Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Conditioning- for weight loss

Bodyweight exercises, weight loss, and interval training come together...


This post is one I've worked on for a while, but am posting now for a friend. The bodyweight work revolves around "Convict Conditioning."

Now, there are dozens of bodyweight books and websites out there. Convict Conditioning isn't necessarily the best, but it has some major advantages for someone who has had physical difficulties, is out of shape, or especially for someone with a lot of weight to lose.

Any workable regimen will boil down to "eat better, move more." In keeping with that, any program that essentially follows those two principles will produce results.

The main reasons I like Convict Conditioning so much as a base for a training regimen are:

It's broken out into 6 uncomplicated exercise progressions. Push ups, Pull ups, Bridges, Squats, Leg raises, and Handstand puh ups. No isolated muscle complications, and with all bodyweight exercises- you work multiple muscle groups, so everything will get stronger as you go without recourse to cage machines.

The second main reason I love this book is that it starts the progressions out at beginning physical therapy levels. It's nearly impossible to hurt yourself going through the lower progressions attentively.


Of course, Convict Condition is not complete for the expressed purposes. You need some intense interval exercise to add to your regimen and you must find a dietary protocol- an eating plan- that works. I've mentioned in a previous post that nearly any of the better diet plans will work.

I would like to add here, though, that one that is a bit draconian and doesn't allow for subconscious cheating is probably better to start with.


Under my hybrid, you'll be doing your basic pushup, pullup, squat, and leg lift progressions in short sets, multiple times a day. If you *firmly* believe in the need to have rest days, work a bit hard before one. But take no more than 2 rest days per week. the 2 advanced progressions- bridges and handstand pushups, can be added after some weight loss and core strength is built.

This would start with, for example:

5 wall pushups (that's right, feet about 18 to 24 inches from the wall)- do your pushups - ONE SECOND down, ONE SECOND hold at bottom, ONE SECOND to raise.

Only 5? yeah, the first week. You will be doing the round 5 times a day. As you progress, feel free to bump the sets to 7 or 10- but watch that you don't burn yourself out in one morning set!

Same thing with wall or door jamb pullups. same thing with bent leg lifts, and shoulder stand squats.

These sets won't kick up the metabolism, though. So you need a pump. My suggestions for the pump vary depending on your condition and materials at hand. Under NO circumstances would I recommend jump roping or running if you are above 180 pounds going into this. Not a good idea.

Jumping jacks aren't a bad idea. 50 of those should finish off the workout fine - 5 times a day!   ----- start with 10, add 5 every other day.

Playing Hot potato over your head with a 15 or 20 pound dumbbell is a good starting point. 5 presses each side with a 20 or 25 pound dumbbell- or 30, whatever you can barely do, but do right.

Of course, if you have a kettlebell heavy enough, 25 swings is the best. (50 after the first 2 weeks, moving up slowly to 100 for each of the 5 workouts in a day)


If you do Jumping Jacks, don't jump high ---- jump enough to get your legs in or out, but don't jar your spine. You are wearing a full combat load or more in excess weight and don't have a strong back yet. you don't want to crush anything.

  --Why intervals? --

The intervals- 5 short workouts during the day- are there to boost your baseline metabolic rate.  This is essential to fat loss and daily energy- and doing more active things outside of workouts.

But, the intervals have to leave you a bit worked out. The bodyweight conditioning by itself can't do that in the beginning. You simply need time to develop the strength, flexibility, and body shape to do full pullups, one hand pushups, and handstand pushups.

So you need something to make you feel a bit of sweat or heart rate increase- be it kettlebell swings and snatches, jumping jacks, or whatever.


  -- The myth of days off. --

The days off myth comes from bodybuilding for show. We aren't trying to condition for a show event, we are looking for a dual functional strength increase  and weight loss/metabolic increase. This is why you need to do these daily. Once your body systems know they need to be active, they will turn active. Just like a farmboy.



  -- Weight Gain --

The same regimen is useful for weight gain. Not "muscle show" bulk, but healthy, general, weight gain. In certain cases- usually females, but my son is an example of the male effect- there's a tendency towards extreme slimness. this is generally accompanied with a low muscle tone and a generally good diet (meaning no extreme fat layering overeating or food choices)

The way to fix that is to build strength and metabolic rate! you will naturally eat a bit more, process the food differently, and add a bit of muscle mass and density.

-- but, girly push ups? --

Well, girly push ups are something you have to work up to, actually! - joint strength, neuron training, and basal metabolism.

Odds are, if you did push ups in school, you did fast, jerky, halfway push ups. It's harder to do 10 3 second, full down push ups on a table, than it is to do 15 jerky high school gym class push ups.

 This forms the underlying basis of Convict Conditioning (yeah, you need to buy the book) - and is the key element. It's only going to take you 4-8 weeks out of your life to work from level one to four in most areas, and you will gain a lot of safety and injury immunity in the process. In terms of your life, that's not a lot of time.

  --Progression-- a week to try those out, skip one of your baseline interval workouts and replace it with the progression test for each of the bodyweight exercises. If you make it, move up!

The book, Convict Conditiong, has in it a list of progression tests. Pick a day

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