Bodyweight Weighted Calisthenics..... Under-rated?

[Tarzan]

@pullupfighter - I admire your enthusiasm for the weighted calisthenics, I like them too. I've been doing them for quite a while too.

Listen to your elbows with the weighted pullups and dips, it's easy to push just a little bit too much and cause issues, especially when the plates start stacking up. If your elbows are sore for any more than a day after a heavy session it's generally a good indication that you need to back off a bit, rest, lower the weight or sometimes even both. You won't loose any strength from a week or more off and you can sometimes even make gains in that week off, just find something else to do in that time that won't strain your elbows to fulfill your need to train.

I found I had to scale my volume to the amount of weight I was lifting, so as the weight I was lifting increased the reps I did (and still do) decreased. When I was pulling around 80-90kg I would warm up and then I'd ladder up to the weight and my real training was a single rep done once. All the previous sets were just to get the CNS firing for that one big effort.

When I say I laddered up to the weight I'd do it something like this (I'm not suggesting you or anyone adopt this approach it was just what worked for me) I'd warm up and cool down with sets of 8 or 10 unweighted pullups, then
I do 5 reps with a weight I could do 8 reps with
3 reps with a weight I could do 5 with
2 reps with a weight I could do 3 or 4 with
and then go for that one big effort

I used to ladder back down but I tend to think when you're training for strength that big single pull is where the largest gains are coming from and the rest is mostly unneeded.

The first few sets weren't based on a 1RM test, I was just trying to avoid any max efforts in the first three sets. I'd do that and aim to add a few kgs to the single rep every week or so and then after about a month I'd rest for about a week and then start a new cycle. The next cycle I would start with lighter weights and by the time I got to the end of the cycle I was lifting more than I was at the end of the end of the previous cycle.

But enough rambling, my main point is listen to your elbows when the weights start stacking up, it's much better to miss a week training and come back pain free than it is to push through and create a chronic condition that could sideline you for months.

 

[ali]

Have you considered carb back loading?
With your energy needs and with your want to build muscle without fat gain use insulin for its intended purpose....storage.
Post exercise, eat the bulk of your daily carbs. And then more later.
An insulin sensitive person has more wiggle room.....initially, post exercise, non insulin transporters rise to suck in glucose for glycogen storage whilst using any energy source to address metabolic needs.
Glut 4 is one, there are others. Such is their sensitivity, they're not reliant on insulin peaks per se..... what would cause a high Peak otherwise.
Let that sink in and be digested.
Couple hours later hit yourself with fast acting carbs to get an insulin spike. Your muscles will be sensitive still and that peak will force it into storage. It's important that there is a spike with a quick return to base line.
You go to bed with low insulin (you've spiked back to normal) and now allow your body to repair in sleep with a hormonal environment geared for growth....hgh release.
So eating carbs late with low glycaemic load messes this up as insulin hangs about too long.....so fast acting carbs are better, with some protein.
Insulin, like carbs, get a bad wrap. Fair enough with a diabetic population. But you? Insulin is something to utilise....under inappropriate circumstances it can drive fat storage, under appropriate circumstances it will limit fat storage and drive growth, repair and recovery.
Then, the following morning....insulin is most sensitive but your environment has not had the signal to select glycogen as a priority, so excess energy will also be stored as fat. So keep energy intake lower.....lower glycaemic carbs now, not fast acting.....and repeat. On non workout days, just recover with your daily needs.
If looking to increase calorie intake, it's a good way to adjust your biology to favour muscle growth whilst reducing fat gain by using insulin.
Not for everyone! Of course!
An active person with high energy demands like you though?
It's not just eating loads, it's targeted nutrition which makes sense for some athletic needs but not others.
That's just a broad overview.
In some ways it's IF with a twist...an intermittent feast.
It's not a go ahead to have pizza and doughnuts for breakfast though.
Insulin is not just a fat maker, it's a vitally important signalling hormone for a healthy metabolism.
It's abused, yes, by many but don't let that cloud other biological processes.
No hormone is either good nor bad, merely appropriate or inappropriate.
Constant rollercoastiing of blood sugar with insulin peaks with excess energy intake and in a sedentary population is a different context. Not you.

