely use some of that.

If you are already doing weights at the gym , then you probably don't need to be doing any body weight work , in fact its probably cutting into your recovery time.
It would be best to do some cardio of some type when not doing martial arts classes or in the weights room.

I like to do a circuit consisting of skipping rope and hitting the heavy bag , but you could do anything you like running , swimming , kettlebells , cycling , sprinting up hills and jog back down etc.

 

[punisher73]

It depends on your goals. If endurance is your goal, the more the merrier.

If strength is your goal, then you need to do things to make the bodyweight exercise progressively harder. If you are interested in an approach like that, there is a book called "Convict Conditioning" from Dragon Door. As with alot of their products alot of advertising hype, but it is a good solid book for how to make the series of bodyweight exercises harder at each step (There are 6 main exercises with 10 levels). For example, push-ups culminates with you doing perfect one arm pushups.

 

[MattofSilat]

Just checking. Is this the book you mean: Convict Conditioning (paperback) | Dragon Door

If it is, do you think the paperback includes everything that's on the DVDs. I understand that DVDs would be much more expensive, but the full set of DVDs is $299.75 while the paperback is $39.95, half that price on E-book.

Firstly, are DVDs really THAT much more expensive, or do just think that people lazy enough to get the DVDs will inevitably splash out the cash to avoid the 'tire' of reading?

Also, is the physical book that much more expensive, as in the materials? Even without the $6.95 shipping costs, it's still $13 more to get the physical version.

Anyway, I'll definitely look into picking this up, even if I find <£20 a bit dear for a book.

EDIT: Wow. Now I've gone into talking about marketing. How the hell did I manage that?

 

[K-man]

The other thing that push ups develop is your core. It's the same as holding a plank except you are exercising your upper body at the same time.
:asian:

 

[drop bear]

Our guys who fight condition six days a week generally.

Some weights some circuit some cardio.


The easiest to get your head around is a plate workout. I just do five minute sets with one minute per exersise a five minute abs rince and repeat.


Trying to find one on YouTube that is similar to what we do. But at the end of the day you could reasonably pick any that sort of give you different movements.

 

[punisher73]

Just checking. Is this the book you mean: Convict Conditioning (paperback) | Dragon Door

If it is, do you think the paperback includes everything that's on the DVDs. I understand that DVDs would be much more expensive, but the full set of DVDs is $299.75 while the paperback is $39.95, half that price on E-book.

Firstly, are DVDs really THAT much more expensive, or do just think that people lazy enough to get the DVDs will inevitably splash out the cash to avoid the 'tire' of reading?

Also, is the physical book that much more expensive, as in the materials? Even without the $6.95 shipping costs, it's still $13 more to get the physical version.

Anyway, I'll definitely look into picking this up, even if I find <£20 a bit dear for a book.

EDIT: Wow. Now I've gone into talking about marketing. How the hell did I manage that?

That would be the book. I have the book only. I believe the dvds just show you how to do the exercises. When you read the book, you will probably be familiar with all of the exercises or be able to figure them out from the pictures. If not, you can probably youtube the exercises and see them performed. I wouldn't pay that much for the dvds.

 

[EMT]

Bodyweight workouts are great when you've got no access to a gym and you want to stay fit. I often do them when I travel and I've got no training equipment with me

 

[Midnight-shadow]

The beautiful thing about pushups is there are so many varieties that work the muscles in different amounts. Take a look online and see all the different variations and try them out, as each variation provides a new challenge. Also the surface you do them on and the shape of your hands makes a difference. Doing push-ups on a carpet or mat is easier than doing them on a hard wood floor, which is easier than doing them on concrete or gravel. Doing your pushups with your hands flat on the ground is easier than doing them on your knuckles, which is easier than doing them on your fingertips.

EDIT: I just saw the date of this thread. @EMT why are you bothering to reply to threads that are nearly 3 years old? Seriously what is the point in that?

 

[jobo]

as this is an old thread, I'm not sure if there is actually anyone interested in a discussion. So a short starter

the main issue commonly overlooked with bwt. Is the weight of the body??? And further the height, arm length and weight distribution can all make a,significant difference to how easy /hard it is and how much benefit you can get from it.

so a 6ft 2 guy at 250ibs who can do 10pull ups is seriously strong, whist a 5.8 guy at160lb doing 20 is not that impressive

 

[Flatfish]

Not sure I agree with that. The bigger guy is moving his bodyweight only ten times, the smaller guy is moving his bodyweight 20 times. Of course in absolute terms the bigger guy is stronger when he can move more weight but I think it's more useful to think of strength in terms of strength related to ones own bodyweight. If a 300 lb dude deadlifts 300 lbs that is not much to write home about but if a 150 lb person lifts 300 than that is pretty impressive.

If your main point was that the little guy is limited by what he can achieve because he only weighs 160 lbs, then yes naturally that is true but it's not very hard to either make the exercises harder ( work up to one arm pull up) or add a belt with plates.

 

[jobo]

Not sure I agree with that. The bigger guy is moving his bodyweight only ten times, the smaller guy is moving his bodyweight 20 times. Of course in absolute terms the bigger guy is stronger when he can move more weight but I think it's more useful to think of strength in terms of strength related to ones own bodyweight. If a 300 lb dude deadlifts 300 lbs that is not much to write home about but if a 150 lb person lifts 300 than that is pretty impressive.

If your main point was that the little guy is limited by what he can achieve because he only weighs 160 lbs, then yes naturally that is true but it's not very hard to either make the exercises harder ( work up to one arm pull up) or add a belt with plates.

why have you brought dead lifting into a discussion on bwt?

yes the smaller guy is stronger per pound, that the point smaller people are nearly always,stronger per pound of body weight. However the big guy can pick the little guy up and throw him over a wall, so from a martial arts perspective he has a certain advantage and as he is lifting a far heavier weight will get far more benefit in gaining additional strengh from the exercise than the skinny guy. The skinny guy would do a lot better down the gym
or to look at it another way, people tend towards exercises they are good at , big guy down the gym lifting, small guys doing bar twirls, they would both get more benefit if they swapped over

 

[Flatfish]

Yeah, you lost me there. It's all good, I happen to like bodyweight exercises and will add additional weight by some means or other if something gets too easy. Plus I don't seem to get hurt as much.....

 

[jobo]

Yeah, you lost me there. It's all good, I happen to like bodyweight exercises and will add additional weight by some means or other if something gets too easy. Plus I don't seem to get hurt as much.....

yes so do I, but of course adding weight,stops it being pure body weight. And takes away one of the main,advantages' of bwt. That being you can do it when and where ever you wish with out carrying round a load of equipment

its the point of progressive overload that's difficult to establish with bwt. The jump from two handed pull ups to one handed is enormous, and any thing but progressive.

if your not careful you get stuck in a cycle of doing more and more reps, which after a time stops causing your body to adapt/ improve. And you just get very good at pull ups/ push ups etc with out really increasing your fitness markedly

generaly speaking if you can get above 10 or 15 reps its to easy and needs to be modified. So just building up an impresive total for push ups isn't,actually doing you a great deal of good