Pro tip: i invested in two cats and spent 3 years sequestering rations from one and giving it to the other so i have varied cat weights. The smaller one is great for lateral cat raises, rear delt cat flys, and concentration cat curls. The heavier one is my compound move cat weight for things like cat squats, stiff legged cat lifts, and in the past i have fashioned an apparatus from old shoe strings that i sling over a door handle and do all variations of cat rows and cat pulldowns. Cats = gainz, and that's on God fr fr one hunny pee as the kids would say.
@@kiara4345 best option would be to get a 4th cat and repeat the ration sequestration and redistribution steps described above. This way you can have two chonks and two non-chonks effectively halving the time you spend on certain cat isolation lifts (e.g. cat curls, overhead cat press, etc.) plus now you can can do things like cat chest flys which would be difficult to do with only one chonk and one non-chonk. If the fools who manage my apartment complex allowed more than 2 cats you best believe I'd have more than 2. I envy you ma'am.
In prison you will do squats with a cellie on your back or push ups with them on your back. Sandbags for curls, lunges, carries. Bar workouts on the yard. Walking the track or sprints (run the 100 walk 300).
@JohnRhodes-lv3rg Have listened to many former inmates all over the Internet it varies, in some cases is just really high rep and tons of sets, in others is just what you said in others is really hard and a wide range of variations for muscle growth
Same here, calisthenics pillow cases full of magazines or a trash bag full of water, peanut butter and tuna fish for protein and lots of time, Leavenworth strength 💪
@@jasonashley4579I got pretty jacked with simple inverted rows, push ups, dips and pull ups. I used to do a lot of reps and sets and worked out 5 days a week. I’d do 10 sets of 10 for my upper body and 10 sets of 50 for legs. And I used to start my workout with one hard set for each exercise. Sounds pretty unconventional and not optimal but it got me jacked. Only problem was I got weaker on those exercises because I didn’t take enough rest. But the weaker I got, the more effort I had to put on every set. It had this crazy bulking effect. Idk how that worked.
Kinda surprised you didn't mention one of your favorite things to mention: slow eccentrics. A very simple way to make a bodyweight exercise tougher and cause more stimulus for hypertrophy. And you can also add isometric holds within those reps, meaning for example that you make pushups so that you slowly descend, then hold the bottom stretched position just above the floor for a while, and then push yourself up. That way you don't need to do a shit-ton of reps before you get to those tough, slow-though-trying-to-be-explosive, hypertrophy stimulating reps.
Nice to see you approach this topic! Honestly, a simple pullup bar and/or a set of rings would elevate an equipment-less program to a way higher level of depth and diversity
Not wrong, but as soon as you bring equipment into the mix it's no longer an equipment-less program. Arguably, a simple barbell and plate set would give you a ton more options as well, but again that would be equipment. However, if Dr. Mike is allowing a tree into this equation, I think we can stretch it to also include using rings and a bar that you can find at most local parks with a playground.
Yeah, some equipment is still a lot different than a lot of equipment, and a little goes a long way. People often address this like you have nothing vs a rack, barbell and 600 pounds. It's weird. Having rings or a suspension trainer or a pull up bar is equipment but it's not much. It's an odd dichotomy, an odd premise. Bands, springs, some weights for isolation work could be thrown in as well.
@@DG-mi7yf It's definitely possible to get big with calisthenics as long as you add weight to the movements (which some purists will say isn't calisthenics and be technically correct), and even without weights (as long as you push closer to failure. The reason you don't see many "big" calisthenics athletes is that all the best ones almost always have a body frame that is non-conducive to gaining muscle (an "ectomorphic" body frame), because if your weight is lower, it is easier to do bodyweight exercises.
I have dumbbells and a barbel at home but do exercises without equipment aswell because I don't go to the gym. I was already including your advices in my work out because they are great, I'm happy with my progress even if I can't get really big! So thank you as always, not only for that video but for everything you share with us!
I like to do as much as I can with bodyweight but do add weight or use free weights for things. Lower body and hinge movements get hard to overload without weight. A person can go pretty far with minimal equipment and if they've never trained can have a lot of room to grow before basic callisthenics gets too easy.
I was a novice to lifting when I got a barbell and plates in 2020. I've got a power rack and some dumbbells and over 450lbs of plates now and it's been more that enough. I do think some day I may get a cable-pulley attachment for my Rogue rack and perhaps, but otherwise unlikely I'll ever have a bunch of machines in my garage gym. I'm not trying to be a competitive bodybuilder or specialized athlete, so the "bare bones" barbell and calisthenics (I do plenty of pull-ups and dips for example) thing seems to work well enough!
For me getting some adjustable dumbells and a barbell plus some plates (later i bought more playes to progress), total cost was about 530 bucks helped hit all my goals and has been more than enough for me to keep progressing for 3 years now. When i progress to a new weight i can stay at that and do more repetitions or move to heavier weight, depending on how i feel. I usually dont like to go below 15 reps though. I think buying either of these is more than enough for all sort of workouts, id have to say i feel like the barbell is better overall though. Or you could get a pullup bar for all your pull exercises.
I use resistance bands and small dumbells as well. I do have access to a treadmill in the apartment complex, and a really old cable machine, though. If you are beginner or just want to exercise for the purposes of basic fitness (to keep yorself out of the nursing home), you don't actually need a gym membership. You can do pushups, squats, rows, with minimal equipment. You don't even need heavy weights, anything that takes effort is just fine provided you do enough reps.
Dr. mike thanks for this. I am the guy u described in the first 15 seconds of the video 😂. But yea. I needed this video bad. I've been doing a calisthenics deal with a bar and rings.Ive been working around the principles you discuss on other videos. You are THAT GUY! I have lost 30lbs this year and gotten more muscular thN I've ever been in my life. I turned 43 last month. I've been a lifelong skinny fat athlete. But I'm FINALLY making progress. and your videos are not only LOL Hillarious. But so helpful it's absurd. Thanks for all you do. Idk if you have discussed TRT yet. But I am seriously debating it. And I know alot of other guys are also. Maybe you could consider it as a topic in one video. Take care!❤
Burpees! Pulling movements can be done with a table. Lay under the table, face up, reach up and grip the edges, pull everything except your feet off the floor. Pushups - try to push off the floor on the way up. Move your hands to a new position (wider, split forward/backwards slightly, both hands to the left slightly, etc) while in your hop. Weights: buy a sack of rice or beans. If the bag is not strong enough, put it in a thick pillowcase. Use it for squats, etc
If you have an old backpack and some books, wearing a backpack full of books can add a bit of extra weight to an exercise. It's not optimal, but it's better than no options for adding weight.
I have been working out at home with little to no equipment for about ten years. The science based approach by RP and others really tremendously improved how I structured workouts and the results I'm getting. Thank you for your work!
Great book on this called convict conditioning, the book is all about body weight exercises with progressions for the movements like pistol squats. Well worth a look if you've no equipment / gym access or for holidays / hotel stays.
Yup. My sister sent me this book few years ago when I was incarcerated. This book became more popular than the Bible in their for those of us into working out🤷♂️🤣🗿
Yes, that book is very useful for progressions, where you work towards harder versions of an exercise as opposed to just adding reps and sets. Some Callisthenics channels here on RUclips cover this as well, progressions and advanced versions. Some of the progressions in that book don't work for some people but it's still a good well known book on this subject. There are some videos based on the book on RUclips for those that want more information on what's in the book.
I’m glad you made this video. I train calisthenics at home and love it. There is an endless amount of variations to choose from. And I seem to get better results than I ever did in a gym. Especially when I do circuit training.
I'm glad someone brought this up. I was an avid gym goer since college and within the last 9 months, transitioned/started calisthenics almost exclusively (besides a couple isolated exercises). I have seen great results so far and can't recommend it enough for people who want to switch things up or incorporate body weight exercises.
@@gup5774Agreed, I've been doing mostly calisthenics for the past several months, and have been pleasantly surprised at the progress. I used to have a (terrible) mindset that if I couldn't go to the gym, it wasn't worth even working out. The lockdown really opened my eyes to the benefits of body weight training.
