6/14/2017 Top20BodyweightExercisesForBuildingMuscle&Strength

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Top20BestBodyweightExercisesfor
BuildingMuscle&Strength
WrittenbyJasonFerruggia Topics:Fitness

Bodyweight exercises need to be part of your

program if you want to get build muscle, burn fat and
improve your overall athleticism.

Not everyone needs to or should li a barbell, but

bodyweight exercises are essential. Ive used them to
rapidly transform the bodies of professional athletes,
models and entertainers. One of the many things I
love about them is they can be done anywhere at any
time.

But Im not just talking basic pushups, sit ups, air

squats and high rep calisthenics.

Thats beginner stu
that wont really build muscle beyond your first few months of
training.

Were talking about really working hard on high tension, advanced bodyweight exercises
that can only be done for somewhere between six and fieen reps, on average.

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The nice thing about these is that theyre very natural and can usually be done pain free
by most people. Youre not locked into a fixed range of motion like you would be on a
machine and your hands arent linked together like they would be when using a barbell.
That makes these calisthenic movements far easier on your joints.

Safety and ease of use is all well and good but what does it matter if the exercises dont
get you jacked? Thats the real question- do bodyweight workouts and exercises build
muscle?

The answer is a resounding YES.

Ever hear of Herschel Walker? Ever see the male gymnasts in the Olympics? What about
some of the freaks you see on YouTube who only train outside on the bars in parks like
Tompkins Square in New York City? Remember the size of Mike Tysons legs aer he got
out of prison, where he did thousands of bodyweight leg exercises every week?

Old time Iron Game legends always said that dips and chin ups were the two greatest
muscle building exercises anyone could do.

Arnold Schwarzenegger always did tons of pull ups in his back workout.

There are countless other examples but you get the point by now. If you want to build a
badass body, with functional strength, power and mobility you need to make
bodyweight exercises a staple in your workout program.

Below is a list of my top 20 bodyweight exercises for size and strength.

1) Chin/ Pull Up

Definitely in contention for the single greatest exercise on the planet, chin ups build the
lats and biceps better than anything else. An impressive number of full range, perfect
reps is twenty. And by perfect reps I mean starting from a dead hang and pulling up so

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that your chin clears the bar. You have to do that without kicking your legs, climbing an
invisible ladder and rounding your upper back.

To maximize size and strength development everyone should do at least fiy total reps
per week of some sort of chin up variation.

The parallel grip chin/ pull up is easiest on the shoulders and elbows and is the one I
recommend most. Doing them on rings is safest as it allows for the most natural
movement but is also significantly more di
icult.

2) Rope Climb

I hated climbing rope in gym class as a kid. Mainly because I was fat and weak as pond
scum. My climb consisted of me flailing around on a swinging rope with my feet about
three inches o
the floor. I also was dressed like Howdy Freakin Doody and had an awful
80s feathered hair cut. It was a mess.

But as an adult I have grown to love rope climbing and know that it is awesome for true
functional, relative strength. It builds your lats, forearms, pecs, upper back and abs. Truly
a total body exercise. If you access to a rope you should use it once or twice a week.

Your goal is to climb a twenty foot rope using just your hands.

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Rope Climbs

3) Inverted Row

Some type of inverted row variation, either on a bar, rings, or ropesshould always be
included for mid back thickness and strength. The cool thing about inverted rows is that
they not only train the muscles of the upper back but you also get an isometric workout
for the lower back, glutes and hamstrings during each set.

There are a few di
erent things you can do to increase the di
iculty of the is exercise. The
first is to try holding each rep for a few seconds at the top. You can also elevate your feet
on a box. And finally, you can wear a weighted vest or drape chains around your neck.
You can even have a training partner place a sandbag on your chest.

To target the upper back musculature (teres minor, rhomboids, rear delts) you want to
have your elbows directly out to your side when rowing. For more lats and mid-back, row
with your elbows tucked to your sides.

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Inverted Thick Rope Rows

4) Front Lever

This is one of the absolute BEST exercises for activating and building the lats. Maybe
even better than chin ups. Its also one of the best abdominal exercises you can do and
will put crunches and sit ups to shame. To progress into doing the dynamic movement I
recommend starting with isometric holds (and that may be all you ever need). Four sets
of 10 seconds twice per week will be good for most people. Take the progression very
slowly and expect to take two years to work up to straight leg variations.

