Why Bodyweight Drills Are Worth It

by Adam T. Glass

gooseneck pullups...honk!

I have received a number of emails in the last few months asking my opinion of bodyweight training drills. These are my personal opinions; I hope this provokes thought and action in you.

A few disclaimers

#1)  I do not use body weight training as my primary strength system.

This comes down to one reason: I like to lift weights. That is it. I like the feel of lifting barbells, Kettlebells, and other objects. If I am without these tools, I defer to sandbags and big ass rocks. Only when I am stripped of my rocks and sandbags will I fall back to BW only. Your opinion on this point is not needed and not requested.

#2) Some of the most impressive displays of human strength I have seen were body weight feats.

I do not have true perspective on their difficulty since I don’t practice these feats, but they always catch my attention when I see them.  A few drills which I always enjoy -:

• the jumping pistol
• the one arm pull up
• one finger/one arm pushups

These feats demonstrate incredible strength and talent.  DO not count out the skill of these people who do these things easily. Once again, this is my opinion. If you think a one arm pushup is a trick or something– that is your issue to resolve.  The guys  who do these drills are strong. Period.

#3) My current goals all involve moving heavy things, so moving heavy things is the most specific path to success.

YOUR goals are what should determine your tools, not someone else’s opinion.

Where it all began

Good old High School wrestling. I have a number of problems with the way we were trained, from the 6-8 mile runs to the never ending push-ups. I never felt strong from it; I never made any changes in body composition from them.

Off season weight training would make me strong. In-season bodyweight drills made me weak. This situation could have been easily fixed had the trainers used a progressively challenging system of movements to keep things getting harder, instead of simply adding reps.

Done with wrestling

Once I was done wrestling I primarily trained with barbells. I continued to do dips, pull ups, sit ups, and push-ups. Nothing too serious. At the time I did not understand BW progressions.

The books I had on the topic were some older karate manuals and Combat Conditioning from Matt Furey. Both books looked like what I had done in school; I had no interest in adding more and more reps to movements which felt easy.

When I joined the Military, I was once again stuck doing more and more reps of push-ups, leg lifts, and sit ups. Those drills plus slow group runs did nothing but make things slow and unproductive. The problem with any group fitness training is that the same drill is far too easy for some of the class, far too hard for others. So slow-poking it becomes a habit for some, while others will get injured.

Farther on

Over the years, I have blocks of training which include key body weight drills. Dips, pull ups, bridging, planks, handstands against a wall, and leg lifts have all had a place in my programming. These drills were used interchangeably with other weighted resistance drills. So it is inaccurate to say I have had not time with this training model. But as I said: I like to lift weights and bend metal.

2008 and 2009

In the last two years, two systems of body weight training caught my attention. When asked for my opinion these are the two examples I use as a case for body weight training.

1. Animal Patterns

The first example comes from my friend Brad Nelson, owner of RAD Bootcamps in Woodbury MN. Brad uses an eclectic blend of body weight drills, animal pattern movements and kettlebells to deliver superior fat loss results across a wide population base.

Brad pointed out how most people simply need MORE movement, and this combination of training styles is the RX for rapid body composition changes. Brad has used animal patterns to address his weakest clients to his strongest athletes. There are certainly valuable gains to be made here.

2. Book Review: Convict Conditioning

The second example I like to use is the book Convict Conditioning.

I was provided the chance to do an early review of CC and received my copy in April 2009. While the majority of the hype concerning this product was centered on the title and the author,  the real attention should be on the progressions.

I am not saying it is the first book written on progressions. I am not saying the author did anything new…but this was the first time I saw a competent progression with a logical starting point and an end state worth working for. I do not care much for the structure of the programming, but the list of exercises is very good for someone seeking a bad ass goal such a one arm handstand push up.

I integrated several of the progressions into my client’s training; their feedback was positive across the board. Trainers, pay close attention: Our opinion of something is secondary to the opinion of our people. If your people like it- help them make it better. Ponder this deeply.

Some additional thoughts

In my opinion, Body drills are particularly useful for the following reasons

#1 BW training involves minimal equipment.

Most drills do not require ANYTHING but floor space. You can get into 85% of the BW drills if you add a pull up bar or something to hang off of.

#2 Along with #1, BW drills offers “anywhere, anytime” strength and conditioning.

Read both words, S&C. BW drills make you strong, and they certainly offer simple alternatives to extreme cardio solutions. If you travel often, you will miss your barbells and kettlebells. BW training offers some effective solutions.

#3 BW drills are fairly safe

They are not absolutely safe, and nothing can protect you from your own stupidity.  If you learn your drills from a competent source and progress intelligently you are likely to progress injury free.

Please note that some key BW drills have some very high risk and high injury rate associated, such as developing the one arm pull up and some bridging drills—My final disclaimer is to seek a competent coach first, not some random fool on an internet board who may or may not know the drills.

#4 most people find BW drills fun!

This last weekend at the GripNRip workshop Brad took the group through a primal movement workout, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. So as in all things- find something you ENJOY first and foremost.

My personal points of contention, for what they are worth.

#1 BW drills are not specifically useful to all goals.

Only you know your goasl, and it is your responsibility to line up your method with your desired end state

#2 I am not sold on BW drills as a complete system of training.

The reason I am not sold is because I believe there are too many great tools available on the market to exclude just because you declare you are a “body weight guy” See my article on Kettlebell training where I share the same opinion on KBs. Why should I be limited to any one source when I have the resources to get all the tools and methods for my goal? Only you can decide for yourself.

#3 picking things up off the ground is a critical human movement task.

While bridging and pull ups exercise the posterior chain, the hip hinge and deadlift pattern is not trained. If you have an example of a BW drill which does this I am paying attention…for now, do not ignore this pattern. You cannot make it through a single day without having to bend down and pick things up, so train this pattern. Until I learn of a drill that is an acceptable replacement for deadlifts and swings, BW training is incomplete to me.

In the end, you are the only person qualified to determine if this training is appropriate for your goals. Question everything, follow no one but your own body.

ATG

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Tagged as: articles, bodyweight