Mass

[Alek]

How can I add some mass with bodyweight training? The only thing I thought is to add some weights in a bag (or a weighted vest) during pull-ups, push-ups , squats,sit-ups etc..Any suggestions?Anything wrong with what i thought?

[righty]

There are good ideas, except maybe the squats as to really pack on the extra weight a bar is probably the best option there.

You can also modify the excercise to make it harder. e.g. tricep pushups or inverted pushups. Another idea is to do them with only one hand, one handed pushups, one legged squats etc.

[Kuma]

Dips and chins in high reps will do a lot for you. Like righty said, you can also make them progressively more difficult. A one-legged squat is going to work your muscles a heck of a lot harder than a two-legged one.

[Alek]

Can reps to failure also add mass?or almost to failure sets

[Kuma]

Almost to failure sets usually let you do more sets, hence more volume. If you can only do 12 pull-ups and you try 2 sets of 10, you're inevitably going to fail on the second. If you do say 5 sets of 5 though, you should easily get them for a total of 25 pull-ups. It's all about volume for hypertrophy.

[Alek]

thnx for the help:)

[Frodocious]

If you want to pack on mass, you need to make sure you're eating enough to build the muscle. If you are doing that, then adding weights to exercises should help, as should doing more difficult progressions (raised feet pushups, 1 arm or 1 leg versions of exercises etc) like the others have suggested.

[gj5940]

What exercise's are you doing for mass gaining?

what access to equipment do you have? a pull up bar dipping bars etc?

[Alek]

4x2.5kg plates, 4x20kg plates , one curled bar, 2 dumbell bars a pullupbar a wheel (for abs) an exersice ball(5kg) some gippers and i use chairs for dips , some kind of ab work

[Rhizome]

changing the leverage of the exercises to increase the intensity is the easiest way, doing hundreds of reps only results in localised endurance being trained for which imo should be trained sport specific.

changing to one legged squats etc, handstand pushups, one arm push ups.

if you have weight then adding them to dips, pull/chin-ups etc is great.

and dont forget to eat, eat, eat.

[Ste_88]

If you want add mass you may aswell just shell out for a gym membership with a squat rack. Bodyweight will generally only go so far.

[Van Zandt]

This explains it a bit better:

http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com/rep-ranges.html

[Knight_Errant]

It's actually perfectly possible to add mass with just bodyweight. The difference is, instead of adding more weight, you progress to a harder movement. The problem with that is that the ways of making the movement harder become more and more elaborate and you need to learn new skills and techniques, taking up more of your time. Also, I have a sneaking suspicion that some of the really hard movements actually generate a smaller endocrine response than a simpler movement with more resistance would. That said, you'll have to work pretty hard to get the maximum mileage out of your bodyweight. By the time you're doing planche pushups you'll be a beast. The issue with that is that you'd probably get there quicker if you lifted weights as well. Also, I think it's probably wise to aim for a good mix of bodyweight and weights so that you have a good balance between closed and open kinetic chain exercises. All in all, you do what you can with what you've got. But if you can, shell out for either a gym membership or a bar, a couple of adjustable dumbells and some plates.