BODYWEIGHT BASICS - Bodyweight Training - Functional Fitness Without Weights

Bodyweightbasics.com celebrates its one-year birthday today. My, they grow old so quickly dont they? Next thing you know it'll be old enough to drive... In all seriousness, heres a pretty good conditioning workout to use. Youll need a jump rope (heres the one I use: Lifeline Jumprope and a wrist watch with a timer on it, I suggest an Ironman watch by Timex. The workout is simple: 30-seconds "on" with the jump rope, then 1 pushup, then 30 seconds of "rest" -- if you could call it that. Start with 10 total minutes and work up to 20 over time. When you make 20, add another pushup and progress like so. The weathers getting warmer here and I busted this one out last week. I'm a tad rusty on the rope jumping front but it'll come back with time. If you have a heart rate monitor, check your results from this workout – you will be pleasantly surprised. Let me know how it goes. On to the next 365! Train hard, John Wood P.S. Again, if you need a good jump rope, (and who doesn't?) heres the one I recommend: Lifeline USA Power Jumprope

Labels: bodyweight workout, Conditioning Workout, Jumping Rope, Jumprope, Jumprope Workout, Lifeline Jumprope, workout

I mentioned Hindu squats in a recent email and to change things up a bit, decided to add them back in to my program. It was a good idea and one of the other great advantages that Hindu squats have over other forms of squatting that I neglected to mention earlier is that the involvement of the arms means more muscle is worked, and therefore will increase the potential conditioning benefits to an appreciable degree. Also, at the top of the movement you can stretch and really focus on opening up your chest as you breath which is another great advantage. As for my form, I like to maintain a more upright posture and keep my knees over my feet moreso than the traditionally taught method. My fingertips brush the ground on each rep, - I was doing them in the snow and you could see the two grooves on either side of my footprints. Also, its very important to have a guttural "breath" on the upswing which not only strengthens the lungs but the abs as well. Yes, the breathing is a very important part of this exercise. The great thing about Hindu Squats is that you can make them as challenging as you want - a set of just 50 can put be easy as pie or put you on the floor depending on how you do them. Try 'em and youll see. Train hard, John Wood P.S. If you still dont have a copy, I'd recommend grabbing your own copy of Combat Conditioning by Matt Furey where you'll find all kinds of info on Hindu Squats and 50 other great bodyweight exercises.

Labels: bodyweight workout, Combat Conditioning, Hindu Squats, Leg Work Out

The 300 Spartan Workout

With the popularity of his first DVD, The Ultimate Upper-Body Pull-Up Workout, we just had to release the next video in Steve's line of great bodyweight training DVDs: The 300 Spartan Bodyweight Challenge Maxwell takes simple bodyweight exercises and augments them into very intense and effective routines that you can do at your home or gym with little or no equipment. These drills will improve your strength, endurance, athleticism and promote fat loss and cardiovascular strength as well. Train like a Spartan warrior and take on the ultimate bodyweight training routine: The 300 Spartan Workout.

Labels: Bodyweight Training, bodyweight workout, Cardio, Endurance, Flexibility, Gymnastics Rings, Progression, Pullups, Spartans, Steve Maxwell, Upperbody Workout, warrior training

The title of today's post may come as a bit of a shock to you. I admit -- it is a bit of a misnomer -- after all bodyweight training is one of the safest, if not THE safest way to train. And after all the "danger" that comes with getting strangled by a heavy bench press or crushed under a heavy squat simply does not exist with bodyweight training so what on earth could I possibly be referring to?

Simple: the "danger" of wasting your precious time (and believe me there aint enough of that going around)

When you train, you train for a reason: you want something out of it: to become stronger, faster, more flexible, greater endurance and mental toughness etc etc -- things along those lines.

But you wont get any of those benefits unless you do certain things a certain way in your training.

The "danger" of bodyweight training is this: there are so many different exercises and variations that it can be easy do "a lil of this and a lil of that" until you either become overtrained or never really make real gains since with great variety comes a lack of focus.

Just like any other kind of training, the real "gains" can only come from consistent improvement over time. Theres plenty of room for "this n that" training but if you want all that bodyweight training has to offer, pick a few key exercises and focus on them.

The real magic starts to happen around workout #10...

Train hard,
John Wood

P.S. Don’t forget, Steve Maxwells new pullup DVD offers a number of unique pullup and ring training exercises but that doesnt mean you should do them all in every workout. Pick a few and train em hard: Steve Maxwell's Pullup Workout DVD

Labels: Bodyweight Training, bodyweight workout, consistency, focus