_{copyright © 2008 by Paul Becker}

Why would anyone want to workout without weights? Everyone knows that
using weights and machines is the fastest most efficient way to gain
size and strength. While this is true, there are many resons why someone
would want to, or even be forced to train for a while without the
benefit of using weights. Someone working long hours trying to support
his family may not have the time to get to a commercial gym, and may not
have the extra space or money to set up a good home gym. Also, someone
who has to travel quite often for business might prefer getting a good
workout in his or her hotel room rather then wandering the streets of
South America asking "Donde esta el gymo?".

Let's face it there are times (vacations, etc.) when all of us can't
easily get to a gym. There are also many trainees (beginners or athletes
training for boxing, baseball or some other sport) who aren't trying to
get a lot of muscular bulk but want the type of strength, endurance and
definition that calisthenic exercise offers. These exercises can also be
preformed anytime, anywhere and you can do them over your entire life to
keep fit.

The idea behind this course is - If for some reason you do workout
without weights, what is the most efficient and result producing way to
do it? You can use these exercises in many ways: To build muscle, to
maintain muscle you already have, in combination with your weight
training to add variety and a change of pace, as a warm-up or pump-up
routine, to ease back into training after a layoff or injury, etc., etc.

Very early in my training carear I started thinking about how to make
calisthenics more result producing. The original reason was to help out
one of my best friends at the time, who also happened to be the person
that inspired me to start training by seeing the great progress he was
making. Let's call him Joe, mostly because that was his name, I believe
he prefers to be called Joseph these days but back then he was still
good old Joe.

Anyway, one day Joe's father forbid him to workout with weights
anymore, he gave Joe some reasons for this decision but I think the real
reason was that he didn't like the idea that his 15 year old son was
getting a little too big and strong to be easily controlled and he
better do something about it before he gets any bigger. The funny part
was that his father didn't object to him doing push-ups or other
freehand exercises, only weight training was forbidden, I'm sure he
figured that at best Joe would be able to maintain the muscle he had but
he wouldn't get any bigger. Joe was very distraught by the situation,
convinced that his muscles were doomed to waste away to nothing, but I
was sure there was some way to make those exercise more intense and
maybe he could even gain some size. I came up with some ideas and tried
to tell Joe about them but he didn't seem too interested, his attitude
was like "Hey, I know more about training then this guy, I'm the one who
got him started. And besides I don't have time to listen to this I'm too
busy feeling sorry for myself and performing satanic rituals to curse my
dad-''.

Joe never used my ideas but I did many times over the years, whenever I
used calisthenics, and always got good results. I got even more ideas, a
few years back, after reading the famous "Dynamis-Tension Course" by
Charles Atlas. I found an old comic book and decided to write to the
address and see if the course was still available, much to my delight
it was and I ordered it. I ordered it mostly as a collectors piece and
novelty item, like owning a part of American pop culture. Who could
forget those great advertisements like, "The insult that made a man out
of 'Mac'.", "Who else wants a He-Man body?" or "In just 7 days, I can
make you a Man.", I was also curious as to what was this Dynamic-Tension
method exactly. I have always believed that - Only a fool thinks he
knows everything and that a wise man never stops learning., so there was
a possibility that I could find some good information in this "old,
outdated course". I read the course and found it quite interesting, I
was slightly disappointed to find out that Dynamic-Tension is really
just some calisthenics and some isometric exercises. And while I'm sure
they would do a lot for 198 lb weaklings", what can they do for someone
who's already fairly big and strong? This got me thinking again about
the same thing, how can these exercises be made more intense. Since then
I came up with a few more ideas and now it's time to end the history
lesson and share them with you.


THE TECHNIQUES

(1) The first technique is to just do the exercises in the traditional
manner, I know you can do 60, 80 even 100 reps but that's the idea,
grind out as many reps as you can this will build up your endurance and
give your muscles a change of pace. And while this most likely won't
give you any extra size right away, when you go back to weight training
with heavy weights and lower reps you may be supprised that you are now
gaining faster then before. A few years ago some top bodybuilders were
talking about a technique they called "100's", they reduced the weight
and did literally 100 reps on all their exercises, they claimed it
brought about certain physiological changes that made the muscles more
responsive to later heavier training. It's worth a try, especially if
you're going to be doing calisthenics anyway.

(2) Another way to get more results from these exercises is, right
after a set flex hard the muscles just worked, flex as hard as you can
and hold for at least a count of 10. Arnold talked extensively about
"Posing as exercise" and the use of "Iso-Tension"(Iso means - Equal; the
same, and Tension means - To tighten; stiffen; contract. So Iso-Tension
is simply contacting the muscles and holding in the same place - no
movement.) he said that it really gives the body a more chiseled look,
reaches areas that training misses and will make muscular contractions
while training more intense, and more isolated. All good reasons to try
this technique.

A better variation of this is to flex the muscles you are working
first, get them good and tired and then do the exercise, thus
Pre-Fatiguing them. For example flex the chest or tricep muscles as hard
as you can, then immediately do a set of push-ups. Feels different
doesn't it? It's a lot harder and produces much better results.

