Building muscles with body-weight exercises

[k.smith.4]

What are the muscle building principals when performing body-weight exercises?

I've just started working out by doing body-weight exercises (push-ups, dips, inverted rows, chin-ups, crunches, leg raises, squats and calf raises). But there are many different training techniques and I don't know which should I use to gain mass (and not train endurance or raw strength).

You can go each set to failure, you can do a fixed rep range in every set, you can do one or multiple sets ... You can also regulate total amount of reps by performing different variations of exercise. For example: I can either do 15 incline push-ups / 10 with my feet lifted / 25 on my knees / 5 with weighted backpack ...

So how many sets, reps (...) should you do to gain muscles with body-weight exercises?

 

[Gazhole]

The only principle you need with any sort of training is progressive overload. If you progressively overload the muscles they will need to adapt by growing. So long as the dietary energy is there to allow that growth, that is.

The problem with bodyweight exercises is that after a certain point you can't really progressively overload anymore. Once you get too strong for your bodyweight and have to do hundreds of repetitions, providing a stimulus for growth is incredibly difficult.

 

[k.smith.4]

The only principle you need with any sort of training is progressive overload.

OK, but what should I increase each body-weight workout: reps / sets / intensity (by doing slightly harder variation)?

And how should I train to hit hypertrophy with body-weight exercises?

Should I do maximum effort sets (to failure) or fixed sets (8-12 reps)? Also how many sets would you recommend?

 

[PushAndPull]

For dips, if you lean forward you will focus more on your chest, if you keep you body vertical it will bring more focus on the triceps and shoulders.
For push-ups,I like wide arm push ups to focus on the chest more(good for burnouts), regular push-ups are always great, and diamond push-ups are great for focusing on the triceps.
For chin-ups, close grip chin-ups allow you to use more shoulders and arms, wide grip focus more on the lats, and shoulder width generally doesn't focus on any, but works all fairly decent.
Lunges are a good exercise to include in your leg routine as well as elevated calf raises.
These exercises are generally used for strength and endurance, but you can gain some mass doing them, but your bodyweight will limit you.

 

[gtbmed]

Try hand-stand pushups if you want to really hit your tris and shoulders.

Reverse hypers and glute-ham raises are good for the posterior chain. Pistols are good too.

 

[Gazhole]

OK, but what should I increase each body-weight workout: reps / sets / intensity (by doing slightly harder variation)?

And how should I train to hit hypertrophy with body-weight exercises?

Should I do maximum effort sets (to failure) or fixed sets (8-12 reps)? Also how many sets would you recommend?

This is my point, you can increase all of those for a while, but i expect you will adapt to your own bodyweight within a year, gains or not.

The principles of working out with bodyweight are exactly the same as training with weights so i suggest you read the threads on how to put together a workout program found in the Training forum.

The key issue is your diet, no matter what you do in training if you arent eating enough you wont gain any weight.

 

[stevefitness]

You may want to visit "Scoobys Workshop", just google it. It´s a great ressource for bodyweight/home training.

 

[njc]

My legs grew a lot when I was a beginner using one-legged squats. I know I was a beginner but I get the feeling that it's a pretty effective exercise regardless.