 

[pullupfighter]

@pullupfighter - I admire your enthusiasm for the weighted calisthenics, I like them too. I've been doing them for quite a while too.

Listen to your elbows with the weighted pullups and dips, it's easy to push just a little bit too much and cause issues, especially when the plates start stacking up. If your elbows are sore for any more than a day after a heavy session it's generally a good indication that you need to back off a bit, rest, lower the weight or sometimes even both. You won't loose any strength from a week or more off and you can sometimes even make gains in that week off, just find something else to do in that time that won't strain your elbows to fulfill your need to train.

I found I had to scale my volume to the amount of weight I was lifting, so as the weight I was lifting increased the reps I did (and still do) decreased. When I was pulling around 80-90kg I would warm up and then I'd ladder up to the weight and my real training was a single rep done once. All the previous sets were just to get the CNS firing for that one big effort.

When I say I laddered up to the weight I'd do it something like this (I'm not suggesting you or anyone adopt this approach it was just what worked for me) I'd warm up and cool down with sets of 8 or 10 unweighted pullups, then
I do 5 reps with a weight I could do 8 reps with
3 reps with a weight I could do 5 with
2 reps with a weight I could do 3 or 4 with
and then go for that one big effort

I used to ladder back down but I tend to think when you're training for strength that big single pull is where the largest gains are coming from and the rest is mostly unneeded.

The first few sets weren't based on a 1RM test, I was just trying to avoid any max efforts in the first three sets. I'd do that and aim to add a few kgs to the single rep every week or so and then after about a month I'd rest for about a week and then start a new cycle. The next cycle I would start with lighter weights and by the time I got to the end of the cycle I was lifting more than I was at the end of the end of the previous cycle.

But enough rambling, my main point is listen to your elbows when the weights start stacking up, it's much better to miss a week training and come back pain free than it is to push through and create a chronic condition that could sideline you for months.

I've defiantly taken this in and you are very correct as I've taken caution to listen to my elbows and wrists, because without them, or injured, I'm going to be out of the count. Luckily, I'm blessed with healthy shoulder and elbow joints, I have more problems with my ankle joints. But your right about watching the elbows and wrists and I'm still cautious about them.

Also, I like the ladder you used on your rep scheme. I'm kind of similar, I think that 1 rep and 3 reps is critical for strength gains though. With that said, I think I'm going to implement a small change this week in the spread sheet. I've honestly enjoyed the weeks where I hit the complete body 3x a week, especially having a high energy drive. I'm not having any issues with recovery if I go 3x a week as of right now. I'm going to try the first and third day of the week using 8-10 rep sets, than on the middle (2nd) day of the week for the body part, I'm going to do very few sets, with a 1, ,3, 5 rep scheme. Ex Mon hypertrophy Wed Strength Fri: Hypertrophy. I'm going to try and keep my hypertrophy days between 80% and 70% of my 1 and 3rm. On strength day I'm going to keep sets to a minimum for recovery, but ensure I get that 100% effort 1 , 3, 5 rm. Then every week I'm going to try upp'ing my 1 rm by x weight, then basing hypertrophy days off of strength day (80/70%).

I'm hoping this will give me the mass I'm looking for, allow me to go up in strength progress weekly, and I'm also hoping only hitting 3 sets on Strength Day will give me more recovery time from my hypertrophy days and not interfere.

