Bodyweight Training
The unmistakable Zuzka Light, killing some pistol squats
Bodyweight Training is exactly as it sounds - you perform exercises utilizing only your body weight. Familiar examples of these exercises include pull ups, muscle ups, Push Ups, Crunches, Planks, Up Downs, Lunges, Squat Jumps, etc.
Body weight training is great for building explosiveness and endurance, and is also has the advantage of requiring little to no equipment and minimal space allowing you to exercise anywhere you have the space, whenever you have the opportunity. Utilizing bodyweight exercise in HIIT or Tabata formats is a great way to burn calories and build muscular endurance, as well as improve your cardio. Zuzka Light is an awesome trainer who focuses primarily on high intensity bodyweight routines and performs them online via video. If this is the training direction you want to go in, she is an awesome resource. You can find a lot of her training videos scattered on video sites, as well as her website.
The disadvantage to bodyweight training is that resistance is limited to your body weight, which can be a limiting factor for a couple of reasons. One is if you are very overweight or unconditioned, you may not be able to perform enough reps, and in some cases may be unable to perform any reps properly to yield any results. On the opposite end of that spectrum, once you have been training with your body weight and your body adapts to it, the only way to add additional resistance is with weighted vests and harnesses, which can be expensive, and also usually only provide a limited or set amount of additional resistance.
Though it will take some time and serious training to max out on bodyweight training, once you can perform 50 clean reps in a row of any particular exercise, anything above that provides minimal additional benefits and at that point acts as little more than inefficient cardio. Fifty reps is on the high end of the rep range as it is. If you want to maximize building lean muscle, I would recommend increasing the intensity of any exercise for which you can complete any more than 20 clean reps in a row.
For these reasons, bodyweight exercises may be best suited for conditioning, using them for HIIT and Tabata exercises.
Body weight training is great for building explosiveness and endurance, and is also has the advantage of requiring little to no equipment and minimal space allowing you to exercise anywhere you have the space, whenever you have the opportunity. Utilizing bodyweight exercise in HIIT or Tabata formats is a great way to burn calories and build muscular endurance, as well as improve your cardio. Zuzka Light is an awesome trainer who focuses primarily on high intensity bodyweight routines and performs them online via video. If this is the training direction you want to go in, she is an awesome resource. You can find a lot of her training videos scattered on video sites, as well as her website.
The disadvantage to bodyweight training is that resistance is limited to your body weight, which can be a limiting factor for a couple of reasons. One is if you are very overweight or unconditioned, you may not be able to perform enough reps, and in some cases may be unable to perform any reps properly to yield any results. On the opposite end of that spectrum, once you have been training with your body weight and your body adapts to it, the only way to add additional resistance is with weighted vests and harnesses, which can be expensive, and also usually only provide a limited or set amount of additional resistance.
Though it will take some time and serious training to max out on bodyweight training, once you can perform 50 clean reps in a row of any particular exercise, anything above that provides minimal additional benefits and at that point acts as little more than inefficient cardio. Fifty reps is on the high end of the rep range as it is. If you want to maximize building lean muscle, I would recommend increasing the intensity of any exercise for which you can complete any more than 20 clean reps in a row.
For these reasons, bodyweight exercises may be best suited for conditioning, using them for HIIT and Tabata exercises.
BEST FOR:
Overall Conditioning, Building Lean Muscle/Toning, Muscular Endurance, Power
GOOD FOR:
Cardiovascular Performance, Improving Strength, Post-Rehab Training, Weight Loss/Fat Burning
NOT FOR:
Unconditioned Individuals, Injury Recovery, Focused Goals of Strength/Mass Gains
Overall Conditioning, Building Lean Muscle/Toning, Muscular Endurance, Power
GOOD FOR:
Cardiovascular Performance, Improving Strength, Post-Rehab Training, Weight Loss/Fat Burning
NOT FOR:
Unconditioned Individuals, Injury Recovery, Focused Goals of Strength/Mass Gains