While I noted that actual strength gains were greater in this study for a loaded weight training scenario versus a non-loaded condition, the research was worth taking a closer look at for anybody not wanting to be limited to using dumbbells, kettle bells, resistance bands, barbells, or machines to build muscle and for folks who instead want a body weight only option.
Now a new “low load, high rep” study has hit the streets, along with a 2017 workout strategy presented by yours truly and an intriguing article from a friend of mine about his own quite positive experience maintaining muscle with body weight only training. In this episode, we’ll take a look at these three new resources, discover whether you can build muscle with body weight only exercises, and find out if you need to actually lift heavy weight to build muscle.
The Newest Study on High Rep, Low Load Training
Let’s first take a look at the study Effects of rest intervals and training loads on metabolic stress and muscle hypertrophy, which was published quite recently. In the study, 20 young athletes who were part of a university gymnastics club volunteered to participate. These athletes had at least a couple years of experience with weight training, and were randomly assigned to a short-rest, low load group that performed 20 repetitions of their exercises with 30 seconds of rest between exercises or a high load, long-rest group that performed 8 repetitions of their exercises with a three minute rest between exercises. Both groups performed the same number of sets and same exercises (for their arm muscles) three times per week for 8 weeks.
They performed each exercise set to failure and used three biceps and three triceps exercises, specifically:
-barbell curl
-preacher curl
-hammer curl
-close grip bench press
-French press
-dumbbell extension
Over the course of the eight weeks, the researchers increased the weight by 10%, whenever the participants could perform more than 20 repetitions (for the low load group) or more than eight repetitions (for the high load group). If you actually do the math, the volume (# of reps x load lifted) was close to identical for each group.
So what did the researchers discover?
First, the high rep, low load protocol produced significantly greater increases in growth hormone. Second, there were long-term extra gains in the muscle cross-sectional areas and muscle thickness in the group that did the light load, high rep training, which was especially surprising when taking into account the fact that muscle size did not increase significantly in the high load training group! So it appears that, when it comes to hypertrophy (increases in muscle size), the low-load, high-rep group with the very short rest period won out.
Now granted, as I noted in my last article on this topic, as you would have expected, only the group that lifted the heavier loads and used the longer rest periods actually showed a significant increase in strength. Nonetheless, this study certainly suggests that training with more reps and lower weight and less rest builds more muscle compared to training with longer rest and more weight (although the latter will boost strength gains more significantly).
Finally, while the participants were not using body weight only exercises, there is a definite physiological crossover here in terms of the highlighting of the fact that you don’t necessarily need to “lift heavy stuff” to build or maintain muscle. You just need to exhaust the muscle.
An Interesting Article on Body Weight Training
About the same time this study was released, my friend Skyler Tanner reported on an intriguing self-experiment he conducted using a year of mostly bodyweight only training.
Skyler only trained on Mondays (one day a week!) and, early in the year, his workouts comprised of the following exercises:
- Chinup
- Pushup
- Single Leg Split Squat
- Row
- Dip
- Hip work (single leg hip thrust, static abduction, 45* hyper, etc.)
- Ab work
He used a 3/3 cadence for his reps (3 count up and 3 count down) and tried to reach failure within 6 to 10 reps for upper body exercises and 8 to 12 reps for lower body exercises. You may note that this approach stands on contrast to the previous study, which used much higher reps. However, Skyler was not using heavy barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells or other equipment that would traditionally be used to build or to maintain muscle.
As the year progressed, he maintained a low load but added some weight via a weighted vest. Eventually, to keep the reps in a reasonable range as his body adapted to the moves, he began to use increased holds in the most mechanically disadvantaged position of an exercise (e.g. holding the bottom of a pushup exercise). For example, he found that while he could do 9 reps of 4 count down/4 count up pushups to failure with a thirty pound weighted vest, he could also reach failure with the same rep count by simply removing the weighted vest and instead adding a 4 second hold at the lower turnaround part of the pushup.
So what did he report?
Here’s his takeaway:
“Did I become He-Man? Nope. Did a become Zena? Nope. Did I maintain my muscle mass? Yes.”
Skyler then goes on to highlight a few great tips he discovered during his year of body weight training, including:
· Use movements that track muscle/joint function through a safe range of motion (“loading patterns“). Think push/pull/squat/hinge.
· Use a weight that lets you get to muscle failure in good form without suffering too much (it’s going to challenge you, but you shouldn’t chase suffering!).
· Initiate the movement smoothly, as well as the turnarounds.
· Train 1 to 3 times per week, depending on your goals and motivation
· Spend the rest of your time moving and enjoying your life!
· (Bonus) If you have a sport you’d like to excel in, keep but do less strength training. Include some more targeted exercises that might stave off overuse injuries (think rotator cuff work for pitching, or shin raises and hip abduction work for running).
· (Bonus 2) If you’re osteoporotic, you’ll need sufficient loading to stimulate the bone turnover you’re after. Heavy static holds are the safe way to accomplish this in the face of your significant strength deficit (because your muscles got weak long before your bones did).
My Own Body Weight Training Plan
As you’ve already discovered if you read Part 1 and Part 2 of my “What Is The Perfect Workout For 2017” series, I’m also programming body weight only training as an option for both my strength days and my power days.
For example, my body weight only alternative for Tuesday and Friday training is The Ultimate Efficient Body Weight Workout. You can find complete details and science behind this body weight routine here. Each exercise is to be performed for 30 seconds with 10 seconds of rest in between exercises.
Technically, one round only takes about 7 minutes, but if time permits, you should attempt to do 2-3 rounds. Use good form on every exercise, and, because the focus for this workout is power, try to low yourself slowly, then explode through the work portion of each exercise quickly.
Jumping jacks
Wall sits
Pushups
Crunches
Step-ups
Squats
Dips
Planks
Running in place with high knees
Lunges
Pushups with rotation
Side planks
Meanwhile, my Monday and Thursday body weight only option is to warm-up for 5-10 minutes, preferably with a gymnastics routine, Animal Flow, a Core Foundation routine, or anything else that dynamically prepares the body for movement and elevates the heart rate.
Next, choose from the “Strength” list below:
-one Upper Body Push
-one Lower Body Push
-one Upper Body Pull
-one Lower Body Pull
-one Full Body Move
As an option, you can pair each of the exercises above with a “Core/Mobility” exercise. But for a recent body weight training (a workout I completed in a hotel room), I didn’t even pair with any exercises and instead just did:
-Super slow pushups to exhaustion
-Super slow squats to exhaustion
-Super slow pullups (using a suspension strap I travel with) to exhaustion
-Super slow hip hinges to exhaustion
-Super slow V-ups
With just one round, my body was tired, two rounds I was beat, and three rounds I had a 40 minute exhausting training session that left me feeling like I’d been hoisting a heavy barbell!
Do you have questions, comments or feedback about whether you can build muscle with body weight only exercises? Join the conversation at http://ift.tt/1PKzcip.
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