Aleks Salkin - Free kettlebell and bodyweight workouts
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    • 40 Days, (Almost) 40 Lessons
    • What is Fitness Minimalism?
    • Clean up your kettlebell clean in 2 steps
    • Why you MUST make your resistance training harder
    • Get Fitter WITHOUT Beating Your Body Up
    • Get Stronger WITHOUT Adding Weight
    • Original Strength For Brute Strength
    • How To Leap Forward After A Layoff
    • 6 Workout Tips For The Newbie Lifter
    • How to persuade your body to hand over new results
    • Best Exercises You're Not Doing: The Pullover
    • How To Break Plateaus In Your Training
    • 5 20-minute, fat-blasting workouts >
      • The Top 5 Reasons YOU Should Get Strong
      • The 3 Things Your Personal Trainer Forgot To Tell You
      • The 2 Lessons You MUST Learn To Improve Your Fitness
    • The Surest Path To Success
    • The 3 Cheapest Ways To Get Fitter And Healthier
    • How to avoid a shitty personal trainer
    • When should I jump to a new program?
    • Get noticeably stronger in 10 seconds
    • Should you abandon the basics?
    • 1 Simple Reason To Love Kettlebells
    • How to build "Old Man Strength"
    • Improve your recovery for faster gains
    • Secrets of Old School Strength
    • You HAVE to train your core
    • A Few Honest-To-God Strength Shortcuts
    • How To Succeed With A Personal Trainer
    • The Fast/Slow Program For Superior Gains
    • The Crawl and Carry Workout that Boosts Strength and Muscle
  • Free Calisthenics Info
    • How to get your first pullup at 50 years old
    • From Bodyweight To Heavyweight: Mining the 1-arm/1-leg pushup for a heavier press
    • The Anytime, Anywhere Bodyweight Strength Program
    • Primal Move: Answer The Call
    • Capture The Flag
    • Crawl your way to a 1-arm pushup
    • What's a Joint Like You Doin' In a Person Like This?
    • Improve your back flexibility with one move
    • 2 handstand "hacks" for faster progress
    • It's Hip To Grip
    • From Body Weight To Heavy Weight
    • From Bodyweight To Heavyweight Pt. 2: Calisthenics For Iron Domination
    • Unjack Your Back
    • Handstand pushups: for legendary upper body power
    • How To Prepare For Your First Handstand
    • How to Kick Ass At Bodyweight Workouts
    • Improve your cardio with 2 bodyweight drills
    • The 10-Second Ab Workout
    • Roll, Rock, and Crawl Your Fat Off
    • Bodyweight Detours For Greater Strength
    • Your Eyes, Your Legs, and Bodyweight Strength
    • Dead Bugs For Life! >
      • The #1 Bodyweight Exercise For Bigger Shoulders and Arms
      • The #1 Step Toward Greater Fitness
    • "Do I really NEED to stretch?"
    • You DON'T need a gym to get fit
    • Find The Right Trainer/Program: Pt. 1
    • Little Things Add Up
    • Fit In A Few Minutes (No Excuses Workouts)
    • Bigger Arms With Bodyweight: Rope Climbing
    • Get better at 1 arm pushups (without doing them)
    • Stop Looking For Fitness Hacks
    • Old School Health and Strength Done Right
    • The Top 5 Reasons YOU Should Be Obsessed With Bodyweight Training
    • A Cool Crawling Workout
    • How (and Why) To Train Around An Injury
    • Exercise Vs. Movement: Which is better?
    • How to Build Brute Strength With Bodyweight Only
    • Five 20-Minute, No Equipment Workouts
    • Why Bodyweight Training Is Important
    • The Fast/Slow Method For Steady Strength Gains
    • Crawl your way to better fitness
    • The Top 5 Reasons YOU should be obsessed with calisthenics training
    • The "Suicide Solution" For Conditioning Gains
    • The No-Equipment Workout To Improve Your Cardio
    • Thank You KBBW
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How to build brute strength with bodyweight only

The key is to be methodical, precise, and consistent.

Picture
Can you get stronger with a fixed weight *only*?

The answer is a resounding YES.

A "yes", that is, with an "if".

Yes, IF you follow a solid program that:

1) Uses moderate weights
2) Gradually increases the volume through time


What are the benefits of patiently using only one weight for several months worth of workouts?

The list is long as the benefits are legion. But here's a short list:

1) Allows your tendons to adapt and get stronger - crucial for life-long strength and resilience, and often an overlooked part of a good strength training regimen. This is also important in the short-term as a lack of tendon strength will often lead you to hit a plateau long before you hit a lifetime PR.

2) It will allow your nervous system to stay fresher.

3) You will be able to build a solid training base for long-term gains with less likelihood of burnout or injury.

4) It's simple as hell and takes the confusion out of programming and training!

Beginning in June I realized my weighted pullups and deficit handstand pushups were unacceptably soft (5 rep max in weighted pullups was 16 kg and 5 rep max in deficit handstand pushups was at a deficit of about 3 inches). I set out to change that.

The results were as follows:

1 rep max pullup BEFORE program: 70 lbs (32 kg)
1 rep max pullup AFTER program: 97 lbs (44 kg)

Full ROM handstand pushups BEFORE program: 0
Full ROM handstand pushups AFTER program: 2

Keep in mind that I NEVER went heavier than 16 kg for pullups and NEVER did handstand pushups any deeper than about 3 or so inches - a mere 1/4 of the depth that I ended up being able to do them by the end.

