Non-weight strength training

I go to the gym 3-4 times a week, but I sometimes wonder how necessary working out with weights is if your goal is simply to be lean and muscular, but not bulky, which I think is a hideous look in men and women alike. There are plenty of exercises you can do to strengthen both your upper and lower body that don't require weights. So what is your take on this? I definitely think free weights come in handy and are a great investment, but does the gym really offer a person anything that you can't achieve without weights, other than looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger?

 

I use my body for strength training 3-4 times a week... not to get all bulky but to have strength... but anyways, I use a stability ball the most. I absolutely love my stability ball. I also use resistance bands...and just other things like burpees, planks, lunges, etc.
(and btw, I didn't want to make a thread about this just...because... but I don't even really do cardio.. I do strength w those things mentioned and I keep active being outside w my son...walking..running...playing games, etc.. ANND I have now officially lost 30 lbs in 6 months. Go me!)
(proud of myself.. but anyways I credit what I eat but in addition to that I credit strength training for it... because you lose weight easier by burning calories AND building muscle. having muscle helps you burn many more calories.. not sayin you don't know that but yep )

oh and to answer your question.. I actually have read a lot that it's better to use the resistance of your body to build muscle for various reasons, all non body builder related...

 

That's awesome! Keep up the good work.

 

You can get pretty strong by doing calisthenics rat

 

thank you.

20 lbs to my target weight and i'm already within healthy weight range for my height so makes me happy.

 

Hence "non-weight strength training." Perhaps I should have just said calisthenics.

 

so basically you could just do yoga. yoga kicks my ass its a hell of a workout.

good old old school workouts like pull ups are probably the best, lunges,... wanna get your legs sore as fuck? do side lunges and step ups holding a weight. i do 4 sets each of 10 on each leg holding a 45 pound weight

 

There is a 'pyramid method' that people use for there sets when doing calisthenics that can work quite well.

If yu have a park nearby you can utilize all the steps and stuff there for decline pushups n shit. or u can do it in ur hose just using chairs and stairs.

 

I was thinking more along the lines of pushups, pullups/chinups, dips, squat thrusts, etc. I haven't gotten into yoga thus far, but I might look into it.

 

i alternate between endurance and strength routines and do a pyramid progression in each one

 

Yoga sucks for me ... I've taken prenatal yoga classes (hahaha I did)...and tried some yoga stuff at home and because I have arthritis pretty bad in my knees it's usually too painful for me....
so for me a lot of the stuff you would do in yoga if I do with a stability ball, it first...makes it easier on my knees but also harder of a workout (burns more) by adding resistance...

but yea I wish I coulda gotten into yoga but i'm not that sadistic.

 

on a slightly funny (cute) note...some of the kids shows have yoga times and my son LOVES yoga... he does all the poses and they're pretty easy but good stretches... some of them they'll have the toddler and a parent doing a pose together (pretending to be a starfish or something) and I do those with him..good stretches and I always love the corpse pose at the end where you just lay there ... my fav
and then they have us put our hands together and say "Namaste" which my son says n I love it. but yea that's about the extent of yoga I can handle w the arthritis..

 

"bulk" is more a function of eating surplus calories, using the overload principle for training - whether it's adding additional weight to the traditional BW movements or doing traditional weightlifting movements, and having some sweet genetics.

just being lean and muscular is absolutely attainable through bodyweight movements - really depends on how you want to train, and the goals you have set outside of being "lean and muscular".
i'd consider adding additional weight (weight vest, strapping a plate around your waist, hooking a kettlebell on your foot, etc) on pullups/chinups/dips as still bodyweight. you can build powerful legs by hill sprints, more so than tons of BW squats, but squats, lunges, step ups, jumps, are all great movements...

for sports performance - i wouldn't limit myself to just bodyweight...but i do combine BW conditioning work between my sets at the gym or after my main lifting depending on the phase of training i'm in...plus training at one of the best equipped gyms is just fun.

 

Good to see you actually posting for a change, Fitzster!

 

Yes, hi fitzy

 

I just run 3-6 miles almost every day, these days. I think it makes for a lean look with some muscular looking legs and midsection even. I don't really do any other exercise other than that. Maybe some erg workouts from time to time (rowing machine - 2ks) or swimming for "cross training". Ergs work different muscles including arms. swimming of course, is amazing for you.

 

I do German Volume Training 5 days a week, which is very heavy lifting. I also run 4 days a week, and do vinyasa yoga. I'm far from bulky.

 

May I ask how old you are?

 

I'll be 27 on the 24th.

 

These are my least two favorites things ever. Buuut I did PR on my planks a few days ago....3:24!