This is a guest post by Rafi Bar-Lev. Rafi served in a special forces unit in the IDF before getting injured during training, which gave him insight into what it takes to heal and stay in shape despite an injury. He runs a fitness blog dedicated to simple, straightforward advice on getting into shape. You can check it out at http://thefitnessadviser.com.
How To Get Strong With Only 3 Body Weight Exercises
The two common misconceptions about body weight exercises are that:
1) You can't get ripped using only your body weight and
2) You need to do ab exercises to get 6-pack abs
The truth is that for years I also had these misconceptions, until I met a guy name Alberto who taught me what it means to be strong and fit. Not only was Alberto physically ripped, but unlike a lot of weight lifters, he could also sprint like a cheetah and do over a hundred and fifty push ups at a time. He was also extremely toned, and yet never did sit ups since he didn't enjoy them. Alberto taught me all I know about getting strong with only body weight.
The Secret To Six Pack Abs
There's nothing wrong with doing exercises that target the abs, and I even encourage doing exercises like planks. But ab exercises aren't what will show off your six pack. What will give you a six pack is a combination of exercises that get your abs going (which is almost all bodyweight exercises) and having low body fat. How do you get low body fat? Count your calories, work out, and make sure that you're taking less calories in than you expend. Sound simple? That's because it is. Now that we have that out of the way, here are the 3 body weight exercises to get you strong.
The Push Up
The most basic of all the body weight exercises, the push up is an awesome exercise for overall strength that gets the pecs, arms, and shoulders going. You can target different muscles by switching how close your hands are together and by doing diamond pushups, where you put your fingers in a diamond. If you want to target your chest more on this one, you can also do push ups on your fists (I recommend a mat for this one.) They key is to switch up the different push up styles to work different muscle groups.
The Pull Up
The Pull Up is the most feared and yet the most beloved of all the body weight exercises. The Pull Up targets your arms, shoulders, and upper back. Face your palms away from you and grib a pull up bar, and lift yourself up until your chin is over the bar. That's one repetition. The further out your hands are spread on the bar, the more it works your upper back exclusively and the harder it is. Start out with a narrow-grip, and as you get better, progress to a wider-grip.
The Parallel Bar Dip
The parallel bar dip is the answer to people who think you can't get a well developed chest without weights. The exercise targets the lower and inner chest, places that are usually hard to target without weights. To do them, place your hands on the parallel bars, and lift yourself straight into the air. Lower yourself until your elbows are bent, then lift yourself, and you've completed one repetition.
Sample Workout Plan
Monday - 3 sets of 15 normal push ups. 3 sets of 3 medium grip pull lups, and 3 sets of 6 parallel bar dips.
Tuesday - Aerobic exercise.
Wednesday - 3 sets of 10 close grip push ups, 3 sets of 3 medium grip pull ups, and 3 sets of 6 parallel bar dips.
Thursday - Aerobic exercise.
Friday - 3 sets of 10 diamond push ups, 3 sets of 3 medium grip pull ups, and 3 sets of 6 parallel bar dips.
Saturday - Aerobic Exercise
Sunday - Rest
There you have it. Those are the 3 core body weight exercises that will get you strong. Do those and eat right, and you'll be on your way to getting fit and strong without having to use weights!
-Rafi Bar-Lev
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Great workouts. I agree the best way to get to your abs is through low body fat. Everyone has abs, just some people can see theirs better than others. I also agree, the best way to build a fit upper body is not necessarily lifting a lot of weight but doing a lot of reps of little or no weight.
What a great concept! Way to go! In addition to all of your suggestions I’ve found that drinking plenty of water has helped me to stave off my hunger and keep my energy level up, in addition to its health benefits. I eat 95% raw vegan by the way. No beef, no processed sugar.
James Reno (editor) of Raw-Food-Repair.com
Nice post. Although there are so many other exercises that can be performed with little or no equipment that would be great to through in to mix it up.
Hey great post. Pretty straight forward advice like you said. I’m looking forward to trying it out.
Body weight exercises are the best! you get stronger, look better without putting your body to very heavy weights and etc.
I do a lot of park workouts using just those three exercises – pushups, pull ups and dips, with some core work at the end. The results and fantastic and I’d recommend bodyweight exercises to anyone trying to tone up and pack on a bit more muscle.
I find your post very interesting! Thank you for sharing these tips. They’re awesome and easy to follow.
I like these alternatives to purchasing expensive equipment or joining a gym. What type of aerobic exercise would you suggest?
Body weight exercises are the best for the beginner, they get their muscles moving and increase their fitness level and feel better. In order to excel and to achieve a higher fitness level weight training is a must. you need to force the body beyond its own capability, by adding weight training to strengthen your muscles will aide in their growth.
Good advice, I always try to incorporate these elements into my routine even though I have been lifting free weights for some time now. You should do an article on kipping pullups, they are a really good addition to non-weighted routines.
Bodyweight exercises are the way to go. They are much better for toning up, and avoiding injuries, and they are much easier to do without a gym membership.
I agree 100% and I do 3 sets of 10 wide grip overhand pull ups, 3 sets of 10 dips, and 3 sets of 10 fist push ups. I also do a 50 minute cycling class 4 times a week and I sprint around the track 4 times after each class and workout. I don’t even touch weights anymore !!! The thing about the weight is that I have maxed out on every training station in the gym, yet over hand wide grip pull ups are difficult to do no matter how long you have been doing them !!!! Body weight exercises are the way to go.
What a wonderful article, so easy to relate to for everybody. We definatly make excuses as to why we shouldnt exercise and forget to find the reasons as to why we should. Not only does our body look better when we are fine tuned but we feel better also.
The one problem that we tend to find with exercising is knowing what are the best routines are and thru your article you have a routine that can be a guideline for some and for others be there routine. The secret I think is to find an exercise that you enjoy and to increase as time goes on. The best results take time and can be the most beneficial and rewarding experiences. Make exercise your life it truly is self healing.
Proved to be very interesting reading!, its great to compare knowledge.
I love reading about other peoples exercise routines, thanks for taking the time to write.
Great easy to follow post. What do you recommend for the lower body? Box squats are good as well as lunges. What else do you incorporate to maintain balance?
This was GREAT information. Especially for those who don’t have the time or money for a gym membership.
Right there with you, Rafi. I’m 35 and have been doing the pushup + pullup + dip workout for years. Those are the only strength excercises I do. Though I’m a tall ectomorph, I’ve developed good size, definiion, and strength. Every once in a while I’ll test my bench press to see how I’m doing; it hoovers around 200+ lbs (more than my bodyweight). (Inclined pushups help me nudge it up). I preach this simple workout to others. It gets you the fitness you want, with no expense, and leaves plenty of time to get out and do things you want or need to do.
HELLO? THIS IS YOUR LOWER BODY CALLING. CAN I HAVE SOME EXERCISE PLEASE?
Seriously though, these three exercises do not consititute a balanced workout. And dips are not for everyone, especially in younger populations.
Body Weight Exercises will take you only so far in your pursuit of strength.