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Dozen 12 Bodyweight Subs Thu Nov 24, 2011 5:42 pm

A Dirty Dozen
Twelve Bodyweight Subs

By Paul Wade
Unlike most guys who get asked about training, I'm not some hotshot personal trainer who knows his way
around a gym. In fact, if you showed me around a modern gym, I probably wouldn't know what half the
crap in there even does. Most of the hardcore training I've done has been in a jail cell.
I spent nearly twenty years of my adult life in prison—first State, then eventually Federal. That should tell
you two things about me, straight away. Firstly, that I'm not a kid any more; and, secondly, that I've done
some very, very stupid things in my life. I'm certainly not proud of them, and if I hadn't gotten involved
with the drug scene at a young age, they never would've happened. But they did. At least I picked up a
lot of pretty cool knowledge on bodyweight training while I was behind bars, and, hopefully, I can share
some of it with you.
Like a lot of guys who love to train, I get into some pretty heavy discussions about workout methods.
There was one discussion in particular I'll never forget. About seven or eight years back, I got into a
conversation with a very large powerlifter from Boston. He was telling me how lame all the new machines
in modern gyms were. “Modern lifters should go old school,” he kept saying. “Less is more. Get rid of the
Swiss balls, Nautilus machines, electronic lifting equipment and all that other garbage. Then you'll be
able to focus on what matters.” For the most part, I agreed with the dude.
He didn't like current training methods either, and he wasn't afraid to say so. “People focus on every new
fad that rolls around.” He spat. “Old-time strongmen didn't do this. They didn't bomb and blitz with high
reps, giant sets, or super-advanced periodized routines. They just lifted heavy iron. Real strength is about
the basics. Less is more!”
Less is more was a theme of his training philosophy. It's a pretty good theme, usually. So I challenged
this guy.
“Do you really believe less is more when it comes to strength work?”, I asked him.
“F*** yeah! Absolutely!”, he nodded with total conviction.
“So, if less really is more when it comes to training, why don't you get rid of the barbells and dumbbells?”,
I asked.
He looked kind of perplexed, and eventually wandered off.
I wasn't joking with the big guy. He had a point, though; if you really want to turn up your training, for the
most part you need to get back to basics. Sometimes going back to basics means forgetting even the
sacred barbells and dumbbells you love so much, and going real old school—with bodyweight strength
training techniques. The kind of training athletes used centuries before barbells, training machines, or
steroids were even thought of.
I'm not talking about high rep crunches or jumping jacks, either. I mean the kind of stuff convicts still do to
get into peak shape. Brutal, punishing calisthenics that will quickly ramp up strength, increase muscle
mass, improve co-ordination, thicken the tendons and ligaments, and focus the mind while generating
willpower. In other words, the kind of training that would send most modern bodybuilders running to the
hills.
Bodyweight alternatives to weights and machines
All you big time iron pumpers out there, don't panic. The point of this article isn't to try and turn you all off
the weights. (Besides, if I tried to do that here, my pal Rob Drucker would probably kick my a$$. He loves
picking up the heavy stuff, for some reason.)
Even if you are in love with the big iron, there are a thousand reasons why you might want to substitute a
weight/machine exercise for a bodyweight technique. Well...maybe not a thousand reasons. I've been
told a million times that I exaggerate too much. Anyway, here are a few potential reasons to consider:

Maybe a weighted movement in your routine is hurting your shoulder/back/elbow/wrist/knee? In the age-
old battle between iron and flesh, iron always wins. To help heal those war wounds, try using a
bodyweight alternative to the exercise that hurts.
Do you feel like picking up some skill while you train? The majority of weighted movements—especially
those used in bodybuilding—are fairly low skill. In most cases, moving your entire body requires more
balance and co-ordination than just lifting a weight. (Compare seated machine presses to handstand
pushups.)
