Help my skinny @ss get big through BODYWEIGHT exercises *please read*

[Flabbergasped?]

To start off, this is a picture of me as of today, 12/30/07

http://img267.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict0426vx6.jpg

Notice the skinny arms and small torso. Not surprisingly, I'm also a weakling. That needs to change. I need to get stronger, both for myself but also because I really need to get laid more.

Here's the catch. I am an avid breakdancer/bboy, and I've heard from experienced bboys that weightlifting is an inefficient way of gaining strength for breakdancing. Body weight exercises (stuff like handstand pushups, planches, etc.) are much more relevant to moves you will actually be doing. I've also heard that weight-lifting will make you lose flexibility if you don't stretch extensively afterwards.

With that said, what can I do to improve my body through bodyweight exercises? As it stands, I do:

- dragondoor planche exercises (http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/229/). I'm only at tuck planche, barely able to lift myself off the ground. I barely lift myself 60 times to add up to 60 seconds.

- various ab exercises. 80/20s, hollows, crunches. I don't have a formal set/rep setup for them, but I usually do it to failure or until it burns.

-I have no reliable lower back exercise. I've been doing trunk lifts, but I don't really feel my back working.

-I've been trying to do handstand pushups. Since I breakdance, I can hold handstands for a while (like a minute straight against a wall), but for some reason I lose balance when I try pushups against the wall. I'm also too weak. Once I work myself to that level, however, I intend to do them a lot more.

-I leave lower body alone for the most part, since dancing/footwork keeps them going. I also stretch almost every leg muscle daily.

Here are my concerns:

1) I've read lots of nutrition/weight-training stuff on here, and it seems that without heavy weight/low rep exercises, you can't really put on muscle. Most of what I've been doing are endurance (low weight/high rep), and though that may tone the muscles and build some strength, there won't be size to go with it. Is this a correct statement?

2) Can you bulk while doing so much cardio/endurance work? If I stuffed my face/took protein, but only did bodyweight exercises, would I just put on fat? As you can tell from the photo, I'm pretty skinny, so putting on some chub wouldn't worry me too much, but I have a massive, flabby butt courtesy of my mother (ghetto bootays are only hot on girls) and would rather keep my bf% low. Therefore, the ultimate question that I would like answered:

3) Can I get big and do bodyweight exercises at the same time? Do I need to choose between breakdancing, my second greatest love after music, and size, respect, and pvssy? If I commit myself to being a good dancer, do I need to keep a pathetically small (though undoubtedly strong) body that will look like sh!t unless I'm shirtless?

I'm going to preempt some responses. I'm sure someone is going to say, "if you're exercising just to get girls, you're looking at it the wrong way/you have no willpower/you're a b!tch, etc." Here's my response:

I skipped 4th grade and started school early. I'm two years ahead in terms of school. I had a terrible childhood. Don't get me wrong, I had a loving family that, though not terribly well-off, provided for me. I worked hard through school, got into an Ivy league school, all that good stuff. Unfortunately, I got bullied for a good 3-4 years in middle school. Since I was always smaller that my classmates (I was 8 yrs old in 6th grade), I couldn't really defend myself except with words. Words don't really stop 13 yr old 6th graders that fvck with you. I started high school at 12 yrs old. I got more respect ("wow, you must be smart, etc.") but no girl would touch me because I was so much younger than them. Granted, my hormones only kicked in during my junior and senior years, but I was only 14 yrs and 15 yrs old respectively, and could only pick up freshmen. By then, I was a huge nerd due to studying/having no friends cus I couldn't relate to them. By the end of my senior year, I was "cool", but I definitely didn't get any action.

Fast forward to college. I'm trying to get good with women because I definitely didn't learn before. Unfortunately, I find myself skinny with no game. Obviously, I'd like to fix both aspects, but I also start dancing. Unfortunately, my deprived relations with girls (no lay, no gfs, I've done/received hand-on-genital contact, that's it) means that I judge a good part of my worth as a person on the basis of how much pvssy I get. Sucks, but until I purge the urge out of my system by fvcking a lot, I'm stuck this way.

Any and all advice is appreciated.

 

[i am me]

http://www.bboy.org/forums/how-get-shape/77026-bboy-muscle-training-exercise-guide.html

it requires weights but im assuming it works well since its designed for bboys. i was planning on trying it but i havent yet so i cant tell u first hand if it works

 

[Quagmire911]

To start off, this is a picture of me as of today, 12/30/07

http://img267.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict0426vx6.jpg

Notice the skinny arms and small torso. Not surprisingly, I'm also a weakling. That needs to change. I need to get stronger, both for myself but also because I really need to get laid more.

Here's the catch. I am an avid breakdancer/bboy, and I've heard from experienced bboys that weightlifting is an inefficient way of gaining strength for breakdancing. Body weight exercises (stuff like handstand pushups, planches, etc.) are much more relevant to moves you will actually be doing. I've also heard that weight-lifting will make you lose flexibility if you don't stretch extensively afterwards.

