Want to Build True Strength? Ditch the Weights
“But don’t I need weights to get strong?”
In my work as a fitness and performance coach, I get this question a lot.
Even though I’ve been designing mostly bodyweight-based workouts for myself and my clients for over a decade, most people can’t seem to believe me at first when I tell them that you don’t need heavy weights to get strong, build muscle, or improve overall fitness.
Gymnasts have some of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of any athletes, and they rely mostly on their own bodyweight to build their high levels of strength.
In fact, in my observation over the years, most people use weights as a crutch. And it’s not surprising, due to the simple fact that bodyweight exercises are often more difficult than weight-based ones.
While machine or weight-based exercises usually focus on strength alone, most bodyweight exercises require a combination of strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination.
Take the single-leg squat, for example. It’s a seemingly simple exercise: just do a deep squat on one leg. Sounds easy, right? Go ahead, give it a try!
If you couldn’t squat down further than a few inches, or if you fall backward when trying to lower onto one leg, don’t feel bad. Single leg squats, also known as…