Stuck on some crummy-a$$ diet? As your bodyweight shoots down, those heavy squats and bench
presses will start to feel bone-crushing, and your motivation may wane. But, calisthenics—pushups,
pullups and the like—will seem easier than ever as you get lighter. Why not throw them in to keep a smile
on your face?
Maybe you're just plain bored with hoisting up metal, and you want to insert something different into your
routine. Bodyweight moves fit the bill, bro. Variety is the spice of life.
Looking to pack on some fresh, high-quality muscle? Check out a male gymnast's arms. Those guys train
exclusively with bodyweight. ‘Nuff said.
Hell, maybe you're just going to be away from the gym on chest day, or whatever. Most bodyweight
moves can be done with zero (or minimal) equipment.

Get the idea? There are plenty of good reasons you might want to pass on a weighted technique to work
a body part, and focus on old school calisthenics instead. It's beyond the scope of this article to give you
a complete bodyweight workout for each and every body part, so let's take a shotgun approach instead.
I'm gonna give you a bunch of standard gym exercises with weights or machines, and for each one I'm
going to describe a suitable bodyweight substitute. Your job—just for a month, or even a couple of weeks
—is to pick one of these bodyweight subs and integrate it into your training. It won't kill ya.
Below, I've listed a dozen weighted exercises, and I have given a bodyweight substitute for each one.
Why a dozen? Why not? I always liked that war movie The Dirty Dozen, and these bodyweight moves
should be considered your new recruits in the War on Weakness. So let's fight!
1. Bench Press—subbed with—Walking Pushup
A lot of bodybuilders these days like to adjust the bench press unit to different angles over several sets
“to hit all the muscle fibers of the pectorals and front deltoids.” Some guys like to start with flat bench
presses, then, throw in a slight incline; then, even more of an incline. This common habit is probably
something the training world picked up from Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Whatever happened to him?)
Demonstration of the Bench Press. The Bench Press is a popular exercise among bodybuilders.
Photograph courtesy of Vic Magary.
In reality, if you want to work your whole chest area, including the front of your shoulders, you don't need
an adjustable bench, or even a lot of sets. Try walking pushups instead.
Get into the classic pushup position, body and hips aligned, legs together, and arms straight. Now, do a
single pushup—all the way down until your chest is a fist-width from the floor. Then come back up. So far,
so good. Now comes the different bit. Rest all of your weight on your right arm for a second, as you place
your left hand about six inches forwards. When your left hand is flat on the floor again, perform another
pushup. You'll notice that the new angle feels a bit different. You're working your body in a new way. Now,
rest all your weight on the left hand, and move the right hand about six inches in front of the left, keeping
your arms shoulder width apart as you go. Now do another pushup, and repeat until fried and crispy.
Demonstration of the Walking Pushup, an excellent total-chest and torso exercise. Walking Pushups are
an excellent total-chest and torso exercise.
You'll have to move/drag your feet behind you, but that's just part of the total-body workout fun. If space
is limited, you can even learn to “walk” your pushups forwards and backwards.
Due to the alternating arm position, you are forced to press from unusual angles, and the chest and delts
are stimulated in a slightly different way than is experienced with the regular pushup. As a pretty little
added bonus, the walking pushup also stresses the core, the waist, the front of the hips, and the legs,
something bench pressing just can't do. Go slow, deep and strict for two painful sets.
Always do this exercise for uneven numbers (remember that sole regular pushup at the beginning?).
Other than that, the reps are up to you. Just make sure you quit before you collapse on the floor.
2. Bent-Over Row—subbed with—Horizontal Pull
No matter how much you love pulldowns, to develop your upper back muscles to their full potential, you
gotta devote some serious energy to horizontal pulling—pulling your arms back, rather than down. For
most gym-goers, this means heading over for some heavy barbell rowing.
Demonstration of the Bent-Over Row. The Bent-Over Row is a good muscle builder, but it can strain your
lower back. Photograph courtesy of Vic Magary.