During the first lockdown here in Sydney, I used heavy resistance tubes, bands, and bodyweight exercises. I maintained a lot of my size and shape. I think that dips, pull ups, chin ups, lunges and push ups were the main contributors to keeping strength and size. Even with gyms being fully open now with zero restrictions, people are still underutilising bodyweight exercises.
I've been adding push-ups and pull-ups to my routine as volume accessories to my heavy barbell lifts. I gotta say, 5x10 of pushups after a single amrap set of bench feels pretty sweet
I can already see how this video will help me maintain steady progress for years and years -- absolutely dynamite advice, Dr. Mike. I've been lucky enough to move into a neighborhood with a decent jungle gym that's only a short walk away at a local park. I'm hitting it 5x/week but at a pretty chill pace: long rest times where I do a walk / veeery slow jog around the park then come back to the "gym" for another set (I have stage I hypertension, so giving myself tons of time to recuperate is kind of non-negotiable), only 2-3 exercises per workout, 5-6 sets each. There are two things I do to jack up volume and fry my muscles if/when I feel like it's appropriate for that day: 1. After I finish sets of an exercise, e.g. dips, I do singles or negatives, depending on what my body can still do. Yesterday I did 5 sets of 6 strict pullups, then did singles with 10-20s rest between them for another 11 reps. 2. I switch to an easier variation of and do another set to complete failure. For example, after "classic" dips, nothing gets that burn up like doing another set off a bench with feet on the ground.
Thanks for covering this topic. Thanks also for some programming advice specific to it. A minimal amount of equipment would would flesh this out though and work out better for most people. If your park has bars great, or trees with suitable branches great, but a pull up bar or rings or a suspension trainer sure would be nice to have. Some equipment is still a lot different than a lot of equipment and fits a sweet spot a lot of people are interested in and can accommodate.
Also you can easily make “rings” via rope (or a thing you’d use to tie down items that you can change the length of dynamically) and pieces of PVC pipe that you can sling over whatever. Then you really can change leverage on inverted rows and ring pushups based on how horz your body is.
Upper body: Normal Pushups Diamond Pushups Decline pushups Wide grip pushups Pike push ups Pull ups Chin Ups Lower Body Squats Lunges Calf raises Leg Bridges This are only exercises you need to build muscle strength and endurance
Doc Mike, how about a discussion regarding breathing methods during weightlifting as well sa core bracing? This would help us a lot and avoid accidents! ❤
I highly recommend people do what I do for the bulk of my workouts if you don't have access to a gym but do have a yard--build sandbags. Very cheap, very effective. I started working out this yr after a ~15 yr hiatus and have focused primarily on sandbag stuff. Initially 1RM bag to shoulder was 120 lbs. Now I can do 200, after about 7 months. I've dropped about 25 lbs over that period too. I wasn't trying to cut though--definitely in a body recomp.
Started by doing 100 pushups a day with max 20... First day took me 6-7 sets.. Over time got to doing 5 sets of 20, later moved on to 5 sets of 25, then 5 sets of 35, now 45 days later I am at 5 sets of 40 for last 5 days. They are not perfect, I try to go for reps but I can definitely see my muscles grow. I am a bit overweight for the last 4 years, but overall athletic for whole my life. My goal is to get to 10sets of 50 over the day and then implement your advice and try to stay at 50x10 by making it harder on myself. For the last 7 weeks, this is kind of what I did unintentionally. First days of adding reps to a set I will slack on some of the reps but then a few days later it will begin to become easier and I am able to shorten the rest/ make the pushups deeper and slower. Mostly doing it for getting healthier but I can really see the growth in my muscles. Soon I will be implementing pull ups and crunches in my workout and see what happens. It is exciting for me to see the results creeping in as I don't live the healthiest live and drink a bit too many bears, eat too many burgers and pizzas and stay sat down on my a** too long. Now I am into the routine and haven't had a day without doing my sets for the last month and a half and it is exciting and I start to feel it is possible to be in a better shape in my 30s than I was when I was in prime shape at my 20s. Just putting this comment here to thank DR.Mike and eventually motivate someone who is in a similar state as me :)
I used to travel a fuck ton for work. And many hotels have gyms, but they're very limited, maybe just a treadmill. But you learn that even just in your room there's a shit ton of stuff you can do. Just gotta get creative and do them until failure.
I’m pretty fit but have a LONG ways to go.. but have always been able to rep out plenty pistol squats. So hearing Mike say “single leg squats if your very advanced and very strong” made me feel like a TOP G for 3-4 seconds. So that was pretty nice feeling. 😂 I was hypeddd for this video as I’m a low equipment fella myself, power tower, gym rings, an empty barbell, and an ole backpack to put bricks in 😅
I 've been doing pistol squats with my suitcase of books (see above) for a while now and I am getting a lot of benefit out of it. I think single leg exercises are way underutilized. I've always had them in my routine. When I played football I was doing pistols. Not only where my legs like tree trunks but I had such insane balance that I was really hard to take down.
Did this as a teen 😊 Also PT in the military was always all body weight (back in the 80s). I only lost 2 lbs in basic training (only 8 wks back then) but REALLY leaned out and got some serious definition. ALL body weight workouts and, not gonna lie, I ate like a fucking horse and had dessert with lunch AND dinner every damn day.
Dr. Mike, thank you. Although some seasoned trainers understand these concepts, you consistently present great contextual information and framing of a concept. These big picture overviews are important to visualize a program for long term successful training. Please take care of yourself as this format can burn out the best content creators.
I love this video. For leg training at home i have some great tips. Try doing the single leg squats (or Pistol Squats) on a slant board or elevate the heel of the working leg on a yoga block to take ankle mobillity out of the equation. Also try holding on to something like a TRX strap or gymnastic rings mostly for stabillity to take balance out of the equation (don't use your hands too much to get back up). Also do them slow and controlled on the eccentric and pause for 2 secs at the bottom to eliminate the stretch reflex. If you do all this you've got a DIY single leg squat machine from hell! Thats how i do my pistols and it's building my legs like nothing else. I get crazy sore quads and glutes from these and i don't have to do a lot of reps. Yesterday i did 11 reps and one negative rep on each leg (yes negative because i was able to go down but not up so that was true failure). I did this with with a 9 kg weighted vest (the max weight of my vest is 12 kgs). I don't go to the gym anymore because i don't have to. Pistols are so hard that it seems imposible to do 3 sets of 20 reps with just bodyweight on each leg and thats not even a lot of reps. And if you have access to a weighted vest you have all you need to replace barbell squats. No one will ever be able to do 3 sets of 20 controlled and paused Pistol squats with a 12 kgs vest. In conclusion, Pistols are the ultimate excercise to get more out of less weight. Note: remember you are lifting your entire bodyweight with just one leg so put your ego aside or else you'll get hurt.
I actually do split squats on leg at the gym holding plates and dumbells for added weight. I have issues with scoliosis which makes any barbell type exercises difficult so I always have to keep each side of my body mostly independent for the best workout. I have to say doing these had done more for my leg strength than anything. Plus they take very little time.
@@MrBottlecapBill of course the are great. Don't overlook reverse lunges, bulgarian split squats and step ups. The single leg squat variations are amazing and produce massive results. They offer lots of variety and you'll never get bored. Also they work because you are loading a greater amount of your bodyweight to one leg and if you go beyond that and add extra weight your legs have no other option than growing. Keep doing the work and you'll have the greatest gains of your life!
Interesting, and I appreciate the details. Do you just do pistols or also other types of single leg squats or sissy squats? Taking out the balance and flexibility aspect seems wise for your purpose.
@@michaelkulman7095 i Do Pistols and other types of single leg squats like step ups and Skater Squats (look them up on YT). And yes i do sissy squats. But keep in mind i always use hand support for all this movements to take balance out of the equation so i can focus more on strenght and training very close to failure. If you train this way you'll recocer faster because the external loads you'll use would be way lower or even non existant, so this means there will not be any considerable axial loading which means less stress on your lower back and CNS. So i recomend training legs 2-3 times a week this way.Just so you know my legs are bigger now than when I used to go to the gym.
This sounds like good advice I wish I had thought of it years ago. I also recommend Reverse Nordics and Nordic curls as good calisthenic exercises for the legs.