 

[pullupfighter]

Have you considered carb back loading?
With your energy needs and with your want to build muscle without fat gain use insulin for its intended purpose....storage.
Post exercise, eat the bulk of your daily carbs. And then more later.
An insulin sensitive person has more wiggle room.....initially, post exercise, non insulin transporters rise to suck in glucose for glycogen storage whilst using any energy source to address metabolic needs.
Glut 4 is one, there are others. Such is their sensitivity, they're not reliant on insulin peaks per se..... what would cause a high Peak otherwise.
Let that sink in and be digested.
Couple hours later hit yourself with fast acting carbs to get an insulin spike. Your muscles will be sensitive still and that peak will force it into storage. It's important that there is a spike with a quick return to base line.
You go to bed with low insulin (you've spiked back to normal) and now allow your body to repair in sleep with a hormonal environment geared for growth....hgh release.
So eating carbs late with low glycaemic load messes this up as insulin hangs about too long.....so fast acting carbs are better, with some protein.
Insulin, like carbs, get a bad wrap. Fair enough with a diabetic population. But you? Insulin is something to utilise....under inappropriate circumstances it can drive fat storage, under appropriate circumstances it will limit fat storage and drive growth, repair and recovery.
Then, the following morning....insulin is most sensitive but your environment has not had the signal to select glycogen as a priority, so excess energy will also be stored as fat. So keep energy intake lower.....lower glycaemic carbs now, not fast acting.....and repeat. On non workout days, just recover with your daily needs.
If looking to increase calorie intake, it's a good way to adjust your biology to favour muscle growth whilst reducing fat gain by using insulin.
Not for everyone! Of course!
An active person with high energy demands like you though?
It's not just eating loads, it's targeted nutrition which makes sense for some athletic needs but not others.
That's just a broad overview.
In some ways it's IF with a twist...an intermittent feast.
It's not a go ahead to have pizza and doughnuts for breakfast though.
Insulin is not just a fat maker, it's a vitally important signalling hormone for a healthy metabolism.
It's abused, yes, by many but don't let that cloud other biological processes.
No hormone is either good nor bad, merely appropriate or inappropriate.
Constant rollercoastiing of blood sugar with insulin peaks with excess energy intake and in a sedentary population is a different context. Not you.

I think I'm 2-steps ahead of the game on you, I'm hoping. You lost me on the science part of it, but hopefully I'm on the right track. If not, let me know. lol I think some similar science was suggested to me at one time, so I'm giving it a round right now. I'm using this product as a post-workout.

Your opinion on it? https://www.amazon.com/JYM-Supplement-Science-Post-Workout-Beta-Alanine/dp/B01HGQZXRU

 

[pullupfighter]

I suspect you're right about all this. I also suspect that technique and form and range-of-motion that one uses to do the movement becomes increasingly important as you load it, relative to results, and programming, and risk of injury -- just as it does with squats, deadlifts, etc. And that may be why these get "lost" in various groups' discussion of training approaches. It's just harder to nail down exactly what a person is doing when there's not a model or standard to follow, and it's much harder to find a model or standard for a dip or push-up as compared with a squat or deadlift.

I'm just speculating myself and learning as I go, but I hope so. As long as I'm seeing results, I'm going to stick with it. If it slows, I'll make small changes
until it's working again. I should have probably mentioned this earlier, but I honestly think I get a much better ROM on any weighted cales. move versus the barbel version of movements. Using chest workouts as an example. Many swear by the bench every Monday or Friday at the gym. The problem is, when I get on a bench, my shoulders and triceps seem dominant. I have a shorter torso build, chest takes more work for me to build, but my triceps and shoulders are
huge for my size. So benching, I feel little emphasis on my chest. When I put on a 80 lb vest, and drop 70 lbs in plates in my combat backpack, then drop
down on the push up bars and knock out sets, not only do I feel like my chest takes a brutal beating compared to the bench, but I also feel I get much more out of it. With that weight on my back forcing me down my entire upper core comes into play, and also much more stabilizers than I would compare to the
bench. I prefer to use band fly's as a warm up, destroy my chest with heavy weighted push ups, hit the lower chest with Gironda Dips (healthy joints here),
then I move over to the dumbell press on a adjustable bench to hit the chest from every angle.