I'm not a big fan of the barbell row. Sure, it builds muscle; but, bending over and trying to maintain your
position while holding a heavy bar is an accident waiting to happen. Luckily, there is an awesome
bodyweight alternative—horizontal pullups. Lie under a bar or base that's about the height of your solar
plexus. Grab hold of it with a shoulder width grip, and keep your body straight as you pull your chest up
to the base. Sound simple? Not!
I've written all about this great exercise in Convict Conditioning, so I won't focus too much on how to
progress here. The bottom line is, the more upright your body is (the higher your hands) the easier the
exercise becomes. However, doing horizontal pulls from a low base, such as a table, is a real bastard.
But once you've mastered it, say hello to a vice-like grip!
Jim Bathurst demonstrates the Horizontal Pull. Jim Bathurst is a master of the Horizontal Pull, and he
uses this exercise to build great power in his back and arms.
As many of my students have discovered, this exercise—done for two or three moderate-high-rep sets—
is sheer murder. It literally forces the upper back into new levels of strength and growth, not to mention
what it does to the arms. Some guys have put an inch or more on their guns just by working the
horizontal row hard. Plus, because your body is straight and there's very little weight running down your
spine, this exercise will increase your athletic ability without screwing up your lower back. You can even
pack on muscle with this move if your back is wrecked from too many barbell rows.
This here bodyweight training is magic stuff folks. Use it.
3. Press-Behind-Neck—subbed with—Hand-Balancing
Everyone who has read my stuff pretty much knows my views on the PBN. The shoulder girdle just
doesn't want to generate strength with the elbows forced outwards. This position places too much
grinding tension on those poor ol' rotator cuffs. Add a lot of heavy iron into this balance, and you will get
screwed up shoulders, eventually.
Illustration of the hand balancing technique. Hand balancing builds tremendous shoulder, arm, and back
power. Illustration taken from The York Handbalancing Course No. 1.
What's a great bodyweight alternative to build shoulder muscle and power? Try hand-balancing. I know it
sounds archaic, but it works. Walking around and standing on your hands not only works the hell out of
your shoulders, it does so fairly safely, because the rotator cuffs aren't put into unnatural, awkward
positions.
Many of the old-time lifters used hand-balancing as part of their routine, because it builds pressing power,
co-ordination, and hand and finger strength. There are plenty of instructions on the web telling you how
to get started, but if you take to hand-balancing, you will probably want to move on to more advanced
handstand work, like close handstand pushups, uneven handstand pushups, and so on. These
techniques are described in Convict Conditioning.
4. Machine Calf Raises—subbed with—Squatting Calf Raises
When you hit the gym, calf training is probably the last thing on your list. Calf training ain't sexy, and it's
not much fun either. It's often painful, and not in a good, “here comes the growth” way, either.
Because the calves carry your entire weight around all day, they are dense, powerful little muscles. This
means that when you work your calves hard in the gym, you can build up to tremendous weights on
standing calf raise machines. Many top guys exceed a thousand pounds on this exercise. Unfortunately,
in order to reach the calves, all this force has to be directed through the shoulders, spine, hips, and
knees. It not only hurts, it can also cause injury. No wonder calves are unpopular to train.
If all this weighted calf work is getting you down, I have a secret little bodyweight alternative for you to try.
Instead of standing up to work your calves, squat down. Grab hold of something in front of you to steady
yourself, get into a moderately close stance, and squat all the way down, keeping your heels on the floor.
From there, raise yourself onto your tiptoes. Don't rock forwards, and don't pull yourself up using your
hands. Try to use pure foot strength.
You'll notice that this is harder than a regular calf raise. Why? The reason has to do with physiology. The
larger muscles of the calf (the gastrocnemius) cross the ankle, as well as the knee. The smaller calf
muscle (called the soleus) only crosses the ankle. This means that when you bend your knees acutely,
the larger calf muscles switch off, but the smaller muscles—those key to ankle strength and stability—are
forced to do all the work. Neat, huh?