With that said, what can I do to improve my body through bodyweight exercises? As it stands, I do:

- dragondoor planche exercises (http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/229/). I'm only at tuck planche, barely able to lift myself off the ground. I barely lift myself 60 times to add up to 60 seconds.

- various ab exercises. 80/20s, hollows, crunches. I don't have a formal set/rep setup for them, but I usually do it to failure or until it burns.

-I have no reliable lower back exercise. I've been doing trunk lifts, but I don't really feel my back working.

-I've been trying to do handstand pushups. Since I breakdance, I can hold handstands for a while (like a minute straight against a wall), but for some reason I lose balance when I try pushups against the wall. I'm also too weak. Once I work myself to that level, however, I intend to do them a lot more.

-I leave lower body alone for the most part, since dancing/footwork keeps them going. I also stretch almost every leg muscle daily.

Here are my concerns:

1) I've read lots of nutrition/weight-training stuff on here, and it seems that without heavy weight/low rep exercises, you can't really put on muscle. Most of what I've been doing are endurance (low weight/high rep), and though that may tone the muscles and build some strength, there won't be size to go with it. Is this a correct statement?

NOT ANY MYOFIBRILLAR HYPERTROPHY WHICH IS WHAT YOU WANT

2) Can you bulk while doing so much cardio/endurance work? If I stuffed my face/took protein, but only did bodyweight exercises, would I just put on fat? As you can tell from the photo, I'm pretty skinny, so putting on some chub wouldn't worry me too much, but I have a massive, flabby butt courtesy of my mother (ghetto bootays are only hot on girls) and would rather keep my bf% low. Therefore, the ultimate question that I would like answered:

YOU CAN PUT ON WEIGHT WITH SOME CARDIO, HOWEVER IT VARIES FROM PERSON TO PERSON, YOU SHOULD WEIGHTRAIN OR DO SOMETHING MORE TAXING THAN BW EXERCISES IF YOU WANT TO PUT ON WEIGHT

3) Can I get big and do bodyweight exercises at the same time? Do I need to choose between breakdancing, my second greatest love after music, and size, respect, and pvssy? If I commit myself to being a good dancer, do I need to keep a pathetically small (though undoubtedly strong) body that will look like sh!t unless I'm shirtless?

-EVERY GUY I SAW WHEN I TYPED BREAKDANCING INTO GOOGLE WAS VERY SMALL, THAT ISNT TO SAY YOU CANT BE LARGER BUT YOU WONT BE BIG
-FOR YOU TO GET TO AN APPRECIABLE SIZE WILL TAKE A GOOD 2 YEARS I RECKON
-BUT NO, BW EXERCISES WOULD NOT GET YOU THERE


I'm going to preempt some responses. I'm sure someone is going to say, "if you're exercising just to get girls, you're looking at it the wrong way/you have no willpower/you're a b!tch, etc." Here's my response:

I skipped 4th grade and started school early. I'm two years ahead in terms of school. I had a terrible childhood. Don't get me wrong, I had a loving family that, though not terribly well-off, provided for me. I worked hard through school, got into an Ivy league school, all that good stuff. Unfortunately, I got bullied for a good 3-4 years in middle school. Since I was always smaller that my classmates (I was 8 yrs old in 6th grade), I couldn't really defend myself except with words. Words don't really stop 13 yr old 6th graders that fvck with you. I started high school at 12 yrs old. I got more respect ("wow, you must be smart, etc.") but no girl would touch me because I was so much younger than them. Granted, my hormones only kicked in during my junior and senior years, but I was only 14 yrs and 15 yrs old respectively, and could only pick up freshmen. By then, I was a huge nerd due to studying/having no friends cus I couldn't relate to them. By the end of my senior year, I was "cool", but I definitely didn't get any action.

Fast forward to college. I'm trying to get good with women because I definitely didn't learn before. Unfortunately, I find myself skinny with no game. Obviously, I'd like to fix both aspects, but I also start dancing. Unfortunately, my deprived relations with girls (no lay, no gfs, I've done/received hand-on-genital contact, that's it) means that I judge a good part of my worth as a person on the basis of how much pvssy I get. Sucks, but until I purge the urge out of my system by fvcking a lot, I'm stuck this way.

Any and all advice is appreciated.

Responses in caps above.

Another 2 stone on your frame would make noticeable improvement.

Are you able to put some weight on? Obviously you don't want to be HUGE but that won't happen overnight so you don't need to worry about it.

You will never be huge and breakdance, that much I can tell. I don't really know anything about it but my guess is you should be able to put on a couple of stone and still be able to do it, something middle of the road kind of thing. You will not be the best in both but as long as you aren't a professional that shouldn't matter. Just balance the two out.

Now, you need to make the decision whether you want to put on weight or not. Then myself and others can help.

 

[wolf116]

I'm a powerlifter and we have a pro ballet dancer training just like me (big weights, lifted explosively). He is loving the results, he can jump higher and lift people with ease. Also strength training should improve your flexibility.

I believe that strength training with big weights will help your break dancing.

