Strength & Conditioning >> Bodyweight Squats for high reps=worthless??

Leigh - My thoughts are that jumps for time will not be as effective as squatting for building leg strength

Adventure Runner - "If you don't mind me asking, where did you get this progression? And what's a deck squat?"

CDarwin posted the deck squat. The single leg squat should be done in deck squat fashion as well.

I got it from the Gymnastic Bodies book or trainers. It's tough to mentally keep track of what I learned in the book, on that forum, and in person. If you've never heard of the book, go over to gymnasticbodies.com and check it out. The forum is almost a necessary compliment to it because the book is a little too light on exactly how/when to progress, how to properly prepare your body for the stress (wrists, elbows, and shoulders especially), and how to put together a proper training program.

I've started focusing more on my climbing, so I've switched to doing mainly gymnastic exercise. I had forgotten what absolute ass kickers even 3 reps of bodyweight exercises can be. Learning how to build a program and build yourself up is the hardest part. There isn't much info floating around.

banco - I don't get the fascination with bodyweight training. Seems like you can achieve strength or strength endurance a lot more efficiently with barbell squats.

CDarwin - 

banco - I don't get the fascination with bodyweight training. Seems like you can achieve strength or strength endurance a lot more efficiently with barbell squats.

Some are really hard core "believers", others just like it for the added possibility to work out when gym isn't an option.

Personally I like the whole idea as a principle. Apart from looking fit, what use is strength training anyway? I can see some but not that many applications in everyday life that isn't about doing marvelous feats of strength bw style.

I don't need to have arm and back strength that is stronger than my grip so I don't do hand wraps anymore, etc.

My biggest beef with bw stuff is the limitations of it. I know there are a gazillion variations out there but for an old guy like myself I need equipment to pinpoint angles that avoid various injuries. I do dumbbells instead of barbells because I can avoid tiny variations in motions because of it. Pushups are like barbells in that respect according to my left elbow and my right shoulder. My right shoulder and my neck says handstand shoulder presses is too heavy. Etc, etc.

Adventure Runner - "I don't get the fascination with bodyweight training. Seems like you can achieve strength or strength endurance a lot more efficiently with barbell squats."

I don't think it's a fascination. Some people don't have/can't afford access to weight training equipment. Some people don't have/can't afford access to trainers if they are unsure about technique and not comfortable with the lift. Some people just plain enjoy working bodyweight variations more than barbell lifts. At the end of the day, the more efficient strength and endurance builder is what you enjoy doing and in turn what you'll do consistently over time.

I think it's easier to mark progress with weights. A 225 lbs barbell is a 225 lbs barbell. You can lift it a number of times or you can't. It's also easier to incrementally add to the level of difficulty by adding weight to said barbell. Not so with say a 15 second back lever. It can be very hard at determine progress in bodyweight exercise and thus can lead to a feel of stagnation when in reality you are getting stronger. The jumps are also bigger. A straddle back level to a half lay would be like going from 225 lbs to 285 lbs in one go, so it's harder to progress in as systematic a fashion as you do with weights.

However, I'd disagree with building muscle. While I'm not a HYOOGE guy by any measure, I'm not small or out of shape.

Here's a pic of me running a 4 mile obstacle race with a backpack full of bricks and carrying a 16kg KB (and I shotgunnned beers every mile): https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/301597_286654428011466_2038411575_n.jpg

(The whole album is open to public on my site's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.286653874678188.79566.167340703276173&type=3)

Going by the very unscientific mirror and scale test, I've put on a few lbs of lean mass in past couple months I've been focusing on gymnastics (mostly upperbody). Shit is no joke. :) This does make me think of possibly trying to do a 5-3-1 type of intensity wave with gymnastic static holds. I'll think about that!

CDarwin - My biggest beef with bw stuff is the limitations of it. I know there are a gazillion variations out there but for an old guy like myself I need equipment to pinpoint angles that avoid various injuries. I do dumbbells instead of barbells because I can avoid tiny variations in motions because of it. Pushups are like barbells in that respect according to my left elbow and my right shoulder. My right shoulder and my neck says handstand shoulder presses is too heavy. Etc, etc.

Adventure Runner - "I don't get the fascination with bodyweight training. Seems like you can achieve strength or strength endurance a lot more efficiently with barbell squats."

I don't think it's a fascination. Some people don't have/can't afford access to weight training equipment. Some people don't have/can't afford access to trainers if they are unsure about technique and not comfortable with the lift. Some people just plain enjoy working bodyweight variations more than barbell lifts. At the end of the day, the more efficient strength and endurance builder is what you enjoy doing and in turn what you'll do consistently over time.