Demonstration of the Wrist Curl. The Wrist Curl does relatively little to build lower arm strength and mass.
Photograph courtesy of Everkinetic.
I know what you're thinking. “How can I progress on this exercise, Paul?” Easy. Here's a couple ideas.
When you can do three strict sets of thirty squatting calf raises, you can make things harder by doing the
exercise on a step, so that your heels can stretch right down. Still easy? Try doing the exercise on a flat
floor, but only on one leg. (For some people not used to leg raises or one-leg squats, keeping your other
leg up off the floor will be a great workout in itself!) You get the idea. There's always a way to make a
bodyweight exercise tougher.
Regular, weighted calf raises bulk up the big, showy muscles of the calf—the muscles bodybuilders need.
That's all well and good, but squatting calf raises reach straight to the functional muscles and tendons of
the ankles and feet. All moving force travels through the feet and ankles. Unless these end-links are
strong, a man cannot be strong, period. Once you can do three sets of thirty strict (no rocking or pulling!)
one-leg squatting calf raises, your ankles and feet will be about as strong as Superman's.
What are you waiting for? Try ‘em right now!
5. Wrist Curls—subbed with—Hanging Grip Work
Demonstration of the hanging exercise. The fundamental forearm exercise in your routine shouldn't be
wrist work, but good old-fashioned hanging.
Most bodybuilders and gym trainers don't know jack about productive hand and forearm training. The
guys who at least make some effort to train their forearms are usually reduced to a few sets of wrist curls
and reverse wrist curls—puny exercises which wear down your wrists and provide little in the way of true
lower arm strength and mass.
Forget these chickenshit shenanigans. If you really want to build strong hands and forearms, you have to
work your hands the way they evolved to work. Human hands evolved primarily to grip—to support our
own bodyweight as we moved through the trees. Look at our fellow apes, and you'll see what I mean. By
the Grace of God, we ain't swinging through the jungle like Tarzan any more, but the principle is the
same. To train your hands, jump up and grab that overhead bar!
There are plenty of ways to progress in hanging grip work, and I've outlined the ultimate program in
Convict Conditioning 2 (2011). If you want to work your grip like they do in prisons, focus on time-based
workouts. Try to extend the time you can hang each and every time you work out. When two arms are a
piece of cake, move to one-arm.
Just make sure you do your hanging work at the tail-end of your routine. If you hang before pullups or
hanging midsection work, your grip will suffer on these exercises. I don't want you falling on your a$$,
kid.
6. Curls—subbed with—Rope Climbing
Demonstration of the Barbell Curl. Curls are fun because they're easy. They're easy because they only
work the biceps through the weakest type of joint movement. Photograph courtesy of Everkinetic.
I know, I know. Why the hell would anybody want to swap curls for a bodyweight exercise? We all love
curls, right?
Think about the anatomy of the beloved biceps. The biceps muscle crosses two joints—the shoulder and
the elbow. This means that to stimulate (read: grow) your biceps to their maximum development, you
need to work them while moving your upper arms significantly. Curls can't do this. But, rope climbing will.
Back in ancient times, rope climbing was considered one of the ultimate methods for building huge
strength. Many systems for building total body strength were devised, using just a hanging rope. Sadly,
most of these have been lost. But, rope climbing was still considered a major league arm exercise right
up until the last century. Back in the 1900's, the guy with the biggest arms in the world was a Scot named
William Bankier. Old Bill didn't build his huge guns with steroids and curls. He just climbed a rope. He
swore by this exercise, and his arms were huge, even in a pre-steroid era.
A Renaissance manuscript depicts classical rope climbing methods. A Renaissance manuscript depicts
classical rope classical rope climbing methods.
Rope climbing is a real art, and once you get into it, you'll find there are plenty of ways you can improve
without adding weights. Once you can climb up and down a thick twenty foot rope ten times using your
legs to assist, work on going up using your arms and legs, and coming down using just your arms. When
you can do that, start work on going up and down using only your arms—which is a damn sight harder
than it sounds.
