Your Complete Guide to Bodyweight Training

First and foremost, I want to make it known that I am a big believer in weight training. In my opinion, it is essential to have basic knowledge of weight and resistance training. It triggers a response from our muscles that can't be matched by other forms of training. BUT, there are plenty of other ways to reach our goals if we don't have access to a gym and high-end equipment. Bodyweight training is one of those ways.

        Keep it in your pants, Phyllis.

Bodyweight training involves using one's own bodyweight to provide resistance for the muscles to work against. Some of these exercises include pushups, squats, lunges, and more. One thing I love about weight training is the seemingly infinite versatility of resistance changes. Since our bodyweight doesn't fluctuate significantly in short periods of time, and we aren't using weights to adjust resistance, we must find ways to change up our routine. Some methods include tempo, angles, and believe it or not, equipment. 

1. TEMPO

Usually, tempo is discussed in a three point model (#-#-#). The first number represents the number of seconds spent on the way down (eccentric movement). The number in the middle represents the time spent at the end of the eccentric movement, like the bottom of a squat. The final number represents the time spent on the muscle contraction (concentric) movement. Let's go through a pushup with a 2-1-3 tempo. From the initial pushup position, we'd take two seconds to go down, spend one second at the bottom, and three seconds on the way up. So why do we do this? 

Since we don't have weights to resist the work our muscles are putting forward, changing the tempo can ramp up the intensity, and increase the time that our muscles are under tension. The purpose, to increase lactate formation as well as hormone production. Both have been shown to increase muscle strength and growth. One way to work up to more time under tension is by following this guide:

Week 1: 2-3 Sets, 12-15 Reps, 1-1-2 Tempo
Week 2: 3-4 Sets, 10-12 Reps, 1-1-3 Tempo
Week 3: 3-4 Sets, 8-10 Reps, 2-1-4 Tempo
Week 4: 4-5 Sets, 6-8 Reps, 2-1-5 Tempo

ANGLES

Similar to weight training, the purpose of changing the angle of our body is to target and use different muscle fibers that aren't used as much in traditional exercises. Let's relate the bench press to the pushup. A flat bench press will target the middle fibers of the chest the most. If we sit at an angled bench, say 45 degrees, we will contract more of our upper fibers of our chest. The pushup is similar. A regular pushup will target the middle fibers, whereas a pushup with our feet on an elevated platform will cause us to use our upper chest. Another example of this is a pull up. A traditional wide-grip pull up will command the muscle fibers in the outer lats to contract, but if we change to a neutral grip, stick our chest out, and pull our stomach up to the bar rather than our chin, we will command our lower lats and rhomboids (depending on the angle) to contract. Changing the angle in any exercise is a great way to challenge other muscle fibers as well as challenge your overall strength. But whatever you do, don't let me catch you doing this:

  Guy, are you kiddng me? 

EQUIPMENT

Yes yes, I know that bodyweight doesn't include weights or machines. When I say "equipment", that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about playgrounds, parks, bars, benches, and TRX Bands. Pre-installed equipment is going to be your best friend when it comes to bodyweight exercises. I just finished running a bootcamp at an elementary school park, and my clients loved it. It's a great change of pace, and the versatility we had with the playground was ridiculous. They could do pull-ups with all sorts of grips, rows, elevated push-ups, split-squats, and so much more. The equipment that you have to use is what is going to allow you to change the angle of a lot of your exercises, as I discussed before. Even then, there are still some limitations and creative restrictions when given some bars and a bench. What's the solution? The TRX band.

If you haven't heard of the TRX band yet, you absolutely need to read up and get one. Created by an ex-Seal, this simple, yet innovative item has completely changed the fitness industry, and can completely change the way you workout. You can take it with you anywhere, and ramp your bodyweight workouts up to an insane level. I use them in all of my classes with my clients to work on balance, strength, angles, muscle endurance, and more.

Guys, hear this: you can still do curls, with your bodyweight, can you believe that?! Yes, you can continue your curls for the girls! The TRX band can be placed at home, or be taken to any park, branch, and supportive structure. If you're a big believer in bodyweight training, or you just want to try it out, I HIGHLY recommend getting one of these. Click the box below to get one from Amazon.

TRX GO Suspension Training Kit

TRX

Buy on Amazon

Your knowledge on bodyweight training has just expanded immensely. I suggest doing some scouting in your town for great outdoor workout areas if you don't have access to a gym. Remember to change tempos and angles to continue building lean muscle tissue outside of the gym. And bring a TRX band with you for even more versatility! 

For more questions on bodyweight training, The Office, or why I can't stand Crossfit, shoot an email to adam@poehlmannfitness.com or hit me up on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Thanks for reading!

Why Whey?

Whey protein has been all the buzz for quite some time, and it should be for many reasons. Why, though? With all the other kinds of protein on the market like casein, soy, milk, and egg, what makes whey so special? In today's blog I'll keep it short and sweet. Here's why you need to have some whey protein in your diet.

WHAT IS IT?

When making cheese, there is a watery portion that separates from the curds. Curds is such a gross word to me. Curds...

Anyway, the watery portion is whey, and whey protein is taken from that. The protein is made up of all nine essential amino acids and has very little lactose. Over the years, we have been able to develop filtering systems to create more high-quality whey concentrates.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

Whey protein is used for many reasons, but the place it is used the most is in the fitness realm. And no, I'm not just talking about meatheads that train biceps every day of the week. A lot of people use whey and here's why. 