I think it's easier to mark progress with weights. A 225 lbs barbell is a 225 lbs barbell. You can lift it a number of times or you can't. It's also easier to incrementally add to the level of difficulty by adding weight to said barbell. Not so with say a 15 second back lever. It can be very hard at determine progress in bodyweight exercise and thus can lead to a feel of stagnation when in reality you are getting stronger. The jumps are also bigger. A straddle back level to a half lay would be like going from 225 lbs to 285 lbs in one go, so it's harder to progress in as systematic a fashion as you do with weights.

However, I'd disagree with building muscle. While I'm not a HYOOGE guy by any measure, I'm not small or out of shape.

Here's a pic of me running a 4 mile obstacle race with a backpack full of bricks and carrying a 16kg KB (and I shotgunnned beers every mile): https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/301597_286654428011466_2038411575_n.jpg

(The whole album is open to public on my site's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.286653874678188.79566.167340703276173&type=3)

Going by the very unscientific mirror and scale test, I've put on a few lbs of lean mass in past couple months I've been focusing on gymnastics (mostly upperbody). Shit is no joke. :) This does make me think of possibly trying to do a 5-3-1 type of intensity wave with gymnastic static holds. I'll think about that!

Adventure Runner - "I don't get the fascination with bodyweight training. Seems like you can achieve strength or strength endurance a lot more efficiently with barbell squats."

I don't think it's a fascination. Some people don't have/can't afford access to weight training equipment. Some people don't have/can't afford access to trainers if they are unsure about technique and not comfortable with the lift. Some people just plain enjoy working bodyweight variations more than barbell lifts. At the end of the day, the more efficient strength and endurance builder is what you enjoy doing and in turn what you'll do consistently over time.

I think it's easier to mark progress with weights. A 225 lbs barbell is a 225 lbs barbell. You can lift it a number of times or you can't. It's also easier to incrementally add to the level of difficulty by adding weight to said barbell. Not so with say a 15 second back lever. It can be very hard at determine progress in bodyweight exercise and thus can lead to a feel of stagnation when in reality you are getting stronger. The jumps are also bigger. A straddle back level to a half lay would be like going from 225 lbs to 285 lbs in one go, so it's harder to progress in as systematic a fashion as you do with weights.

However, I'd disagree with building muscle. While I'm not a HYOOGE guy by any measure, I'm not small or out of shape.

Here's a pic of me running a 4 mile obstacle race with a backpack full of bricks and carrying a 16kg KB (and I shotgunnned beers every mile): https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/301597_286654428011466_2038411575_n.jpg

(The whole album is open to public on my site's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.286653874678188.79566.167340703276173&type=3)

Going by the very unscientific mirror and scale test, I've put on a few lbs of lean mass in past couple months I've been focusing on gymnastics (mostly upperbody). Shit is no joke. :) This does make me think of possibly trying to do a 5-3-1 type of intensity wave with gymnastic static holds. I'll think about that!

banco - 

Adventure Runner - "I don't get the fascination with bodyweight training. Seems like you can achieve strength or strength endurance a lot more efficiently with barbell squats."

I don't think it's a fascination. Some people don't have/can't afford access to weight training equipment. Some people don't have/can't afford access to trainers if they are unsure about technique and not comfortable with the lift. Some people just plain enjoy working bodyweight variations more than barbell lifts. At the end of the day, the more efficient strength and endurance builder is what you enjoy doing and in turn what you'll do consistently over time.

I think it's easier to mark progress with weights. A 225 lbs barbell is a 225 lbs barbell. You can lift it a number of times or you can't. It's also easier to incrementally add to the level of difficulty by adding weight to said barbell. Not so with say a 15 second back lever. It can be very hard at determine progress in bodyweight exercise and thus can lead to a feel of stagnation when in reality you are getting stronger. The jumps are also bigger. A straddle back level to a half lay would be like going from 225 lbs to 285 lbs in one go, so it's harder to progress in as systematic a fashion as you do with weights.

However, I'd disagree with building muscle. While I'm not a HYOOGE guy by any measure, I'm not small or out of shape.

Here's a pic of me running a 4 mile obstacle race with a backpack full of bricks and carrying a 16kg KB (and I shotgunnned beers every mile): https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/301597_286654428011466_2038411575_n.jpg

(The whole album is open to public on my site's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.286653874678188.79566.167340703276173&type=3)

Going by the very unscientific mirror and scale test, I've put on a few lbs of lean mass in past couple months I've been focusing on gymnastics (mostly upperbody). Shit is no joke. :) This does make me think of possibly trying to do a 5-3-1 type of intensity wave with gymnastic static holds. I'll think about that!

I do think there's a fascination with bodyweight stuff in mma and boxing circles. It's broadly accepted with say football that if you want to get strong you lift weights. Similarly you don't see track and field athletes screwing around with pushup variations or doing one legged squats.