no gym membership? no problem

If you think weight training is the only way you can build a strong, muscular body than take a moment to check out the picture above. Everyone in that picture is a member of a group called the Bartendaz. They utilize strictly body weight training to achieve incredible physiques. Many people get great results from sticking primarily to body weight training. ex: boxers, martial artists, inmates, gymnasts... It makes no difference if the resistance comes from iron, sand, or its self as long as the tension is significant enough to challenge your muscles and create overload. Here are some advantages of body weight exercise:

- convenient it can be done anywhere

- its much safer - less likely to injure yourself

- endless variations and ways to make the exercise more or less difficult

- body weight exercises are mostly closed chain movements (hand/foot stays in contact with the ground during the entire exercise) closed chain exercises are easier on the joints and generally work more muscles.

Here are some of my favorite body weight exercises

1. Pull-ups and variations: works the upper back, biceps, and posterior deltoids (back of the shoulders)

2. Bar Dips: works the triceps, lower chest, and shoulders

3. Pushups and variations: chest, triceps, and shoulders

4. body weight rows: great exercise to work the horizontal pulling plane

5. Pistols or one legged squats: great lower body exercise. Builds strength, balance, and flexibility.

6. Glute ham raises: great for the posterior chain.

Sample body weight workout for the upperbody:

Pull-ups (palms facing away) medium/wide grip x quality set

Pushups with feet raised or handstand pushups x quality set

complete 3-5x with 30 seconds rest between exercises

Chin-ups (palms facing you) x quality set

Bar Dips or diamond pushups x quality set

complete 3-5x with 30 seconds rest between exercises

Body weight rows x quality set

wide grip pushups x quality set

complete 3-5x with 30 seconds rest between exercises

Sample body weight workout for the lower body:

high peterson step up: 2 x quality set

2-leg ski squat: 2 x 10 second pause at each position with 5 positions

bulgarian split squat: 2 x quality set

cross body off-box lunge: 2 x 10 quality set

scissor hip extension: 2 x quality set

body weight squats (all the way down): 2 x quality set

Quality Set = one or two reps shy of failure

WHY DO YOU WORKOUT?

You should be able to answer this question in a few seconds. If you are unable to you may just be running around in circles going nowhere. I see too many people who jump right into a workout program without taking the time to set well thought out goals. It's like throwing a dart blindfolded. This reason alone is why you see people in the gym 6 months later and they look the same. The first step should always be to figure out what it is you want to achieve. For me, I want a body that stands out among the rest. A perfect balance between muscle size and definition. A body that looks great in a suit but even better naked. But more importantly I want a functional body that will allow me to dominate my competition in whatever form it comes. I want to watch action movies and know that I can do the things they do. However this alone is not going to be enough to motivate you to spend hours in the gym pushing your body to its limits and then some. You have to Love working out or learn to enjoy it. I was fortunate to be blessed with a passion for fitness and sports at a very young age. Here are some techniques I use to keep the gym fun.

1. find a workout buddy - competition is a great motivator

2. keep the workouts short in duration - it's easier to focus for 40-60 minutes than 2 hours

3. change up your workouts every few weeks - by challenging yourself with new exercises it's easier to stay on track

4. do what you hate first - if you hate working your legs make them the first thing you do in your workout

5. Keep track of how much weight your lifting - by watching your strength/fitness go up you will be more motivated to stick with the program.