Bodyweight Exercise

Was wondering if anyone was familiar with the following bodyweight exercise programs:

  • Ross Enamait, “The Underground Guide to Warrior Fitness”
  • Tamir Katz, “TBK Fitness”
  • Matt Furey, “Combat Conditioning”
  • Pavel Tsatsouline, “The Naked Warrior”
  • John Peterson, “Pushing Yourself to Power”
  • John Davies, “Feel the Force”

Cheers -

foobar57

I have read
Combat conditioning= mostly useless some good pics thats it

Naked warrior= great explainations of human kenetics in laymans terms, the only body weight program that could sub for weights ( if only for a short time)
Under Ground Guide To warrior fitness= Almost identical to Combat Conditioning but better as it has info in excercise variation, proper set and rep perameters and over general fitness (not strength) advice.

If you’re really committed to acheiving greatness at bodyweight exercise - and otherwise, why do it at all? - in my humble opinion there is only one way to go: Take up gymnastics or some variant of it. Strength carries over to endurance but not vice versa. Doing a calisthenics program a la Matt ‘Sexual Kung Fu’ Furey is like building a 700-acre base to pyramid and running out of material to build it higher than the first story - lame.

You CAN learn gymnastics as an adult. I have taken adult gymnastics classes and I am currently training hard at Capoeira. No gymnastics experience before the age of 19. My coordination, response time, awareness of where my body is in space, and strength to bodyweight ratio are all improving despite the fact that I spent my junior high/ high school years pounding the ground doing Long, Slow Distance.

To sum up: Adult gymnastics, Capoeira, Breakdancing, Sprinting, and Jumping are to calisthenics programs what olympic weightlifting and powerlifting are to Men’s Fitness bodybuilding routines and Curves.

i have been doing bodyweight exercises only (have not been to a gym in over 6 year’s) for many year’s. with all due respect to the above replies, i have to disagree. i have benifited a great deal form these (many variation’s of bodyweight exercises, to many to go into here), i do some form everyday along with jumping rope. i do these together, non stop for 45 to 60 minute’s.

i find that those who critize this type of workout (or really any form of workout that is foreign or unconventional) are those that have NEVER tried them either at all or for any length of time. i do feel that i can speek with confidence and am not a novice, i have played football at every level and have worked out my whole life.

i wanted something that i could do every day at home or anywhere (traveling,etc.) and my bodyweight and a jump rope will give anyone an incredible workout. by the way, most people will not stick with jumping rope because they quickly discover that it is one kick ass workout and give up cause it’s to tough.

again, those who rip on any unconventional workout such as bodyweight exercises, chances are very good that they have never done them for any extended period of time, it’s easier to put down the one’s they have never tried and are to of the mainstream

41guy, thanks for the reply.

I don’t think that any of the other replies were ripping on bodyweight exercises per se, they just weren’t very impressed with the programs I mentioned.

Myself, I have an open mind to the subject. I travel some myself, and would find a bodyweight approach convenient during those times. Also, I’m looking at having some kind of exercise program for kids at my church, and not having to invest large sums in equipment would be a plus.

That said, I’m not gonna sell the safety cage in my basement. I like picking up the iron. Just wanna know what other paths to Nirvana are out there :-).

Again, thanks for the input.

TEY

41guy, could you please give an example of your bodyweight routine?

I love using bodyweight only days as a change of pace. I also think jumping rope is one of the best things out there.

I have read Naked Warrior, I loved it. I don?t do it all the time but every once in a while I?ll do it for a week or two.

foobar (FUBAR??),

i have Naked Warrior and Combat Conditioning…both books offer ideas and exercises, but no real program per se. they have some exercises i have never heard of before, and some are truly challenging. i think you can get a decent workout through bodyweight exercises…you just have to be very creative. i mix calisthenics in with my lifting, which i think is the best approach…but that’s just me.

you can get a kickass workout doing pistol squats, pullups, and pause pushups (hold the “down” position for a second or two)…and like the other poster advise-don’t forget jumping rope.

