Body weight training vs weights

ummmm, you're an imbecile. You will never nearly gain as much muscle with body weight exercises vs free weights. If you're looking for endurance, the rule still applies. In conclusion, FREE WEIGHTS>BODY WEIGHTS.

And you won't get all the girls with bodyweight work!

Tell that to a gymnast. lol

Yes weight training is really needed. That was once again proven this weekend when the USA dominated Kenya who only runs and does body weight training. We need to hope that they never discover our (USA) methods of weight lifting as they would probably replace us in the world championships.

we are not kenyan, and we do not have the genetic makeup of east africans. therefore, our bodies respond differently.

steve spence dominated the weight room and also was a pretty good runner in the early 90's. alan webb has run 346 and hits the weight room when he's in shape (a big when).. there are plenty of examples of good/great runners who lift.

This all started with a question of "has anyone had success with body weight training" I for one have had limited success without the use of weights. I used to do three sets of 25 pushups very slow, chin ups and pull ups usually around twenty (once again very slow). Now would I have been able to improve on my modest pr's of 4:30; 15:25; 31:55 and 2:34 marathon with weights, maybe, but as George Sheenan once said we are all an experiment in one. So to College Runner- yes some have had some success without weights, some have had success with weights. Hopefully, others will chime in on this.

Research says resistance training can improve distance running performance and/or running economy.

You improve via your body's adaptation to an overload stimilus. If you do not achieve overload and simply repeat this same stimilus habituation eventually occurs. So while simple bodyweight exercise will first provide a substantial stimilus eventually the stimilus will need to be more difficult.

If you're still scared to lift weight then try making your bodyweight exercise more difficult:

Pushup Progression: Pushup--Pushups Feet Elevated--Pushups Feet & Hands Elevated---Plyo Pushups---Explosive Pushups--Pushups Over Medicine Ball

Squat Progression: Squats--Split Squat--Step Up--Bulgarian Split Squat--Squat Jumps--Split Jump--Box Jump

Pullup Progression: Inverted Row--Inverted Row Feet Elevated--Chinup--Pullup--Wide Grip Pullup--Weighted Variations

Dips Progression: Dips Feet on Bench--Regular Dips--Weighted Dips

Alan

Alan

Which is why body-weight to failure works just fine. It can be progressive to an overload stimulus through reps.

Hill sprints. No added weight necessary.

Yes, these are the type of replies I want. At the college I go the weight room is dominated by "real" lifters. The light plate is 45 pounds- so that and the bar comes to just about my bench press (I used to do 5 reps of 130 pounds- my body weight is 128). But normally there are is a line of individuals who work together and have the bar mounted with six plates (three on each side), by the time I remove what I need the rest between each set is too long. It is the same for the entire weight room. I cannot afford to join a gym, so I will try the above mentioned method- thanks.

Old school Arkansas men (early 90's) was primarily body weight, from what a former athlete tells me. Circuits of chin up/pull ups, push ups, and sit ups.

That's a pretty good recommendation, if things are limited.

I have switched from years of vanity lifting to just doing pushups instead and I lost a bit on my bench press ability to a point, but then didn't lose anymore. The key is doing your sets to failure. I just do a set to failure (around 50 - I am very tall so body weight exercises are hard) and then another set to failure (which varies from 30-40). If you are running you reach diminshing marginal returns pretty quick unless you quit running, so massive volumes of strength work don't translate into extra gains.

I was using the pushup handles so each rep worked through a larger range of motion so I wouldn't have to do so many reps to failure, but I felt like it put extra strain on my psoas muscle.

I find it interesting how runners are all gunho for bodyweight exercise like pushups and pullup but frown at their loaded equivalents.

Try a Leg Crank:

24 bodyweight squats deep

24 alternating lunges (12 each leg)

24 split jumps

24 jump squats

Use full range of motion on all exercises.

Alan

I just got out of prison, they were some massive guys there, shredded, just by doing body weights exercises like chin ups push ups etc.

People who gain muscle through bodyweight exercises are beasts in a fight compared to people who just lift weights.