Calisthenics for bulking w/o gym

Evzone

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Alright,

My situation that I think a lot of college-aged people like myself find themselves in around December is what to do when you are away from your school gym and don't have a membership at local gym in your hometown.

I know I probably can't expect the same results that I would get from proper weight training, but what can I do to maintain--and hopefully also gain--my mass and conditioning over breaks like this?

...yeah, clearly I know I should be doing things like pushups and burpees, but more specifically: what kind of routine would you follow? I don't get the fatigue from pushups that my usual DB bench routine gives, and I feel like I can go again the next day, which leads me to think that I'm not pushing myself hard enough.

Thoughts?
 

Flyer

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Here's an improvised routine that I've done:

Wrist weights: 4kg total
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Section A
Run - 6km, 2km on toes only (this will kill the calves)
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after that:
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Section B
8x - Pullups on monkey bars
12x - Elevated Pushups (put your feet on the chairs)
8x - Dips on Crawlies (those things that kids crawl through)
Lunges around perimeter of playground.

repeat 'section B' 4 times
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You will gain conditioning with this. hard to gain mass without real weights.
 

Quagmire911

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Weighted pressups, weighted chinups and weighted dips for the upperbody.

Single leg squats for the lower body.

How long a break are we talking? If it is one or two weeks then it isn't neccasarily a bad thing.

Surely you could get a months subscription at the gym in your town?
 

kabatura

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www.crossfit.com A lot of the things on there can be done without a gym. I just plan to do a lot of push ups and sti ups and whatever else.

If the goal is to be like the Hulk you probably won't be like that without weights but if you want to be muscular and sexy you can definitely get there through calisthenics.
 

kickureface

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i'm encountering the same problem; i just grabbed a lot of sandbags and will make a sled soon. working out without weights is no good.
 

dbot

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Try doing your bodyweight exercises at a slower tempo: This will give you a much more intense workout, and you won't be able to do nearly as many repetitions.

Instead of regular pushups, do them ultra slow, 5 full seconds down and 5 up, no pause at the top.

Do the same thing with squats, dips, and pullups if you can.

If you can spare $20 or so, go to Wallmart and get a cheap set of adjustable dumbells. This will allow you do more exercises (lateral raises, DB shoulder press), and as long as you keep the tempo slow, the weights don't have to get very heavy at all.
 

Drewskie

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Bump....maybe diesel or one of the other vets can chime in. I would like to know if it's possible to bulk up from body weight exercises alone. If so, which ones are best? Thanks.
 

Quiksilver

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Bump....maybe diesel or one of the other vets can chime in. I would like to know if it's possible to bulk up from body weight exercises alone. If so, which ones are best? Thanks.
Sorry to burst your bubble but DIESEL is long long gone.

Down to business...

No, you will not gain much noticeable overall musculature using only calisthenics.

Use these months to work on cardio and other forms of fitness. Flexibility, balance, agility, sprinting, etc. They'll all help you in the gym when you get back to it.
 
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