This bodes well for all of you out there with minimal equipment and minimal time to waste on complicated programs that lead you to a plateau instead of a peak. A kettlebell or two and your bodyweight will be all you need (though the same approach works like magic for barbells, too).
Consider this before your next program and gaze and be amazed at the strength you gain easier than you could have ever imagined.

And if you're from the "pics or it didn't happen" crowd, here is some Instagram proof of both:

Pullup: https://instagram.com/p/7FnIDOzNY_/?taken-by=aleks_salkin
Handstand pushup: https://instagram.com/p/7DIwIjTNYo/?taken-by=aleks_salkin

Choose your weight and wear it out.


© 2011-2016 Aleks Salkin, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Home
  • Meet Aleks
  • Workshops
  • Free Kettlebell Info
    • The 5 Point Kettlebell Checklist
    • The Most Asked Question
    • The Most Asked Question: Part 2
    • 6 Things Most Kettlebell Instructors Don't Know
    • 10 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Start A Kettlebell Workout
    • How Much Should I Pay for Kettelbell Workouts Training?
    • How to put 100 lbs over your head with 1 arm
    • How Do I Know if Kettlebells Are Right for Me?
    • The 7 Most Frequent Questions About Kettlebells
    • The 90-year plan
    • How to become a T-1000 (a review of Flexible Steel)
    • It's not about the bell: 3 Lessons From an RKC Workshop in Israel
    • How To Choose The Right Personal Trainer
    • How To Make Your Snatch Test Easier
    • 40 Days, (Almost) 40 Lessons
    • What is Fitness Minimalism?
    • Clean up your kettlebell clean in 2 steps
    • Why you MUST make your resistance training harder
    • Get Fitter WITHOUT Beating Your Body Up
    • Get Stronger WITHOUT Adding Weight
    • Original Strength For Brute Strength
    • How To Leap Forward After A Layoff
    • 6 Workout Tips For The Newbie Lifter
    • How to persuade your body to hand over new results
    • Best Exercises You're Not Doing: The Pullover
    • How To Break Plateaus In Your Training
    • 5 20-minute, fat-blasting workouts >
      • The Top 5 Reasons YOU Should Get Strong
      • The 3 Things Your Personal Trainer Forgot To Tell You
      • The 2 Lessons You MUST Learn To Improve Your Fitness
    • The Surest Path To Success
    • The 3 Cheapest Ways To Get Fitter And Healthier
    • How to avoid a shitty personal trainer
    • When should I jump to a new program?
    • Get noticeably stronger in 10 seconds
    • Should you abandon the basics?
    • 1 Simple Reason To Love Kettlebells
    • How to build "Old Man Strength"
    • Improve your recovery for faster gains
    • Secrets of Old School Strength
    • You HAVE to train your core
    • A Few Honest-To-God Strength Shortcuts
    • How To Succeed With A Personal Trainer
    • The Fast/Slow Program For Superior Gains
    • The Crawl and Carry Workout that Boosts Strength and Muscle
  • Free Calisthenics Info
    • How to get your first pullup at 50 years old
    • From Bodyweight To Heavyweight: Mining the 1-arm/1-leg pushup for a heavier press
    • The Anytime, Anywhere Bodyweight Strength Program
    • Primal Move: Answer The Call
    • Capture The Flag
    • Crawl your way to a 1-arm pushup
    • What's a Joint Like You Doin' In a Person Like This?
    • Improve your back flexibility with one move
    • 2 handstand "hacks" for faster progress
    • It's Hip To Grip
    • From Body Weight To Heavy Weight
    • From Bodyweight To Heavyweight Pt. 2: Calisthenics For Iron Domination
    • Unjack Your Back
    • Handstand pushups: for legendary upper body power
    • How To Prepare For Your First Handstand
    • How to Kick Ass At Bodyweight Workouts
    • Improve your cardio with 2 bodyweight drills
    • The 10-Second Ab Workout
    • Roll, Rock, and Crawl Your Fat Off
    • Bodyweight Detours For Greater Strength
    • Your Eyes, Your Legs, and Bodyweight Strength
    • Dead Bugs For Life! >
      • The #1 Bodyweight Exercise For Bigger Shoulders and Arms
      • The #1 Step Toward Greater Fitness
    • "Do I really NEED to stretch?"
    • You DON'T need a gym to get fit
    • Find The Right Trainer/Program: Pt. 1
    • Little Things Add Up
    • Fit In A Few Minutes (No Excuses Workouts)
    • Bigger Arms With Bodyweight: Rope Climbing
    • Get better at 1 arm pushups (without doing them)
    • Stop Looking For Fitness Hacks
    • Old School Health and Strength Done Right
    • The Top 5 Reasons YOU Should Be Obsessed With Bodyweight Training
    • A Cool Crawling Workout
    • How (and Why) To Train Around An Injury
    • Exercise Vs. Movement: Which is better?
    • How to Build Brute Strength With Bodyweight Only
    • Five 20-Minute, No Equipment Workouts
    • Why Bodyweight Training Is Important
    • The Fast/Slow Method For Steady Strength Gains
    • Crawl your way to better fitness
    • The Top 5 Reasons YOU should be obsessed with calisthenics training
    • The "Suicide Solution" For Conditioning Gains
    • The No-Equipment Workout To Improve Your Cardio
    • Thank You KBBW
  • Store
  • What Others Are Saying
  • Free 1-Arm Pushup Report
  • Contact