Hey Dr. Mike, huge fan. Would love to see a video on how you manage fatigue between bodybuilding/powerlifting and extracurricular physical activities like bjj etc.
How do you do hinging in a hotel room with nothing but a bed and a chair? The basic movements are pushing, pulling, squatting, and hinging. Hinging is the hard one. The only things I can think of are toe touches and straight-leg dead lifts with a suitcase. I'd love to know if anyone has some ideas for hinging. Doctor Mike, I hope you read this comment and have an answer. Pulling: Back widows. Make them harder by keeping your legs extended and your body rigid. Lift your entire body off the ground with your elbows. They become more of a backwards push up.
I found this super helpful. I'm a skinny guy and work and family life eats so much into my day that it's hard to get to the gym. I work from home too so going to the gym is always it's own thing. This information helps a lot
Man I wish Dr.Mike was doing this when I was 11, my life might be totally different, but I am really thankful, love his information and use it so much now!
Thanks so much. Awesome tips, as always, you're the man! Love the channel! Would be so cool if you made a video for those who have at least the basic stuff. I think the majority of your followers would fall under that category. I think most people, can get their hands on like a pull up bar, some dumbells, a dip station, maby an opportunity to load your bodyweight exercises. I know, there are lots of calisthenics channels that talk about it, but you just make everything make more sense so well.
Would love to see your recommendations for minimal equipment at home. I think a mat is huge, it allows you to do many movements without hurting the knees, ankles, elbows or fists on the ground (like planks, fist push-ups, etc.). Another great addition is a pull-up bar. Depending on where you are, even if there are trees, depending on the local species, the branches may be out of reach, or too thick or too thin, etc. I avoided getting one for a long time because I rent, my doorways are metal so drilling and screwing in is difficult, and cantilever bars bars don't work in them because there is no molding and no clearance. I recently got a self-expanding UMI pull-up bar and it's a game changer. The mechanism may seem unreliable at first, but in my experience it's rock solid, though it can damage wooden doorframes in drywalls. Alternatively, a multi-purpose roman chair + pull-up bar free standing workout station is great, though it's definitely not in the same price range. Then I think some weights take it to the next level. I don't know whether dumbbells or kettlebells are better. I think kettlebells allow for a greater variety of movements, but they're not typically adjustable. Also, adjustable dumbbells can be upgraded with a barbell or EZ bar down the line. A bench is also potentially really good, not just for presses (because let's be honest: the floor press is useless) but also for core exercises like variations on the dragon flag. I've never used bands, but they take up very little space and are cheap so maybe those are a good option for beginners? Anyway, would love to hear your thoughts on this Dr Mike.
I use the monkey bars at my local park for pull ups. I can do different variations by raising my feet up and resting them on another bar. I use books in a backpack to help with the push ups, I incline my feet too, and do narrow grip to hit the triceps more. I've been doing the split squats to focus harder on each leg and I get a real good burn and have to be careful not to fall down the stairs afterwards! I always train until failure or close to it. I've gained about 9kg in 12 weeks from 61 to 70 and now have visible abs too. I gotta eat a lot though which is where I really struggle.
If you are interested in more direct ab workout and got the monkey bars - try doing some hanging sit ups - you can push them to failure within about a minute!
I bought different kinds of dumbbells ! I increase my push-ups everyday! I do planks! Sit-ups! I do different places for my pushups feet on my couch! Another very helpful video! Thank you again for your help!!
I'm so in love with your videos that I watched this one on my phone, meanwhile turned my smart TV on and realized the last video I watched and haven't finished yet is another video of yours ("Maximally Stimulate Your Chest With This Amazing Press Cue! "). So now I have two Dr. Mike talking and I have to decide which one's first 😅 I really love that everything you say and display on this channel is science backed. 💪
Please do a video on preparedness rising through a meso for hypertrophy and if there may be something more optimal. On a revive stronger episode you mentioned it may be more optimal to add so much set volume week to week to not be able to progress load or reps.
I’m still relatively new to the channel, but that has to be the cleanest video from Dr. Mike, yeah? 7/10 - excellent information. Bring back crude jokes.
I’ve also used a sturdy book bag loaded with text books and did pushups, front squats, back squats, etc. When that became easy I switched them for bricks. I have a 50# and 25# weight which have also gone in now that the bricks are easier.
I do something similar with calisthenics and minimal equipment (but some). I know it's not optimal, but it's the only exercise I've ever stuck to. I do most of this stuff already which is great (this isn't my first RP video), BUT I still took away a couple of things I'm gonna try out 👍
I recommend sandbags, a weighted jump rope, and a (20-35lb) ruck sack or weighted vest for long walks. Sandbags, I recommend light, medium, heavy bags (example 50, 100, 150 or whatever works for you).
IMO the best bang for your buck home workout equipment is a pair of gymnastic rings. You can do push-ups, dips, pull-ups, rows, sissy squats, bulgarian split squat, bicep curls and much more with them. Plus they are relatively cheap and easy to mount at home. Bonus points for being able to hang them over tree branches and working out outside
Another good piece of advice is to check out your local parks. Many municipal parks have stuff set up specifically to exercise with, and if it doesn’t, I guarantee you can find something to use somewhere in the park.
Hi Mike, hopefully you see this. Would you consider doing a video on maximising muscle condition and how to apply your workouts to those who have chronic fatigue syndrome? I was heavily into bodybuilding and was in my peak until I was struck with this. 10 years on Im still trying to return to my old physique but traditional bodybuilding methods and workouts aren't working as those like myself are running on empty before even beginning training. It's the easy road to quit and say you can't achieve those goal.. there must be a way. Your feedback would be highly valued
Thank you for the video, I only train at home with dumbbells because I don't like wasting time going to the gym, etc... and this video helps to learn more exercises to do at home or when traveling. Best
I have been working out at home for 3 years and all I have is resistance bands, a standard barbell with dumbells, a backpack and a bench. The key is to make light weights feel heavy and focus on tut by slowing down the reps cadence. No ego and forget all the strenght standards and just focus on adding more reps or sets each session and progress. I use a 2 second concentric, 1 second pause and 4-5 second eccentric on most compound lifts (weighted pushups, decline pushups, overhead presses, back rows, pullups and bulgarian split squats) and for accessory exercises I tend to use a slightly faster cadence.
Dr mike your videos have been my best source for information on working out an they really helped but recently i had to stop going to the gym and haven't stopped thinking about it every 10 minutes i was just considering what i could possibly do and this video was the first to show up. Thank you very much
Dr. Mike is right about making the movement harder. Feet elevated deficit push ups to full lock out with a slow eccentric to 0 RIR give me an insane chest and triceps pump. If you can do 30+ reps like that (most can't) then use a weight vest.
On pushup: -If you want to have the more chest focused version, you can put something under your hands (books, bricks etc.) for more chest range of motion / stretch. On pistol squats: -If you have something solid and stable to step on, you can do step-ups - the "little cheat jumps" or not being able to fully control on the way down and landing with some momentum should be a little easier and less awkward than (assisted) pistol squats if you aren't ready for them (assuming you do not overcheat). On abs workout: -If you have something to hang from, doing hanging sit ups is the only gymless exercise that can burn your abs within one max two minutes. Hell, even just static hanging "looking up" can fry them up more than all the "ab workouts" or even leg raises (that below "L" position actually train leg adductors and not really abs). I usually do a set of active hanging situps followed by the static crunch when I get out of reps and you can definetely feel your abs and walk funny within minutes.
When I turned 50! I started lifting at home everyday! I’ll be 56 in June! Trying to get better in shape ! Hopefully get that lean look! We are heading to the beach in August! It’s a working process! With my weight ! Getting lean!
This video is designed for me, I have zero weights (though I get good results with just bodyweight), now I can improve even more with the wisdom of Dr. Master Sensei Mike! Thank you.
Thanks Dr. Mke i can't tell you how much you've helped me in my efforts to lose weight and gain muscle. You and Dr. Layne Norton are equally fantastic.