Eat the right foods and you should be able to do both at once.

All MMA fighters weight train and are really flexible.

 

[wolf116]

Why would working out with your bodyweight be good and using weights be bad?

 

[Flabbergasped?]

I've been going over the responses and other material, and I think I should give weight training a try.

I do a lot of breakdancing, maybe 8-10 hrs a week, and I don't want to cut back for the sake of lifting, so how can I schedule them efficiently? Should I break, then lift, then eat like mad? Break and lift on alternative days? (Lift monday, break tuesday, lift wednesday, etc.) I'm worried that I will tire my body out if I don't coordinate right.

Again, I don't mind not being huge, as long as I can put on some muscle. As the picture shows, I'm really skinny

 

[Kev07]

If you don't want to get big you can always just stop increasing weights and stop eating as much before you get too big.

But per your orignal question:

You can do a type of exercise called an isoexplosive exercise, where basically you put your body into stress, then burst.

FOR EXAMPLE:

an isoexplosive push up:

go down slowly, hold for 4 seconds, then push up hard enough to get your hands off the ground and gain some air. repeat.

or an isoexplosive squat:

squat down slowly until your thighs are paralell with the ground, hold for 4 seconds then just as high as you can.

 

[Shahikot]

I do a lot of breakdancing, maybe 8-10 hrs a week, and I don't want to cut back for the sake of lifting, so how can I schedule them efficiently? Should I break, then lift, then eat like mad? Break and lift on alternative days? (Lift monday, break tuesday, lift wednesday, etc.) I'm worried that I will tire my body out if I don't coordinate right.

Break and lift on alternate days.

 

[Nip/Tuck]

Best bodyweight exercises

- Pull ups.
- Push ups.
- Squats.
- Incline sit ups.
- Dips.

Do these and you will add muscle. Adding some cardio will make you ripped.

 

[wolf116]

You will want to separate lifting and breakdancing as much as possible.
Example: lift in the morning and break in the afternoon. Or lift one day and break the next.

If you reach your goal weight with the right bodyfat % just don't increase your calories anymore and you will not grow. If you are still gaining, just decrease them a bit. I know a 60kg powerlifter who can lift a 217kgs deadlift from doing this. Don't stop increasing your weights ever. You want the best power to weight ratio possible.

You can chose from a 2 day or 3 day program.

Day one:
Deadlift
Overhead press
Weighted pullup/chinup

Day two:
Squat
Benchpress
Bent over row

or a upper/lower split

This link has 2 really good 3 day programs.
http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?t=125444

Then you just have to get your diet right(the hardest part)
You will want to do some sort of carb cycling to stay lean while you put on muscle.
http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?t=134782

I have experience with gaining muscle while training intense MMA so you should be fine.
Breakdancing would be much easer on the CNS then MMA and you look like you have pretty good genetics.

Also, search the net for a powerlifting gym close to you. It will save you many frustrating hours learning the lifts and you will grow faster then doing it on your own. If you do this, just do the plan they give you.
http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/gyms

 

[spesmilitis]

do pushups on boxes to get more rom. And do what these guys do: http://youtube.com/watch?v=hoaT16xrn7I

 

[Kerpal]

You can definitely get bigger with bodyweight exercises. Look at gymnasts. Also, lifting weights won't make you less flexible unless you train with bad form. It made me more flexible, before I started I couldn't touch my toes, now I can easily. I think a combination of bodyweight exercises AND lifting weights (especially explosive lifts like snatch, clean and jerk, power cleans, etc.) would be great for both aesthetics and breakdancing.

 

[MrS]

Go to rosstraining.com , buy Never Gymless.

 

[i am me]

You can definitely get bigger with bodyweight exercises. Look at gymnasts. Also, lifting weights won't make you less flexible unless you train with bad form. It made me more flexible, before I started I couldn't touch my toes, now I can easily. I think a combination of bodyweight exercises AND lifting weights (especially explosive lifts like snatch, clean and jerk, power cleans, etc.) would be great for both aesthetics and breakdancing.

hey ya i noticed that too. im more flexible now even tho i didnt do any stretches for a long period of time (im starting to know cus stretching is important after workouts i heard...)

 

[Quiksilver]

I was about to close this thread but I think some christmas and new years cheer rubbed off, so I'm a little soft right now

That being said, you can gain STRENGTH without getting much bigger by training the exact same way, the only difference being curbing your caloric intake.

You gain SIZE and strength by training very hard and eating like it's your job.

Your method, bodyweight exercises, is laughable and not even worthy of discussion. There are only two or three bodyweight exercises that are decent, and even then your progress is limited and you're really wasting your time.

It's up to you though.

 

[SinJester]

These guys have the workout bits covered. I'm skinnier than you and can get any girl I want. Don't let your size hold you back. On the flipside don't let that top you from working out either.

 

[Flabbergasped?]

Tis the season, quiksilver, haha.

There's some really good info in the responses, thanks everyone. I'll start working out when I return to school in 4 days.

Getting strength in 2008,
Flab