I first learned bodyweight exercises and calisthenics in gym class in elementary school. In gym class, we mainly did push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks. I think we’ve also learned how to do burpees and mountaineers. Our PE teacher even made us crawl from time to time.
When I was a wrestler in high school, we used bodyweight exercises and calisthenics as part of our warmup and conditioning purposes. We did push ups, sit ups and jumping jacks as part of our warm up. Every once in a while we would get in a big circle and do calisthenics at the end of practice. We would go around the circle and each wrestler would choose an exercise to do. In other practices, we would do a countdown. One countdown involved doing 10 repetitions of push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, burpees, and laps around the wrestling room. Then we would do nine repetitions of each exercise. Then we would do eight repetitions of each exercise and so on until the full countdown finished.
We did a lot of wind sprints in the wrestling room and the adjoining gym. From time to time we would do something called hit ’ems. We’d run in place until our trainer yelled, “Hit him!” Then we would drop face down and get back up as fast as possible. I remember running this exercise myself once. Sometimes he would give us a break while we ran in place and other times he would do a quick succession of punches immediately after we got back on our feet.
Some people make pretty big claims when it comes to bodyweight exercises. Some claim that bodyweight exercises are superior to weight lifting. Some believe otherwise. Some simply believe that endurance is endurance and that neither option is better than the other when it comes to strength and conditioning. I think bodyweight exercises can certainly play a role in general wrestling conditioning.
matt furey
Matt Furey wrote a popular book titled combat conditioning explaining the benefits of bodyweight training. Matt Furey is a former NCAA Division 2 Wrestling Champion and a Shuai Chiao Kung Fu World Champion. So it might be a good idea to read what he has to say on the subject of bodyweight training. He claims that bodyweight training is more functional (meaning force you can use). He reminds his reader to consider how much stronger and more flexible animals are compared to humans. He also mentions how his mentor, wrestling legend Karl Gotch, told him that dancers have the strongest legs in the world. Dancers often squat with their body weight only. Matt has many exercises and routines in his book, but he calls his three favorite exercises Royal Court.
Matt Furey Royal Court:
- hindu squats
- hindu push ups
- Backbridge (if you’re a wrestler, I’m assuming you already do backbridge in practice every day)
Videos and descriptions of these exercises are easily found with a simple search online.
Pavel Tsatsouline
Pavel Tsatsouline is a former Spetsnaz (Russian Special Forces) physical training instructor. He now lives in the US and trains members of the US military and law enforcement. He wrote a book called the naked warrior discussing his views on bodyweight training. He believes that bodyweight training can be beneficial when weights are not available. He cites the strength and musculature of gymnasts as an example of the value of bodyweight exercise. Most of us have seen how well built gymnasts are. Have you ever seen a gymnast do a plank? Have you ever seen a gymnast do an Iron Cross? They don’t lift weights and yet they are incredibly strong. Christopher Sommer wrote an interesting article entitled Building an Olympic Body Through Bodyweight Conditioning that you might be able to locate through an online search.
Three of Pavel’s favorite bodyweight exercises:
- One-legged squats (also known as pistols)
- One Arm Push Ups
- pull ups
Pavel doesn’t believe in doing endless sets of reps. He suggests making a more difficult exercise by manipulating the leverage involved. For example, push-ups that are done with your feet elevated are more difficult than regular push-ups. Pavel also believes in Greasing the Groove (GTG). This involves doing a few repetitions several times throughout the day. He always leaves a representative at the bank. Don’t work to failure. He can do pushups several times a day, but only a few repetitions in any given workout. Pavel also believes in making “stairs”. For example, you do a push-up and then rest for a second. You stay in the position and then you do two push-ups and rest for two seconds. You keep going up the ladder until the reps start to get tough. Then make another ladder.
Some of Pavel’s articles are easily found online.
marcus fisherman Marcus Fisher advises MMA (mixed martial arts) athletes and fighters on conditioning. He points out that some very successful wrestlers and wrestlers have primarily used bodyweight training instead of weight training. He doesn’t claim that bodyweight training is superior or that weight training is ineffective, but he does believe that bodyweight exercises can definitely be beneficial. He likes bodyweight workouts because they train the body to function as a single unit. Like Matt Furey, Marcus finds bodyweight training to be more functional.
Marcus Fisher articles are easily found online.
Advantages of bodyweight training:
- Some trainers claim that it builds more functional strength.
- It can be done almost anywhere
- It does not require weights or machines.
Disadvantages of bodyweight training:
- It can be difficult to continuously add resistance to some exercises
- Building a strong posterior chain is hard with bodyweight only routines
Bodyweight exercises to consider:
- hindu squats
- One-legged squats (pistols)
- Lizards
- plyometric pushups
- hindu push ups
- Dive Bomber Pushups
- one arm push ups
- hand push ups
- ABS
- ABS
- legs raised
- jumping jacks
- stamp cats
- random shots
- climbers
- pull ups
- standing long jump
- slalom jumps
- sprints
- mountain races
- the bear crawls
- burping
Special Note About Burpees
Many trainers believe that burpees are the best bodyweight exercise an athlete can do. According to Ross Enamait, “Burpees will condition your entire body. This exercise will build strength, explosive power, and anaerobic endurance.” Burpees can also be combined with push-ups or pull-ups and other variations.
Matt Wiggins has a show called working class cardio which uses burpees, jumping jacks, and other bodyweight exercises. The circuits used in his program also use dumbbells and medicine balls. He claims that burpees can give you a great aerobic workout and are extremely versatile. Matt is a bit of a burpee fan.
Conclusion: do burpees!
Bodyweight training is not magic. Weight lifting can and should be part of your overall conditioning program. However, bodyweight training can definitely be a great addition to your conditioning program. Bodyweight exercises and calisthenics aren’t just for gym class and warming up. Try to include some bodyweight exercises in your training and see if your conditioning and fighting performance improve.