Today we will talk about a non-standard approach to training, namely, not using weights. This program is designed for the athlete's own weight. Today's article may seem unusual to many athletes and may even be unacceptable, capable of violating generally accepted canons. The bodyweight training program, which will be discussed today, was formed a long time ago, when there were no special food additives, various exercise machines, etc.
Bodyweight training in modern physical education
Once upon a time, bodyweight training was very popular, but with the advent of sports pharmacology and various exercise machines, this technique is increasingly forgotten and remains unclaimed. There are experts who believe that modern physical culture is degrading. Of course, there are quite a few of them, and the majority will disagree with this opinion. The achievements of modern athletes are cited as examples of the flourishing of physical culture and sports.
However, now it is necessary to abstract from the big sport. With the fact that without the use of all kinds of chemicals, it is practically impossible to achieve anything. We are talking now about those sports where strength and endurance are needed. Exactly what can be obtained using steroids, growth hormone, etc. The situation is somewhat different in the game types, where technical skill is of paramount importance. It is not for nothing that most of the doping scandals occur in cycling, athletics, weightlifting, and bodybuilding. There are similar incidents, for example, in football or hockey, but they are rare, even exceptional.
Even talented and genetically gifted athletes find themselves under the guidance of coaches who make decisions for them.
Gym workouts - a necessity or an invention?
So, today professional sports and professional training methods are completely excluded from the conversation. If you take fitness, then most of the specialized magazines and TV shows claim that this discipline cannot do without the use of simulators. In most cases, these words mean cardio and strength fitness.
It’s amusing enough to watch people diligently pedal exercise bikes or climb stairs in hopes of getting to the top. There are now two approaches in strength training: mannered (also called ladies') and macho style:
- First consists in the fact that a person approaches the exercise equipment and, using small weights, works on it. Of course, this cannot bring great results.
- Second style differs radically. This is a hard training, the purpose of which is to build muscle mass and give the muscles a relief. After that, injured joints remain, and no one thinks about torn ligaments. In addition, heavy loads actually destroy the muscles.
Both approaches described are ineffective and cannot lead to anything good.
Benefits of bodyweight training
Talking about the advantages or disadvantages of modern training methods in comparison with the school of training with your own weight can be infinitely long. But this is not worth doing. Below are six of the most basic benefits of old school.
Minimum amount of equipment
To date, a more economical and independent training system has not yet been created. Even supporters of the barbell and simulators almost always agree with this fact. For a gymnast, the main instrument is the body. For the vast majority of exercises, no additional equipment is required. If there is a desire, then you can use certain objects of everyday life, but this is more for a change and is not a necessity. The only thing that needs to be done is to find a place for pull-ups. This could be a ladder, a skylight, or just a sturdy branch. It makes no sense for people who have chosen a school of classes with their own weight for training to clutter up their home with various sports equipment. At the same time, training can be done anywhere and in your free time. It is also worth noting that no financial investment is required from a person: no need to buy a gym membership or purchase sports equipment.
Developing useful practical skills
Working with the weight of his own body, a person learns to manage it perfectly. Throughout evolutionary history, humans have trained the skills they needed to survive. If life depended on running speed and endurance, then it was these components that were trained. When you had to fight enemies, it was necessary to prepare the muscles of the arms and torso.
Most athletes now cannot realize this truth and use artificial weights in their training. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, but at the same time there is a contradiction with the basic principle of athleticism - moving yourself. When you train with your own weight, your entire body develops harmoniously. Perhaps you will be inferior to someone in strength, but in coordination of movements you will definitely surpass everyone. And this is a very necessary skill.
Build up strength
When drawing up a training program with their own weight, the human body is considered as a whole, and not as a group of muscles. This fact is the main reason for their effectiveness. With the help of such training, not only will strength increase, but also ligaments, joints and tendons will be strengthened.
