<frolib@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:c01cf4f5-567f-4d96-b139-0690ec609b3b@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Hello. How often should I do pushups and squats? I'm a thin guy; I
> don't intend to lose weight. I don't want to use equipment, I need
> calisthenic exercises I can do anywhere. I want to do them to ward
> against stiffness, and also to keep a toned body without getting
> bulked up. Should I do them: twice a day, once a day, every other
> day?
>
> I also intend to the do bicycle crunches. How often should I do
> these?
>
> Thanks.
You need to find what works for you with a given set of exercises but if
you don't change it, it won't work forever so you need to be prepared to
understand the principles and adjust as needed. There is no single
"right" training schedule for bodyweight or any other kind of exercises.
Generally speaking, doing something relatively brief but relatively
intense every day is a good way to improve strength (and likely residual
muscle tone as well) without bulking up. Bulking up is actually pretty
hard to do, anyway.
Pushups and squats can be tweaked to become effective strength training
by moving towards one-armed pushups and one-legged squats. I practice
both and think they're great, and at 153 lbs., no one has yet accused me
of bulking up. :) The book which provided and provides my guidance on
these two exercises is Pavel Tsatsouline's, "****d Warrior", link here:
http://www.kbnj.com/nw.htm
If you choose to do them in their original versions, I'd be sure to do
lots of them. You might also want to Google on hindu squats and hindu
pushups - they are yet another wrinkle on the same subject and a lot of
people like them for high reps.
Last but not least, don't forget pullups - they're another great
bodyweight exercise. As but one example, here's my workout from
yesterday:
Pullups @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
bodyweight + 20 lb. dumbbell held between my feet: 8 reps x 1
set
One-legged squat (pistol) @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
bodyweight: 4 reps left, 4 reps right x 1
set
Chinup @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
bodyweight + 20 lb. dumbbell held between my feet: 8 reps x 1
set
I did 10 minutes of joint health movements, mostly qigong, to warmup,
and that's all I did - was a simple workout that left me feeling like I
had worked everything pretty hard. The whole thing took less than 20
minutes to complete, including the warmup. One could easily do the
pullups bodyweight only or substitute a harder version, e.g., pullups
holding onto a towel draped over the bar, and a doorway ledge or a tree
branch will suffice instead of a pullup bar.
-S-
http://www.kbnj.com
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