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I get a ton of
emails every week regarding bodyweight exercises. People want to
know what are the best bodyweight drills for size and strength.
While, lifting weights
will always be the superior way to build brute strength and big muscles,
there are several bodyweight exercises that you can choose from to add
variety to your workouts or to keep you in shape on the road. My
favorites are: Handstand Pushups, One-arm Pushups, Door Pull-ups,
One-Legged Squats, Knee Jumps, Headstand Leg raises, and the Mahler Body
Blaster.
Lets get into each
exercise in more detail:
Related Article:
Bodyweight
Exercises vs Free Weight vs Machines
Handstand
Pushups
Imagine an upper body
exercise that is the equivalent to the squat and you get an idea
effectiveness of the handstand pushup. In addition to making your
shoulders super strong, "pump" addicts will love how this exercise blows
your arms up.
To execute a handstand
pushup, get a few inches away from a wall and kick in to a handstand
against the wall. Your legs should be straight up the wall.
Rather than looking
straight down, look forward just as you would when doing a barbell
military press. Lower yourself under control to the floor and when your
head touches the floor, press yourself back up to the starting position.
Repeat for 5-10 reps. If you cannot complete one rep, do a static hold
and work in some negatives.
One-Arm Pushup
This is a great exercise
to build up the pecs. It requires a great deal of stability and will fry
the triceps and shoulders as well. Place one arm behind your back and
lower yourself to the floor with the other arm. Once your chest touches
the floor, press yourself back up.
If you find the standard
one-arm pushup to easy apply a technique from strength coach Pavel
Tsatsouline, author of "The Naked Warrior"(www.dragondoor.com) and do
one-arm one-leg pushups. Hold one leg up in the air as you do a one-arm
pushup.
Door Pull-up
Here is a pulling
exercise that can be done with just about any door (assuming that the
door that you choose is not too flimsy). Open a door halfway and place a
towel over the top. Place your hands on the towel and let yourself hang
off of the door.
Pull yourself up against
the door until your chin is over the top of the door. Lower yourself
slowly back to the starting position.
One Legged
Squat
Forget about hundreds of
bodyweight squats, the one legged squat is the best leg exercise that
you can do with your bodyweight. Moreover, it is one of the best leg
exercises period. Hold one leg in front of you and hold your arms out
straight ahead. Looking forward at all times, lower yourself slowly on
one leg.
As you pass the parallel
position, flex your butt and stomach as hard as you can and pull
yourself down to the bottom position. Hold the bottom position for a
second and rise back up to the starting position. If you cannot complete
a rep then check out my article on the stair step approach to the
one-legged squat.
Knee Jump
Now it is time to work
the hamstrings and develop some explosive power. Start the exercise by
kneeling on the ground. Make sure that you feet are flat and that you
butt is resting on your calves. Look forward at all times. To initiate
the exercise, swing your arms back and then forward immediately.
As you swing your arms
forward jump from your knees to your feet in one explosive movement. The
finish position will look like the bottom position of a squat. Slowly
get yourself back to the starting position and repeat.
Headstand Leg
Raise
I picked up this exercise
from top MMA fighter Frank Shamrock. Fold a towel and place it on the
floor. Get on all fours and place the top of your head on the towel.
Place your arms out right in front of you and touch the floor with your
palms. Now press your palms into the floor and slowly raise your legs
off of the floor.
Keep going until you are
in a headstand. From there, lower your feet slowly back to the floor. If
you cannot do one rep, then hold the bottom position for time with your
feet just a few inches off of the floor.
Mahler Body
Blaster
Here is an exercise that
works just about every muscle in the body and when done in high reps
sets of 25-30 will have you huffing and puffing in no time. Start the
exercise by standing up and looking straight ahead. Go into a full squat
and then do a half roll back.
Touch your feet to the
floor behind your head and quickly reverse the motion. Roll forward into
the bottom position of a squat. From there jump into the top position of
a pushup. Do a pushup and then return back to the bottom position of the
squat. Stand up and repeat. Save this exercise for the end of your
workouts on the road as a finisher.
Try doing a circuit with
the above exercises in which you go from one exercise to the next with
short breaks. Do five circuits in one workout and keep the rep range
between 5-10 on all of the exercises except for the Mahler Body Blaster.
Save that for the end and work up to 25-50 repetitions in on set.
Workout Program
Try doing a circuit with
the below exercises in which you go from one exercise to the next with
short breaks. Do five circuits in one workout.
Handstand Pushups - 5-10
Reps
One-Arm Pushup - 5-10 Reps
Door Pull-up - 5-10 Reps
One Legged Squat - 5-10 Reps
Knee Jump - 5-10 Reps
Headstand Leg Raise - 5-10 Reps
Mahler Body Blaster - Work up to 25-50 Reps
About The Author
Mike Mahler is a strength
coach and Senior RKC based in Santa Monica, Ca. He is also the author of
the DVD "Mahler's Aggressive Strength For MMA." Mike is available for
seminars around the US and overseas. Visit
www.mikemahler.com
for more info.
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