As far as there not being a lot of people into it, or a lot of research on weighted cales. I think the biggest problem is many don't realize how easy progression can be. For me progression is much simpler than getting in the car, driving to a crowded gym, and taking turns with machines.

To me, it's much easier to go into the garage, put on a vest, and drop and start banging sets out. I feel I get more accomplished and more work done in a much shorter time. This has been my biggest reason for going this route. If I was to drive to the gym, I could only go once a day. With my current
routine, I do a Full Body 3x a week now, I do a 1 to 1.5 hours in the morning, and another 1 to 1.5 in the afternoon. It would take me 20 minutes to the gym, 20 back, packing my gym bag, etc. The time I would spend driving back and forth to the gym alone, I could be lifting, progressing. This is just my speculation and why I prefer it.

I also feel some of these heavy weighted compound movements like Dips, Pull Ups, and Chin Up's would probably help many people who have parts lagging behind like biceps and triceps. I feel mixing heavy weighted chin ups with drop sets lower weight and high reps just forces my biceps to grow more and more every single week.

 

[Anna C]

I follow Gillian Ward and she uses a lot of weighted calisthenics. I've listened to podcasts with her and she talks about a lot of what you have above. I think that women would benefit from this approach as well -- i.e. some hypertrophy work, then strength -- but it's such a double edged sword with women because they generally want muscle tone and strength without "bulk." I suppose at least some men do as well. Anyway, the programming of the weighted calisthencis can be fine-tuned for emphasis on hypertrophy vs. strength... there is a lot of potential there, and you make some excellent points.

 

[ali]

I'm using this product as a post-workout.

Your opinion on it?

No idea. I've never really indulged in supps, exceptions being creatine, collagen and vitamin D.
The carb back loading protocol suggested by Kiefer involves various supps but I've never done that.....I think beta alanine is one but can't remember.
You could argue it being a tweak on IF, or an earn your carbs approach.
I know I've totally thrown back a lot of food with a heavy bias towards carbs and everything improved....better sleep, better recovery, stronger and leaner.
Tend to spread more to 3 meals a day now and skip meals here and there.
It's great if you like roast potatoes by the bucket load!
Pop over to examine.com for pros and cons of beta alanine.

 

[Kozushi]

Just made me think about why weighted callisthenics isn't more popular... maybe it is just more convenient to lift weights off the ground rather than to strap them to yourself and pull yourself up with them. I wonder if this is why. Callisthenics are pretty challenging without weight added.

 

[the hansenator]

Just made me think about why weighted callisthenics isn't more popular... maybe it is just more convenient to lift weights off the ground rather than to strap them to yourself and pull yourself up with them. I wonder if this is why. Callisthenics are pretty challenging without weight added.

I think convenience is under-rated. There are many exercises I can't do simply because I don't have the equipment or a place to do them.

 

[Tarzan]

Just made me think about why weighted callisthenics isn't more popular... maybe it is just more convenient to lift weights off the ground rather than to strap them to yourself and pull yourself up with them. I wonder if this is why. Callisthenics are pretty challenging without weight added.

A lot of people from powerlifting backgrounds see exercises like weighted dips & pullups as accessory lifts and don't have the time to fit them into their schedules. It makes sense from that perspective because if you're trying hit a 1250lb total you have to manage your training so well that throwing another compound lift into the equation would have the potential to kill your recovery or risk injury.

It could be different where you are but in Oz there's generally only been two main approaches to gym work here until about the last ten years (not including purely gymnastic gyms). Most gym goers here were either focused on barbell work or bodybuilding, so weighted calisthenics just never crossed most peoples minds. It has changed a bit in recent years with the Crossfit cult and Nija warrior becoming popular.

I gravitated to weighted calisthenics because I'm missing cartilage in one knee and I've broken my back a few times. For me it was the only way I could still do something that resembled weightlifting without getting hurt.

