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The Top 10 Bodyweight Exercis
by | 03/09/15
Here's what you need to know...
To continually gain strength using nothing but your own body weight, you have to put yourself
ata mechanical disadvantage.
* Ifyou aren't able to do an L-sit, start with your knees bent, then as you get stronger straighten
out your legs, You can also ease into the pistol squat by holding onto a bench or using a weight,
as leverage
+ Handstand push-ups, back levers, and back bridges can increase mobility and help with basic
barbell exercises.
+ Muscle-ups, human flags, one-arm pull-ups, and planches will increase strength and can to
improved performance on your favorite lifts.
Don't Underestimate Bodyweight Training
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There's no limit to how strong you can get using nothing but your own body weight for resistance. It's
all about understanding how to manipulate body leverage to put yourself at a mechanical
disadvantage
The exercises below don't necessarily need to replace any of your favorite barbell or dumbbell,
exercises. In fact, using them to supplement your weight training may even translate to an increase on
your main lifts
Test your mettle against these moves and see how many you can perform. You might be surprised
how few of the feats below are currently within your capabilities. With practice and determination,
however, moves that may seer x tually be unlocked and
conquered,
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1. L-Sit Dose
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One of the most fundamental skills in gymnastics, the L-sit is an isometric exercise that involves
holding your body upright on your palms with your legs held straight out in front, so the shape of your
body resembles a capital letter "L."
This move works your entire body, particularly emphasizing the abs. You'll also need powerful triceps
and better than average flexibility in your hips and hamstrings to hold this position
Though the L-sit is typically performed on the floor with the hands placed palms-down just outside
your hips, feel free to perform them on an elevated object if you're having trouble performing them on
the ground, Doing so will give you more leeway to lift into the hold.
Iryou arent able to achieve a full L-sit yet, you can practice working up to this move with a bent-knee
variant and gradually progress to straightening your legs over time
2. Back Bridge
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Even with bodyweight training's new popularity, back bridges are still often left out of most strength
training programs. This timeless exercise can be surprisingly challenging, so it's easy to allow it to fall
to the wayside in favor of more fun or exciting moves.
From strengthening your glutes, spinal erectors, and other posterior musculature, to providing a
stretch for your hip flexors, abs, shoulders and chest, the benefits of bridging are well worth the effort.
A lot of strong guys have a hard time with the mobility aspect of the bridge. In fact, that's part of why
I recommend them to lifters. Even if calisthenics aren't your scene, practicing toward a full back
bridge can be a great way to improve mobility in your shoulders, pelvis, and spine. It might even help
your deadlift, too.
3. Muscle-Up
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Over the last several years, the muscle-up has become one of the most popular bodyweight exercises
out there, and for good reason
Muscle-ups give you a lot of bang for your buck, combining the classic pull-up and dip along with the
addition of the deceptively difficult transition phase. Besides being a fantastic upper-body exercise,
the muscle-up also requires tremendous abdominal recruitment.
Related: _Muscle-Ups: The Ultimate Upper Body Exercise
Though being able to do double-digits in pull-ups and dips is typically a prerequisite for muscle-ups,
it can still take a considerable amount of practice to learn the technique and timing
Even if you're already strong, you won't be able to bust out a muscle-up without spending some time
learning the subtleties of the movement pattern.
4. Pistol Squat
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The pistol squat combines strength, balance, and flexibility in a way that few other exercises can.
Though often referred to as a "one legged squat,” the pistol demands harmony throughout the entire
body
In fact, people are often caught off guard the first time they try this move because it requires a lot of
strength and flexibility in the non-squatting leg. The ability to squat a lot of weight on two legs can be
helpful when attempting this move, but even those who can barbell squat twice their bodyweight often
struggle with the stability needed to do a clean pistol
Related: Breaking Down the Pistol Squat
Just like the other moves on this list, you can work towards doing pistol squats by changing the
leverage or giving yourself an assist from an external object like a bench or a doorframe. Once you've
gotten comfortable with the basic variation, you can advance the move by placing your hands behind
your back for an additional challenge
5. Handstand Push-up
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Someone who can overhead press close to his entire bodyweight is very strong. The handstand push-
up requires the same strength, plus the ability to keep your cool while holding yourself upside-down
on your hands.
