Strength Training Without Weights- Who Needs Iron When You Have Gravity

I have been performing strength training without weights for the past 3-4 months now, to maintain the physique I had built and also see what the bare minimum was needed to maintain. I was busy working as a lifeguard, at university and also doing all this website stuff so needed to maintain on as few workouts as possible. As I was back and forth from home, I didn’t have regular access to my weights, so bodyweight exercises came in handy big time. It worked and my weight has been consistent, 173lbs to 175lbs throughout this time.[The key to strength training without weights is to increase the resistance over time. Here the added weight of the lady adds resistance to the pushup] I used convict conditioning and convict conditioning 2 exercises as the staple to my workout without weights.

Strength Training Without Weights

The staples of convict conditioning are pushups, pullups, squats, handstand pushups, bridges and hanging leg raises. Convict conditioning 2 picks up where convict conditioning 1 left off and introduces smaller muscles such as the neck, forearms, calves, obliques and even fingers.

I used all of these in my 2-3 strength training without weights routine and did get stronger. I progressed in most lifts and now I am closer to reaching the master level in most of the progressions.

It is crucial to perform each rep strict and focusing on deep muscular contractions and a pause at the top and bottom of the repetition. Too many people are quick to dismiss bodyweight training, but when done properly, you can get freaking strong.

Workout Without Weights Program

2 Day Split

Workout A

Squats- 2- 3 sets

Bridge- 2- 3 sets

Pull ups- 2- 3 sets

Workout B

Pushups – 2-3 sets

Handstand Pushups- 2- 3 sets

Leg Raises- 2-3 sets

To use this as a 3 day workout split, simply add another day in and do workout A 2 days after workout B. Your setup would then look like this.

Monday-workout A

Wed- Workout B

Fri- Workout A

Mon-Workout B

Wed- Workout A

Fri-Workout B and so on,…

Now, some of you may be thinking  this is too easy and some may think this is too hard. These are the intermediate movements of the exercise.

The clever thing about convict conditioning is that it breaks these exercises into 10 steps. Some are easier and some are harder. For example if you cannot do a pushup, step one would be the wall pushup which most people can do. If the pushup is to easy, the book has a progression system which will enable you to perform a 1 arm pushup.

The book does this for all exercises listed.

Strength Training Without Weights Diet Tips

There were a few tips I picked up in these last few months that allowed me to eat anything I want. I read John Barbans Anything Goes Diet, I carried on using intermittent fasting using Eat Stop Eat, and I also learnt another intermittent fasting approach from Martin Berkhan which involves daily 16 hour fasts.

By performing my strength training without weights workout I was sending a signal to my body that I still need my muscle and to ensure that they didn’t go through atrophy which is just your muscles shrinking.

To conclude, if you guys want a strength training without weights program, Convict Conditioning is the route to take.