Thanks to the coordination of all movements, the body becomes stronger. Most athletes believe that big muscles are strength. However, the nervous system is used to activate muscle tissue cells, which makes it possible to assert that it is the central nervous system that determines the strength indicator. For this reason, a person with a low mass of muscle tissue may well turn out to be stronger than an inflated athlete.
An experienced athlete will confirm that the importance of tendons in determining strength is just as important as muscle mass. By training with his own weight, a person will strengthen the ligaments and joints, since all exercises of the complex are based on natural movements. No less important is complex body training, when several muscle groups are simultaneously involved in the performance of one exercise. As an example, you can take the most common squats, when the muscles of the legs, back, spine and even toes are involved in the work. When performing the "bridge", about a hundred different muscles work.
Most bodybuilding exercises are aimed at developing a specific group or even specific muscles. In this case, it is very difficult to achieve the harmonious development of the entire muscular system. When training with his own weight, a person makes the whole body work, which requires high coordination and consistency.
Protecting and strengthening joints
Modern fitness and bodybuilding are quite traumatic, especially for the joints, since they are served by soft tissues that are not designed for heavy loads. Almost all weightlifters have serious joint problems, and if there are exceptions among them, then they can be called the lucky ones.
Those who have been in the gym at least once have probably noticed that athletes wrap their knees and wrists with bandages, use special belts to support their back, as well as stabilizing elbow pads. At the same time, there is a constant smell of various painkillers in the locker room, for the reason that joint pains have become companions of athletes. These problems can be made worse by taking steroids. After all, the mass of muscle tissue grows at a rapid pace, and the joints do not have time to strengthen.
Due to the high loads, the ligaments break and the joints become inflamed. The main task of bodybuilders is to build muscle mass, while joints and tendons are not given the proper attention. The more muscle mass gains, the more joint problems become.
In contrast, bodyweight exercises are completely safe for the body. If we raise the topic of joints again, then in this case they will be protected and even previous damage can be repaired. This can be explained by two facts:
- First of them - physics. Natural weights will not be able to exceed the athlete's body weight. In the old school of rhythmic gymnastics, you cannot find excessively heavy weights.
- Second fact - kinesiology. This is the science that studies the movements of the human body. Throughout evolution, the human body has not prepared to lift super-heavy objects. According to scientists-kinesiologists, rhythmic gymnastics is the most authentic for the human body. So, for example, during squats or pull-ups, the musculoskeletal structure of the body will quickly adjust to its own weight and will work no less efficiently than bodybuilders who lift artificial weights.
Thanks to the effect on the joints in a natural way, the tes that nature invented, they will never be injured during classes. In addition, the entire muscle system develops and does it harmoniously, without having a detrimental effect on other human systems.
Improving physical fitness
A person trains to become stronger and healthier. This can be achieved using bodyweight training. Modern rhythmic gymnastics is able to increase endurance and tone up, however, it is far from physical development. At the same time, thanks to the old school, it is possible to achieve the harmonious development of all muscle groups. Moreover, the muscles will appear natural and beautiful.
Before, when the steroid era in sports had not yet arrived, men first of all thought about the aesthetics of their own bodies, and not about the size of the biceps. Now it is the sizes that have come to the fore, and no one pays attention to the fact that they do not look natural.
Getting rid of excess weight
By and large, bodybuilding contributes to the accumulation of body fat. Do not use magazine photos of bodybuilders as a refutation. What can be seen on glossy covers is the result of many months of grueling training and a strict diet.
In the same magazines, you can find out that dietary protein supplements can help increase muscle mass. After reading these articles, the average athlete begins to use special protein foods and different diets. However, without steroids, their metabolism cannot cope with so many calories. As a result, this leads to the accumulation of body fat.
At the same time, when exercising with your own weight, no obesity will definitely be. However, it cannot be said that if you eat uncontrollably, you can achieve positive results. Mastery can only be achieved with moderate nutrition and constant exercise. Consistent gymnastics is based on training, nutrition and discipline.
You will see examples of bodyweight training in this video:
