Lots can be done on bodyweight too, very different from actual weights but callisthenics is usually pretty insane.
Sports and fitness 2021
- Thread starter Hendre
- Start date
For sure, thats all I really do anymore! Used to lift at the gym but of course they are closed now for the past 5-6 months. One hundred pushups a day is on my check list, usually I go above but 100 is the minimum. Have a pull-up rack too and some resistance bands. Plus cycling and skateboarding as often as I can, it all gets the job done! I will say this regiment is not that good for gaining muscle mass, more for getting lean and strong.
Reading through this it amazes me how much i've changed over the years. When I was in my 20's and 30's I was quite a thick set and stocky 5' 9" and weighed about 13st. Gyms weren't really that popular back then but I had my own weights at home. I trained regularly and I got as far as I could, naturally.
But then I seemed to plateau and just stopped progressing and lost interest, I reached that fork in the road. A couple of the lads I knew started with the supplements and before they knew it they were on steroids and became huge. It wasn't for me.
I bought a mountain bike but did more road work on it than off road so then I got a racing bike. As I started to get more serious on the bike the muscle mass I had was more of an hindrance so I cut the weights out completely and my body started to naturally change.
By the time I reached 40 ish I was a skinny, super fit 11st. I am now 52 and my weight remains constant at 10.5 - 11st, still skinny, still very fit for my age, and I feel great. If someone would have told me when I was 20 that i'd be a skinny little bloke when I was 50 i'd have laughed my head off. Lol.
But then I seemed to plateau and just stopped progressing and lost interest, I reached that fork in the road. A couple of the lads I knew started with the supplements and before they knew it they were on steroids and became huge. It wasn't for me.
I bought a mountain bike but did more road work on it than off road so then I got a racing bike. As I started to get more serious on the bike the muscle mass I had was more of an hindrance so I cut the weights out completely and my body started to naturally change.
By the time I reached 40 ish I was a skinny, super fit 11st. I am now 52 and my weight remains constant at 10.5 - 11st, still skinny, still very fit for my age, and I feel great. If someone would have told me when I was 20 that i'd be a skinny little bloke when I was 50 i'd have laughed my head off. Lol.
Funny how life works. I am currently that skinny fit, 6'4" 78Kg 172 lbs. Going to start cycling soon, looking forward to it.
Gyms still closed up your way? I have to work in silver spring for a couple weeks and I was hoping to find a gym in the area that was open.
Sometimes I do wonder if push ups and pull ups could replace pretty much the whole weight room for all practical purposes. I think the gym just keeps exercise more interesting though, keeps one from getting bored.
I am living in NJ nowadays, Silver spring may be a different story. Last I heard from my friends in DC, is that they have opened most places at reduced capacity. So you might be able to find one.
I think the biggest drawback to only calisthenics is that you can't really increase weight without belts, vests, etc. so your body gets used to it, and you don't get gains like you would if you were constantly working the weight up. But you still can work on endurance, increasing reps, etc. If you were a bigger guy looking to slim down I think calisthenics would be perfect, but for skinny people looking to gain mass, it isn't ideal.
Good to see so much interest in this thread, we should all be looking good on our trips to the LFS!
Not to mention, need all that strength to lug around all these monster-sized tanks for monster fish LOL.. Prime example, I was helping a friend move his 135g from one place in his house to another, and he started to give out but I was still able to lift my share of the load, and I told him dont skip leg day!
I've had nagging back pain for awhile, but it really started hurting bad a couple years back when I strained something moving a 150 onto its stand by my lonesome. I got caught in a precarious position and it was either that or lose the tank.
