Bodyweight Conditioning; The Beginners Routine
This is the first installment of bodyweight training routines for FactorySupplements.co.uk. Now although we're going to start at the most basic of basic routines, it's worth noting that we won't go too basic. This routine requires you to start off being able to perform 1 pull up and 1 dip as a minimal requirement.
If you can not perform either of these exercises, the internet is a big place and there will no doubt be a guide for them somewhere, just search "how to do a pull up" or something along those lines.
Why dips and chins?
Because compound exercises work best. If we're wanting to build muscle, we need exercises that actually give us enough muscular stress and blood flow to want to grow and become strong. Push ups just don't cut it here, I actually feel kind of embaressed inside when I occasionally flick through bodyweight conditioning websites and see how much praise these things get. It's difficult enough to get muscular as it is, let's not fool around with such light intensity exercises.
Dips are also one of the best upper body compound exercises there are, period. Bodybuilders will widely use them in routines because of this, some people have even nicknamed dips 'the upper body squat' before. With shoulder and pectoral dominant stress, dips will also work triceps, forearm extendors and traps too. If you ever invest in a weight belt or weight vest and keep things going, dips will be a friend for life.
Chin ups and pull ups are also an enourmous compound exercise, working the entirety of the forearms, biceps, deltoids, pectoralis major and the majority of the back. Their ability to be increased in difficulty by just widening your grip also makes them a nice versatile movements to work with. Again, if you ever invest in a weight belt or vest, you can get some very serious muscular development from this exercise.
So what's the routine?
The routine is firstly, based on you only being able to perform 1 pull up and 1 dip right away. So if you can comfortably do more then just skip along to where you feel is right. In the beginning it is a low rep schemed programme for 'greasing the grove', repeated little 1 reps to make your body more accustomed to the movement. See part of the issue with not being able to perform the exercise might just be that you haven't done it before, so you need to make a solid neuromuscular connection. As soon as this is established, things start moving along much easier.
Once it gets past about 5 reps, this is when real muscular work is coming into it. Blood rushes into the muscles, you'll get good pumps and from this point on your body is only going to work on increasing its own endurance. To do so, it'll grow from the constant pumps you'll be giving it, after you can perform around 12 reps of the exercise smoothly, size gains will probably cease and that's when endurance starts getting build.
Still, until that point you can enjoy getting some quality muscular gains. After which it'll be time to move onto a more advanced routine, just keep an eye out in these articles, if it's not already up then it will be soon.
The routine
You'll laugh at how embaressingly simple it is. This is a 10 week routine aimed at getting you a good strength base. In this routine, you'll train every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (until week 6) or any other non consecutive 3 days throughout the week. Based on going from 1 rep, your first workout should be this;
Bare in mind in this routine there are both pull ups and chin ups. There is a difference, you should adhere to this.
Left - Pull Ups, Right - Chin Ups
Week 1-
Pull Ups-
5x1 (with 1-2 minute rest intervals)
Dips
5x1 (with 1-2 minute rest intervals).
This shouldn't really be a big problem, even though at the start you can only do 1 rep so it's technically your '1 rep maximum', because it's such low stress it won't really have any major impact on your nervous system. So being able to crank out another '1 rep max' after a minute or twos rest should be easy. This is sort of an adaptation of 'greasing the groove'.
Even just for the first week you should stick to this kind of rep and set range, by the 3rd session of your week this should feel significantly easier. Just bare with it, it being so easy is something you'll be thankful for.
Week 2
Pull Ups
1x1
1x2
1x1
1x2
1x1
The rep scheme here is structured so that not every set is 100% effort. This allows you to re-couperate, it'll be easier to perform 2 reps, then have a little rest whilst performing another 1, and finally performing 2 again as opposed to doing them right after another. Again 90-120 seconds rest between sets.
Dips -
5 x 1-2, Because dips are relatively easier than chins if you can perform 2 reps throughout the entire routine you really should do. 90-120 seconds rest between sets.
