In a continuing collaboration with Scott over at Straight to the Bar, we will be writing about training and travel throughout the month of September. Scott finishes up this month by asking, “Does bodyweight training carry over to free-weight work?”
Scott has at times done a lot of traveling, and rather than cart around heavy objects or lift random things that he can find he tends to opt for body weight work. He has not had a lot of success translating that body weight work into free weight work such as squats and bench presses, however.
Personally, I do not see a problem with that. Body weight exercises tend to work your body in more natural ways than most free weight exercises anyway.
My brother and one of his best friends always wrestle when they meet, to see whether weight room strength (my brother) or farm strength (his friend) will win out. My brother always gets beat, because his friend’s muscles are used to doing real work, and not just simulated work.
Body weight exercises are not quite as good as working on a farm for most of your life, but they are still better than nothing. I recommend a balanced program that incorporates both, along with running and other sports.
So, how has body weight training worked for you?
I like a mixture of both. I really enjoy the real world use my strength so thats why I say that. I also like the isolating feeling of performing machine workouts.
Another aspect of body weight training is that you are able to take yourself through correct and accurate form with being unduly loaded. I have always maintained that fast running, swimming, biking, is as much an element of style and form more so than brute strength or trash mileage. Body weight training is a viable and possibly overlooked part of a training schedule. Try a couple of sets of one legged squats of a step bench slowly and feel how an untrained stabilizer will deviate your leg from an optimum powerful drive.