Like all bodyweight exercises, handstand push-ups require no equipment and can easily be regressed
by changing the leverage.
Ifyou aren't able to do a full handstand push-up, start with a pike push-up by putting your feet on a
box or step and bending your body in half at the waist. This places less of your weight in your arms,
while still allowing you to press your torso from an inverted position.
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Practicing handstand push-ups against the wall has its benefits, but the freestanding handstand push-
up is a unique animal. Learning a freestanding handstand on its own is a formidable task, but add to
that the stability and strength to lower all the way down and press yourself back up and you've got
yourself a serious challenge.
Back Lever
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The back lever is another move with its origins in gymnastics. The move finds the body suspended
face-down in mid-air with the only contact points being two hands holding a bar or rings
Though the least difficult of the various body levers, the back lever is still a powerful move for the
entire posterior chain — hams, glutes, lower back, upper-back — as well as the grip and biceps,
particularly when performed with the gymnastics-style supinated grip.
Like all the lever variants, the back lever is best learned first with the legs in a tucked position. From
here one can progress to a single leg tuck and then a straddle leg position before finally performing
the move with both legs together
You can also try starting at a high angle and gradually work on lowering your body toward being
parallel to the ground, Aim to avoid excessive arching of your spine when practicing the back lever.
Though arching isn't inherently dangerous, a deep arch can make the move significantly less difficult.
Human Flag
Performed by holding the outstretched body sideways against a vertical pole (or two parallel bars that
are stacked vertically), the human flag is one of the most eye-catching of all bodyweight feats of
strength.
Related: How to Perform the Human Flag
What the back lever does for the posterior chain, the human flag does for the lateral chain. In other
words, this move will work the sides of your body to an extreme degree!
Front Lever
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The ultimate display of straight-arm pulling prowess, the front lever involves holding your entire body
face-up and outstretched beneath a pull-up bar like you're floating on air. The lats, arms, delts, chest
and abs all play their part in making the front lever happen
‘Though the front lever and back lever appear to be fairly similar, most people find that holding a front
lever takes considerably more strength. Begin practicing with your legs tucked and slowly progress
toward extending them over time.
One-Arm Pull-Up
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Considered by many to be the holy grail of pull-up prowess, there are few better examples of pound-
for-pound strength than the one-arm pull-up.
Just to be clear, we're not talking about the kind where your other hand is holding your wrist (though
that variant, which I prefer to call a one-handed pull-up, can be an early step toward a true OAP). In
the exercise I'm talking about, the other arm never touches the pulling arm.
‘As we get into elite level skills like this one, it becomes increasingly important to be aware of your
connective tissue. It's not uncommon for people to develop tendinitis when beginning their quest for
the one arm pull-up, so ease in slowly and don't be shortsighted
Though a solid foundation in two-arm pull-ups is obviously a prerequisite for performing this move,
the one-arm pull-up is a fickle mistress that requires lots of patience and skill-specific training
Start by just getting comfortable hanging from one arm, then start working on a one-arm flexed hang
Eventually you can start doing controlled negatives on one arm. If you're patient and diligent, one day
you might achieve a full one-arm pull-up.
10. Planche
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The ultimate in gravity-defying isometric holds, the full planche is most commonly seen in
competitive gymnastics and high-level breakdancing, although it's popping up more and more in
"street workout" competitions and other extreme calisthenics settings.
‘Though often performed on parallel bars or other elevated surfaces, the planche is most challenging
when held on the floor. ‘The progression to the full planche usually begins with both legs tucked close
to the chest before advancing to a straddle-legged position and ultimately the full planche with both
legs straight and fully extended,
This move can be brutal on your connective tissue as well as your muscles. Respect the difficulty
level of this one! Just holding a tuck planche can be extremely humbling, so start there and build up to
30 seconds before going for the full monty
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