BODYWEIGHT BASICS - Bodyweight Training - Functional Fitness Without Weights

One topic that we have had a lot of questions about is the weight vest and should it be used in your training. My official answer to that is: it depends -- it depends on what your goals are and it depends on who you are in regards to your training. For some folks who need the extra challenge a weight vest is a great addition. You can put it on to add weight to rope climbing, chins, dips -- whatever you do with a vest on you know its going to be more intense. if you fit in this category I would caution you to work into it slowly, the vest will change your center of gravity and it may be quite a shock for many exercises. However, for many people the added weight may not be necessary as "normal" bodyweight movements provide more than enough of a challenge - as does simply "sticking with it." I've got a weight vest that my uncle gave me a few years back. I tried it for a few exercises and didnt like it but, like I said, if you're a total bodyweight maniac, it's probably going to be a good investment. Train hard, John Wood

Labels: Chins, Dips, Rope Climbing, Weight Vest

I had my first rope climbing experience in junior high school gym class--this was back in the 60's when kids were still encouraged to participate in strenuous activities. From the very first moment, I fell in love with rope climbing.

I liked the way it worked my grip and upper arms. It was surprisingly cardio. Rope climbing has been a staple conditioning tool of wrestlers for over 2000 years.

In a poll of North American wrestling champions, though they varied in choices of workout equipment, all agreed on rope climbing as invaluable conditioning training.

Throughout my high school and college wrestling career, I had access to ropes in the gym. In the military, there were ropes on base. As a junior high school Phys Ed teacher, I had the kids climb and I'd get my reps in as well. Once I got into the personal training field in commercial gyms, finding a decent rope to climb became more difficult.

I missed climbing.

Towel chins and pull-ups just weren't the same. The added excitement (and fear) of climbing high off the ground makes rope climbing unique. (N.B. Always make sure to climb with the proper padding and safety precautions)

I bought a rope from a tug boat supply company on the Delaware river in Philadelphia. I'd hang it off the sides of bridges and climb.

When I had my own gym, Maxercise, I'd hang ropes off the second floor fire escape in the back alley. One of my jiu-jitsu students lost his grip one day and slid down the rope, taking the skin off the palms of both hands. My wife (at the time) then put the kibosh on all back-alley rope climbs for fear of losing our home in litigation.

That's when I decided to build a rope-climbing tower in our back yard...

I ordered two 35' galvanized steel fence posts. They were joined by a cross beam of welded-on angle iron. I got a bunch of my jiu-jitsu guys to come over and help dig the holes and erect the apparatus. It was unwieldy and a nightmare to get up. We almost took out the telephone wires, and worse, we crashed it through a neighbor's window.

This was a Philly Row home with a small back courtyard containing a lovely garden. Umm, my wife was out of town so it was the perfect time to get it done. I figured, what could she say once it was erected? Even my son, Zak, said, "She won't be mad forever..."

We hung a nice, synthetic outdoor rope I bought from John Wood's site, www.functionalhandstrength.com and Zak and I had some awesome rope climbing workouts.

After the divorce, I found myself living in an RV and traveling the country and I really missed my rope climbing sessions! I devised an ingenious portable rope climbing system.

Once again, my friend, John Wood, provided one of his excellent manila climbing ropes.

Mine is custom-made at 30' and beautifully finished. Manila affords the best gripping surface, but isn't good for outdoor ropes because it's prone to dry rot. Since I take mine down after climbing and store it in the RV, manila was my first choice.

What I came up with was to attach a life line to a rescue ball on one end and the climbing rope on the other. The life line has a 2000 lb. breaking point and is what actually holds me up. The rescue ball is a large rubber bell through which the life line threads.

I find a suitable tree limb, do a couple under twirls, then throw the rescue line up and over.

The weight of the ball pulls the rope down to where I can grab it and I double-check the knot connecting the climbing rope to the life line. Then I simply haul the climbing rope up the tree limb and tie off the lifeline by wrapping it around another nearby tree trunk.

When I'm done, I unwrap the line and let it fall to the ground. I store my portable system in a large, zippered gym bag with zip-lock baggy containing a sock full of rosin to get the hands dry and sticky for maximal grip.


Last weekend, I found a redwood tree on a cliff overlooking San Francisco Bay. The sunlight broke through the evergreens above the rhythmic sounds of the waves hitting the rocks below. The Golden Gate Bridge stood in the distance. I set up my portable climbing system and had at it, alternating sets of 20 Hindu push-ups with a 25' rope climb.

After six sets, my arms became "dysfunctional."

Next, I did 100 flat-foot Russian squats with my Bulgarian training bag. I finished with one hundred 20 lb. sledgehammer swings on an old stump -- ten right, then ten left.

I felt great!

Here I was in paradise, climbing an ancient tree, working my body, breathing the fresh air and getting the workout of my life. I love working out in nature and find it difficult to go back to the gym after a day like this.

Note: Steve Maxwell is a trained professional, please observe all safety precautions while climbing and do not take any unnecessary risks.

Labels: Climbing Ropes, Jiu-Jitsu, Manila Climbing Ropes, Rope Climbing, Steve Maxwell, Wrestling

I looked through the ol mail bag this morning and picked out a good one: Our friend Hal B. writes: Hi John, Many of the old body weight programs like Atlas, Mike Marvel, etc. said to train very day. Does the principle of taking a day or two off to promote muscle growth not apply to body weight training as it does to weight lifting? - Hal

Hi Hal, that’s a great question, one that gets asked very frequently when it comes to bodyweight training. As usual my take on things is a little different than you might see elsewhere:

Yes, you can absolutely train with bodyweight exercises every day -- and many people do. They have their daily routine; they do their thing, and then move on to the next.

Tis certainly one way to do it and many people have had a lot of success with daily training. And while we are at it, let’s look a couple different ways to "slice" a daily training routine.

1. You could do a set number of repetitions without fail; say 50 pushups, 50 sit-ups, 50 squats or something along those lines.

2. You could have a "free for all" workout where there is no structure and the only goal is to keep moving (and keep the heart rate up) for an extended period of time.

3. You could have a very-rigid, very-regimented program devoted to specific exercise goals, like progressively increasing your pull-ups or high-rep squats, hand balancing etc

4. You could perform a "hard training" day followed by an easier training day which isn’t quite as challenging. The goal of the hard day is to improve while goal of the easier workout is to work out soreness, increase blood flow etc,

5. You could combine some of these – say "rigid structure" on Monday/Wednesday/Friday with a "free for all" on Tuesday and Thursday.

Of all of these I tend to favor #5 since it involves a greater variety. And don't forget, bodyweight training involves much more than calisthenics. It could be rope jumping, rope climbing, hill sprints, breathing exercises, muscle control etc.

It should be well understood that one of your greatest enemies in physical training is boredom. If you find yourself dreading your workout it is going go become harder and harder to stay motivated to do it. Involving a bit of "chaos" or unpredictability is good for your training because it keeps you on your toes.

It should also be understood that if your goal is gain muscle mass, like a bodybuilder, there are going to be some choices that make more sense outside of the boundaries of what bodyweight training can offer. You’ll have to supplement your program with other exercises.

I personally feel that the most productive programs must incorporate several different ways of training for the most well-rounded approach but, as you can see, bodyweight training offers a lot of possibilities.

Train hard,
John Wood

Labels: Bodyweight Squats, Bodyweight Training, Daily Bodyweight Training, Handbalancing, Jumping Rope, Rope Climbing