Making Routine

[Kmerc]

Im about to do 100 pushups, 25 pullups, 200 hindu squats etc. Ive been working out for the past 3 years and dont want to continue with a bodybuilding routine at the gym. Do you guys have any routines that i can do that are advanced and will develop that raw bodyweight strength Ive seen in gymnists. I mean a routine that you can get as strong as the guys who do nothing but bodyweight work then get in the gym and deadlift 400 and bench 250. I dont know if that makes sense but i hope someone knows what im talking about and can give me some routine.

[Fatman]

Not very many guys can do bodyweight only and deadlift 400 lbs. or bench 250. Perhaps top-notch olympic gymnasts might be able to do this. Weightlifting exercises depend a lot on the specific groove of the lift - you might have tremndous shoulder/chest/tricep power but not be able to bench a lot of weight because benching big weights requires a lot of bench pressing to learn the movement (just like you won't be able to do a handstand pushup on rings if you can bech 400 lbs.). Combining the two types of exercise is the way to go.

And welcome to the forum.

[juggledex]

I'm with Fatman here. To get a good deadlift or bench press you need to perform them, and practice improving form and strenght with the exercise. The mechanics behind these exercises are completely different than any bodyweight exercise, and while there are many supplimental activities you can perform that may improve them slightly, nothing beats doing them.

Deadlift may be improved by squats, bridge, glute-ham raise, hyper extensions, good mornings, etc. Bench Press by push-ups (all variations), dips, one-arm push-ups, rowing, etc., but again, all these are supplimental to your goals.

Personally, I worked pure bodyweight for a while before getting back into weightlifting. I did all the exercises I could, but it didn't really change the fact that when I picked up a barbell my form was in need of aggressive improvement. I do feel that push-ups helped my bench press (as far as stability goes), but it still took six months of training (mostly) form and strength to get from 135 to 225. As far as Deadlift was concerned, I can't say for sure any BWE's helped with this, but it sure felt nice to stretch it out with bridges afterwords.

[cheesedog]

You have to remember that the gymnasts you read about that go into the gym and bench 250# the first time are the absolute genetic ELITE, what works for them might not work for you. Probably the best way to go for your goals would be doing a 3 day a week program, where the first exercise you do is a heavy lift, for example bench press on Monday, squat on Wenesday and Deadlift on Friday, and then follow the heavy work with BW exercises.

[Kmerc]

My goals arent to lift alot i want functional strength. Ive just seen incredible athletes that are gymnists. I box and dont worry about gettin big Im more concerned about performance. I was just wondering if anyone had a routine that would help get better at the more advanced bodyweight exercises. I can do about 12 handstand pushups next to a wall if that describes my level of bw ability at all.
My goa

[Fatman]

Deadlift may be improved by squats, bridge, glute-ham raise, hyper extensions, good mornings, etc. Bench Press by push-ups (all variations), dips, one-arm push-ups, rowing, etc., but again, all these are supplimental to your goals.


Yeah... probably the only reason I haven't ditched weights yet is the fact that I can't find an effective substitute for deadlifts and squats. All the exercises you mentioned are great, but I still don't get that super-strong feel from bridges and pistols that Iget from the bar and plates... I don't care about the bench press much (sadly, as it's by far my strongest lift in proportion to the other two), so that's not a factor. Seen too many people fall in love with their bench press weight :)