During lockdown I literally filled a rucksack with stones to use for all sorts of curls, OHP and row moves. Obviously bag on back for squats pushups etc If you're super into that you can weigh out carrier bags filled with 2.5kg of stones and tape it up into a tight package, then throw a few in for adjustable weights. I also got some rope and cut up some palm sized pvc tubing as handles, and tied the rope to the loft rafters so they hung through the loft hatch as pull up handles. Plenty of ideas if you get creative!
I haven't watched the video yet, but this is definitely something I'm going to have to adjust to. I've been training 6 days a week for a long time at an old, local gym that's very well equipped. I've started a career as a long haul truck driver, and I originally planned on trying to find gyms along the way... Easier said than done is an understatement. Going forward I'm going to spend my week at home still chasing extra reps/weight on the same exercises as I always have, but I'm going to keep a separate workout log in the truck for my other routine the 3-4 weeks at a time that I'm on the road. It's basically going to consist of calisthenics, dumbbells, and work with a heavy duty chest expander I bought from Robert Baraban. Going to be interesting, that's for sure.
Hi, 2 more possible exercises not mentioned: for delts: pike push ups and handstand push ups, for back: rows at home under the table instead of a branch.
Dr. Mike is the mothafuggin goat of fitness youtube. all the comedy and knowledge you'll ever need. man has me cackling like a madman while i eat plain chicken and plain rice cakes
Great suggestions Dr. Mike. It’s helpful especially if you’re traveling somewhere and there’s no gym or at least nothing close by or not a lot of time…..
I think one of the most useful things I use as a PT has been sided emphasis in bridges and squats. Great for my people who can’t do one leg or arm motions but whom doing anything at all with more loading is wayyyy better than nothing. Bridges suck for most people as they are too easy so high reps is fine, but I usually need strength and not size especially to make a difference in their function and rehab them quicker. And they aren’t usually compliant with home exercise routines that have a bunch of sets of 20-30 reps
Another exercise variation to keep in mind is the "archer" or one-arm variants of pullups, pushups, and even rows (if you can find a tree branch, you can hang something like gym rings or a TRX). If the support arm is straighter over time and you go slower and slower on the eccentric those can work for quite a while.
This is a great video. I would like to add that a great way to have EVEN MORE variety is to substitute the tree with a doorway pull up bar and a pair of rings. It's a one time investment and you can do all the main pulling and pushing movements as well as some assistance exercises. I know Dr. Mike is not a fan of unstable exercises but I feel like he'd make an exception for rings considering how many more upper body movements you can do with them!
Doorway pullup bars are more dangerous than many people realize. The trim over the door that takes all of the vertical forces of the bar is being held onto the wall with short, thin nails. Those nails aren't designed to handle much shear force. There are models that actually install onto the wall studs, but most people use the kind that hooks over the top trim and rests the bar across the doorway. And the latter kind is responsible for many an injury.
@@theKashConnoisseur That's a fair point. I personally use the one that you screw in place from the sides so no risk here. My point is there are always options when it comes to working out and hitting all major muscle groups. You just have to be creative.
Mike, You should write a really detailed, in depth book on weightless training. With specific bodyweight exercises ,repetion technique & rest periods to maximize results with bodyweight only. Especially on Glutes,Quads&Hamstrings. An "Old School" paper book.
I trained 1 full year this way before transitioning to weights . First time I ever benched I got 185 for 2 . Crazy considering I only ever did pushups and dips prior to this
This is great stuff. I was sent another video of yours (ripping up Dr. Oz, bless) and then wanted to see what else you have. This one hit home because I'm on the uptake from a broken shoulder back in June, and really cannot do weights still (yes, even 5 or 10 pounds). But I'm dying with not do anything, and this gives me a good impetus and encouragement o do Something without being bummed about weights. Thank you!
i have one 30 pound dumbbell goblet squats, superset into overhead presses weighted bench dips, add decline by raising feet onto a chair/etc curl variations for days weighted lunges rows weighted toe raises, use a step to create a deficit snatches turkish get ups etc etc get creative and you can do a lot with basically nothing 👍🏼
In other words, calisthenics :) The deadlift is the one excersise really hard to emulate without equipment, the loaded carries or farmers walks also, but you can manage. One total hamstring destroyer is the nordic hamstring curl, it's insanly hard, at least for me, so you have to work your way up with dif progressions., with a towel and something soft for your knees, you attach/bind/jam/secure the towel under a closed door and you can imagine how it goes, there's your knee safe attachment. The pull up bar or/and the rings are a must also. When I travel I do it with my rings, with them you can do dips and pull ups almost anywhere. Or just go to a calisthenics Park, those are present in almost every city on the planet xD
Don't forget inverted kitchen table rows. Bent legs for high reps. Straight legs for lower reps. If you're thinking, "what about my shoulders?", look into pike push-ups which are a b*tch. I'm still learning how to do them.
This is how I survived this summer basically. Rubber bands and pullup bar, push-ups on the books, lounges with elevated feet this sort of things. I was able to maintain more less what I wanted.
Thanks for this Doc. I've had to switch to mostly body weight and bands due to a shoulder injury. Although i have started adding weights back in. I'll definitely use this advice. If nothing else it's good to have this in the tool kit for when there is no equipment around. I've lost about 100 lbs and still have more to go, but I'm enjoying the ride. Thanks again!
u can put a backpack on your back full of water bottles and you can increase the weight on your back that way. We used to do this all the time back in the day. There was only one gym and that was packed…and we didn’t have money anyway…so we did this instead and we were more jacked than the ones in the gym. We even had rocks instead of weights and we used to deadlift those. You know how deadlift prepares you from lifting rocks in real life? We skipped the bar part :)
Pro tip: i invested in two cats and spent 3 years sequestering rations from one and giving it to the other so i have varied cat weights. The smaller one is great for lateral cat raises, rear delt cat flys, and concentration cat curls. The heavier one is my compound move cat weight for things like cat squats, stiff legged cat lifts, and in the past i have fashioned an apparatus from old shoe strings that i sling over a door handle and do all variations of cat rows and cat pulldowns. Cats = gainz, and that's on God fr fr one hunny pee as the kids would say.
This, my good sir, is quite hilarious.
Be sure to get plenty of protein so you don't go catabolic
I have three cats. Any suggestions on how to use the third one?
@@kiara4345 make her fluffy and clingy: tadaa weight vest.
@@kiara4345 best option would be to get a 4th cat and repeat the ration sequestration and redistribution steps described above. This way you can have two chonks and two non-chonks effectively halving the time you spend on certain cat isolation lifts (e.g. cat curls, overhead cat press, etc.) plus now you can can do things like cat chest flys which would be difficult to do with only one chonk and one non-chonk. If the fools who manage my apartment complex allowed more than 2 cats you best believe I'd have more than 2. I envy you ma'am.
Seeing the prison, garage gym, calisthenics and gymnasts results convinced me that there are no excuses when you have no equipment.
Gymnasts sold it for me.
In prison you will do squats with a cellie on your back or push ups with them on your back. Sandbags for curls, lunges, carries. Bar workouts on the yard. Walking the track or sprints (run the 100 walk 300).
@JohnRhodes-lv3rg Have listened to many former inmates all over the Internet it varies, in some cases is just really high rep and tons of sets, in others is just what you said in others is really hard and a wide range of variations for muscle growth
I got pretty jacked doing this a few years ago. Some of the best workouts of my life were done with no equipment.
Same here, calisthenics pillow cases full of magazines or a trash bag full of water, peanut butter and tuna fish for protein and lots of time, Leavenworth strength 💪
@@jasonashley4579I got pretty jacked with simple inverted rows, push ups, dips and pull ups. I used to do a lot of reps and sets and worked out 5 days a week. I’d do 10 sets of 10 for my upper body and 10 sets of 50 for legs. And I used to start my workout with one hard set for each exercise. Sounds pretty unconventional and not optimal but it got me jacked. Only problem was I got weaker on those exercises because I didn’t take enough rest. But the weaker I got, the more effort I had to put on every set. It had this crazy bulking effect. Idk how that worked.