 

[Kozushi]

A lot of people from powerlifting backgrounds see exercises like weighted dips & pullups as accessory lifts and don't have the time to fit them into their schedules. It makes sense from that perspective because if you're trying hit a 1250lb total you have to manage your training so well that throwing another compound lift into the equation would have the potential to kill your recovery or risk injury.

It could be different where you are but in Oz there's generally only been two main approaches to gym work here until about the last ten years (not including purely gymnastic gyms). Most gym goers here were either focused on barbell work or bodybuilding, so weighted calisthenics just never crossed most peoples minds. It has changed a bit in recent years with the Crossfit cult and Nija warrior becoming popular.

I gravitated to weighted calisthenics because I'm missing cartilage in one knee and I've broken my back a few times. For me it was the only way I could still do something that resembled weightlifting without getting hurt.

It's a different story if you're into the combat sports. My friends in judo, BJJ, MMA etc see a lot of value in chinups and dips let alone of course pushups and the rest. Having the endurance to strain those exact muscles and movements for hours of training is incredibly helpful for success in these sports. You can do endurance resistance training with barbells too (and of course kettlebells as I do!) but bodyweight endurance resistance training is pretty close to mirroring the resistance you'll be dealing with grappling with an opponent on the mats.

You might be familiar with the famous "guard" position of Jiu-jitsu. So, clearly bodyweight rows, pullups, chinups, hangs on the bar or rings etc develop the endurance you need to literally hang upside down from your opponent while grappling with him.

I lured myself a bit way from S&S recently to bodyweight training because of these reasons. But of course kettlebells can do things you can't do with bodyweight like train the back chain of pulling muscles more conveniently, and the rotational or "anti-twist" strengths are difficult to hit with bodyweight but easy with a kettlebell (TGUs, 1 hand swings, windmills, bent/side presses, snatches etc... pretty much most of the kettlebell moves are rotational or anti-twist hahaha!)

Have you tried the Naked Warrior program? The one handed pushups for example are pretty heavy moves but don't require any equipment at all.

 

[Tarzan]

The Naked Warrior was my introduction to Pavel's work and reading that made me realize my training days didn't have to stop after I broke my back and had spent quite a while without any training. I'd come from a sprint cycling background and training for me always revolved around lifting heavy things up off the ground, so TNW was a real paradigm shift for me and got me back into training.

I was working with a BJJ club about two years ago as a strength coach, a good friend was the instructor and I rolled with him a one time after a BBQ and a few drinks and he was really impressed with my strength even though my technique was crap. So he invited me in to help out with their strength training. I was able to keep up with some of the blue belts on the mat with no prior training, just on strength alone. I rolled in a half guard most of the time because I have a dodgy knee and some of the blue belts weren't skilled enough to deal with that so it caught a few by surprise, Anyone over a blue belt though and I was toast. All the weighted calisthenics I'd done for years served me well in that respect.

 

[JW513]

Just started with weighted calisthenics again, before my sandbag lifts.

What i do is start with 5/3/1, then progress to 6/4/2, then 7/5/3.. Once I get to 8/6/4 after a few weeks I add 5lbs..

I'm all about slow and steady.

 

[Marc]

I really do think that weighted calisthenics are indeed underrated and I can't tell why. There is absolutely nothing inherently to exercises like dips, pullups and the like that makes them somehow second choice compared to barbbell lifts.
The dip turned out to activate the chest the most (Inside the Muscles: Best Chest and Triceps Exercises | T Nation). Ultimately it comes down to goals and specificities, i.e. if you're a powerlifter you have to do bench presses as your main press. But if you like weighted calisthenics (I am guilty of that myself) you absolutely don't have to fear you are somehow doing something less optimal or second choice. Just treat tham as all other exercises.
So, you could make dips and pullups/chinups your main upper body lifts because they are easy to load and allow for heavy weights.
As assistance exercises you could throw in some other pushing exercises (pushups, pike pushups, overhead presses) and some rowing (bodyweight and/or external weights). Some prehab moves (scap pushups, face pulls etc.).

