Video Fitness Forum  

Go Back   Video Fitness Forum > Video Fitness Reader Forum > General Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 08-28-13, 05:47 PM  
lisarah
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Crabby in Maryland
Bodyweight only workouts?

Hi all,
I haven't been around here much lately so I don't know if there have been any threads similar to this. Right now, I am trying to decide on my next rotation and kicking around the idea of repeating JNL fusion, which I did before summer with pretty good results (when I paid attention to what went into my mouth!). But I'm feeling a little dread about it & nothing else seems to be appealing to me.

One idea I keep coming back to is no equipment workouts. Is anyone currently focusing on bodyweight only (with an emphasis on strength as opposed to cardio) or have you in the past? What benefits did you reap? My goal is to continue to increase strength. I did download the book "you are your own gym" but it's not so easy to follow along with on a kindle (maybe the paper version would be better, not sure). Any ideas or results from doing similar are appreciated!
__________________
Lisa

Do or do not...there is no try. ~Yoda

Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world. ~Miyamoto Musashi

Group Fitness Instructor
BS in Kinesiology
lisarah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-13, 07:53 PM  
neatski
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Orlando, FL
I'm a huuuuge proponent of bodyweight circuits. i was doing exclusively bodyweight workouts for months until I slowly started adding in equipment like kettlebells for variety. I was very very lean- much leaner than I've been doing any other type of workout. I was fantastically strong. I never got injured. And working up to the advanced bodyweight exercises like muscle ups, planches and one armed pushups was so much fun!! Can't wait to get back to this type of training. I'm not doing it right now because I'm in my third trimester and super high intensity workouts like that don't work well for my body right now.

I built all my own circuits and did them at the park, at home, and at the gym. Te only thing I needed was a pullup bar. Later, I added exercises using a stability ball, TRX, pushup bars, dumbbells, kettlebells, a bosu ball, medicine balls, jump ropes, etc. Those were just to keep things interesting and to keep upping the intensity.

You Are Your Own Gym is a fabulous reference. I also found inspiration in many of Zuzana's old workouts. A DVD that I think it an awesome launching pad for these kinds of workouts is Paul Katami's Hollywood Bootcamp 4x4. Dumbbells are used for the biceps but I used to do chinups and pullups during that section.
__________________



The most effective workout is the one you're not doing right now!

neatski is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-29-13, 03:42 AM  
BalletCat
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: UK
Quote:
Originally Posted by lisarah View Post
One idea I keep coming back to is no equipment workouts. Is anyone currently focusing on bodyweight only (with an emphasis on strength as opposed to cardio) or have you in the past? What benefits did you reap? My goal is to continue to increase strength. I did download the book "you are your own gym" but it's not so easy to follow along with on a kindle (maybe the paper version would be better, not sure). Any ideas or results from doing similar are appreciated!

I like this idea too as I like minimalist workouts. When I was a dancer years ago, I cross trained with no equipment workouts (pilates, floor barre, callanetics, yoga) in my tiny bedroom, usually without even a yoga mat. Most dancers did due to lack of funds! It kept my body trim and flexible. My strength was ok, but could have been better (I'm stronger now that I do kettlebells occasionally). I did have some good definition in my arms and shoulders though as long as I added push ups (just 20 per day made a lot of difference to me). The main thing it gave me was stamina, e.g. I could dance for hours without getting tired and I didn't do cardio particularly (dance isn't very cardio due to the constant stop and start).

I just ordered and am waiting for Body Training by Kelly Coffey Meyer. In the meantime I'm doing a lot of t-tapp, it surprises me how strong I feel from doing t-tapp but do think some push ups and planks would help.
__________________
30 something office worker with exercise ADD. Mum to little one born in February 2015
BalletCat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-29-13, 08:09 AM  
katmom
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Tennessee
If you are looking for a DVD set, Weider X-Factor ST. I love this set and the 8-week rotation was easy. Here is a lengthy thread on it. It was pretty popular on this forum.

http://forum.videofitness.com/showth...eider+x-factor
__________________
"Saving just one pet won't change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one pet" Author Unknown
katmom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-29-13, 09:16 AM  
shortie
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Quote:
Originally Posted by katmom View Post
If you are looking for a DVD set, Weider X-Factor ST. I love this set and the 8-week rotation was easy. Here is a lengthy thread on it. It was pretty popular on this forum.

http://forum.videofitness.com/showth...eider+x-factor
Hmmmmm --

I wonder how this compares with Beachbody T25? Do you know?
shortie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-29-13, 09:38 AM  
katmom
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Tennessee
Other than a one time viewing of the infomercial, I am not that familar with the T25 system. The Weider workouts are about 40 minutes long so a little longer than T25. There is no equipment usage in the Weider workouts (use of included pushup stands is optional) while I think I noticed resistance bands and maybe D/B's used for some of the T25 workouts.

Pricing is the biggest difference. The Weider system is about $40 for 12 workouts and pushup stands (not the best stands I have seen). I have seen the Weider set for less than $40 at WalMart and Target. I think some VF members found it for about $30 at WalMart. Some of the workouts that are considered bonus workouts are not all that great, but the main workouts are pretty solid. The warmup and cooldown are the same for all the workouts. The instructor leading the workouts is good, but some of the background exercisers are not that great.
__________________
"Saving just one pet won't change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one pet" Author Unknown
katmom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-29-13, 10:46 AM  
slysam
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
I like the book "You Are Your Own Gym" so when I first got my smart phone I got the app. The app is easier to follow as a workout if you have a compatible phone or tablet. It has short video demonstrations, built in workouts as well as self programmed and a built in timer. There are also a couple You Are Your Own Gym dvds but I haven't seen them.

I also quite liked the Weirder X-Factor program. The main program is I think 8 weeks--each workout more challenging than previous. One of the bonus workouts was looked like it could be used as a 9th week as it logged challenging but the instructor was different (and annoyed me a little when watching the dvd, following may be different). the system uses the same warmup and cooldown every time, you are to do each workout three times a week for a week then move on to the next. They are generally the timed, do as many as you can with good form type circuits. You don't need the pushup handles they come with--I think they are a bit of a gimmick. (I can see some may find them useful but they don't seem like very good handles to me) You probably do need a yoga mat though. I think these workouts were something like 45 minutes --if I recall.

Ilaria's Pushups and Abs is also a good one. I am not really into the type of ab work as I favor planks, but understandably since the ab work is a break from the pushups it is on the back type ab work. It had quite a few variations of pushups in sets of either 10 or 15. I traded this away when I had an injury, but have been thinking of re-aquiring it. I use to sometimes use it as a travel workout--but I would often replace the ab work with variations of squats, lunges and a few other bodyweight lower body exercises like hip bridges and single legged dead lifts. Oh, I think this one is 30 minutes.
slysam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-13, 08:07 PM  
lisarah
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Crabby in Maryland
I haven't been back here for a few days -- so thanks for all the responses!

I forgot all about x-factor (which i have & need to revisit!) & I'm going to check out some of the other ideas you all gave me, including the you are your own gym app.

So impressed with your ability to do planches, muscle ups, & 1-armed push-ups Neatski! Those would be very impressive party tricks -- after a few drinks, sometimes my dh starts bragging on me & tries to get me to show people my wheel pose or my pop-ups (that move in rush-fit where you "pop" from knees to feet).
__________________
Lisa

Do or do not...there is no try. ~Yoda

Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world. ~Miyamoto Musashi

Group Fitness Instructor
BS in Kinesiology
lisarah is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
biggest difference, body weight workouts, bodyweight, bodyweight exercises

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:08 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
© 2009 Video Fitness