Get big via body weight training? page 2

[sandstone]

Thanks for the responses!

I should have added where I'm at currently in the original post. As Gorbag touched on, I am relatively untrained. I started Primal in September 2011 and only started resistance training in late April/ early May this year, so I've only got approx. 7 months under my belt. Most of that time has been on the CC program, but I haven't made it to the HSPU or bridge progressions yet. Still low on squat, in the middle of hanging knee raise, and about to finish up close push ups. I "feel stronger" obviously and with the halving of my body fat percentage, I look a lot better, but I want to throw on some muscle and get rid of my skinny fat look.

I guess going forward, I will stick to CC. Is there any rep ranges I could use to manipulate the program for an emphasis on size rather than strength? How about number of sets? Coach Wade is on 2 sets; would a manipulation on that effect the end goal? Thanks y'all!

Left off current pull-up: doing full pull-up, still low in reps usually coming close to failure in the 5-7 range.

Bear in mind that the higher steps will give you a much better return per rep I.e. with a wall push up you are probably resisting less than 10% of you BW, with your close push up its closer to 40-50% and when you go to the 1-arm its double that.

I do like the 2 sets, I keep the tempo fairly slow and push till I cannot complete one more positive rep, I use 2 mins rest between sets. I know everyone wants results now but remember those old time strong men used BW extensively to build great functional bodies, but apart from that their longevity was extraordinairy, they all seemed to be performing late in to middle or old age. I think somewhere Paul Wade talks about the Mighty Atom performing into his 70s.

At some point you could consider supplementing with some kettelbells but I would a decent strength base first otherwise you'll just grow out of them too soon.

[Daemonized]

In all honesty major changes in strength and size are both a result of consistently adhering to an effective routine over the course of months and years. Using weights at a gym would most likely be faster and yield somewhat greater results. Body weight exercises can also be effective (as well as less putting less stress on the joints) but the routine must be more carefully designed to cover all the major muscle groups. In either case the routine that you choose has to work for you on an ongoing and consistent basis. Intermittently hitting the gym (assuming steroids aren't involved) is as much a waste of time as a poorly designed body weight routine. Find what works for your schedule and stick to it and then keep sticking to it some more and it will eventually pay off.

[Philosopher Dan]

Thanks for the responses!

I should have added where I'm at currently in the original post. As Gorbag touched on, I am relatively untrained. I started Primal in September 2011 and only started resistance training in late April/ early May this year, so I've only got approx. 7 months under my belt. Most of that time has been on the CC program, but I haven't made it to the HSPU or bridge progressions yet. Still low on squat, in the middle of hanging knee raise, and about to finish up close push ups. I "feel stronger" obviously and with the halving of my body fat percentage, I look a lot better, but I want to throw on some muscle and get rid of my skinny fat look.

I guess going forward, I will stick to CC. Is there any rep ranges I could use to manipulate the program for an emphasis on size rather than strength? How about number of sets? Coach Wade is on 2 sets; would a manipulation on that effect the end goal? Thanks y'all!

Left off current pull-up: doing full pull-up, still low in reps usually coming close to failure in the 5-7 range.

I'm about where you are in the CC program. I feel like it has added muscle - but I haven't done actual measurements. I think if you really want extra muscle on the program, stick to the progressions where you can do 10-12 reps, and maybe add extra days.

Coach Wade typically has people practicing an exercise once a week until you get very advanced. Prof. Pavel, though, has people train the same movements many times a week.

So what you might do is "double-up" the program. Given what you noted, you might double the times you practice each move or more. Do New Blood, but in pairs with a day off in between. So push/HLR day 1, squat/pull day 2, rest day 3, then repeat.

You might also up your intake of fruit and yams a bit, too.

Good luck!

[Betorq]

I'm about where you are in the CC program. I feel like it has added muscle - but I haven't done actual measurements. I think if you really want extra muscle on the program, stick to the progressions where you can do 10-12 reps, and maybe add extra days.

Coach Wade typically has people practicing an exercise once a week until you get very advanced. Prof. Pavel, though, has people train the same movements many times a week.

So what you might do is "double-up" the program. Given what you noted, you might double the times you practice each move or more. Do New Blood, but in pairs with a day off in between. So push/HLR day 1, squat/pull day 2, rest day 3, then repeat.

You might also up your intake of fruit and yams a bit, too.

Good luck!

I found that slowing down the Convict Conditioning, much like yoga, helped maximize the time/effort = results. Also consistently working out in a fasted but well hydrated state & (for me)refeeding within 30 mins post-workout w/ pure protein (whey) & complex sugars(1/2 a banana or berries), getting quality rest & down time (days off when I just walked & did lazy yoga stretches) worked to put on the lean muscle I wanted faster. Being a hard gainer, it's hard to keep it on once I gain it, even @ age 47...

Keeping detailed journals of my work-out timings, progressions, soreness, successes & frustrations helped me learn about myself & the process, as it was very helpful to re-read my fitness journal when I was needing to push through or back off on things. Also pull ups were easy for me growing up, skinny kid I was, but post-op they are my biggest challenge & progression was slow & then it frustratingly halted. I found that by only doing pull up reps once or twice a week, with 4 days in between, worked to help me progress. Less is more. One day a week I max out til exhaustion, the other days I incrementally challenge myself so as to not re-injure myself while I'm building.