 

[the hansenator]

Just started with weighted calisthenics again, before my sandbag lifts.

What i do is start with 5/3/1, then progress to 6/4/2, then 7/5/3.. Once I get to 8/6/4 after a few weeks I add 5lbs..

I'm all about slow and steady.

I might borrow that, thanks.

 

[JW513]

I might borrow that, thanks.

take it and run....well jog first then build up to a run

It has worked great. Progress is slow for me because I work in construction. I don't push myself with the weighted calisthenics but I keep slowly adding weight, and its a great warm up for the sandbag training.

still suck at chin ups, on a good day I can only do 6.

just started doing weighted dive bomber push ups... Those are friggin great!

 

[pullupfighter]

JW, there's nothing wrong with your method. As mentioned, I also do labor. I own a landscaping company with about 250 clients. I've noticed some days I pushed it way too hard in the mornings and had to leave the labor to the younger guys as I disabled myself for the day. lol

I'm glad to see more people jumping in this thread though so I'll keep adding to it also. Unfortunately, I'm in the process of purchasing a house, but one of my intentions and goals in life is to open up more of an "Old School" type training gym, which I will gladly included calisthenics bars and weighted vest ranging all the way from 20 to 200 lbs.

Having some power lifting buddies, I understand their logic. They train to perform the heaviest lift in only certain movements, it makes sense for them to train those movements.

My body building associates, I'll never understand their logic. I've also noticed what was said as above. Body Builders will use these movements as an "etc." lift. Ex. they will work their Lats with the Lat Pull Down Bar and various pulling movements, then go use the Pull Up bar as a secondary or "etc." movement.
This is what I question. In my opinion, body weight movements are used by the military for a reason. They build muscle and strength in multiple areas and they are efficient. Can you name a muscle the lat pull would hit better than a pull up if your body was hooked up to emg? You can't. In most cases it's the opposite. Ex. Chin up's will activate your biceps more than a curl will. So why work out one single muscle, when you can grow in multiple areas? It just seems in-efficient.

Part of the reason this is in my opinion, is relative strength. Many people can't do simple non-weighted body weight exercises efficiently. If they can't see themselves being able to jump on a pull up bar doing sets of 10, then I would expect them to not see any future in doing pull ups with 100 lbs hanging from the dip belt. Instead, they take the path of least resistance. In my opinion, least resistance isn't efficient enough, unless like stated above, you are just trying
to work your way up to the bigger movements with added weight.

I love discussing this stuff with people who believe in body weight exercises. But the truth of the matter is, if you go discuss it with some bodybuilding guys, they are going to laugh and tell you your all wrong. Their reason is "You can't isolate individual muscles enough for hypertrophy."

This is false. My 2c, that's all BS. Why do I need isolate 3 different portions of the triceps when my triceps grow like a cow on steroids with only weighted dips and diamonds, did I mention, both moves, hitting all three heads of the tricep? While you walk around the gym waiting on machines to isolate "3 different" heads of your tricep, I could've SuperSetted 10 sets of Weighted Dips and Diamonds and probably be done with a few sets of squats while your still isolating
all these small muscles.

To be, no matter how you put it. It's all about efficiency. Who ever is the most efficient providing that both lifters put in equal amount of time, the more
efficient person will always see the most results.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

I'll close with this. My favorite thing about weighted calisthenics is minimum equipment. You can even start much cheaper than what I have currently invested. I invested because I plan on sticking to this routine for a few years. But when I first started I used a $40.00 tactical backpack with small free
weights for pull ups and heavy free weights for dips, push ups, and squats.

Today my equipment consist of:

80 lb. Weighted Vest (10 easy to remove bags)
150 lb Weighted Vest
Dip Bar / Pull Up Station / Push Up Bars
Squat Rack / Low / High Cable Station (Squats, and Etc. Moves)
Cardio Cycle
Boxing Bag / Speed Bag.


