if you've watched the olympics, you've probably seen some incredible athletic and mental strength, as well as impressive fitness physiques.
I particularly admire the sprinters, both male and female, with their muscularity, well-developed hips and flexible reflexes that we envy. And the male gymnasts? They have very strong arms which we also admire.
why are they so muscular? Do they work out a lot? Do they eat exceptionally well? As you may or may not know, gymnastic training uses mainly self-weight movements. If you don't like to work on machines or don't have time to go to the gym, then self weight training is the best solution. So it answers the question that many people have asked before, "Can you just do self weight training to build muscle?"
The answer is yes, of course you can build muscle by doing self weight workouts alone! But most people will have a very difficult time with purely self weight training. In the following article the fitness loving wraith will explain.
first we need to know why muscles can be developed through exercise, why and how to exercise? With these questions in mind, let's start by working out our muscles.
Exercising muscles
let's have a quick introduction to building muscle. There are three main factors involved in building muscle.
1. Mechanical tension
this occurs mainly when you lift heavy objects. If you have ever tried to lift a barbell heavier than you are off the ground, this is when mechanical tension comes into play. You are doing your best to keep your spine neutral and your abdomen and shoulders tightened. When the muscles are under a lot of mechanical tension, they grow. Of course, it is pointless if the weight is not a little difficult for you.
2. Metabolic stress
for example, if you are training in the gym and you look in the mirror and see that your muscles are very inflated, or if you run 100 metres and your thighs are sore for a short period of time, this is the burning sensation that occurs when your muscles are fatigued. It is also known in the bodybuilding world as "Pumpiness" Because the muscles are engorged with blood and can make their veins and muscles look swollen. Everyone who loves to play with iron loves this feeling. This is because it is the effect of training.
3. Muscle damage
muscle soreness felt 24-48 hours after a workout through intensive training. Although it is not the soreness to work the muscles, it is generally a good sign that the local muscles are being repaired and getting stronger.
There is a lot more to the science of muscle growth, but let's keep it to the basics. As long as you have significant mechanical tension and metabolic stress (muscle damage plays a smaller role), you will grow muscle. Especially for beginners, muscle grows fast through exercise!
in the real world, you can achieve these requirements through a variety of different training methods.
Traditional fitness is, of course, an effective means of building muscle. Elastic bands also build muscles. Even just stretching your muscles in so-called isometric contractions can build muscle.
Does self weight training build muscle?
If you are new to exercise, or have very limited exposure to strength training, then self weight training will definitely build muscle.
Unfortunately, for others with a fitness base, it will be an uphill battle. Self-weight training is certainly possible, but you have to be creative with your training flow and implement the rules of progressive overload. This means that the workouts are going to become more difficult over time, which is why many fitness peeps ask why they start to progress quickly but then stop progressing after a period of training.
the effect of self weight exercise on muscle growth
the problem with self weight exercises used for muscle building is that it is usually difficult to generate enough mechanical tension, especially in the lower body, to stimulate the growth of these large muscles, so people who train with self weights generally do not have strong legs because the lower body wants strong mechanical tension (e.g. Squats, barbell arrow squats, leg raises, hard pulls etc.).
1. Target the largest muscle groups
performing major self-weight exercises such as push-ups, unassisted squats and arrow squats will provide a great workout for your chest, arms, shoulders and quads. However, the two largest muscles in the body - the gluteus maximus (the 3 muscles that make up the buttocks) and the latissimus dorsi (the widest muscle in the body that fans out from the armpits up to the lower back) - are very difficult to stimulate with self weight exercises alone.
If you have a pull-up bar, you can build up a respectable amount of latissimus dorsi, but the gluteus maximus department is still difficult to train.
2. Increase the challenge
also, unless you add more and more reps (because it's hard to add weight on your own weight), you need to keep increasing the difficulty of the exercise (which is necessary based on the principle of progressive overload) to make the workout challenging. Even if you add more reps, you will most likely end up improving muscular endurance, which will not translate into a lot of muscle growth, which is the muscle growth condition mentioned earlier.
In order to use self-weight exercises to build muscle, you have to strategically make these major movements more difficult. For example, single-leg squats work the leg muscles, single-arm push-ups work the chest and arm muscles, or single-arm pull-ups work the back and biceps, but these movements are difficult.
for most people, learning to master these new, advanced movements takes time, many failed attempts, and an incredible level of concentration and precision.
When discussing the most effective workouts for building muscle, the argument will be made that simply increasing the weight of the barbell will make the workout goal much easier, and that gym training is the most convenient and time efficient when available.
Advantages of self weight training
although self weight exercises do not maximize your muscles, they have some of the best movements that will allow you to maintain strength, flexibility and make your body more comfortable.
1. No equipment required
in any fitness routine, there are obstacles. You may not have time to go to the gym or work late, encounter bad weather or other reasons. But you can do a self-weight workout whenever and wherever you want, so it's easier to keep your workout on track.
You may have the best fitness workout plan, but if you don't work out regularly, you won't get good results. Because muscle building is so dependent on training frequency, i think self weighted workouts are very helpful for everyone.
2. An effective starting point
if you are just starting out in strength training, self weight training is a great place to start. You can build muscle as a result. You will be more comfortable with your body. You'll build up a good base of strength and then start training on machines, or choose another training option. The fitness-loving monster is an example of this. When i started, i thought i would be laughed at for going to the gym if i was on the thin side, embarrassed to go to the gym, self-empowered and self weight training for two months before i walked into the gym for the first time, only to find out that people who train well don't care about you, they care about grabbing the equipment as fast as they can!
even if you self weight train, pay attention to these details of a self weight workout routine that you can perform at any time and in any place. Here are some points to remember when performing self weight training.
1. Focus your attention on the centrifugal contraction (or lowering) part of the exercise. For example, the centrifugal portion of a push-up is the body lowering from the top of the push-up to the ground. Whereas the centrifugal part of the squat is the process of moving from standing to squatting. Working the centrifugal phase can lead to more muscle damage.
2. Focus on single leg movements. As mentioned above, the leg muscles are strong and powerful, making it difficult to get enough mechanical tension. By using single leg movements you can increase the chances of muscle growth.
3. Self-weight training is also about warming up, even with very light weights, and the whole process is about minimising the chances of joint injury
4, do not over-train, most of the self-weight training, training weight is not large, many fitness partners to do more than 20 groups, still continue to do the same action, so the muscle is also easy to over-train, it is recommended to reduce the number of groups to increase the difficulty of the muscle exercise will be better.