41,

I would also be interested in knowing what works for you.

everyday is different as far as minute’s of roping and set’s of pushup’s (i alway’s vary the type of pushup i am doing, so as to not do same thing everday).

for example this morning’s workout was as follow (i alway’s workout first thing in am on an empty stomach, it work’s for me, not sure about other’s)i started out doing 125 hindu pushup’s then did 3 minute’s roping drop and did set of pushup’s with feet elevated on bench (the roping of 3 min and set of pushup’s is 1 set) 1 did 4 set’s of that and then after the 5th set of roping i did set of 40 hindu pushup’s ( all of this is with no rest at all between any set),i then did 5 more set’s of the roping and pushup’s with the last set being 35 hindu pushup’s. this totaled exactly 1 hour for me at 2oo hindu pushup’s, 30 minute’s of roping and 8 set’s of elevated pushup’s.

other day’s i will do 20 set’s of 2min roping and drop and do set of pushup’s (whatever kind i’m doing that day, this total’s 40 min of roping and 20 set’s of pushup’s. i do the roping and mix in various pushup’s, hindu and other’s, hindue squat’s and also dumbell snatches.

i am not trying to sound arrogant or like i’m bragging but, these workout’s are absolute ball buster’s and most people will never make it through the beginning let alone the whole thing. i have been doing these for year’s, and a person would have to build themself up to this. just try picking up a rope and jump for a couple of minute’s and see how tough that is (a must you have to have if you jump rope is a clock with a second hand on it in front of you on wall, most people who i used to train would say they jumped for xx minute’s but when the clock is in front of them, that 5 or so minute’s they said they roped was really only 2 or 3, again, jumping rope is not easy and then trow in all the other stuff and you have a killer workout you can do anywhere at anytime with minimal investment.

i hope this help’s some what, this is not for everyone (for obvious reason’s)and if you do anything like this i would suggest you start small and work yourself up over time.

Furey did a spot in a mag a few years ago and in it he did 10 x 10 sets of pushups, each set a different kind of pushup: Hindus, hands together, handstand,…etc. You do them with no rest. Seriously, this kicked my ass. I started doing this again and it is rough! Make up your routine like this and then compare it to heavy benching --there is none. The pushups are a killer!

[quote]41guy wrote:

…and also dumbell snatches…

[/quote]

A-ha, a weight!

… just kidding.

I have done workouts like that, but never for longer than half an hour. An hour of that is seriously respectable.

cyco…yeah, the name is a derivation of “fubar”, just trying to keep it clean “for the children” :-).

I’ve always suspected bodyweight/calesthenics/whatever can be an important part of a development/maintenence program. It really is amazing how few squat-thrusts (sorry, too old-school to call them “burpees”) can cause the heavy breathing if you’re not used to it.

So…exactly what are “pistol squats”???

41:

I agree, rope is a great protocol. Used to do it a lot in my youth. Would like to incorporate it into my current program, but am waiting until a few more pounds are off, as a favor to my knee. Ocassionally, I try to do it in the grass, but right now, not so much on harder surfaces.

TEY

First, I would be wary of Matt Furey’s “hindu squats”. I have read some bad stuff about them, maily saying they can screw up your back, etc…

I agree with Ross that you shoul ddo gymnastics. Get some rings and train. I did some today and they are awesome. You will never get tired of them.

I love the bodyweight stuff. I throw it in with my routine whenever I can. As for being on the road, you can kick your own ass with a good circuit. Dips between a couple chairs, Rocky pushups, handstand pushups, dive bombers, and some one leg squats and deadlifts are plenty. Next time you’re on the road, try doing pushups, or clapper pushups, on the hotel bed for a finisher. It is alot harder than doing them on the floor.

Oh yea, and do pushups on your fists on cement. After I got used to them, I got a couple of bricks from my stone yard, and did pushups on my knuckles on them. You can go down further, and your knuckles get like rocks.

what is roping drop?

I have the warrior fitness book. itis very good for picking and choosing. a lot is repetition. good push-up stuff and pull-up stuff.

41guy, I am very interested in your appearence, bf levels etc. I’ve been incorporating a lot of those things into my clients (and my) workouts but you seem to have taken it farther than we do. Just curious how you look because your performance is obviously top notch.

For anyone that thinks bodyweight exercises will not get you stronger, try pistols. Pistols are simply 1 legged squats. I think that bodyweight routines can become boring for many and they do take place at home so they will get used as much as a treadmill at home.