Kinda surprised you didn't mention one of your favorite things to mention: slow eccentrics. A very simple way to make a bodyweight exercise tougher and cause more stimulus for hypertrophy. And you can also add isometric holds within those reps, meaning for example that you make pushups so that you slowly descend, then hold the bottom stretched position just above the floor for a while, and then push yourself up. That way you don't need to do a shit-ton of reps before you get to those tough, slow-though-trying-to-be-explosive, hypertrophy stimulating reps.
Agree, slow eccentrics and myoreps will blast your muscles.
Nice to see you approach this topic! Honestly, a simple pullup bar and/or a set of rings would elevate an equipment-less program to a way higher level of depth and diversity
Not wrong, but as soon as you bring equipment into the mix it's no longer an equipment-less program. Arguably, a simple barbell and plate set would give you a ton more options as well, but again that would be equipment. However, if Dr. Mike is allowing a tree into this equation, I think we can stretch it to also include using rings and a bar that you can find at most local parks with a playground.
Yeah, some equipment is still a lot different than a lot of equipment, and a little goes a long way. People often address this like you have nothing vs a rack, barbell and 600 pounds. It's weird.
Having rings or a suspension trainer or a pull up bar is equipment but it's not much. It's an odd dichotomy, an odd premise. Bands, springs, some weights
for isolation work could be thrown in as well.
Rings open so many options, is insane. Rows, hangs, if you are a bit more experienced pull-ups and dips, leg raises, levers
@@theKashConnoisseurwhich I mean, for ring + pullup bar is what, 100 bucks ? for pieces of equipment that can last you years
The most important part is arrogantly declaring you dont lift weights to everyone in ear shot
🗿
There are purists on both sides,
it's like two opposing religions or political parties...it's all or nothing to them...
The most important part is arrogantly declaring that you don't arrogantly declare things.
The body weight stuff works for newbie gains and staying strong but those dudes are never BIG. Getting big is much easier with weights and machines.
@@DG-mi7yf It's definitely possible to get big with calisthenics as long as you add weight to the movements (which some purists will say isn't calisthenics and be technically correct), and even without weights (as long as you push closer to failure. The reason you don't see many "big" calisthenics athletes is that all the best ones almost always have a body frame that is non-conducive to gaining muscle (an "ectomorphic" body frame), because if your weight is lower, it is easier to do bodyweight exercises.
I've been training at home for the last couple of years and this is exactly what I needed! Thanks Dr. Mike!
I have dumbbells and a barbel at home but do exercises without equipment aswell because I don't go to the gym. I was already including your advices in my work out because they are great, I'm happy with my progress even if I can't get really big! So thank you as always, not only for that video but for everything you share with us!
I like to do as much as I can with bodyweight but do add weight or use free weights for things. Lower body and hinge movements get hard to overload without weight. A person can go pretty far with minimal equipment and if they've never trained can have a lot of room to grow before basic callisthenics gets too easy.
I was a novice to lifting when I got a barbell and plates in 2020. I've got a power rack and some dumbbells and over 450lbs of plates now and it's been more that enough. I do think some day I may get a cable-pulley attachment for my Rogue rack and perhaps, but otherwise unlikely I'll ever have a bunch of machines in my garage gym. I'm not trying to be a competitive bodybuilder or specialized athlete, so the "bare bones" barbell and calisthenics (I do plenty of pull-ups and dips for example) thing seems to work well enough!
My pleasure, best of luck! - Dr. Mike
For me getting some adjustable dumbells and a barbell plus some plates (later i bought more playes to progress), total cost was about 530 bucks helped hit all my goals and has been more than enough for me to keep progressing for 3 years now. When i progress to a new weight i can stay at that and do more repetitions or move to heavier weight, depending on how i feel. I usually dont like to go below 15 reps though. I think buying either of these is more than enough for all sort of workouts, id have to say i feel like the barbell is better overall though. Or you could get a pullup bar for all your pull exercises.
I use resistance bands and small dumbells as well. I do have access to a treadmill in the apartment complex, and a really old cable machine, though.
If you are beginner or just want to exercise for the purposes of basic fitness (to keep yorself out of the nursing home), you don't actually need a gym membership. You can do pushups, squats, rows, with minimal equipment. You don't even need heavy weights, anything that takes effort is just fine provided you do enough reps.
Dr. mike thanks for this. I am the guy u described in the first 15 seconds of the video 😂. But yea. I needed this video bad. I've been doing a calisthenics deal with a bar and rings.Ive been working around the principles you discuss on other videos. You are THAT GUY! I have lost 30lbs this year and gotten more muscular thN I've ever been in my life. I turned 43 last month. I've been a lifelong skinny fat athlete. But I'm FINALLY making progress. and your videos are not only LOL Hillarious. But so helpful it's absurd. Thanks for all you do. Idk if you have discussed TRT yet. But I am seriously debating it. And I know alot of other guys are also. Maybe you could consider it as a topic in one video. Take care!❤
Burpees!
Pulling movements can be done with a table. Lay under the table, face up, reach up and grip the edges, pull everything except your feet off the floor.
Pushups - try to push off the floor on the way up. Move your hands to a new position (wider, split forward/backwards slightly, both hands to the left slightly, etc) while in your hop.
Weights: buy a sack of rice or beans. If the bag is not strong enough, put it in a thick pillowcase. Use it for squats, etc
Extra tips: PLAYGROUND (possibilities are endless, just go when no one is there). Also, corner dips.
If you have an old backpack and some books, wearing a backpack full of books can add a bit of extra weight to an exercise. It's not optimal, but it's better than no options for adding weight.
I have been working out at home with little to no equipment for about ten years. The science based approach by RP and others really tremendously improved how I structured workouts and the results I'm getting.
Thank you for your work!
Great book on this called convict conditioning, the book is all about body weight exercises with progressions for the movements like pistol squats. Well worth a look if you've no equipment / gym access or for holidays / hotel stays.
Yup. My sister sent me this book few years ago when I was incarcerated. This book became more popular than the Bible in their for those of us into working out🤷♂️🤣🗿
Yes, that book is very useful for progressions, where you work towards harder versions of an exercise as opposed to just adding reps and sets.
Some Callisthenics channels here on RUclips cover this as well, progressions and advanced versions.
Some of the progressions in that book don't work for some people but it's still a good well known book on this subject.
There are some videos based on the book on RUclips for those that want more information on what's in the book.
Awesome content. Long time watching the channel but not a bodybuilder so this kind of stuff has great utility for me.
I’m glad you made this video. I train calisthenics at home and love it. There is an endless amount of variations to choose from. And I seem to get better results than I ever did in a gym. Especially when I do circuit training.
I'm glad someone brought this up. I was an avid gym goer since college and within the last 9 months, transitioned/started calisthenics almost exclusively (besides a couple isolated exercises). I have seen great results so far and can't recommend it enough for people who want to switch things up or incorporate body weight exercises.
@@gup5774Agreed, I've been doing mostly calisthenics for the past several months, and have been pleasantly surprised at the progress. I used to have a (terrible) mindset that if I couldn't go to the gym, it wasn't worth even working out. The lockdown really opened my eyes to the benefits of body weight training.
Does circuit training build muscle?
@@adithya444if you are close to failure and if you progressive overload
During the first lockdown here in Sydney, I used heavy resistance tubes, bands, and bodyweight exercises. I maintained a lot of my size and shape. I think that dips, pull ups, chin ups, lunges and push ups were the main contributors to keeping strength and size.
Even with gyms being fully open now with zero restrictions, people are still underutilising bodyweight exercises.
I've been adding push-ups and pull-ups to my routine as volume accessories to my heavy barbell lifts. I gotta say, 5x10 of pushups after a single amrap set of bench feels pretty sweet
It's so refreshing to hear someone who actually knows what they are talking about, praise callisthenics.
I can already see how this video will help me maintain steady progress for years and years -- absolutely dynamite advice, Dr. Mike.
I've been lucky enough to move into a neighborhood with a decent jungle gym that's only a short walk away at a local park. I'm hitting it 5x/week but at a pretty chill pace: long rest times where I do a walk / veeery slow jog around the park then come back to the "gym" for another set (I have stage I hypertension, so giving myself tons of time to recuperate is kind of non-negotiable), only 2-3 exercises per workout, 5-6 sets each.
