Brief high intensity bodyweight workout at home without equipment

[luisHK]

There is also another factor, memory of what we used to look like. That mental image is burning into our brains and what we see in the mirror today is being compared to that memory. I suppose if one never really had much of a physique that wouldn't be a problem, but for others it's a mental hurdle to being satisfied. At 22 I was 6'5" and weighed 205 with a 33" waist. At 40 I weighed 215 but had a 36" waist. WTF? Now at 67 I weigh 235 and have a "tight" 38" waist. BIG WTF? People tell me I look great' "for my age" being the qualifier. All I see is the fat fuck compared to the 22 year old.

I get your point but you got me confused here. Compared to the way I measure waist that would mean you would wear like 48 suit size, which seems very slim for your weight, you wouldn't be able to fit strong thighs in there, let alone your upper back and shoulders. That's what happens with the size 50s i used to wear a few years back when significantly slimmer and less muscular. Yet google tells me you are probably wearing size 54, I must be measuring waist wrong, as I can still wear 54 (56 might be better...) but tape several inches more than you ?!?
Not sure how hip size plays into that.

 

[RRY16]

There is also another factor, memory of what we used to look like. That mental image is burning into our brains and what we see in the mirror today is being compared to that memory. I suppose if one never really had much of a physique that wouldn't be a problem, but for others it's a mental hurdle to being satisfied. At 22 I was 6'5" and weighed 205 with a 33" waist. At 40 I weighed 215 but had a 36" waist. WTF? Now at 67 I weigh 235 and have a "tight" 38" waist. BIG WTF? People tell me I look great' "for my age" being the qualifier. All I see is the fat fuck compared to the 22 year old.

Try and wrestle up some trim, that should boost your confidence.

 

[destriero]

Try and wrestle up some trim, that should boost your confidence.

Capt is 6'5" while standing on a stool.

Capt overhead at the Cheetah Gym, "He must work out!"

 

[Frederick Foresight]

Well, it's probably not because of the exclusion of upper body single joint (isolation) exercises. A look at 23 studies on the subject:

https://www.researchgate.net/public...ti-Joint_Exercises_during_Resistance_Training

(I've already reported on this study a while back: https://www.elitetrader.com/et/thre...d-losing-fat-2015.292625/page-84#post-4401254 )

Here are a couple of others, the first looking at untrained young men and the second at trained women:

https://www.researchgate.net/public...trength_and_hypertrophy_in_untrained_subjects

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30487418

An article on the different studies, including one conducted on 17 national-level baseball players:

http://www.infinitelabs.com/single-joint-exercises-do-you-really-need-them/

One more for the road, this time looking at the addition of single joint exercises to multiple joint exercises in subjects using steroids and subjects not using steroids:

https://www.researchgate.net/public...pometric_changes_in_recreational_bodybuilders

...In conclusion, our study shows that the addition of SJ [single joint] exercises to MJ [multiple joint] exercises brings no additional benefit in terms of muscle performance and anthropometric [size] changes in trained men, either if they were using AAS [androgenic anabolic steroids] or not.

Of course, the drug users had better outcomes than did the non-users, but this was independent of the performance of SJ exercises.

 

[NoiseTraderr]

Not having a gym membership is inexcusable IMO. To me if you don't have a gym membership that you use , you don't understand life and what creates happiness.
I don't know anyone that needs less physical stimulus and less reason to leave the house in 2019.
If you want to understand training, get Supertraining by Verkhoshansky and Siff.
They figured everything out 30 years ago. There is nothing left to learn.

 

[Frederick Foresight]

If you want to understand training, get Supertraining by Verkhoshansky and Siff.

My understanding is that periodization has no real value for anyone other than competitive athletes to time their readiness for competition.

 

[Frederick Foresight]

Well, it's probably not because of the exclusion of upper body single joint (isolation) exercises. A look at 23 studies on the subject:

https://www.researchgate.net/public...ti-Joint_Exercises_during_Resistance_Training

(I've already reported on this study a while back: https://www.elitetrader.com/et/thre...d-losing-fat-2015.292625/page-84#post-4401254 )

Here are a couple of others, the first looking at untrained young men and the second at trained women:

https://www.researchgate.net/public...trength_and_hypertrophy_in_untrained_subjects

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30487418

An article on the different studies, including one conducted on 17 national-level baseball players:

http://www.infinitelabs.com/single-joint-exercises-do-you-really-need-them/

One more for the road, this time looking at the addition of single joint exercises to multiple joint exercises in subjects using steroids and subjects not using steroids:

https://www.researchgate.net/public...pometric_changes_in_recreational_bodybuilders

...In conclusion, our study shows that the addition of SJ [single joint] exercises to MJ [multiple joint] exercises brings no additional benefit in terms of muscle performance and anthropometric [size] changes in trained men, either if they were using AAS [androgenic anabolic steroids] or not.

Of course, the drug users had better outcomes than did the non-users, but this was independent of the performance of SJ exercises.

No one has commented on these findings, but they are a pretty big deal if accepted at face. Consider the number (and sets) of single joint exercises that most people do. I've seen some people in the gyms I've worked out at focusing most of their efforts on SJ exercises. And although they have never been my focus, I've done my share of SJs in years past. According to the above noted studies, collectively examining everyone from novices to steroid users, if the appropriate compound exercises were performed (which they always should be), then all of the SJ exercises were a waste of time and recovery resources. Not to mention useless wear and tear.

