Can You Build Muscle Effectively Using Calisthenics or Bodyweight Alone? A Look at the Science Surrounding Low-Load Resistance Training

[salimpu]

@oscarmezie No. You also need food.

 

[kuurt]

@salimpu Wheres the science on that??

 

[julesgules]

@kuurt Pure bioscience, that's all you need.

 

[smittymatt]

@oscarmezie Thanks. Why even include a tldr if youre just gonna post a link

 

[oar]

@lucie_tsao Is calisthenics and bodyweight exercise necessarily low load though? I would have called low load doing an exercise where the effort is a long way from your max. For example doing a push up, or bench pressing 60kg when your PB is 120kg. With calisthenics it seems like there's a lot of progression exercises where you can increase the load much higher. For example one arm push ups, clapping, ballistic/jumping etc.

 

[lucie_tsao]

@oar I agree, there's many ways to make body weight training incredibly hard but for someone without any knowledge they just assume body weight strength training is just high rep stuff done for a bajillion reps

 

[incognitoburrito]

@lucie_tsao This is why I downvoted this submission. A front lever and similar isn't low load and I don't care what someone who doesn't understand torque thinks. Balance forces to prevent acceleration, balance torques to prevent rotation. It's high school physics.

 

[rainaisha]

@incognitoburrito This. You can get a higher load to quite a high extent (even a front lever is considered basic to a bunch of people, but then you can rep out one hand front lever pull up, change the angle, get on rings, etc.)

 

[honestlyaveri]

@incognitoburrito Pretty sure it’s more so about a lack of knowledge of harder body weight execsises rather than not understanding the physics behind them. People can pretty easily understand a front lever is tough to perform when they see it but how many people will picture a front lever when they hear “body weight exercise” instead of something like a push up and pull up?

 

[jesusrescuedme]

@incognitoburrito

Firstly, there are bodyweight exercises that require too much strength for most people to do, so clearly, those exercises will be capable of building muscle. But what about the majority of people who don’t know that stuff and just want to build muscle without a gym?

Did you read the first section of the post or watch the first 30 seconds of the video before downvoting? Or are those the people you don't care about?

 

[incognitoburrito]

@jesusrescuedme If titles didn't matter, we wouldn't use them, neighbour.

 

[ababwaalijaz]

@lucie_tsao It's got to be a party foul to make a tl;dr a video when it could have been a simple yes or no

 

[manual]

@ababwaalijaz Yeah I just went down to the comments. Lovely post, terrible for skimming.

 

[walterroger]

@lucie_tsao Idk lets ask any olympic gymnast if its helped their biceps.

 

[bessymarf]

@walterroger They use weights btw

 

[simonscion]

@walterroger I think is a valid question. We dont know if they use it or not. Never seen any of their training routines.

 

[charlie]

@walterroger Let's get anecdotal evidence to compare it to scientific studies?

I don't think that's the battle you think it is

 

[shoegirl9]

@charlie When you have large populations (in this case literally thousands of participants) it can become a good study. In most cases studies show mechanisms, but most (all?) advancements in training come from the people working out. Science follows with explanations. Or shows why some things are ineffective.

 

[walterroger]

@charlie Workout studies are notoriously awful. There are too many variables that just can't be controlled for. Diet, sleep, history, work outside the weightroom.

We know for a fact that bodyweight exercises can build muscle. I wouldn't say its anecdotal that pretty much every male gymnast has huge arms and shoulders from doing high intensity.....arm and shoulder exercises!

 

[rowanda]

@charlie anecdotal evidence, typically from some unknown random, is not the same as expert testimony.