new to bodyweight training.

[bwhite55]

hey guys. i'm getting ready to start doing bodyweight sessions in the AM just to boost my endurance and help me boost my fitness to the next level. my diet and nutrition is as spot on as it can be. I am doing a fairly high volume workout right now mon-fri(m and w is lower body, t and fr are upper body, and wed is conditioning, all the workouts @ the moment are lower weight and higher reps(3x12 mostly), i'm giving the heavy weights a much needed break.) and know that i can add a short bodyweight session in the AM. 4-5 days a week. i'm not talking about much, just a few sets of push ups, pull ups, pistols, etc. and was wondering for you guys who do this how you'd structure. I'm thinking something like going from push to pull to legs to core, and then repeating that same thing a few times....ie ring push ups, pull ups, pistols, and flutter kicks, w/ 30 sec rest each time, then divebombers, inverted rows, single leg stiff leg dl w/ arms out, supine leg raises, again w/ 30 sec rest, then finish off w/ clap push ups, one armed inverted rows, and vertical jumps, and finish off w/ bridges....something similar to taht, but obviously starting off w/ hardest and finishing w/ easiest. any input would be great. and i'm trying to do something i can keep to 15-25 mins max, and low enough intensity that i can do in a semi-fasted state.

[Knight_Errant]

I'd include a push, pull, squat, bend and straighten ('straighten' is the one I've never done, but I have back problems...)
so a pushup or a dip, a pullup or a body row, squats with no weights, situps and back raises. Do them however you like, I have no rules for you. Improvise!

A suggestion though; you could do them in a circuit, say do dips,pullups, air squats, situps and back raises all together, 30 sec-1 minute rest, repeat. This is more or less the standard crossfit warmup without the stretching, which I'll assume you'll do afterwards

alternatively, try this site:
http://www.trainforstrength.com/workouts.shtml

Some free advice:
Don't listen to morons who tell you to do hundreds of pushups and situps- if you can do more than about 20 reps, it's not helping your strength. Choose a harder exercise.

avoid leg raises, they don't work your abs directly and they screw up your back

Try and achieve balance; if you push, do a pull.

And finally, good luck :)

[bwhite55]

thanks for the input, thats a similar routine i was thinking, but was going more along the lines of push, pull, lowerbody, then abs, w/ 1 min break between each set. i'm not wanting to do anything real intense, as this is just to boost GPP and for a good morning wake up workout...do you have any references about your leg raise info tho?

[Fish Of Doom]

do abs first or you'll fricking murder yourself, personal experience. the core controls your breathing, and if you're already tired from the first part of the workout you'll only make it worse if you put strain on the muscles you're supposed to use to stabilize it.

[slipthejab]

Some free advice:
Don't listen to morons who tell you to do hundreds of pushups and situps- if you can do more than about 20 reps, it's not helping your strength. Choose a harder exercise.

True true... except.. if he's going for endurance (and I mention this because he mentioned it in his original post) then getting the hundreds in isn't a bad thing. Though it's never going to hurt to be adding weight to any of those movements and work that strength element.

[Knight_Errant]

do you have any references about your leg raise info tho

yes, here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/siff1.htm

under 'stabilizers or mobilizers' .

True true... except.. if he's going for endurance (and I mention this because he mentioned it in his original post) then getting the hundreds in isn't a bad thing. Though it's never going to hurt to be adding weight to any of those movements and work that strength element.
Yeah, but I heard the best preparation for endurance is actually playing your sport of choice.

[bwhite55]

ah, sorry for the miscommunication from my original post. i meant endurance-strength range(15-20 rep range) not pure endurance range. I am not doing any sporting event right now. I'm considering, and have been for a year and a half or so taking up a grappling art, but have yet to decide on one. i play ultimate frisbee, racquetball, and have trained for triathlons(tho never actually raced). right now i'm just training for longevity and general health and fitness, with future plans to go into the USAF after college(can currently pass the fitness tests with little trouble, but i wanna be at the top level). the main thing that's holding me back is a torn acl that i have been putting off surgery for about 2 yrs, and am going to finalize everything. now with going off topic and ranting, thank you for your input.

[Thephenom52]

My workout program is made up of:

1 set of Push Ups - 35 reps
1 set of sit up's or crunches- 35 reps
1 set of leg raises- 35 reps
1 set of squats or other leg exercises- 35 reps
1 set of dorsels- 35 reps

This is simply a part of a longer training routine and takes abt 6 minutes. If you're looking for a longer bodyweight workout, I'd suggest you go through all the sets, take a minute or two's rest and then repeat.
Alternatively, if your main goal with this is to lose weight or work up your cardio fitness, you could cut the reps down to 20 and follow the above routine with a shorter rest time. This will have your heart racing!!
You might also consider holding your position at the final rep of each exercise for about 10 seconds. So, for example, if you're doing push ups, on your last rep, you could go down and hold position for 10 seconds and then come back up. This may sound easy, but dont be fooled.