5) Muscle Up

Few people will ever master the muscle up but if you take the time and have the
dedication its very impressive to be able to pull o
. Doing five perfect reps is a good goal
to shoot for. Its essentially a combo of a pull up and dip so all of your upper body
muscles get worked during it.

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Muscle Up's

6) Handstand Pushup

These will build big shoulders and cause less pain than a barbell military press. An
impressive number to shoot for is ten full range reps. To get started on these you need to
first master the handstand.

Its been said by high level gymnastic coaches that the ability to handstands is one of the
most important things you can develop to improve your overall athleticism.

Once you are able to hold a handstand with your feet against the wall for 60 seconds you
can start progressing into handstand pushups. Its best to do them band assisted or from
a pike position at the beginning.

7) Pushup

The pushup is still one of the top five chest builders in existence and always will be. Id
choose pushups over any type of machine or barbell press any day of the week.

Some of the variations I use most oen in training myself or clients are the steep incline
suspended pushup (with your feet in the straps), regular suspended pushups on rings,
divebomber pushups and one arm pushups.

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A good goal for most people is ten one arm pushups. Thats strong and impressive.

Divebomber Pushups

8) Dip

If you do them straight up and down on parallel bars they will blast your triceps better
than just about any other exercise. Fiy reps done in this manner is a good goal to shoot
for. Once you can do more than twenty perfect reps Id start increasing the di
iculty by
adding isometric pauses for up to 3 seconds in the bottom position. When that becomes
easy you can start adding weight slowly.

For more chest emphasis you can lean forward by flexing at the hip and holding your legs
out in front of you and instead of simply pressing your way out of the bottom, try to
squeeze/pull your way up. To make this variation even harder and more e
ective do
them on rings.

9) Inverted Shrug

The big knock on bodyweight training is that it does nothing for your traps to give you
that yoked look. But thats because people dont know about the inverted shrug. Get on
the rings and flip yourself upside down. Once youve stabilized your body simply shrug

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up and down. Hold each rep for a second at the top, brace your core and squeeze your
glutes. Move slowly and maintain control and tightness from head to toe.

10) Hand Walking/ Crawling

Walking on your hands is an outstanding way to develop shoulder strength and stability.
This can be done upside down in the handstand position or it can be done in pushup
position with your feet in the Power Wheel or on furniture sliders.

Done in the latter manner it will train your abs as hard as anything youve ever done.
Shoot for 100 yards with perfect form, meaning no sagging or A-framing hips. The ability
to do that would mean you have o
-the-charts core strength and stability.

Aside from walking on your hands, any type of crawl is awesome for full body strength
and athleticism. There are numerous types of crawls such as bear crawls, tiger crawls,
crab walks, etc.

I suggest incorporating them into your workouts at least once per week as a finisher or a
warm up. If you are not used to crawling do WAY less than you can handle at first and give
your body time to get acclimated.

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Lateral Wall Walks

11) Hill Sprint

This is technically not something youd do inside of a gym or garage, but to leave it o
the
list seemed criminal. Sprints are one of the greatest forms of exercise someone can do.
Theyre like a fountain of youth, keeping your fast twitch muscle fibers in peak shape and
melting ugly bodyfat.

Find a good hill that has at least a twenty degree incline to it and is anywhere from 30-
100 yards long. Do a thorough warm up then hit 5-15 hard sprints one or two times per
week.

12) Pistol Squat

Pistol squats develop every muscle in the lower body along with great balance,
stabilization, coordination and athleticism. Like many of the bodyweight exercises listed
here the pistol will take several weeks/months of preparation to do properly and pain
free.

Even if you have the strength to do them the first time out your connective tissue wont
be prepared for the stress, so please take the necessary steps to work up to them, slowly.

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An impressive number of pistol squats to shoot for is twenty reps.

13) Skater Squat

To do this exercise simply bend one knee behind you and squat straight down to the
floor. Its like a pistol squat only the leg is bent behind you instead of straight out in front
of you.

Touch the back knee to a padded surface and then stand back up. The range of motion is
far less so this is oen a good first progression into pistol squats. As you get stronger and
better at skater squats you can stand up a low box while doing them to increase the
range of motion.