[Betorq]

The yoga guru Rodney Yee looks pretty muscular to me and the poses he shows in the strength specific DVDs are impossible without high body strength. I am sure not everyone responds to yoga strength training the way his body does and that the level of complexity might not be achievable by everyone.

The thing is, if you are genetically predisposed to have high muscular mass, most methods will get you there. If you are not, you will have to look for most efficient ways.

If the access to the gym is impossible, looking in combining some compact/mobile ways of loading like kettlbells and dumbells with the opportunity equipment (playgrounds, boulders, trees) might be a good idea.

Rodney Yee was lifting weights & doing gymnastics long time, then semi-professionally many years before he became a yogi. And he eats a LOT of quality food to keep his physique lookin that way & he's young. Also, genetics play a part for sure. But muscle can be built by anyone if the effort, fuel & recovery is there. Whether you're 83 or 38, putting on some bulk is quite doable.

[sandstone]

Coach Wade typically has people practicing an exercise once a week until you get very advanced. Prof. Pavel, though, has people train the same movements many times a week.

So what you might do is "double-up" the program. Given what you noted, you might double the times you practice each move or more. Do New Blood, but in pairs with a day off in between. So push/HLR day 1, squat/pull day 2, rest day 3, then repeat.
Good luck!

Things like doubling up seem great at the beginning of this program but the amount of work you put through the shoulders and elbows can really add up after a couple of months, you already have multiple upper body pushes and pulls and a lot of core work. Remember for muscle growth recovery is king.

If you do want to add more try a horizontal pull as outlined in CC Super FAQ. I have a dodgy left knee so I can't get a full RoM on that leg so I added in a few KB swings to help give the legs a bit more work. But plenty of rest is important.

[arthurb999]

Never gymless by Ross training. I own it and its a great book. I also suggest making a sandbag and getting a weight vest.

[jfreaksho]

I was just looking at the pictures the OP posted- if that's him on Twitter, then he's like me, with a woefully underdeveloped upper back. I can see it in the posture of your shoulders-- they tend to hang forward a bit, which makes your chest look smaller. The difference in posture/shoulder position between where he is at and where he's trying to be is pretty striking. It's hard to tell, but it looks like you may have a bit of a forward head posture as well- my brother is almost as tall as you, and 4 inches taller than everyone else in the family. He tends to hunch forward to meet people's eyes on their level, something my dad and I both do/did.

1. Learn how to keep your shoulders back. Stay focused on that, until it is a habit. This will make your chest stick out and look bigger, with no additional changes. Esther Gokhale has a GoogleTalk on youtube that should help.
2. Start working pullups and horizontal rows. I don't know how many pushups you can do, but your lack of upper back strength indicates your pullups (like mine) are pretty weak. A strong upper back will help keep your shoulder aligned where they ought to be.

*Note* I'm not a kinesiologist, but that's what I see. Some of these issues that I see may be caused by you flexing in that photo, so don't take me too seriously.

[kwyser]

A lot of it is what you eat, and a lot of it is how you train, but it can be done with bodyweight training. The added benefit compared to artificial weight training is that your strength will explode. You might have to modify primal eating a bit and start drinking more protein shakes and other things like that.

I'm working through Convict Conditioning right now too and those should get you some significant mass gains, especially once you start getting into the exercises like one-handed handstand push-ups. You might also want to add some weight to those, like a weighted vest, or holding a sandbag during the one-legged squats. Here's a good article that Mark wrote that shows some good tips on how to build more muscle while still staying mostly primal: How to Gain Weight and Build Muscle | Mark's Daily Apple

It's one of the most popular posts so you've probably seen it already but just in case

[zizou]

I was just looking at the pictures the OP posted- if that's him on Twitter, then he's like me, with a woefully underdeveloped upper back. I can see it in the posture of your shoulders-- they tend to hang forward a bit, which makes your chest look smaller. The difference in posture/shoulder position between where he is at and where he's trying to be is pretty striking. It's hard to tell, but it looks like you may have a bit of a forward head posture as well- my brother is almost as tall as you, and 4 inches taller than everyone else in the family. He tends to hunch forward to meet people's eyes on their level, something my dad and I both do/did.

1. Learn how to keep your shoulders back. Stay focused on that, until it is a habit. This will make your chest stick out and look bigger, with no additional changes. Esther Gokhale has a GoogleTalk on youtube that should help.
2. Start working pullups and horizontal rows. I don't know how many pushups you can do, but your lack of upper back strength indicates your pullups (like mine) are pretty weak. A strong upper back will help keep your shoulder aligned where they ought to be.

*Note* I'm not a kinesiologist, but that's what I see. Some of these issues that I see may be caused by you flexing in that photo, so don't take me too seriously.

jkfreakshow,

this post is great, you've really hit the nail on the head my man. I haven't seen the OP's photo, but your description describes me fairly well. I lack mass in my upper back and my bad posture habits have all compounded to leave me with teh description you have there.

There is an exercise that i think can help. Holding a barbell infront of you, bring your shoulders back without bending the elbows, and try get the two shoulder blades at the back to meet at the centre of your back and achieve a nice squeeze. This should work the upper back muscles and wind the shoulders back.

This thread has got me thinking of getting the CC book, would this forum recommend it? I'll be buying a few books in next couple weeks, should i include this one in the list?