According to some people, you can’t build muscle with bodyweight exercises. Well, you can, but it’s completely “inefficient.” Why? Well, they that you can not achieve progressive overload with bodyweight exercises. I completely disagree.

Progressive Overload means that you steadily add more and more stress upon a muscle to cause it adapt to increasing demands. These so called “experts” claim that progressive overload is not possible with bodyweight exercise since the only way you can increase overload is through adding endless sets and reps.

Over time, once a trainee moves from the beginner stages, the workouts will turn into more aerobic and strength endurance workouts as opposed to strength and mass workouts. Well, lets set the record straight today. There are tons and tons of people each month trying to figure out how to gain muscle with bodyweight exercises.

There are two things you need in order gain muscle with bodyweight exercises: 1) Progressively difficult exercises, and 2) High intensity techniques.

Progressively Difficult Exercises for More Muscles

Almost all bodybuilders out there claim that the 8-12 repetition range is optimal for hypertrophy (mass gain). I personally don’t feel that such a “magic” rep range exists, but I think you can use 8-12 reps as a guideline for choosing the right exercises.

If you can do at least 8 repetitions of an exercise, then I’d say it’s great for mass gain. But if you can more than 12 in a row, then you should forget and move onto a more difficult exercise. Before you even begin your mass program, make a list of how you would progress with bodyweight exercises.

For example, the following is an example of a lower body progressive system:

• Chair Squats
• Partial Squats
• Squats
• Squat Jumps
• Squat Tuck Jumps

So, a beginner would start off with performing chair squats. Once he or she is able to perform 12 repetitions of the exercise in a row, they would move onto partial squats. Keep progressing in this manner until you get up to squat tuck jumps.

After this, there are lots of other great bodyweight exercises you can try. You can even try to add weights. We’ve experimented with holding a school bag with a weight plate packed in it, right in front of our chest. If you place the school bag over your shoulders on your back (the way you’re supposed to wear a school bag), you’ll probably hurt your traps and shoulders while jumping.

If you don’t have weight plates, simply pack a school bag or bag with heavy books. I advise against purchasing a weighted vest simply because they’re expensive. I have not bought one yet. You’re better off purchasing a set of weight plates or barbell set (under $150) rather than a weighted vest (over $200).

But wait, why am I talking about weights all of a sudden? Well, the guy from Muscle Hack was partially correct. I think an average person who does not want to look like a bodybuilder can get really far with bodyweight training. But, after a certain point, if you’re super strong and can do one leg squats and handstandpushups as if they were no big deal, then I think it’s time for you to look for alternative forms of training.

Adding weights in the form of weight-filled backpacks or dumbbells is your best, and cheapest option. Many people will reference gymnasts: “Gee, look how big and strong they are! They’ve proven than you can get big and strong with bodyweight exercises.”

True, one of the best ways of getting big and strong is to perform gymnastics. My mom put me in gymnastics when I was younger, and I wish I’d stayed in it for longer. I can still do the backward bridge that I learned in gymnastics. I can even do a one-arm cartwheel after all these years!

The only way to learn gymnastics is to get a coach. Even there are some good eBooks or home study courses that teach gymnastics, I would advise against it. You’ll probably hurt yourself and potentially injure yourself permanently. So, for the rest of us, stick to bodyweight exercise and try to make them progressively more difficult.

High Intensity Techniques for More Muscle

What I have learned is that the techniques you use for fat loss aren’t much different from muscle mass. The major deciding factor here is your nutrition: eat more, gain weight. Eat less, lose weight. Eat the same, maintain weight. However, there are certain changes you can make to popular intensity techniques if your goal is greater muscle mass.

The most common, and still my favorite, form of training is circuit training. Here is a sample fat loss circuit workout:

3 rounds of:

• Pushups
• Pullups
• Squats
• Rest 0-30 seconds

So, for fat loss, you perform all the exercise straight through, and rest at the end of a complete circuit. I personally don’t even like to rest. I actually time my entire workout and the idea is to complete it as fast possible, straight through.

Here is what a sample mass gain circuit would look like:

3 rounds of:

• Pushups
• Rest 30-60 seconds
• Pullups
• Rest 30-60 seconds
• Squats
• Rest 30-60 seconds

As you see, even though we’re performing exercises back to back, we’re still resting in between each set. We are doing this because the exercises you’re performing for mass gain will be much more difficult than fat loss. Hence, you will need greater recovery time.

Use the same concept with supersets, trisets, and interval training. The idea is to perform progressively difficult exercises in a high intensity format, using rest periods that allow partial recovery. I don’t agree with resting 2-3 minutes after each set, UNLESS it takes you 2-3 minutes for partial recovery.

One of the reasons why I like circuit training for mass gain is because when you perform one exercise, rest, then move onto another exercise, your muscles are getting rest even though your heart is being worked. In other words, in the above example workout, you’re notreting 30-60 seconds after the pushup, you’re actually resting your chest, shoulders, and triceps muscles for 90 to 180 seconds.

You must take into account that you’re performing a set of Pullups, then resting, and a set of squats, then resting. This is one of the best ways to design an all around mass program.

I hope I’ve shed some light on how to effectively pack on more muscle with bodyweight training. For the average guy or athlete, bodyweight training can be a powerful way to improve your strength and mass. However, it won’t make you a bodybuilder.

If you’re looking to use bodyweight training to look like a bodybuilder, then I’d urge you to check out Bartendaz, or join your local gymnastics gym. Gymnasts are one of the best conditioned athletes with the perfect blend of size and cuts.

If your goal is to add lean muscle mass with bodyweight training, then you want to grab a copy of Craig Ballantyne’s Bodyweight Bodybuilding 2.0

For a more general approach to bodyweight training, check out some other Craig Ballantyne’s Bodyweight Workouts.

Tags: bodyweight exercises, bodyweight mass, bodyweight workouts, mass gain, muscle mass