Bodyweight Calistenics vs Weightlifting

AbelM · #1 10-09-2007, 05:20 PM

I recently read and started with Combat Conditioning by Matt Furey which basically advises to do bodyweight calistenics instead of weightlifting. You start with only three exercises (hindu squats, hindu pushups and bridging) and later add harder excersises like handstand pushups. Also you build up to superhigh repitions (ie 500 hindu squats). On this forum the only thing i see recommended is Starting Strength. What's better? Does it matter?

Thremp · #2 10-09-2007, 05:32 PM

I do Hindu PU, squats etc for some of my active recovery sessions. I'm actually about to do a few here. I'm not really able to comment as I've never done a prolonged cycle focusing on BW activities.

shemp · #3 10-09-2007, 05:46 PM

Bodyweight stuff is great. Do what works best for you/best fits your life and goals and keeps you up for more. One of the great things about BW stuff is that it can help you develop a good strength/size ratio. There's more than one way to do it, however. No need to choose.

Blarg · #4 10-09-2007, 06:23 PM

A lot of people say that the high-rep hindu squats can be very hard on the knees.

Re exercise, what's best depends on what your goals are. High rep stuff, for example, is great for endurance but poor for putting on mass and for strength. So, ask yourself very seriously what your goals are and which of them is most important to you. Nobody can do everything, and you'll have to make some choices between goals. If your answer is "I want everything," you probably haven't been honest with yourself.

Once you know what you're shooting for, people will have better answers on how to get there.

Thremp · #5 10-09-2007, 06:35 PM

Yeah, one thing is you'll likely never get hooge. There just isn't enough intensity. Though there is a huge amount of volume to help make up for it!

shemp · #6 10-09-2007, 06:37 PM

I don't think hi-rep/strength endurance is the end all for all bw stuff. Static holds, for example, can develop strength. Gymnasts tend to be capable of amazing feats of strength.

kyleb · #7 10-09-2007, 06:38 PM

Bodyweight work is great and allows you to get a lot of reps in. You'll build great functional strength in doing so, but if the goal is to get bigger, then at some point bodyweight exercises become fairly useless.

Personally I do a lot of bodyweight exercises for baseball with a heavy squat/deadlift routine to augment it. Push-ups of varying types (sometimes with plates on my scapula or bands around my arms to increase resistance) are great for your rotator cuff, chest, arms, and stabilizer muscles in the core if done right.

Efourdee · #8 10-09-2007, 06:41 PM

1 arm pushups, pullups and 1 leg squats are pretty intense.

kahntrutahn · #9 10-09-2007, 06:48 PM

[ QUOTE ]
1 arm pushups, pullups and 1 leg squats are pretty intense.

[/ QUOTE ]

Easy, NO WAY in hell, Can do

I can not do 1 arm pullups to save my life. Even when I could do 3x15 w/ 10lb weight belt, 2x3lb legweights, and hold a 20lb weight w/my feet. I never got the strength to do 1 arm pullups. Anybody have any suggestions for how to go about training for that? I'd love to give it a try before I get old.

cbloom · #10 10-09-2007, 06:50 PM

[ QUOTE ]
1 arm pushups, pullups and 1 leg squats are pretty intense.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I'm sure you could get pretty huge just with bodyweight exercises if you wanted to. Intensity isn't just from weights. Something like superslow handstand pushups would destroy almost anyone.