Used too, I failed to have motivation to drive to the gym daily. Now I wake up everyday with excitement to see how much weight I can con-quire pulling up on that pull up bar or dip bar, and how much weight I can push off the ground. Sometimes I like to mix it up. Drop the weight, and just see how many times I can push off that ground with 100 lbs strapped to me, or how many times I can pull up myself and all that weight to the bar without stopping.
I'm starting to love this stuff more and more by the day.

 

[pullupfighter]

I feel it wouldn't be fair to add some more information in here also.

For those looking to get started in Weighted Calesth., you obviously have to have "above normal" strength levels to lift your own body weight and additional weight on top of that.

However, don't get it confused, although we discussed how a 1, 3, 5 or low rep scheme is GREAT to include for strength gains throughout the journey, there are many other techniques that will greatly improve your strength as you increase the weight.

I just wanted to add this in there. One of the techniques I've found to add trenemdous strength when you are looking to increase weight each week on all body weight exercises is to include several sets of (PAUSES) on your strength days. Just using Pull Ups as an example. If you need to gain more strength to increase your max weight on the dip belt, PAUSES will greatly help strength.

I like to do several sets of Pauses, at several different positions through the movement. Start pulling up just until your lats engage, and count to 10 seconds. Do another Set going further up and pause for 10 seconds. Do the same thing on the downscend part of the movement also. Each week when you do these, add (VERY SMALL WEIGHT) and increase by the week in even smaller amounts. Ex. add 1 or 2.5 lbs per week, doing these pauses through all parts of the movement and increase weight very slowly.

This had allowed me to add HUGE amounts of strength all through the range of motion.

 

[Tarzan]

I failed to have motivation to drive to the gym daily.

A lot of the big franchise fitness centers build their entire business model around that. The best customers for them are the ones who pay up front and then never turn up. It really is money for nothing, That's why you see big advertising campaigns around new year to capitalize on all the new years resolutions. In some places up to 80% of new clients will come once or twice and then never come back again.

I train at home too.

 

[pullupfighter]

A lot of the big franchise fitness centers build their entire business model around that. The best customers for them are the ones who pay up front and then never turn up. It really is money for nothing, That's why you see big advertising campaigns around new year to capitalize on all the new years resolutions. In some places up to 80% of new clients will come once or twice and then never come back again.

I train at home too.

Man, that is sooooooooo funny that you said that. I showed that to my wife last night, and she thought the same exact thing. You're right. In fact, when we signed up for Planet Fitness, I was guilty of the same thing and STILL AM! I still pay for my membership! lol And to make matters worse, I'm afraid their franchise is set up in the identical way. In fact, the reason I haven't canceled is because the way their policy is set up is it pretty much cost me three times more to cancel than just pay my freaking $20.00 a month.

It's sad that it's the truth, but I'm afraid you're right.

But in fact, don't get me wrong. I still love go to Planet Fitness. Instead, I'm going to keep getting strong as a bull, then go use my membership to show the kids how to work out with some 45's hanging while going from Pull Ups to Dips. lol

I actually went to Planet Fitness a few days a week when I started training again. Funny thing is, I'm only going on about 4 months of 2x a day traianing at home now, and I'm probably bigger than 95% of anybody in my Planet Fitness and within a few months I'll be stronger than ANYONE in there at the pace I'm at.

I did a 1 Rep, 3 Rep, 5 Rep Max scheme for pull ups yesterday and can't believe the godly strength I'm picking up.

When I started I was so out of shape I couldn't lift myself up and do (1) SOLID FORM PULL UP. Dips starting out I was barely able to about 8 reps of body weight. This is after taking off for years and hitting bars all through college.

Now I'm in between 3 and 4 months, yesterday I maxed on my Pull Up (55 lbs) from a dead hang. Dipped with 70 lbs for 1 rep and 3 reps both.

I went from barely being able to lifting a pencil to feeling stronger than a bull in a few months time. LOL