Bodyweight fitness will keep you fit and can help with strength and balance. If you want to get big muscles, you will need to incorporate some type of weight resistance and add more calories to your diet to increase your muscle mass. You don’t, however, need a gym membership for this, or even dumbbells for that matter. There are many things that can be used instead. You could lift big tires or row a boat. Regular weights are just for convenience and knowing precisely how much weight you are using.
@Keegan
Let me persuade against big weight lifting muscles (BWLM) from weakest argument to strongest: BWLM catch more dude eyes than lady eyes, who really cares though? Pants don’t fit, everybody sells stretch pants for dudes though; you will be heavier, and it takes more effort to move, less endurance, and more sweat from walking around; your tendons and muscles start snapping and popping. Look at the knees of even college offensive linemen covered in knee braces (American football).
Do bodyweight fitness for health and muscle size. Figure out your diet to get ripped. Leave weightlifting to the weightlifters.
@Ainsley
I’m a huge football fan.
OLs don’t wear knee braces because of their muscles.
They wear them because they are 6’5", 310 lb, and are blocking a 6’4", 300 lb guy in front of them as bodies fall all around them. It’s extremely easy for their body weight to go one way as their foot gets trapped under someone.
They wear knee braces to keep their knees from getting bent weird by all that.
Many RBs and even some QBs can squat 550+ lb and they don’t wear knee braces.
@Ainsley
You make a good point, and I agree with you, BUT the average guy is not just going to turn into Popeye from some moderate weightlifting.
Lane said:
@Ainsley
You make a good point, and I agree with you, BUT the average guy is not just going to turn into Popeye from some moderate weightlifting.
Yep, agreed. Getting too big is the weakest argument. Getting injured is very much a serious day one concern though.
Catch more dude eyes than lady eyes.
This is me. I quite often catch dudes having a sneaky peek, but never see the ladies doing it.
Though, could be women are more sneaky with their glances… right?
@Niall
It’s a very complex interaction for how little time it takes. Maybe girls look more at backs and butts, so we wouldn’t see the mirin’ as often? I think we stumbled on a testable hypothesis, brosef.
@Ainsley
You sound like some skinny guy with no legs who can do a lot of pull-ups.
You don’t have to go full retard in the gym, and a lot of dudes fuck themselves up doing bodyweight skills and shit, and get tendonitis from pull-ups.
You also don’t have to gain weight if you don’t want to. Gaining weight has nothing to do with working out in a gym.
@Oli
6’3", 290#, so only skinny compared to your mom. Old PRs: 565 squat (ass to grass), never maxed deadlift but repped 495, clean and jerk 320. I can barely do 5 pull-ups on rings.
Ainsley said:
@Oli
6’3", 290#, so only skinny compared to your mom. Old PRs: 565 squat (ass to grass), never maxed deadlift but repped 495, clean and jerk 320. I can barely do 5 pull-ups on rings.
Damn you, fat af. nvm.
You can get really strong if you’re consistent, smart, intense, and resourceful.
You can get really great results. I was 128 pounds, went on a year bulk, and did calisthenics at home. In a year I went from 128 to 165. Then cut a bit to 155 and I definitely see a huge difference in muscle. My friends and coworkers tell me how big I got, so I guess it can take you far. All I did was push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups.
@Emerson
Mind sharing your height? 5’7" here. I’m also bulking while doing calisthenics. From 132 lbs to 151 lbs at the moment. I’m targeting 156 lbs before cutting down, but if we’re the same height I might as well go further with my bulk.
I use kilograms as reference, hence the odd numbers.
@Brynn
I’m 5’8” so not much of a difference. Go all out!
If you have a good cardio and bodyweight exercise program, it’s all you really need to get fit.
Keegan said:
If you have a good cardio and bodyweight exercise program, it’s all you really need to get fit.
Get fit.
Really depends on what this means to you. You can get cardiac fitness without any strength work.
@Weston
Yes. But you understood what I meant, correct?
I think bodyweight and walking are the best ways to begin. Injury is the biggest concern when starting a new routine. Home workouts are a great way to start. Resources are all over the net and on YouTube… Training with weights and machines require proper form and education. Push-ups, sit-ups, resistance bands, walking, running, air squats, stretching… Have fun starting. Danny Botnik Adventurous Heart Wellness u dan_botnik.
By ripped, do you mean Bruce Lee or Arnold Schwarzenegger? Either way, it will also depend on your diet.
It can get you very far as long as the form is right. For example, doing biceps exercises at home can be tricky. If your goal is to get fit, any exercises will do if you have motivation and time to do them.
You can get pretty decent chest and abs if you are creative in using chairs while doing push-ups, but you can’t really pull that much without something to grab onto.
Being ripped is about body fat percentage. If the goal is to have defined abs and abs, body weights will do. If you are able to do pull-ups, it will help to develop a V-shape appearance. But with anything, prepare to wait for a few months to get results.
Body weights are awesome, but if you can go to a gym, I think it is a better option if you are new to training. More motivational at first since you already spent time getting there; might as well workout properly.