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Ok so you guys must understand that I love my bodyweight workouts. The reasons for this are two-fold; I don't earn any money (hence no gym) and I don't believe in exercise machines. Having done some serious research on the area of bodyweight exercise for months and having started regularly since around March this year, I have felt the fittest I've ever been. I have lost a significant amount of weight and am now in a healthy BMI range once more. I've not ever been sporty and still am pretty sedentary but if you get gains, who complains? 
My routine is as follows:
Cardio
Jog around the park 4 times. This I believe takes me between 15 and 20 mins.
40-yard sprints at least 6 times in a row. At the end of each sprint, I do 5 jumping jacks and 5 burpees then jog back to the mark.
Resistance
Start with some breathing exercises, light stretches and quick set of pushups to warm the upper body.
Start with 10-15 knee raises while hanging from a bar. Then do 10-15 leg raises, supporting myself on a lower bar with my arms and shoulders.
5 overhand-grip inverted rows then 5 underhand-grip ones. Then I hang from the bar with both hands, my feet balanced on the platform and do 5 bar pull-ups this way.
I try to do some full pull-ups, but my upper body strength is still lacking somewhat so I just kick off the floor enough to be able to pull myself up to the bar (from a position where my arms form 90° to my body). I also do negatives, which are I raise myself into a pull-up position then tense the arms and shoulders as I gradually come down. This works the same muscles as in a pull-up.
I then do variations of push-ups. 10 diamond push-ups, then 10 regular (but slow push ups) then 10 wide stance push ups. I may do them again depending on how strong I feel afterwards. I then do 2 sets of 10 elevated pushups (feet resting on a bench, body bent slightly at the hips) in order to isolate my shoulders and 2 sets of 10 tricep dips.
Now comes lower body exercises. 5 assisted pistol squats on each leg. 10 seated squats, then 10 step ups on each leg, back to 10 seated squats, 10 bench jumps and 10 more seated squats. Finally, I finish with 2 sets of 10 clapping pushups (but from 45° position from standing by using the back rest of the bench). Leg stretches and a jog home.
Results
Doing this routine, I have managed to drop approximately 10kg (22lb) in weight and a noticeable decline in body fat (although I haven't quantitatively measured this). I was never heavily overweight before starting and I now weigh 74kg/163lb and my height is 5' 11"/180cm. This is combined with a healthy diet rich in protein and vegetables and low in carbs and sugar. I also drink plenty of water.
My goal is not well defined but I would like to be able to do pull ups and handstand pushups with ease. I can do a handstand against a wall or tree but need to work on shoulder and arm strength. Eventually, I aim to be able to advanced manoeuvres such as tuck planche, then full planche and one arm pull up and push up.
I love to learn more about this side of working out so any suggestions I can incorporate in to my routine is very welcome! I just want to start a conversation on bodyweight exercises as well so I am not in any way saying what I do is superior than working out in a gym, it's just what I prefer. Thanks for reading
My routine is as follows:
Cardio
Jog around the park 4 times. This I believe takes me between 15 and 20 mins.
40-yard sprints at least 6 times in a row. At the end of each sprint, I do 5 jumping jacks and 5 burpees then jog back to the mark.
Resistance
Start with some breathing exercises, light stretches and quick set of pushups to warm the upper body.
Start with 10-15 knee raises while hanging from a bar. Then do 10-15 leg raises, supporting myself on a lower bar with my arms and shoulders.
5 overhand-grip inverted rows then 5 underhand-grip ones. Then I hang from the bar with both hands, my feet balanced on the platform and do 5 bar pull-ups this way.
I try to do some full pull-ups, but my upper body strength is still lacking somewhat so I just kick off the floor enough to be able to pull myself up to the bar (from a position where my arms form 90° to my body). I also do negatives, which are I raise myself into a pull-up position then tense the arms and shoulders as I gradually come down. This works the same muscles as in a pull-up.
I then do variations of push-ups. 10 diamond push-ups, then 10 regular (but slow push ups) then 10 wide stance push ups. I may do them again depending on how strong I feel afterwards. I then do 2 sets of 10 elevated pushups (feet resting on a bench, body bent slightly at the hips) in order to isolate my shoulders and 2 sets of 10 tricep dips.
Now comes lower body exercises. 5 assisted pistol squats on each leg. 10 seated squats, then 10 step ups on each leg, back to 10 seated squats, 10 bench jumps and 10 more seated squats. Finally, I finish with 2 sets of 10 clapping pushups (but from 45° position from standing by using the back rest of the bench). Leg stretches and a jog home.
Results
Doing this routine, I have managed to drop approximately 10kg (22lb) in weight and a noticeable decline in body fat (although I haven't quantitatively measured this). I was never heavily overweight before starting and I now weigh 74kg/163lb and my height is 5' 11"/180cm. This is combined with a healthy diet rich in protein and vegetables and low in carbs and sugar. I also drink plenty of water.
My goal is not well defined but I would like to be able to do pull ups and handstand pushups with ease. I can do a handstand against a wall or tree but need to work on shoulder and arm strength. Eventually, I aim to be able to advanced manoeuvres such as tuck planche, then full planche and one arm pull up and push up.
I love to learn more about this side of working out so any suggestions I can incorporate in to my routine is very welcome! I just want to start a conversation on bodyweight exercises as well so I am not in any way saying what I do is superior than working out in a gym, it's just what I prefer. Thanks for reading
Member of the Month July 2014
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