"Bodyweight
or Barbells?" A popular question is being
raised more and more often in the Strength and Conditioning
realm – should I perform bodyweight calisthenics, barbell
(and other weighted) movements, or both? And the answer is…
…it depends.
I know, I know – that is NOT the answer you wanted. But,
to adequately address the above question, one must know what
they are training for. For example, if you are a middle-aged
father, who works a full-time job (plus overtime), raises three
kids, tackles projects around the house, and shuttles kids to
games and practices 3-4 times per week, then obviously, general
fitness and overall health would probably (save for the outside
circumstance) be your goal. As such, a good routine of bodyweight
calisthenics combined with a decent diet will accomplish this
goal. However, if you are an NCAA collegiate football player
trying to gain “good” bodyweight for the sake of
being a “starter” on the offensive line, then a
good weight lifting program would be in order.
Let’s take a look at the characteristics, as well as
some of the “Pro’s” and “Con’s”
of each. That way, you can then hopefully determine which (or
both) will help you attain your individual goal(s).
BODYWEIGHT CALISTHENICS
Most calisthenics are done with a higher number of reps in
mind. Unless you are somewhat out of shape, most basic calisthenics
can be done for quite a few reps (many times, in the hundreds
or even thousands). Now, there are some exceptions (say Pull-ups
or Chins, for example) and there are some calisthenics that
can be pretty darn tough to do until you get strong enough (examples
would include Handstand Push-Ups, One-Legged Squats, Flags,
One-Armed Chins, etc.). Having said this, it would be fairly
logical to say that performing calisthenics (unless it be one
of the aforementioned “exceptions”) would not really
get you that much stronger (in terms of brute or “limit”
strength). They will, however, give you a certain amount of
endurance. They can be used to tax the cardiovascular system
to a degree, and they are great for just a good overall level
of fitness.
“Pro’s”
-no equipment needed
-can be done anywhere
-it is fairly easy to increase your (overall) rep count
-give you an amount of “body awareness”
-there are countless different calisthenics, so routine change
can be VERY frequent
“Con’s”
-the heaviest you can go in any movement is your bodyweight
(this is good for some exercises and bad for others)
-a somewhat limited amount of exercises to build strength,
as opposed to endurance (once you get to a certain point, things
such as balance, technique, and such become more of an issue
than strength)
-doing many (e.g. hundreds or more) of reps may lead to joint
“wear and tear” over the long term
-how strong one is in comparison to his bodyweight may or may
not be indicative of any real training benefits (e.g. –
a 250 lb. lineman is going to have a lot tougher time performing
exercises than a 120 lb. gymnast – but the lineman is
still stronger)
-it can be somewhat difficult to add muscle size by performing
only calisthenics
BARBELL (AND OTHER WEIGHTED) MOVEMENTS
We all pretty much know what we can do with Barbells. Barbell
(when I say “barbell,” I use it to mean/stand for
all weighted exercises – barbell, dumbbell, sandbag, etc.)
movements are virtually limitless in their scope of what they
can perform and accomplish. They can be used with lower reps
and higher weight to build strength. They can be used with higher
reps and lower weight to build an amount of endurance and to
induce muscle mass size increase(s). Olympic lifts can be used
to develop explosiveness. The only thing limiting how much strength
you develop is how much weight you have to put on the bar.
“Pro’s”
-can accomplish a large variety of goals (strength, endurance,
increase muscle mass, strength-endurance, explosiveness, etc.)
-number of exercises is virtually limitless
-the same exercise can be worked in different fashions (e.g.
– a professional strongman can perform heavy, 4-5 rep
curls to help his pulling strength while a bodybuilder can perform
moderate, 8-12 rep curls to help build biceps mass)
“Con’s”
-money outlay is necessary (either in the form of a gym membership
or in buying the weights yourself) – this can be either
large or small – it depends on what you’re purchasing
-a certain amount of space is required
-not (necessarily) portable (as are calisthenics)
From here, what you choose to do is up to you. You have to
look at your goals, what you have time (and money) for, what
you have access to, what you enjoy, etc. Determine which of
the above can best help you meet those goals. One last tip –
there is no rule that says you have to either perform calisthenics
or barbell movements. You can do both…
Set up (or get help in setting up) a good routine, and get
to work.
Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.
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