There are two things I do to jack up volume and fry my muscles if/when I feel like it's appropriate for that day:
1. After I finish sets of an exercise, e.g. dips, I do singles or negatives, depending on what my body can still do. Yesterday I did 5 sets of 6 strict pullups, then did singles with 10-20s rest between them for another 11 reps.
2. I switch to an easier variation of and do another set to complete failure. For example, after "classic" dips, nothing gets that burn up like doing another set off a bench with feet on the ground.
Thanks for covering this topic.
Thanks also for some programming advice specific to it.
A minimal amount of equipment would
would flesh this out though and work out better for most people.
If your park has bars great, or trees with suitable branches great, but a pull up bar or rings or a suspension trainer sure would be nice to have.
Some equipment is still a lot different than a lot of equipment and fits a sweet spot a lot of people are interested in and can accommodate.
Also you can easily make “rings” via rope (or a thing you’d use to tie down items that you can change the length of dynamically) and pieces of PVC pipe that you can sling over whatever. Then you really can change leverage on inverted rows and ring pushups based on how horz your body is.
Upper body:
Normal Pushups
Diamond Pushups
Decline pushups
Wide grip pushups
Pike push ups
Pull ups
Chin Ups
Lower Body
Squats
Lunges
Calf raises
Leg Bridges
This are only exercises you need to build muscle strength and endurance
add some bodyweight rows and dips and the gains will come.
Thanks so much. This is one of the best, straight to the point videos on bodyweight training I’ve ever come across.
THIS is exactly what I needed! THANK YOU!
Doc Mike, how about a discussion regarding breathing methods during weightlifting as well sa core bracing? This would help us a lot and avoid accidents! ❤
Brian Alsruhe has several fantastic videos on breathing and bracing already up. His tips helped me immensely.
Mitchell Hooper also recently did a core bracing video
We'll definitely get to that at some point. Great suggestion! - Dr. Mike
@@brentives4688 I'll try to look him up thx!
@@austinohlrich9370 thanks for the input!
I highly recommend people do what I do for the bulk of my workouts if you don't have access to a gym but do have a yard--build sandbags. Very cheap, very effective. I started working out this yr after a ~15 yr hiatus and have focused primarily on sandbag stuff. Initially 1RM bag to shoulder was 120 lbs. Now I can do 200, after about 7 months. I've dropped about 25 lbs over that period too. I wasn't trying to cut though--definitely in a body recomp.
Awesome
Started by doing 100 pushups a day with max 20... First day took me 6-7 sets.. Over time got to doing 5 sets of 20, later moved on to 5 sets of 25, then 5 sets of 35, now 45 days later I am at 5 sets of 40 for last 5 days. They are not perfect, I try to go for reps but I can definitely see my muscles grow. I am a bit overweight for the last 4 years, but overall athletic for whole my life. My goal is to get to 10sets of 50 over the day and then implement your advice and try to stay at 50x10 by making it harder on myself. For the last 7 weeks, this is kind of what I did unintentionally. First days of adding reps to a set I will slack on some of the reps but then a few days later it will begin to become easier and I am able to shorten the rest/ make the pushups deeper and slower.
Mostly doing it for getting healthier but I can really see the growth in my muscles. Soon I will be implementing pull ups and crunches in my workout and see what happens. It is exciting for me to see the results creeping in as I don't live the healthiest live and drink a bit too many bears, eat too many burgers and pizzas and stay sat down on my a** too long. Now I am into the routine and haven't had a day without doing my sets for the last month and a half and it is exciting and I start to feel it is possible to be in a better shape in my 30s than I was when I was in prime shape at my 20s.
Just putting this comment here to thank DR.Mike and eventually motivate someone who is in a similar state as me :)
I used to travel a fuck ton for work. And many hotels have gyms, but they're very limited, maybe just a treadmill. But you learn that even just in your room there's a shit ton of stuff you can do. Just gotta get creative and do them until failure.
I’m pretty fit but have a LONG ways to go.. but have always been able to rep out plenty pistol squats. So hearing Mike say “single leg squats if your very advanced and very strong” made me feel like a TOP G for 3-4 seconds. So that was pretty nice feeling. 😂 I was hypeddd for this video as I’m a low equipment fella myself, power tower, gym rings, an empty barbell, and an ole backpack to put bricks in 😅
I 've been doing pistol squats with my suitcase of books (see above) for a while now and I am getting a lot of benefit out of it. I think single leg exercises are way underutilized. I've always had them in my routine. When I played football I was doing pistols. Not only where my legs like tree trunks but I had such insane balance that I was really hard to take down.
Did this as a teen 😊
Also PT in the military was always all body weight (back in the 80s). I only lost 2 lbs in basic training (only 8 wks back then) but REALLY leaned out and got some serious definition. ALL body weight workouts and, not gonna lie, I ate like a fucking horse and had dessert with lunch AND dinner every damn day.
Dr. Mike, thank you. Although some seasoned trainers understand these concepts, you consistently present great contextual information and framing of a concept. These big picture overviews are important to visualize a program for long term successful training. Please take care of yourself as this format can burn out the best content creators.
Would be nice to see a training video with older, say 50+, folks.
Hi, There is a channel here on youtube that does that, Live Anabolic. Best wishes.
@@SunShine-dk6rk Thanks a lot for the info!
Also not only training but how to maintain muscle and physical health by traning and diet but still enjoying some weekend Life
@@SriranjanSeshadri My pleasure, Best wishes.
There are plenty of geriatric channels out there.
I love this video. For leg training at home i have some great tips. Try doing the single leg squats (or Pistol Squats) on a slant board or elevate the heel of the working leg on a yoga block to take ankle mobillity out of the equation. Also try holding on to something like a TRX strap or gymnastic rings mostly for stabillity to take balance out of the equation (don't use your hands too much to get back up). Also do them slow and controlled on the eccentric and pause for 2 secs at the bottom to eliminate the stretch reflex. If you do all this you've got a DIY single leg squat machine from hell! Thats how i do my pistols and it's building my legs like nothing else. I get crazy sore quads and glutes from these and i don't have to do a lot of reps. Yesterday i did 11 reps and one negative rep on each leg (yes negative because i was able to go down but not up so that was true failure). I did this with with a 9 kg weighted vest (the max weight of my vest is 12 kgs). I don't go to the gym anymore because i don't have to. Pistols are so hard that it seems imposible to do 3 sets of 20 reps with just bodyweight on each leg and thats not even a lot of reps. And if you have access to a weighted vest you have all you need to replace barbell squats. No one will ever be able to do 3 sets of 20 controlled and paused Pistol squats with a 12 kgs vest. In conclusion, Pistols are the ultimate excercise to get more out of less weight.
Note: remember you are lifting your entire bodyweight with just one leg so put your ego aside or else you'll get hurt.
I actually do split squats on leg at the gym holding plates and dumbells for added weight. I have issues with scoliosis which makes any barbell type exercises difficult so I always have to keep each side of my body mostly independent for the best workout. I have to say doing these had done more for my leg strength than anything. Plus they take very little time.
@@MrBottlecapBill of course the are great. Don't overlook reverse lunges, bulgarian split squats and step ups. The single leg squat variations are amazing and produce massive results. They offer lots of variety and you'll never get bored. Also they work because you are loading a greater amount of your bodyweight to one leg and if you go beyond that and add extra weight your legs have no other option than growing. Keep doing the work and you'll have the greatest gains of your life!
Interesting, and I appreciate the details. Do you just do pistols or also other types of single leg squats or sissy squats?
Taking out the balance and flexibility aspect seems wise for your purpose.
@@michaelkulman7095 i Do Pistols and other types of single leg squats like step ups and Skater Squats (look them up on YT). And yes i do sissy squats. But keep in mind i always use hand support for all this movements to take balance out of the equation so i can focus more on strenght and training very close to failure. If you train this way you'll recocer faster because the external loads you'll use would be way lower or even non existant, so this means there will not be any considerable axial loading which means less stress on your lower back and CNS. So i recomend training legs 2-3 times a week this way.Just so you know my legs are bigger now than when I used to go to the gym.
This sounds like good advice I wish I had thought of it years ago. I also recommend Reverse Nordics and Nordic curls as good calisthenic exercises for the legs.