Bankier's favourite variation involved climbing a rope which was set at a 45 degree angle. This not only
gave him naturally huge biceps, but the climb—two minutes going up, two going down—gave him a grip
so strong that he could tear apart steel chains! Good luck getting that kind of power from wrist curls.
7. Lying Triceps Extensions—subbed with—Unilateral Triceps Dips
Back in gyms during the ‘eighties, lying triceps extensions were often known as “elbow wreckers”, and for
good reason. They stimulate the muscles without properly strengthening the axis joint, the elbow.
Illustration of Lying Triceps Extensions. If you wanted to invent a way to ruin your elbow joints, this move
would be a pretty good candidate. If you wanted to invent a way to ruin your elbow joints, this move
would be a pretty good candidate. Photograph courtesy of Everkinetic.
Take my advice—forget ‘em. Instead, try an exercise which will build total triceps mass and power—while
at the same time strengthening the all-important tendons of the wrist, forearm and elbow. The exercise is
the unilateral triceps dip. Grab something with your working hand. A racked bar, a fence, or the edge of a
sturdy table will do. Angle your body forwards, so that some bodyweight is going through your arm. Now
—smoothly and under control—just bend your arm, and push back. How hard this is depends on the
angle of your body. It can go from “easy” to “even Mighty Mouse couldn't do this!”
Illustration of Unilateral Triceps Dips. Old school bodybuilders knew the value of bodyweight triceps work.
Unilateral triceps dips are tricky. They require balance, control and training intelligence. But, once you've
mastered this great old standby, you can moderate the difficulty by altering your stance, and get an elite
level triceps workout anywhere, anytime. Warm up, then build to two or three sets of eight to ten reps per
side. Always focus on generating tension and maximising controlled effort, rather than just “going to
failure”.
8. Leg Curls—subbed with—Straight Bridges
Okay, let's talk hamstrings 101. The bulky part of the hamstring crosses the knee joint and the hip joint.
That means you can train your hammies two ways; you can do leg curls (bending at the knee), or you
can do deadlifts (bending at the hip). If you want to substitute something for leg curls in your routine,
deadlifts—especially stiff-leg deads—are a possible choice.
Illustration of the Standing Leg Curl. Leg curls are just one way of working the hamstrings. Photograph
courtesy of Everkinetic.
But, hold your horses there, Hoss. What about using a bodyweight exercise? Deadlifts are all well and
good, but—like barbell rows—they involve bending over with weight. This places pressure on your spine
while your discs are open. If you want to work your hamstrings through hip flexion without putting your
spine at risk, there's only one way to do it; you're going to have to learn to love the bridging family of
bodyweight movements.
Sure, I know a lot of guys think bridging is for wrestlers or yoga people. But, bridges are an amazing
exercise which will train your hamstrings while building a healthy spine and improving total body strength
and flexibility. Bodybuilders and strength athletes who don't work bridges are missing a seriously cool
weapon in their training armory.
The straight bridge is a really good example of a bridge variant that works the hamstrings. To perform
straight bridges, sit on the floor with your torso upright and your legs out in front of you. Your hands
should be on either side of your body and a few inches behind the level of your hips. From here,
smoothly and slowly raise your hips off the ground until your bodyweight is going through your palms and
heels. Maintain a perfectly straight body for a one-count, then smoothly lower yourself back to the start.
Jim Bathurst demonstrates the Straight Bridge exercise. At the top of the Straight Bridge, your body
should be perfectly aligned, hence the name.
Work up to three work sets of twenty-five reps. As always, build up intensity nice and slow—you want to
spend your training time putting strength in the bank, not withdrawing funds. If things get too easy, try
doing it on one leg for the same number of reps. If that gets easy—and if your whole body is strong—try
using one arm/one leg, and feel the pain!