(3) Another technique is to reduce the rest time between exercises,
let's say you start with 60 seconds after a while cut it down to 45 then
30, then 15, etc. How about no rest between sets, a whole cycle of
calisthenics all done nonstop that makes it way more intense.

Also try it this way - do one set, let's say of chin-ups, go until the
muscles are really tired or even to total failure wait only a few
seconds and then do another set. How many reps did you do on your second
set? Only 4 or 5 I bet, that's about what you'd do if you were doing
some heavy pull-downs. You should see some growth from this style. Make
it even more intense by increasing the reps on the first set and by
decreasing the rest time before the second set, this is using the
Rest-Pause method without weights.

(4) Why not simply add some weight, just because it's not metal disks
doesn't matter your body can't tell the difference. Put some heavy books
on your back and do push-ups, or even your 8 year old son, he likes to
play horsy. Get your wife or girlfriend (but not both at the same time,
that could be trouble) to sit on your shoulders while you do squats. Do
donkey calf raises, get creative there's always a way to add some more
resistance.

(5) How about using only one limb at a time, like doing one legged
squats, one arm chin-ups, one arm push-ups, etc.. It takes some balance
but it definitely makes it harder and puts on more muscle.

(6) Slow-Motion training is becoming popular again, try taking a full
12 seconds for the positive phase and 6 seconds for the negative phase
of each rep. Don't lock out in the top position and don't rest in the
bottom position, change smothly from the positive to the negative. This
is using Slow Continous Tension, how many chin-up can you do this way?
Not many I bet, it's intense.

(7) This last technique is based on what I thought Dynamic-Tension was
before I read the course, Dynamic means - Dealing with motion, and we
know from before that Tension is simply contraction. Therefore true
Dynamic-Tension would be flexing the muscles hard while also moving,
martial artists use a form of this to increase punching power.

Let's try to use this applyed to our freehand workout, do your push-ups
nice and slow while flexing hard your pectorals, shoulders, triceps,
biceps and even your lats and forearms. When doing chin-ups flex hard
your lats, shoulders, biceps, triceps and even chest and forearms. Do
deep knee bends and flex hard your quadriceps, hamstrings, gludes, hips
and even calves. Keep the tension hard and steady, it will take some
practice to do it all together, but the increadible pump and muscle
growth you will get from it will be well worth your while.

SOME SUGGESTED EXERCISES

Deep Knee bends - Builds thighs, gludes, hips and great for lung power
and endurance. With your feet about shoulder width apart, grab on to the
edge of a sink (or something that will give you support) and while
looking up slowly bend your knees and lower until your butt is just
about touching the floor. Slowly standup again using only your legs to
lift you, keep your heals on the floor and do as many as you can. For
vairation you can place your feet wider or closer together, or do them
one leg at a time.

Calf Raises - Do them on steps, put your toes on the edge of a step and
hold on to the hand rail for balance, lower your heals to get a good
stretch, then raise up on your toes as high as you can, lower and repeat
for as many as you can. For variation try them in the squated down
position, one leg of a time or donkey style.

Chin-ups or Pull-ups - For building back, shoulders, and biceps. Grab a
bar with an under hand grip and hang down getting a good strecth in the
lats, Pull up until your chest hits the bars, lower and repeat for as
many. These can be easily be done in a park, school yard or on a doorway
chinbar. Also try with an overhand grip, with one arm at a time, or even
on monkey bars using a parallel grip (palms facing each other).

Push-ups - For building chest, sholders and triceps. Lie face down on
the floor hands about shoulder width apart keep your palms turned inward
slightly, push-up until your arms are straight, lower and repeat for
reps. To make it more difficult elevate your feet. Also, try different
hand placements (closer together or farther apart). They can also be
done between chairs, this was the favorite exercise of Charles Atlas.
Another varition is Dips between parallel bars.

Handstand push-ups - Great for shoulders and arms. Get into a handstand
next to a wall, put your toes against the wall for balance, lower
yourself until the top of your head touches the ground, push back up and
repeat for many reps. Try both close and wide hand Placements.

Crunches - For firming abdominals and reducing stomach. Lie on your
back with your legs bent and your heals close to your butt, put your
chin on your chest and your hands behind your head. Raise your head up
crunching your abs hard (you should only go about 1/3 of the way as
compared to traditional sit-ups) lower and repeat for lots of reps.

Hyper -Extentions - For strengthening your lower back. Place a chair
near a bed, while lying face down with your hips on the chair and your
lower legs shoved between the mattress and boxspring, put your hands
behind your head and bend forward at the waist as far as you can, raise
back up until your back is straight and repeat for reps.

Grip Excercise - To build forearms and hand strength. Use a store
bought pocket hand gripper, or a hard rubber ball that fits in your
hand, squeeze as hard as you can, relax and repeat for many reps. Also
try just the thumb and one finger at a time, exercise each finger this
way.

FINAL WORDS

Always use proper form while exercising, remember - it's safety first.
It is also recomended to stretch before and after your workout. Give
these ideas a try, and never again have bully's kick sand in your face.

Good Training!

About The Author: Paul Becker is a natural (steroid free for life) bodybuilder and fitness consultant. For more information on Bodybuilding and Bodybuilding Supplements visit his website at http://www.trulyhuge.com

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