I needed this mentality during covid
Great video, wondering if you can do a vid on the cable pullover and even dumbbell pullover too 🙏🏿
If you buy a pair of gymnastic rings, you can do pull ups (and lots of other stuff) under any tree
This was uploaded 48h before my broke ass leaves the gym, thank you so much, this enables me to create a plan and to know how to adjust and progress.
Hey Dr. Mike, huge fan. Would love to see a video on how you manage fatigue between bodybuilding/powerlifting and extracurricular physical activities like bjj etc.
As someone looking to switch to muscle growth from cutting in hopefully a month, your timing is impeccable.
Instead of progressions, I typically just slow down the tempo and add significant pauses. Thoughts?
How do you do hinging in a hotel room with nothing but a bed and a chair? The basic movements are pushing, pulling, squatting, and hinging. Hinging is the hard one. The only things I can think of are toe touches and straight-leg dead lifts with a suitcase. I'd love to know if anyone has some ideas for hinging. Doctor Mike, I hope you read this comment and have an answer.
Pulling: Back widows. Make them harder by keeping your legs extended and your body rigid. Lift your entire body off the ground with your elbows. They become more of a backwards push up.
6:30 "A closed room with a tree in it." had me freaking dead 💀 😂
Mountain bike + calisthenics - works fine for me and i have so much joy for it!
The best physyques are those with bodyweight training liek gymnasts calysthenics etc.
I found this super helpful. I'm a skinny guy and work and family life eats so much into my day that it's hard to get to the gym. I work from home too so going to the gym is always it's own thing. This information helps a lot
Man I wish Dr.Mike was doing this when I was 11, my life might be totally different, but I am really thankful, love his information and use it so much now!
Thanks so much. Awesome tips, as always, you're the man! Love the channel! Would be so cool if you made a video for those who have at least the basic stuff. I think the majority of your followers would fall under that category. I think most people, can get their hands on like a pull up bar, some dumbells, a dip station, maby an opportunity to load your bodyweight exercises. I know, there are lots of calisthenics channels that talk about it, but you just make everything make more sense so well.
This channel is great. Thanx Dr. Mike. You help tons of people even if we don't say. THANK YOU from the community
Doc is the hero we all need. Thank you
P.s. Pull ups of the ledge of the roof or wall
Would love to see your recommendations for minimal equipment at home. I think a mat is huge, it allows you to do many movements without hurting the knees, ankles, elbows or fists on the ground (like planks, fist push-ups, etc.). Another great addition is a pull-up bar. Depending on where you are, even if there are trees, depending on the local species, the branches may be out of reach, or too thick or too thin, etc. I avoided getting one for a long time because I rent, my doorways are metal so drilling and screwing in is difficult, and cantilever bars bars don't work in them because there is no molding and no clearance. I recently got a self-expanding UMI pull-up bar and it's a game changer. The mechanism may seem unreliable at first, but in my experience it's rock solid, though it can damage wooden doorframes in drywalls. Alternatively, a multi-purpose roman chair + pull-up bar free standing workout station is great, though it's definitely not in the same price range. Then I think some weights take it to the next level. I don't know whether dumbbells or kettlebells are better. I think kettlebells allow for a greater variety of movements, but they're not typically adjustable. Also, adjustable dumbbells can be upgraded with a barbell or EZ bar down the line. A bench is also potentially really good, not just for presses (because let's be honest: the floor press is useless) but also for core exercises like variations on the dragon flag. I've never used bands, but they take up very little space and are cheap so maybe those are a good option for beginners? Anyway, would love to hear your thoughts on this Dr Mike.
I use the monkey bars at my local park for pull ups. I can do different variations by raising my feet up and resting them on another bar. I use books in a backpack to help with the push ups, I incline my feet too, and do narrow grip to hit the triceps more. I've been doing the split squats to focus harder on each leg and I get a real good burn and have to be careful not to fall down the stairs afterwards! I always train until failure or close to it. I've gained about 9kg in 12 weeks from 61 to 70 and now have visible abs too. I gotta eat a lot though which is where I really struggle.
If you are interested in more direct ab workout and got the monkey bars - try doing some hanging sit ups - you can push them to failure within about a minute!
I bought different kinds of dumbbells ! I increase my push-ups everyday! I do planks! Sit-ups! I do different places for my pushups feet on my couch! Another very helpful video! Thank you again for your help!!
I'm so in love with your videos that I watched this one on my phone, meanwhile turned my smart TV on and realized the last video I watched and haven't finished yet is another video of yours ("Maximally Stimulate Your Chest With This Amazing Press Cue! ").
So now I have two Dr. Mike talking and I have to decide which one's first 😅
I really love that everything you say and display on this channel is science backed.
💪
Please do a video on preparedness rising through a meso for hypertrophy and if there may be something more optimal. On a revive stronger episode you mentioned it may be more optimal to add so much set volume week to week to not be able to progress load or reps.
Where are you Mike? You got random lockers in some office looking area.
Great video as always! Thank you especially for this one! 😁
I’m still relatively new to the channel, but that has to be the cleanest video from Dr. Mike, yeah? 7/10 - excellent information. Bring back crude jokes.
I’ve also used a sturdy book bag loaded with text books and did pushups, front squats, back squats, etc. When that became easy I switched them for bricks. I have a 50# and 25# weight which have also gone in now that the bricks are easier.
I do something similar with calisthenics and minimal equipment (but some). I know it's not optimal, but it's the only exercise I've ever stuck to. I do most of this stuff already which is great (this isn't my first RP video), BUT I still took away a couple of things I'm gonna try out 👍
You know, to me, it sounds like calisthenics is in fact the optimal way to train for you! Consistency is everything
Same, I got gains decent enough people thought I lift weights at the gym even though I only lift my bodyweight in my room lol.
Awesome video mike, really helped me out
I recommend sandbags, a weighted jump rope, and a (20-35lb) ruck sack or weighted vest for long walks.
Sandbags, I recommend light, medium, heavy bags (example 50, 100, 150 or whatever works for you).
IMO the best bang for your buck home workout equipment is a pair of gymnastic rings. You can do push-ups, dips, pull-ups, rows, sissy squats, bulgarian split squat, bicep curls and much more with them. Plus they are relatively cheap and easy to mount at home. Bonus points for being able to hang them over tree branches and working out outside
Another good piece of advice is to check out your local parks. Many municipal parks have stuff set up specifically to exercise with, and if it doesn’t, I guarantee you can find something to use somewhere in the park.
Hi Mike, hopefully you see this.
Would you consider doing a video on maximising muscle condition and how to apply your workouts to those who have chronic fatigue syndrome?
I was heavily into bodybuilding and was in my peak until I was struck with this. 10 years on Im still trying to return to my old physique but traditional bodybuilding methods and workouts aren't working as those like myself are running on empty before even beginning training. It's the easy road to quit and say you can't achieve those goal.. there must be a way. Your feedback would be highly valued
Perfect timing. I'm travelling for 3 months so this will help!
Dr. Mike is a special guy
Thank you for the video, I only train at home with dumbbells because I don't like wasting time going to the gym, etc... and this video helps to learn more exercises to do at home or when traveling. Best
I have been working out at home for 3 years and all I have is resistance bands, a standard barbell with dumbells, a backpack and a bench. The key is to make light weights feel heavy and focus on tut by slowing down the reps cadence. No ego and forget all the strenght standards and just focus on adding more reps or sets each session and progress. I use a 2 second concentric, 1 second pause and 4-5 second eccentric on most compound lifts (weighted pushups, decline pushups, overhead presses, back rows, pullups and bulgarian split squats) and for accessory exercises I tend to use a slightly faster cadence.
Dr mike your videos have been my best source for information on working out an they really helped but recently i had to stop going to the gym and haven't stopped thinking about it every 10 minutes i was just considering what i could possibly do and this video was the first to show up. Thank you very much
Dr. Mike is right about making the movement harder. Feet elevated deficit push ups to full lock out with a slow eccentric to 0 RIR give me an insane chest and triceps pump. If you can do 30+ reps like that (most can't) then use a weight vest.
