When those new to the gym think about working out, they probably imagine barbells bending under massive loads while someone is yelling in their ear, ‘ Light weight, baby, light weight.’ Lifting weights is one way to build muscle and strength, but it’s not the only way. Bodyweight training is overlooked as a method for doing both.
However, it’s not one of the cool kids on the block, and here’s why.
It’s too easy
Not enough resistance
How can I get sexy with it
However, the truth is that bodyweight training will develop muscle and strength that enhances your quality of life. Here, I’ll explore common myths about bodyweight training, its benefits, and how to use it to your advantage.
If you’ve ever dismissed bodyweight training as too easy, this is for you.
Weights vs. Bodyweight Training
More weight equals more strength; load it up, chase a bigger squat, and stack more plates on the leg press. That’s what strong looks like, right?
Well, it’s one way, but it’s not the only way.
That strength is absolute, the total weight you can lift, regardless of your body weight. It’s impressive, but it’s just one part of the strength picture.
Relative strength, which is the strength relative to your body weight, is often a better indicator of overall strength. Gymnasts and rock climbers are masters of relative strength. They might not possess a double bodyweight deadlift, but they can perform muscle-ups, single-arm holds, and walk on their hands.
Bodyweight training is an effective tool for enhancing relative strength.
How Bodyweight Training Builds Relative Strength
The key to building strength is progressive overload, and here’s how to achieve it with bodyweight exercises.
Reps & Volume: More reps, sets, or total work equals more work for you.
Tempo Control: Slowing the lowering (eccentric) phase, or pausing at the bottom of the exercise, adds tension to any bodyweight exercise.
Leverage and Position: Elevating your feet in push-ups or narrowing your base in squats are examples of making a bodyweight exercise harder.
Reduced Stability: Unilateral exercises such as single-leg squats or one-arm push-ups challenge your balance and core strength.
Exercise Progressions: Movements like skater squats and archer push-ups are more challenging than standard bodyweight squats and push-ups.
These methods help build muscle and improve relative strength, two key benefits of bodyweight training.
Bodyweight Strength Benefits
Improved relative strength is one benefit of bodyweight training, and here are a few more.
It’s Strength You’ll Use
Bodyweight exercises mimic everyday movements, such as squatting, lunging, pushing, pulling, and twisting. By performing them, you’ll become stronger and more efficient, making your daily life easier and your body healthier.
Enhanced Core Strength
Whether holding a plank, doing a push-up, or balancing in a single-leg squat, your core works hard to make this happen. This results in improved posture, enhanced movement, and a reduced risk of injuries.
Improved Coordination
Mastering your body in space builds something that weight training often doesn’t do: proprioception, your body’s awareness of its position in space. Improving proprioception leads to smoother movement, improved balance, and you’re less likely to end up on a blooper video.
But it’s not all sunshine and roses; let’s address the shortcomings of bodyweight training and how to overcome them.
Bodyweight Limitations
Let’s address the elephant in the room: bodyweight training has limits. You won’t build absolute strength without adding weight. However, bodyweight training serves as a welcome change of pace from weights. Plus, there are other ways to make an exercise more challenging.
Here’s how to make it happen.
Leverage Your Position: Elevate your feet, adjust your hand placement, or shift your center of gravity to make a move harder.
Add Instability: Tools like sliders or suspension trainers challenge stabilizing muscles and increase core activation without adding load.
Use Exercise Progressions: move from push-ups to decline push-ups or squats to split squats.
Vary Your Tempo: Try 3-second eccentrics, pause reps, or go as fast as possible. Varying your tempo will build strength, endurance, and mental toughness.
Okay, enough with the tease. Here’s a workout with exercises from the book I ghostwrote, The Bodyweight Blueprint.
Sample Bodyweight Strength Circuit
You can adjust this full-body strength circuit to suit your fitness level, with progressions available for each exercise.
Workout Instructions
Rest 30 seconds between exercises.
Rest 90 to 120 seconds between circuits.
Beginner: 1–2 rounds, 8–12 reps per exercise
Intermediate: 2–3 rounds, 10–12 reps per exercise
Advanced: 3+ rounds, 12–15 reps per exercise
1A: Push: Push-ups
Easier: Incline or Standard Push-up
Hard: Decline Push-up
Harder: Decline Wall Push-up or Feet-Elevated Pike Push-up
1B. Pull: Rows
Easier: Table Or Babell Inverted Rows with Bent Knees
Hard: Table Or Barbell Rows with Straight Legs
Harder: Suspension Trainer Inverted Row
1C. Legs: Split Squats
Easier: Split Squats (no rear foot elevation)
Hard: Bulgarian Split Squat
Harder: Skater Squat
1D. Vertical Strength: Pike Push-ups
Easier: Incline Pike Push-up or Hands-Elevated Wall Walk
Hard: Pike Push-up
Harder: Wall Walk-Ups or Handstand Kick-ups
1E. Core
Easier: Deadbug
Hard: Bicycle Crunches
Harder: Jackknife
Wrapping Up
Strength and muscle don’t only come from lifting weights. Bodyweight exercises and relative strength are also essential, and that strength carries over to how you move, perform, and live.
Are you ready to unlock your body’s full potential for strength? Grab your copy of The Bodyweight Blueprint, a complete guide to getting stronger, leaner, and more athletic using just your body.
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