Lifting vs. Bodyweight Training

blarggggggggggg · 2015-05-22T19:40:23+00:00

anything is better than nothing
if you are overweight, diet is 90% of losing weight, not exercise
assuming you've checked out r/bodyweightfitness you can see positive results people can get

imo the most important thing is to establish a routine, some goals and the confidence and perspective that come from making steady progress - and the realization that minor setbacks (failing to meet reps or missing a workout day) are just bumps in the road and aren't the end of the world as long as you get back to it and keep moving forward. This outlook can positively carry over to all other aspects of your life.

alpha_n3rd · 2015-05-22T20:57:09+00:00

There are many squat variations you could try; box squats, trap bar squats, front squats, goblin squats, etc. You can stand on two boxes and use a weighted belt to squat without putting any load on your spine.

If none of them work for you try the leg press machine. The load goes on your hips instead of your spine. You can add glute bridges to hit the posterior chain a little harder. Then some planks for your abs. That will cover most of what squats hit; it's a longer workout though.

I'd talk to a trainer or physical therapist before doing any back exercises.

RedCML · 2015-05-23T08:22:22+00:00

Basically yes. Look at the Bodyweight Bible, You Are Your Own Gym. Applied correctly it is excellent.

There are no gyms where I'm living now so I had to switch to this. I've actually seen better physical results than when I was at my gym in the States.

But that's also because there are no processed foods where I live, so I have plenty of fresh meat and vegetables everyday.

Diet is just as important. Not just for weight loss but for mass gain.

thisisme0007 · 2015-05-22T19:50:07+00:00

If you want body weight workouts try Bootcamphub.com

RPAlternate42 · 2015-05-22T20:28:02+00:00

Body weight will work until you can do more than 10-12 reps or so... after that, your muscles are treating your body weight the same way they would treat a light dumbbell: it's no longer stressing the nervous system and you are no longer forcing hypertrophy.

In short, you will plateau, strength-wise and size-wise... but that kind of work is a calorie burner like everything else, so you'll lose fat.

dandar4600 · 2015-05-22T20:49:57+00:00

There are boxers with great physique and they just do cardio, punchbag and sparring. It's possible to look great with bodyweight, but it will take longer to get there and results will not be as big. Best bet is to see your doctor before you start. Don't guess that you can't do squats and deadlifts. Know for sure.

NickCiufi · 2015-05-22T21:17:56+00:00

Check out DDP Yoga man. Highly recommend it.

Chuckit_ · 2015-05-22T23:48:15+00:00

If you haven't been doing anything else, bodyweight work will achieve some good noob gains for several months or longer.

Lifting is not all squats and deads. They're really good for strength, but there are arguably better routines for looking good naked. Speak to a trainer. They can set up a routine for you, and you'll see gains pretty quickly.

Sepean · 2015-05-23T00:42:15+00:00

I messed up my knees in the army. Didn't do any heavy leg work for a decade, just upper body. Do that, lift for your upper body and grow some real size, you can still look really good. And then just figure out what you can do for your legs. If you can do leg extensions and some cardio, you're way better off than I was.

turbosympathique · 2015-05-23T02:04:36+00:00

Well I did that for a while and I had pretty good result at the time.

Pull up, chin up, Dip etc......

just get a weight vest when you feel your ready.

UEMcGill · 2015-05-23T10:43:58+00:00

Hmm that's funny, we have a guy with the same thing in our gym deadlifting 500 lbs.

Were you told you can't? I'm not advocating hurting yourself, but you'd be surprised what good form, great coaching and real management with your doctor you can achieve.

kramepilef · 2015-05-23T16:26:52+00:00

Thanks, everyone, for your advice. My spine surgeon is anti-physical therapy, and told me that I should never do power lifts again. A PT from my gym (I train in Muay Thai 3 times a week) recommended sticking to body weight.

I plan on seeking out another medical opinion and talking to a trainer at the gym. For Muay Thai, most of the workouts the instructors recommend are bodyweight or lower weights for reps. My goal isn't so much to get huge as it is to get better at Muay Thai, if that helps.

Again, thanks, everyone, for your advice.

pcadrian · 2015-05-27T01:53:56+00:00

Skip deadlifts. I have a horrible lower back, and every time my deadlift goes over 150lbs, I injure myself. So as much as I loved doing them, a year ago I completely eliminated it out of my training. Been pain free since. Squats I can still do (and heavy) without an issue (I use a wide stance to avoid any curving of the lower back), so you might give that a try once the pain goes away. At the very least, you can do low weight squats at high reps. As for your traps, barbell shrugs put very little stress on my lower back.

strategos_autokrator · 2015-05-22T20:07:20+00:00

For hypertrophy (big muscles) nothing beats lifting heavy objects. End of story.

However, anything is better than doing nothing.

Bodyweight training is good for a lot of stuff, including martial arts, gymnastics, dancing, stuff where you need to control your body very well. It helps even to control your body movements in bed. But it will take you MUCH longer to see changes in the size of your muscles, but it can be done. You would be going for a different kind of body, and taking a longer time to achieve it, but if that is your goal, go for it. you will see results in upper body for sure that are good. /r/bodyweightfitness has a lot of info on this, with a good beginners routing.

squats and deadlifts

These exercises have no real substitute. Even people in /r/bodyweightfitness that are very hardcore about it still insist its importance of these because they don't really have a bodyweight alternative. Squats sort of do at the beginning, but the body isn't heavy enough after a bit. Deadlifts have no real alternative, but with bridges and other things, you can sort of kind of workout some muscles a bit.

If you are injured, train around the injury. Get a personal trainer for a bit, and explain your situation. It is the best choice. Since you want a long term solution, this will be worth your money, and it will be the most efficient way to get results. Asking internet strangers with no medical knowledge about your injury is a bad idea.

tl;dr: bodyweight has different goals than lifting, so it isn't a substitute. bodyweight is good for some things, but it is terrible substitute for those exercises you mention. Just get a trainer, learn how to train around the injury, it is the safest and more efficient way.

Title	Lifting vs. Bodyweight Training
Author	[deleted]
Upvotes	5
Comments	18
Date	May 22, 2015 6:47 PM UTC (11 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MarriedRedPill
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/marriedredpill/comments/36wlsc/lifting_vs_bodyweight_training/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MarriedRedPill/lifting-vs-bodyweight-training.201861 https://theredarchive.com/post/201861

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