As a side note, the straight bridge not only builds strong, healthy hamstrings, it also thrashes the hell out
of your triceps. Try it for high reps and you'll see what I mean. Work this beauty for a couple of months
and you'll have a horseshoe appear on the back of your arms. That's a free gift, just cuz I like ya.
9. Barbell Squats—subbed with—Tuck Jumps
I know you old-time strength guys love those heavy barbell squats. I understand that to many powerlifters
and old school bodybuilders the barbell back squat is like the Holy Grail, so I'm only going to offer a quick
suggestion here.
Demonstration photograph of the Barbell Squat. Heavy barbell squats can put a lot of stress on your
spine. Photograph courtesy of Vic Magary.
No matter how serious you are about squatting, everyone takes a layoff from time to time. Maybe it's to
recuperate for a new cycle; maybe it's to generate fresh motivation; or, maybe it's to offset nagging aches
and pains. There might be any number of reasons. But, when that time comes, here's something I want
you to try; next time you layoff heavy squats, substitute those squats with tuck jumps.
I know; some of you will think I'm crazy. Until you try it.
To do a tuck jump, start with a moderate, symmetrical stance, and explode up, tucking your knees as
high into your chest as you can. When you land, don't pause, but use the momentum to dip immediately
back down and spring up for rep two. Repeat.
This tip was actually given to me by a powerlifter. He considered a two-week period of tuck jumps—
performed three times a week for the two weeks—to be his secret weapon when he hit a squatting
plateau. If you try this, you'll understand his reasoning.
Demonstration of the Tuck Jump exercise. Tuck Jumps pack the legs and hips with speed, strength, and
mass.
Heavy barbell squatting is inevitably a fairly slow activity. Of course it is—there's a friggin' heavy weight
on your back. But moving slowly all the time can de-train the nervous system. Why should it maintain an
“explosive” gear if you never really move fast? Well, with tuck jumps you'll be moving just about as fast as
your legs can move. You'll throw off the slow, stiff movement patterns many heavy squatters seem to
cultivate. Plus, tuck jumps also work the hips and abs, training the legs to function as part of the anterior
chain—an important thing to remember if squatting is giving you a bad back. Tuck jumps are also a
wonderful calf workout.
I know that a lot of squatters worry about losing muscle and strength when they temporarily stop
squatting, but if you work your jumps hard this won't happen. Remember, when you jump explosively, you
aren't just moving your bodyweight. Due to a neat phenomenon known as compensatory acceleration,
your leg muscles also have to fight inertia during fast motions. This makes jumping a great strength
workout. The force is magnified on landing, and this stimulation ensures that your joints and soft tissues
stay as strong as possible for when you return to barbell work.
Demonstration of the Barbell Lunge. Barbell lunges are a popular leg movement these days. Photograph
courtesy of Vic Magary.
Build to three sets of twenty tuck jumps three times per week and you'll also get a cardio blast on top.
Something to think about once in a while, huh?
10. Barbell Lunges—subbed with—Knee Squats
Another old standby for barbell thigh training is the classic barbell lunge. The whole justification behind
lunges is that this move allows you to work each leg separately. In fact, this idea is kind of misleading.
Because you are working on both feet during lunges, both legs can “help out” to some degree. So, if
you're looking for a true unilateral exercises, lunges aren't the guy.
If you are currently using lunges at the end of your leg day to finish off your exhausted thighs, try
replacing them with a true unilateral leg exercise—knee squats. Stand up straight on one leg and bend
the other knee, so you can grab your foot. When you've gotten hold of your foot, pull your lower leg
towards you until your heel touches your butt. This effectively puts that leg out of commission. Now bend
your working leg until your other knee gently touches the ground. (I know it sounds easy. It's not.)
Smoothly push back up, and try not to lean too far forward during the exercise.
Al Kavadlo demonstrates a perfect knee squat. Al Kavadlo demonstrates a perfect knee squat.
Photograph courtesy of Al Kavadlo.
