Bodyweight Training That Still Builds Muscle

Many people assume bodyweight training is for conditioning and that building muscle requires a barbell. That is only partly true. Muscle grows in response to how hard a set is, and a body can supply that signal if the exercise is hard enough.

What actually builds muscle

A muscle fiber has to be recruited and worked hard before it gets the signal to grow. With a light load, the body starts with smaller, easier fibers. As they tire, it has to call in larger fibers to keep the movement going. By the last few reps before failure, most of the muscle is working.

That is why studies comparing light and heavy loads find similar muscle growth when every set ends within a few reps of failure. Heavy loads still build more maximal strength, but for muscle size, effort is the main driver. Twenty easy push ups do little. Twelve push ups that leave you with one or two more in the tank do a lot.

Making bodyweight harder

The problem with bodyweight is that you get stronger and the load stays the same. When a set reaches about 30 reps, it stops being efficient. The fix is to make the exercise harder rather than doing more of it.

• Harder variations. Push ups move to feet elevated, then to a slow deficit push up between two chairs. Split squats move to rear foot elevated split squats, then to single leg squats to a bench.
• Slower tempo. Lowering for 3 to 4 seconds keeps the muscle under tension longer and makes a set of 10 feel like a set of 20.
• Pauses. A two second pause at the bottom of a squat or push up removes the bounce.
• Pulling. This is the gap in most bodyweight plans. A row under a sturdy table, lying underneath and pulling your chest to the edge, works the back. Walk your feet forward to make it easier and straighten your body to make it harder.

A reasonable week is 2 to 3 sessions, with about 10 hard sets per muscle group across the week.

When you need load

Bodyweight runs out first in the legs. Strong legs adapt to bodyweight quickly, and single leg work only delays the point where you need weight in your hands. It also runs out when the goal is maximal strength, or when the goal is bone. Bone responds to heavy load and impact, and bodyweight alone is often not enough for someone with low bone density.

A pair of dumbbells, a backpack with books in it, or a heavy band covers a lot of that ground before a gym membership is needed.

The plan that works is the one built around what you have, how you train and what you are trying to change. That's what we build for members.

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This article is educational and is not medical advice.