14) Jump Squat

Every program needs some form of explosive training. Theres nothing better for
developing speed and power than jumps. Simply squat down then explode up as high as
you can. Stick the landing soly then repeat.

If you have a box to jump on youre in luck. The box jump is my other favorite plyo
exercise that is very safe. The only problem is that most people set the box too high. That
leads to shitty jumping form and potential injuries.

15) Single Leg Hip Thrust

While pistol squats take care of most of your lower body needs you may want to include
some hip extension work to make sure you have all your bases covered.

This is especially important for girls who want an ass you can rest a drink on.

A great bodyweight exercise that does that for you is the single leg hip thrust.

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Set up two benches, put your upper back on one and one foot on another with the non
working leg bent and up near your chest.

Now let your hips drop down toward the ground as low as you can. Drive your heel into
the bench and li your hips all the way up, while consciously contracting your glute.

Aer you can knock out 15-20 reps with perfect form while keeping your hips stabilized
and not hyperextending your lower back Id throw some chains or band resistance over
your waist.

16) Glute Ham Raise

This is my favorite exercise for training the hamstrings. I first became aware of this
exercise while studying the Westside Barbell Club methods and the writing of Louie
Simmons. He and all the members swore by this exercise for building up weak
hamstrings.

Almost everyone gets humbled the first time they try this movement because they can
barely get a single rep. I was no di
erent. Ive even seen college and pro athletes not be
able to pull one o
the first time. But if you stay dedicated and put in the work you will be
richly rewarded. Your hamstrings will get bigger and stronger, your knees will feel better
and be more bulletproofed against injury, youll run faster and jump higher.

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Natural Glute Ham Raise

17) L-Sit

This exercise is awesome for developing core strength and mastering it will do you a
world of good and have great carryover to numerous exercises and physical activities. If
you have lower back or hip pain this exercise can oen cure it. Start with the bent knee
version and progress slowly from there. Four sets of 10 second holds two or three days
per week will be enough for most people.

18) Hanging Leg Raise

This is an advanced abdominal exercise so work your way up to it slowly over the course
of several months. Id have the L-Sits down pretty good first. If youre a beginner it may
two years until youre ready for this one. The ability to do 15-20 really picture perfect reps
without jacking up your lower back is pretty impressive.

19) Ab Roll Out

So technically this one involves some equipment. But then again so do chin ups so lets
not start splitting straws here. I dont even know that means, anyway. Is that even a

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cliche? Is it splitting hairs? Ugh, I give up..

Anyway, you can get an ab wheel for ten bucks at your local sporting goods store. Or you
can do these with your hands on furniture sliders, a barbell or suspension trainer
handles.

Theyre a very advanced exercise that you need to take time to work up to. I suggest
going through beginner and intermediate level ab progressions first for a year or so
before even attempting these. When you do start doing roll outs they should be done on
your knees with a shortened range of motion. Progression should be taken VERY slowly.

20) Back Bridge bodyweight exercises

This is a great exercise to improve the health of lubricate the joints
your spine. Start very slowly and be careful on
these. If you have preexisting injuries you may never be able to do this.

Those with healthy spines should aim to work towards the point where they can bridge
backward from a standing position to the floor and back up again.

Bonus Exercise: Neck Bridge

Once youre capable of doing a back bridge you should strongly consider working your
way into neck bridges, both the front and rear versions. A thick neck looks powerful and
commands respect. Dont walk around with a stack of dimes.

There you have it, the top 20 bodyweight exercises for building muscle and strength.

Of course, there are tons more and it was tough narrowing it down.

This is far from a complete list and is only a fraction of the bodyweight exercises I use
regularly. I like to mix these in with some barbell/dumbbell and strongman exercises but
theres no reason you couldnt get by with just these alone. If youre not already doing so

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add a few of these exercises to your program today and work your way up to the highest
level of each.

I guarantee youll be happy with the results.

PS. For a complete, fully detailed body weight only training program that will build a
strong, jacked physique, check out Body Weight Body Building. You can download it
right HERE.

Click HERE to download Body Weight Body Building now.

If you liked this post and know someone else who will it would mean the world to me if
you could share it with them.

Thank you!

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