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Bodyweight What would a bodyweight Program Minimum look like?

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PaulGy

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One which emphasises conditioning as much as strength? I am thinking within the template of 4+ times per week, with 5min, 12 minute or however long (brief) sessions.

What would the progressions be?

I am asking because I am going to be very time and energy limited over the rest of the year. I like the idea of little to no prep and equipment, doing what needs to be done, then relaxing.

I would imagine that push ups (and progressions like feet raised, one arm when they can be done) and bodyweight squats (possibly with moves like jump squats and pistols, when that level of strength is reached) would figure.

I also plan on getting a pull-up bar.
 
Hello,

@PaulGy
I would alternate, from day to day between:
A:
- Cluster of OA push ups. I would favor this move over HSPU due to the stronger core engagement (even if there is a core engagement, to a degree in the HSPU of course).
- Then, sprinting, as mentioned. For instance 10s max, then, rest (talk test), then repeat for the time you have available.

B:
- sets of explosive push ups
- Cluster of pistol (or any hard variation of the squat)

For pull ups, I'd use GTG (if possible) because it can be taxing, especially if you are already tired. Otherwise, depending on how many you can do, I'd simply do a daily dose.

Eventually, this program is wonderful, but my guess is that it requires more time to reap benefits (10 minutes may be shorter).

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Pull ups/bw rows (vary grip)
and
Single leg squats (hover lunge, pistols etc)

or

Pull ups/bw rows (vary grip)
and
Sprints


would both cover a lot of real estate, if you wanted to stick to 2 exercises.
 
Simple: Push-ups, Pull-ups and sprints

Sinister: Muscle-ups and sprints


Maybe?
 
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I would guess it depends on your goals.Are you thinking of this as a long term thing?Have you considered classes that are bodyweight focused? Martial arts ( Muay Thai Or BJJ would be my recommendation) . Dance ? Gymnastics?Maybe joining a rock climbing gym/group?Personally I always found that a group class would make me maintain more consistency,I didn’t realize how much it was a social aspect that keep me going until this quarantine ( I tend to be a bit of an introvert by nature) I have done BJJ for 20+ years now ( it feels wild writing that , I’ve been a Black Belt since 2014 and some days feel I haven’t learned a thing haha)I’ve never stuck with anything as long as martial arts, I guess it depends on personality type. I do feel bodyweight activities are kinder on the body long term( to a point and depending on the exercise).All the serious lifters I know/ knew are always in various states of injuries or have given it up as they got older. Swimming could be great if you have consistent access to pool/water.On a side note ,if anyone is interested, one of the most “in shape” older person I know is a lifelong Flamenco dancer that is turning 81 this year and still dances/ teaches regularly ( she is my daughter instructor) pretty inspiring what a life of movement can give you..
 
Oh and almost forgot and couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t mention it,If you haven’t considered Yoga, Yoga has changed my life. After a pretty rough and tumble life of military service , fire service , boxing , wrestling,BJJ , Muay Thai , surfing ect. my back has some mileage on it and I had some pains that developed a couple of years ago and 20 minutes of yoga daily and a class occasionally has made a huge difference, it hasn’t completely gone away but it is way more manageable
 
Some great suggestions, thanks again.

I think muscle-ups are out, I need to do a pullup first, LOL! One day, maybe.

I have decided on, for 5-15 mins a day.

Push-ups (and variations as I get stronger. It's not a pattern that I am very strong in, the front/bench press. I am actually stronger in overhead press from when I did the RoP years ago, still).

Hangs, pullup negatives, pullups.

Jump rope - but in a run on the spot/one leg sequentially pattern.

Might occasionally throw-in one or all of McGill's Big Three.
 
Hello,

@PaulGy
Your program sounds great.

What rep / set dis you chose ?

Will you do some kind of pure strength move for the legs ? Progression towards pistol may be an example. That way you could follow the same logic for both upper and lower body, jump rope being the conditioning portion of your system.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Hiya Pet', I have been thinking about the legs. Having read Q & D I think we should maybe all do something specifically for leg power/strength and I decided to do jump squats instead of the rope-jumping.

As for sets/reps I'll be aiming for sets of 5 of around an 8 rep max with the pushups but with the available options for increasing resisance it's going to be far from an exact science.

As for pull-ups I think I am going to GTG first so do those as singles intermittently throughout the day. As/when I am strong enough I will again be aiming for sets of 5 reps of an 8-rep max. Think it's going to be a long time before I need to add resistance there, though!
 
One which emphasises conditioning as much as strength? I am thinking within the template of 4+ times per week, with 5min, 12 minute or however long (brief) sessions.

What would the progressions be?

I am asking because I am going to be very time and energy limited over the rest of the year. I like the idea of little to no prep and equipment, doing what needs to be done, then relaxing.

I would imagine that push ups (and progressions like feet raised, one arm when they can be done) and bodyweight squats (possibly with moves like jump squats and pistols, when that level of strength is reached) would figure.

I also plan on getting a pull-up bar.

I know this question is several months old, but I think this is the perfect bodyweight program minimum:


If you don't like the high reps as you progress, add some weight and drop down to level 1 again.
 
Dips(you can do these on the backs of sturdy chairs),pullups and lunges.
Jump rope for conditioning.
 
Pull up, push up, handstand push up for upper body
Hip hinge and bodyweight squat, done in gravity chamber like Goku...
 
I am back on Convict Conditioning. Full Push Ups for example are number 5 on the progression table of 10 variations with number 10 being the One-Arm Push Up. Following this program feels really great for me. Sessions can be less than 10 minutes per day. It really depends on how you approach it. When done per book it is really hard, but rewarding in my experience. The Veterano routine is my favorite, since it only takes about 5 to 10 minutes per session.
 
Hello,


This can be done with hard bodyweight moves such as OA push ups, pistols, dragon flags, uneven pull ups and full one leg back bridges (to work the posterior chain)

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Thought I'd dig this thread back up. I am having a rest from KBs for a bit. I am going to do 200 pushups for 30 days just for the hell of it (in any sets and reps).

In response to Starlord, NW is an exvellent book but there is no conditioning element, it's a pure strength prog.
 
There's a dude named Mike Chang on youtube. I don't really know his background but he apparently came back after a hiatus and had changed his approach to training quite a bit. It's simple:

1 minute rounds
1 exercise each minute/round
Just do as many reps as you can with decent form throughout each minute
just enough time to move from exercise to exercise between those rounds

You can do whatever you want, but he does something like this:
-Jumping jacks
-Pushups
-Pullups
-Handstand pushups/pike pushups
-jumping
-Lunges
-Kicks (shadowboxing, no emphasis on form)
-Punches (same as above)
-Plank
-Light stretch

You can do whatever exercises you want, and as many or few rounds as you want. I would just recommend alternating or cycling through muscle groups to allow a little "rest" for each group before coming back to it. The whole thing, as you can see, can be done in a matter ~10 minutes. The benefit is that you get some conditioning, you likely won't overtrain your muscles because you only do one round per exercise per day. Just take an easy day or a rest day if you don't feel up to it.
 
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