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Hugo Rivera

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By Hugo Rivera, About.com Guide to Bodybuilding

Bodyweight Exercises Do Bodybuilding Good!

Friday October 23, 2009

Bodybuilding training is composed mostly of weight training exercises.  For the best results possible, your bodybuilding training should be composed of mostly free weight exercises that use dumbbells and barbells for resistance.  However, I often get asked the questions: "What about bodyweight exercises?  Are these useful for bodybuilding?"

Truth of the matter is, that bodyweight exercises are the best exercises for the fastest bodybuilding results!  Examples of such exercises are the pull-ups, chin-ups, push-ups, dips, squats, lunges and calf raises.  Any exercise where you have to move your torso through space and that can be done just by using your body as the resistance is a bodyweight exercise. 

These exercises provide the best bodybuilding results because you have to activate the most amount of muscle fibers (since they provide the most neural stimulation) and use several stabilizer muscles (in addition to the main muscles being targeted) to accomplish the task of moving your body through space.  In addition, these exercises are excellent for creating functional strength; in other words, strength that can be used to any task in your daily life. 

As you get stronger, resistance can be added by using a weight belt for exercises like the pull-upschin-ups and dips, while barbells and dumbbells can be used for the squats, lunges, and calf raises.  For push-ups, you can have a partner provide you with the resistance.

So be sure to incorporate plenty of bodyweight exercises in your bodybuilding routine and watch your bodybuilding results soar!

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Comments

October 27, 2009 at 5:05 pm
(1) John says:

Be it body weight exercises or lifting iron you must cause a repair process is called Hypertrophy. It is how muscles grow bigger. You must train hard enough to cause the muscles damage so they can repair themselves bigger and better than they were. You must increase the load on the muscle each time you work it even if it is just a little bit. I suspect you will not get the body you want just with bodyweight excercises.

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