Week 3
Pull Ups - 1x3
Chin Ups - 1 x 3-4
Pull Ups - 1x 3
The random change here is chin ups. Any specific reason? Well the groove by this point has been well and thoroughly greased, you should be capable now of performing at least 3 pull ups. Chin Ups incorporate muscles in a more natural range of motion, so you should be able to perform more repetitions of it. For this reason I've asked you to get in 4 repititions if you can, it will encourage more blood flow and really aid towards increasing your total pull ups. Take up to 3 minutes rest if you feel the need.
Dips-
4x 3-4
Really should be easing through this. If it's feeling easy, try to limit rest to no more than 60 seconds, but take what you need.
Week 4-
3x5 Chin Ups
3x5 Dips
This week will be bang in the middle of intensity and volume. The exercise is all chin ups to try and give you a helping hand, it's a big jump trying to 100% make sure you achieve this rep range for every set. 5 reps is the number of repetitions chosen commonly by power lifters. This is because it's the optimal range for strength gains without causing much CNS fatigue.
Week 5 -
1x4 Pull Ups
1x5 Chin Ups
1x4 Pull Ups
1x5 Chin Ups
Dips-
4x6-8
At this point dips should be feeling quite easy. Dips are just easy to progress on, especially if you lean forward and incorporate the pectorals more. You can even sort of lean backwards near the top of reps to make them easier, which shouldn't be used but if you're tired and need to squeeze out a rep or two it's always worth it.
With the chin ups, an extra set has been added to add some more muscular stress. But pull ups have also been thrown in to hit things from different angles. Given that pull ups are harder and you're not a pull-up-pro yet I've decided that 4 reps for those should be plenty.
Week 6 - Change for the better
During week 6 and from here on, change the days you train. The intensity is getting upped so you're going to need more time to recover sufficiently. Every training session will now have two full rest days between. A typical two week schedule may look like this;
Mon, thurs, Sun, Wed, Fri and repeat.
Have faith, you'll need it.
Chins - 1x 7
Pulls - 1x5
Chins - 1x6
Pulls - 1x5
Dips -
1x 10
1x 8
1x 6
1x 8
Week 7
Pulls 1x 6
Chins 1x 8
Pulls 1x6
Chins 1x6
Dips
2 x 10
2 x 8
Week 8
Give this your all. The routines have been made so as each week goes by there is only a small increase in difficulty, and I've tried to make it so that you're never really fatigued. Working to failure is a very 2 steps forward, 1.5 steps backwards way of training.
Chin ups - 4 x 8
Dips - 4 x 10
All chin ups, because whether we're doing chins or pulls right now the rep range is just going to make it hard. Even someone experienced at chins will start to find this a challenge, so if you're hanging in then you're doing well. The dips should still be relatively easy. I'd be happy about that though if I were you.
Week 9 -
Chins - 1x9
Pulls - 1x7
Chins - 1x8
Pulls - 1x6
Dips - 4 x near max.
By near max, what I mean is near man. If you can do 10 reps and you know that's your max, stop at 9. Dips are simple and at this point the main way to push them further is to train to near failure on each set. Plus the pump will be a little more extreme now that there isn't a limit on reps, which is always nice just for vanity sake.
Week 10
Chins - 1x10
Pulls - 1x8
Chins - 1x8-10 (aim for 10)
Pulls - 6-8
Dips - 4 x near max.
So that's 10 weeks, by this point you should be able to successfully complete 10 repetitions of chin ups. This is a mark in fitness, 10 chin ups is a number everyone who can't do wants to do. Get there and make yourself proud.
Where to go now? Well, I'd advise picking up a weighted belt and starting the routine again with 10kg of weight added and taking off from wherever your rep range is. I.e if you can do 5 reps with that belt, check this routine for where the 5 rep mark is and try and go on from there. Added resistance will only help you grow larger. Big lats, big chest, big arms. Use the belt on both dips and chins.
If you're wanting to stick to the ways of bodyweight gurus, stick around, more articles are coming soon.