On pushup:
-If you want to have the more chest focused version, you can put something under your hands (books, bricks etc.) for more chest range of motion / stretch.
On pistol squats:
-If you have something solid and stable to step on, you can do step-ups - the "little cheat jumps" or not being able to fully control on the way down and landing with some momentum should be a little easier and less awkward than (assisted) pistol squats if you aren't ready for them (assuming you do not overcheat).
On abs workout:
-If you have something to hang from, doing hanging sit ups is the only gymless exercise that can burn your abs within one max two minutes. Hell, even just static hanging "looking up" can fry them up more than all the "ab workouts" or even leg raises (that below "L" position actually train leg adductors and not really abs). I usually do a set of active hanging situps followed by the static crunch when I get out of reps and you can definetely feel your abs and walk funny within minutes.
Tnx
Man I appreciate your videos Doc
When I turned 50! I started lifting at home everyday! I’ll be 56 in June! Trying to get better in shape ! Hopefully get that lean look! We are heading to the beach in August! It’s a working process! With my weight ! Getting lean!
Rocks.
They're free and heavy.
Great stuff Doc. Used to work out on my lunch break using things around me to add resistance. Can always improvise and you will if you’ve got a goal.
This video is designed for me, I have zero weights (though I get good results with just bodyweight), now I can improve even more with the wisdom of Dr. Master Sensei Mike! Thank you.
Thanks Dr. Mke i can't tell you how much you've helped me in my efforts to lose weight and gain muscle. You and Dr. Layne Norton are equally fantastic.
During lockdown I literally filled a rucksack with stones to use for all sorts of curls, OHP and row moves. Obviously bag on back for squats pushups etc If you're super into that you can weigh out carrier bags filled with 2.5kg of stones and tape it up into a tight package, then throw a few in for adjustable weights. I also got some rope and cut up some palm sized pvc tubing as handles, and tied the rope to the loft rafters so they hung through the loft hatch as pull up handles. Plenty of ideas if you get creative!
Calisthenics + Weightlifting = My ❤ combo
I haven't watched the video yet, but this is definitely something I'm going to have to adjust to. I've been training 6 days a week for a long time at an old, local gym that's very well equipped. I've started a career as a long haul truck driver, and I originally planned on trying to find gyms along the way... Easier said than done is an understatement. Going forward I'm going to spend my week at home still chasing extra reps/weight on the same exercises as I always have, but I'm going to keep a separate workout log in the truck for my other routine the 3-4 weeks at a time that I'm on the road. It's basically going to consist of calisthenics, dumbbells, and work with a heavy duty chest expander I bought from Robert Baraban. Going to be interesting, that's for sure.
You could also try using resistance bands. They're very easy to take along when you're traveling.
@@58jharrisTrue but the chest expander really fills that same role
Hi, 2 more possible exercises not mentioned: for delts: pike push ups and handstand push ups, for back: rows at home under the table instead of a branch.
Dr. Mike is the mothafuggin goat of fitness youtube. all the comedy and knowledge you'll ever need. man has me cackling like a madman while i eat plain chicken and plain rice cakes
Great suggestions Dr. Mike. It’s helpful especially if you’re traveling somewhere and there’s no gym or at least nothing close by or not a lot of time…..
I think one of the most useful things I use as a PT has been sided emphasis in bridges and squats. Great for my people who can’t do one leg or arm motions but whom doing anything at all with more loading is wayyyy better than nothing. Bridges suck for most people as they are too easy so high reps is fine, but I usually need strength and not size especially to make a difference in their function and rehab them quicker. And they aren’t usually compliant with home exercise routines that have a bunch of sets of 20-30 reps
Another exercise variation to keep in mind is the "archer" or one-arm variants of pullups, pushups, and even rows (if you can find a tree branch, you can hang something like gym rings or a TRX). If the support arm is straighter over time and you go slower and slower on the eccentric those can work for quite a while.
This is a great video. I would like to add that a great way to have EVEN MORE variety is to substitute the tree with a doorway pull up bar and a pair of rings. It's a one time investment and you can do all the main pulling and pushing movements as well as some assistance exercises. I know Dr. Mike is not a fan of unstable exercises but I feel like he'd make an exception for rings considering how many more upper body movements you can do with them!
Doorway pullup bars are more dangerous than many people realize. The trim over the door that takes all of the vertical forces of the bar is being held onto the wall with short, thin nails. Those nails aren't designed to handle much shear force. There are models that actually install onto the wall studs, but most people use the kind that hooks over the top trim and rests the bar across the doorway. And the latter kind is responsible for many an injury.
@@theKashConnoisseur That's a fair point. I personally use the one that you screw in place from the sides so no risk here. My point is there are always options when it comes to working out and hitting all major muscle groups. You just have to be creative.
I think CAP sells a screw into brackets doorway pull-up bar for less than $15 on Amazon.
I had a similar one in my youth, it seemed fine.
Great advice, Prof. Mike.
Thank you.
Mike, You should write a really detailed, in depth book on weightless training. With specific bodyweight exercises ,repetion technique & rest periods to maximize results with bodyweight only. Especially on Glutes,Quads&Hamstrings. An "Old School" paper book.
A wonderful older book on oldschool bodyweight training is "Dinosaur Bodyweight training" from Brooks Kubik
Could you guys do a video of an "at-home gym" type of workout and go through each of the suggested exercises with their potential variants?
I trained 1 full year this way before transitioning to weights . First time I ever benched I got 185 for 2 . Crazy considering I only ever did pushups and dips prior to this
Nice
Kilos?
@@WillowFiore obviously
What's your weight and height though?
This is great stuff. I was sent another video of yours (ripping up Dr. Oz, bless) and then wanted to see what else you have. This one hit home because I'm on the uptake from a broken shoulder back in June, and really cannot do weights still (yes, even 5 or 10 pounds). But I'm dying with not do anything, and this gives me a good impetus and encouragement o do Something without being bummed about weights. Thank you!
Inverted rows off of dinner table. Chris herias channel has good at home exercises you can do :)
i have one 30 pound dumbbell
goblet squats, superset into overhead presses
weighted bench dips, add decline by raising feet onto a chair/etc
curl variations for days
weighted lunges
rows
weighted toe raises, use a step to create a deficit
snatches
turkish get ups
etc etc
get creative and you can do a lot with basically nothing 👍🏼
Don't forget Nordic curl variations and sigle leg calf raises, they are great as well
In other words, calisthenics :)
The deadlift is the one excersise really hard to emulate without equipment, the loaded carries or farmers walks also, but you can manage. One total hamstring destroyer is the nordic hamstring curl, it's insanly hard, at least for me, so you have to work your way up with dif progressions., with a towel and something soft for your knees, you attach/bind/jam/secure the towel under a closed door and you can imagine how it goes, there's your knee safe attachment.
The pull up bar or/and the rings are a must also. When I travel I do it with my rings, with them you can do dips and pull ups almost anywhere. Or just go to a calisthenics Park, those are present in almost every city on the planet xD
Don't forget inverted kitchen table rows. Bent legs for high reps. Straight legs for lower reps. If you're thinking, "what about my shoulders?", look into pike push-ups which are a b*tch. I'm still learning how to do them.
Thanks for the tips man.God bless.
Nice, Doc!
This is how I survived this summer basically. Rubber bands and pullup bar, push-ups on the books, lounges with elevated feet this sort of things. I was able to maintain more less what I wanted.
Pull up bar sounds like equipment to me
@serban2139 fr
@@serban2139 true, it was in fact a playground ladder for kids, so not technically gym equipment.
Thanks for this Doc. I've had to switch to mostly body weight and bands due to a shoulder injury. Although i have started adding weights back in. I'll definitely use this advice. If nothing else it's good to have this in the tool kit for when there is no equipment around. I've lost about 100 lbs and still have more to go, but I'm enjoying the ride. Thanks again!
u can put a backpack on your back full of water bottles and you can increase the weight on your back that way. We used to do this all the time back in the day. There was only one gym and that was packed…and we didn’t have money anyway…so we did this instead and we were more jacked than the ones in the gym. We even had rocks instead of weights and we used to deadlift those. You know how deadlift prepares you from lifting rocks in real life? We skipped the bar part :)