 

[Frederick Foresight]

And now for an update on the update.

Since my last post, I continued with this leg workout for a time, but started getting annoyed with my grip giving out too soon on the dumbbells. The last time I did them in this manner, a few weeks ago, I did about 10-11 reps until my grip gave out, immediately followed by four 20-second-rep unweighted squats, immediately followed by 4-5 dumbbell squats, immediately followed by another 4 unweighted squats, immediately followed by another 3-4 dumbbell squats and then finally 4 more unweighted, slower squats. Never locking legs at the top, and holding for a couple of seconds at the bottom, maintaining continuous tension.

Here's what I found. The 20-second-rep unweighted squats seemed tougher on my legs than the ~8-second-rep dumbbell (2x65lbs) squats. So, for a few workouts, I did a full set of 20-second-rep bodyweight squats, rested about 10-15 seconds and then did a set of 8-10 pistol squats at "regular" speed for each leg with a couple of 15lb dumbbells, with almost no rest between legs. I rested for at least a minute and then did the whole thing again, but with fewer reps in each instance, obviously. It seemed more satisfying than having my grip give out too soon on heavier dumbbells. However, I just wasn't sure if 20-second-reps were the way to go.

And then I came across this article last weekend:

https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/a-better-alternative-to-pistol-squats-skater-squats

I was put off that the author was so critical of pistol squats, but some of his rationale made sense and gave me some pause. I then came across this link:

https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19524102/pistol-squat-to-skater-squat/

And so, on Monday I tried the alternating pistol/skater squat with two 15-pound dumbbells. (I prefer holding the dumbbells at my sides and then moving them forward at the bottom of the movement as a counterbalance rather than the "goblet" approach in the 2 videos.) Maintaining continuous tension throughout, I was barely able to do 12 reps (6 of each) before reaching failure. And that was at about 5 or 6 seconds per rep. I went as deep as possible for the skater, with the knee of my non-working leg almost touching the ground near the heel of my working leg, and holding for a couple of seconds. The non-working leg never touches the ground.

What I found is that the skater squats targeted the legs better than the pistols! Quads, hams and glutes. On Thursday, I did only skater squats with the dumbbells and it felt right. I did a set of 12 (to failure), rested for a couple of seconds and then did a few more reps to failure. Rested for something over a minute and then did the other leg in the same way. Rested somewhere between 1 and 2 minutes and repeated the process. Done.

Admittedly, it was not as fancy as the pistol squats (and I'm all about the fancy!), but it felt harder on my legs. In comparing the two, when doing weighted pistols, they really took the stuffing out of me, but I realized in the direct comparison that pistols were harder on my "core" than the skaters, whereas the skaters were almost all about the leg. And so, I decided to focus on legs when doing...legs. This will be my new upper leg routine.

I stopped doing skater squats several months ago. I hurt one side of my lower back a little bit early last year in a non-exercise related incident, and I found that the skaters exacerbated it. This is because I had to really arch my back on the side of the non-working leg to keep it from touching the ground in order to get any real depth with the working leg.

And so, I'm back to doing pistols, ATG, but with only a couple of light dumbbells mostly for counterbalance. I'm doing them more slowly, smoothly and with no lapse in tension throughout the set. This is unlike the "breathing" pistols that I had done in the past with heavier dumbbells, which I did faster and which required that I lock my knees at the top of the movement about half way through the set to catch my breath for a couple of seconds so I could continue. Because it's smoother and lighter, I'm sure it's safer. To failure, of course. Whereas I did 17 to 19 reps with the breathers, I top out at a couple reps shy of this range with the lighter dumbbells and no release in tension throughout.

It only occurred to me to update my earlier post because yesterday I came across the facebook page of the guy who dissed the pistols in favor of the skaters. The guy has his clients doing some goofball exercises, so his credibility has taken a dip as far as I'm concerned:

https://www.facebook.com/AdvancedHumanPerformance

So much for that "advanced human performance" interlude.

 

[TRS]

No one has commented on these findings, but they are a pretty big deal if accepted at face. Consider the number (and sets) of single joint exercises that most people do. I've seen some people in the gyms I've worked out at focusing most of their efforts on SJ exercises. And although they have never been my focus, I've done my share of SJs in years past. According to the above noted studies, collectively examining everyone from novices to steroid users, if the appropriate compound exercises were performed (which they always should be), then all of the SJ exercises were a waste of time and recovery resources. Not to mention useless wear and tear.

Thanks for that. As I’ve got older compound multi joint exercises are basically all I do.
Less time spent in the gym, stronger feel in the body, less wear and tear and just easier on the body.
Especially once you have a good base of training, multi joint exercises just make sense holistically.
My biceps are something that need just that little bit of attention and are easily isolated with 3 sets of barbell curls once a week. Nothing major there.
If I do squats, dips, push-up variations, overhead barbell press, pull-ups, upright rows ( yep, I know the supposed dangers ) I’ve got my MY requirements covered.
Good to see a supporting paper on Multi joint training.

 

[DallasCowboysFan]

It only occurred to me to update my earlier post because yesterday I came across the facebook page of the guy who dissed the pistols in favor of the skaters. The guy has his clients doing some goofball exercises, so his credibility has taken a dip as far as I'm concerned:

https://www.facebook.com/AdvancedHumanPerformance

So much for that "advanced human performance" interlude.

Hahaha.........I watched his FB videos. Goofball is an understatement. The benefit of those exercises is questionable and many of them look like they are prone to accidents.