Use this as a finisher, or to re-balance any strength differential in the quadriceps. Various rep set and rep
ranges can be applied, depending on where you place knee squats in your program. An athlete who can
manage fifty perfect reps on both legs is doing something very right. Say hello to knee health, brother.
11: Weighted Side Bends—subbed with—Human Flag
Everyone knows how to work their abs. But, when it comes to the obliques and the muscles running up
the side of the midsection, people aren't so sure. Maybe this part of the body gets thrown a few side
crunches or dumbbell side bends as an afterthought. Maybe it gets nothing.
Illustration of the Side Bend. Side bends are an isolation exercise for the lateral midsection. Photograph
courtesy of Everkinetic.
If you want to keep the muscles of your flanks tight and powerful, you don't need weights or crunches.
You need human flag work, baby! Grab a vertical pole and hold it to your chest, as you stick both feet out
horizontally. Trust me...this is harder than it sounds. When you get good at this “easy” version with the
pole hugged to your chest, you can try to perform the human flag at arm's length. You can do this with a
vertical pole or two horizontal bars, like you'd find on a climbing frame.
This variation will not only give you a waist like tempered steel, it will also work the hell out your grip, your
arms, your shoulders, your ribcage, and your lats. In fact, if you want to be as good at the flag as Al
Kavadlo (pictured below), you better be real strong in every muscle of your body. The flag finds weak
links and fixes them—quick!
12: Cardio Rowing Machine—subbed with—Rollovers
I put this one on the list “just because”. Somebody told me once that no bodyweight exercise could ever
rival the cardio rowing machine, because the rowing machine develops pulling strength, works the entire
body as a unit, and develops stamina and lung power.
Al Kavadlo busts out a flag on two horizontal bars. In this variant, Al Kavadlo busts out a flag on two
horizontal bars. Photograph courtesy of Al Kavadlo.
 s**t—if you need to row out somewhere to dump a body I can see the appeal, but otherwise we can do
better than this artificial crap! For a full body cardio workout (plus pulling power, grip strength, and a
hardcore waist workout) try rollovers.
Jump up and hang from a high bar with a shoulder-width grip. Lift your feet as you pull down, and lever
your legs right up and round over the bar. Let your body follow your feet, and control your descent until
you are hanging back where you started. That's one rep. The explanation might sound complex, but
basically you are just rolling yourself up and round the bar, right back to where you started. It's tricky at
first, but you soon get into a rhythm.
Once you can do fifty rollovers in a row, your total body cardio power will be through the roof. And you'll
never need to plop down into an imaginary boat again.
Lights out!
Bingo—I kept a promise (for once). There's twelve tasty bodyweight subs for your training toolbox. Don't
thank me; just send money.
Al Kavadlo performing Rollovers on a horizontal bar. The amazing Al Kavadlo doesn't need a gym to get
a cardio workout. Here he is shown doing Rollovers to build great strength and health. Photograph
courtesy of Al Kavadlo.
Now, I'm not suggesting you use all these bodyweight techniques. If you're a seasoned visitor to
http://musclesofiron.com/, you already know that the best routines are all about quality—not quantity.
Rather than slinging every technique you can think of into a program, pick just a handful of the most
productive, powerful movements, and keep getting stronger and stronger at them over time. This applies
to bodyweight work just as much as regular weight training. If you want to know how to do this right (and
learn how prisoners train for muscle and strength with minimal equipment), pick up a copy of Convict
Conditioning.
I know weights are kind of sexy. I know the cable pull machine is shiny. I know the bench press unit and
power rack look cool. But, if you are willing to put in the effort, you can build strength and muscle without
any external weights at all. In the words of Major John Reissman from The Dirty Dozen:

“I never went in for embroidery; just results.”

The guy had the right idea.

http://www.musclesofiron.com/articles/a-dirty-dozen/

A Dirty Dozen 12 Bodyweight Subs

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