You may think machines and free weights are essential for building mass when strength training. While fitness equipment certainly helps promote muscle growth, it's not the only way you can exercise to make gains. Your own body weight can provide enough resistance for a challenging workout that will test your endurance and strength. Crank up the number of repetitions for each exercise to optimize the gains while you train for volume.
Increased Repetitions
The impression that body weight exercises limit your strength training progression is false. The key to effective body weight training is to vary the amount of sets and repetitions in your workout, as well as the rest periods between sets. Volume training means adjusting the number of repetitions you set out to perform. To develop mass and strength, increase the volume, or repetitions, of each body weight exercise in your routine. If the exercises are too easy, add an extra set to each. If you are still able to get through the routine without breaking a sweat, eliminate the rest periods between sets and exercises, and perform your routine as a circuit. Rest for two minutes, then repeat the circuit until you are exhausted.
Core Development
One benefit of body weight strength training is the emphasis on the core. Nearly every body weight exercise relies on the core for balance and ability to properly execute a movement. Even though an exercise does not target the abdominals and midsection, it is most likely still getting a consistent workout during a body weight exercise routine. Naturally, body weight exercises such as situps and crunches are specific core exercises that should also be incorporated into your workout session. A strong core also enables you to better perform more challenging weight-bearing exercises, such as squats or dead lifts.
Mass Building
After you have determined the amount of sets and repetitions for your workout, you can further enhance the exercises by adding these mass-building techniques. First, slow down the speed of the each repetition for every exercise. Control your movements and feel your muscles do the work. Second, at the top of each movement, contract your muscles as hard as you can and hold for one to two counts. Remember to slow your breathing as well when slowing down your repetitions and holding a position. And third, incorporate partial sets to your routine. For example, after completing three sets of pushups, add a set of pushups working through only a fraction of the full range of motion. This technique helps bring muscles to exhaustion and creates a burning feeling.
Types of Exercises
The variety in body weight exercises allows for a full-body workout. One of the most effective exercises is the traditional pushup, which is also one of the most versatile body weight exercises. You can make the pushup more challenging by elevating your lower body, thereby placing the focus on the upper portion of the chest. One-armed pushups and diamond pushups are additional variations you of the pushup that you can perform. Dips, squats, lunges, calf raises, chinups, handstand pushups and a number of situp and crunch varieties provide you with plenty of options to develop an effective strength training workout using only your body weight.
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