Old habits die hard. Even after I ditched weights for self-resistance and bodyweight training years ago, the tendency has always been to concentrate on the bodyweight exercises. Whether mega intense bodyweight routines or just numbers it has often been about doing more and more push-ups, squats, sit-ups etc. It is all about having a quantitative measure.
But, is that really what measures your level of fitness and your appearance? Just like lifting heavy weights, the number of reps become the measure. Often times we dismiss the self-resistance exercises as being "cosmetic bodybuilding."
Don't mistake my point. The two training methods - bodyweight and self-resistance are symbiotic and synergetic. They work together, but what happens is that we emphasize one over the other.
Right now I am doing sets of the self-resistance exercises. In a weeks time, I am seeing and feeling a difference. I also de-emphasized the push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, leg raises and knee bends. Rather than the drivers, they've become part of the package. This is a six week experiment. Today I started week two. We'll see how it goes.
Very interesting, Greg! Keep us informed of your experiment, please. Regards!
Michael, well put. I was an all or nothing guy for years. Decades. If I'd had the knowledge I thought I had I would've learned but ... No. Thought I had to push through the barrier. Well, the barrier pushed back in the form of injuries. I remember a guy - call him "Bobby" (because that was his real name) who impressed me because at 6 foot 170 lbs. bw he could rep out the curl machine at Nautilus for 12 reps. I couldn't. This was in Dec. 1980. Twelve reps. Impressive. I left Nautilus 4/90, ten years after starting and I noticed Bobby still hitting the curl machine and all the other machines with the same weights, pretty much as he had been when I joined. I set up my home gym (the heck with Nautilus at 5 A.M.) and chuckled at Bobby using the Nautilus approach when I knew that Nautilus didn't work. Went down to the basement and began working three mornings a week with my weights and sure enough ... benching, curling, DLing, squatting to failure produced the same result. Now if you want to get up at 4 A.M., eat breakfast and two - step out the door to the gym, fishing your wallet out of your gym bag to pay the owner to bust your keister, well go right ahead. Its your money and your medical bills. There's a more sensible way for the majority of trainees who will never be Arnold or Jon Pall Sigmarrson. Its pretty much free and the door is open 24/7.
Ddmoates, good insights! I think the problem with almost all training types is people being macho. I have seen people talk about getting in shape only later on they quit. Why? Just my opinion, I think one should learn what they are doing first. Second take their time and take it easy at first.
Example, I had an uncle that wanted to lift weights. He was told to do one set of each exercise and add a set on each week or two depending on his body's feedback. Also was told total sets was 3. Anyhow, first week he wouldn't let his ego go because a smaller guy was doing three sets so he said I can do that. Next morning he woke up so sore and stayed that way for days. He never did exercise again, Lol.
It's not really funny because there are people that would benefit from doing some exercise. But everyone's mentally is all or nothing. That was my problem when I first started isometrics with a strap. Something I learned by myself but have read Marlon Birch say is take it easy at first. Use light tension until Your body gets use to it.
Bob mentioned he had problems at first with self resistance exercise tension that would be equal to heavy weight loading. I believe applying tension with self resistance is a learned skill that takes practice. As time goes on You can apply more tension and find ways to do so. From my personal experience, they hit angles that are sometimes hard to hit with other ways. Sometimes those angles will not be able to contract as hard as a weight lifting exercise. But You do always need that depending on the exercise.
I did dynamic self-resistance exercises, named some times as DT, VRT, DVR..., for several years and found that my main problem, which could decrease the efficiency of these methods, is the difficulty to reach the voluntary muscle tension that would be equal to heavy weight loading. My brain just rejected to develop these high levels of voluntary tension in muscles during movements. To overcome this problem, I switched to multi-point isometrics. This approach allows me to reach ~maximal muscle tension in each holding points. If I use bodyweight exercises, I also perform them as multi-point ones, voluntary increasing muscle tension in each position/point. I think it is a great combination of SR and bodyweight exercises that allows to gain strength and to keep muscle mass.
I think that all of these systems of exercise have value if properly applied. What I found with weights/machines (Nautilus, free weights) is that the prescribed method was to push too hard, too often to failure. Three times a week to complete failure on all ten machines led to burnout. High volume on bodyweight (e.g. Herschel Walker et. al.) also was burnout. Self resistance can lead to burnout but doesn't seem to as often. I'm guessing that this is in part because the resistance is "internal" in that you have a more direct connection to the movement because you are the source of the resistance simultaneously to being the source trying to overcome the same resistance. A lousy explanation for sure, for which I apologize but I don't know how else to say it.
Good post Greg and so true. I now prefer to use more tension when I do calisthenics. For me this works the muscle more. Self resistance exercises work the muscles in a different way that's kind of like rehab for the muscle. And who cares if they are considered more like cosmetic bodybuilding. All that stuff about certain training types being more functional is a bunch of bull. That's how people sell their training. I never did understand how exercise could not be functional as long as it's done with proper form.