Whey protein aids in maintaining and increasing muscle mass. After training, your muscles are in a catabolic (muscle depleting) state. In order to keep our body away from that state, we need to feed it amino acids and proteins to put it in an anabolic state. Whey is perfect for the reason I discussed before. It has the nine essential amino acids, and your body absorbs/uses it much faster than other forms of protein like casein.  

But what's so special about the protein powder itself? Why can't any other form of protein be consumed after a workout? Well, any form of protein can be consumed after a workout, but whey protein exceeds all other forms in that it is absorbed by the body much quicker. When mixed with water, it is easy for whey to travel to our muscles and keep them from staying in that catabolic state. This is why I have all my clients take whey protein with water in between their resistance training and their cardio. The cardio and increased blood flow will aid in shuttling the protein throughout the body. 

Whey has also been shown to aid in weight loss. When I say "weight loss", I'm talking about good weight loss. A loss of body fat. Protein aids in boosting your metabolism as well as calories burned because it takes the most amount of energy to digest proteins in comparison to carbs and fats. 

COOL STORY, BRO

The information is good to know, but you still need to make a decision when you go to the store. So what whey protein should you buy? To be honest, I think most products are the same across the board. It might take you time to figure out what you like most. There are a lot of factors that will influence your decision like taste, ability to dissolve, etc. My one piece of advice is this: AVOID proprietary blends. Another word for proprietary is: SKETCHY. Proprietary blends don't tell you exactly what's inside, and that should raise a big red flag for you. Make sure that the product lists every single ingredient as well as it's amount. If you see something like, "monstrous post-workout matrix... 700mg", that's freaking sketchy, and you shouldn't trust it. Do your research, educate yourself, and make good choices.

BOTTOM LINE

If you're not including whey protein in your diet and training regimen, I highly recommend doing so (with your doctor's approval). It could make a big difference in the overall composition of your body at the end of an exercise program. 

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Maximize Results With a Busy Schedule

One of the most common questions that I hear when discussing fitness is "how do I reach my goals with an extremely busy schedule?" If I could send out a helpful article with just a few statements or less, I would simply answer that question by saying this: If it's a priority, you'll make it happen. If it's not, you will continue to make it an excuse. But I live in the real world where making statements doesn't help people. So here are some practical ways to make fitness work with your busy schedule. 

PREPARATION IS KEY

When I was playing baseball in college, our weight room had a slogan above the entry that said something like this: "failing to prepare is preparing to fail." That slogan served as a reminder to my teammates and I to treat our training sessions as preparation for our games. In other words, failure to better ourselves in the weight room is preparing to fail on the diamond. Taking this same approach is important when it comes to chasing a fitness goal, especially when we are dealing with a busy schedule. Every single aspect of your routine that applies to your goal must have preparation. Food is a good example. Those who claim to have a busy schedule are usually running around and have little time to cook and eat. That may be true, but that doesn't mean you can't take two hours out of your Sunday (or whatever day works for you) to prepare your food for the week. If your food isn't prepared, you'll fall off course within the first few meals. I'm willing to put my money on that. 

The workout itself is another part of fitness that must have preparation. Before you even think about starting a plan or begin to go to the gym regularly, find a time that works. A good workout should last about one hour. One hour is a perfect amount of time to get a proper workout in. Anyone that tells you that you'll reach your goals with a 15 minute at-home workout or a 3 hour "pump sesh" is lying through their teeth. At this point you may be thinking, "well I don't have an hour to spare at the gym!" I'm just going to call you out and say b.s. on that one. Guess what, if you work from 5am to 8pm daily, you still have time for a workout before or after. Once again, if it's a priority, you'll make it happen. If not, you'll keep going in circles.

FIND A PLAN

Now that you've come to realize you actually do have time, and have picked an hour of your day to workout, it's time to get a plan. Before going to the gym, try doing two things first. The first is selecting a well-thought goal. You can read more about ways to create great goals here. From there, you want to pick a plan that will help you reach that goal. If you have a 12-week plan and have specialized workouts geared toward your goal, odds are you'll do it. If you just wake up feeling like you should train your lower body because you haven't done it in a while, it might not happen, because you aren't treating your workout as a priority. There are plenty of resources to get quality plans from well-qualified people. Take Poehlmann Fitness' plans for example... ok fine that's my only plug for the day! Maybe.. ;)

TRACK, TRACK, TRACK

There are plenty of places you can go to track your progress. One of my favorites is a pen and paper. Bring it to your workouts. Track your bodyweight, personal records, emotions, feelings, etc. Heck, track whatever you want! Measuring all of these things can help you stay consistent, as well as recognize when you're falling off pace. Another great (free) place to track is the app called Fitocracy. 

SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING

We are all extremely busy at some point or another. I get that. Things happen. So when your life turns into an absolute tornado, remember that something is better than nothing. Although a 15 minute routine for every workout is not ideal, 15 minutes in a crazy day can mean a great deal in the long run. Committing to SOMETHING will create a good habit of working out even during your busiest days. 

Taking these practical, simple efforts and applying them in your day-to-day routine will have you making forward progress in no time. These pointers can serve as an extremely solid foundation for maximum results in a busy schedule. Before you know it, working out will be of high priority for you, and you'll be getting results when you never thought it was possible. 

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