Bodyweight exercises for my back?

[bung bo]

other than chin-ups and pull-ups and supermen. could you guys give me some? thanks

[blooming lotus]

bridges, pushups (hindu),lowerback extensions

[IronFist]

The back is pretty hard to hit with bodyweight stuff.

Sorry. Bridging may do something, but it's not much ROM and it's more like a static hold. Some people say it's bad for you.

So, supermen for lower back, but that's also not much ROM, and I've heard those are bad, too.

Lats are tough to get with anything other than pullups.

Traps really require weights, too.

Sorry dude.

[SevenStar]

you can do good morings, but as with the others, if done wrong, this can mess up your back. You really do need weights for the back.

[FooFighter]

You can use a stability ball to do all sorts of back exercises. I highly recommend that you research using this tool in your fitness and health routine. There are plenty of BW exercises for your back: Reverse Hyperextension, Reverse Supine Pull Ups, Hyperextension, and different various of pull ups and chins. If you understand the concept, you can be creative and develop movements that suits your needs.

[abobo]

If you can lay on your stomach on something with your legs hanging down you can do reverse hyperextensions.

If you have a tree branch or bar and a towel you can do towel chinups. You can also do leg raises or knee raises. Kind of like a pullover and leg lift from the hanging position.

[fa_jing]

Well there's a whole series of Calesthenics that I learned in my preying mantis class that work the lower back. Mostly you stand with the feet about 1.5 shoulders with apart, keep the legs straight, and make the upper body rigid and horizontal to the ground. You do various motions with your arms from here like pushing out in front of you,

I don't think bridging is bad for your back, in fact I recommend it. Iron Bridge, Gymnastics bridge.

[Ka]

Rope Climbing(Towel Chins)
Hang Boards, Barchar Ladders,Dynos
Anything on Parallel Bars or High Bars
Check these out for ideas
http://www.american-gymnast.com/tt/strength/circuits/upperbody.htm
http://www.american-gymnast.com/tt/strength/circuits/midsection.htm

Is this for injury recovery or are you talking about endurance based body weight training focusing on the back muscles?

[blooming lotus]

some seated twists with loose thighs would also hit....maybe add a deep upper-cut-type movement

sorry Iron, but bw excercises are perfect for back developement...nice trolling attempt though :D

[Ford Prefect]

Bodyweight reverse hypers.

[FooFighter]

I tried some crazy kettle bell reverse hypers on a stability ball nearly broke my KB. The gym staff was worried about their floor, I was like F--- That, KB was almost broken. By the way, today I broken my record I lifted 2X15 Plus the Standard Bar (single arm Bar side Press) for 5 reps. For a 160lb ectomorph, I think that is pretty cool. I know it aint nothing to some, but some fool next to me tried my movement and the Bar fell on his head and neck. Also wrecked his left shoulder!!! Ouch! I held in my laughter and personal trainer said I shouldnt been performing this movement that it was bad for my shoulders and that it is too advance for someone like me. I said to the PT, why dont you do some presses and tell me how it should be done. The PT gave me a nasty look and walked away.

[fa_jing]

Standard bar is 45 pounds, are you saying that you side pressed 75 pounds x 5 @160? If so that's pretty darn good

[fa_jing]

Oh, of course this doesn't compare to the BODYWEIGHT side press...which we should all practice instead as it has more applications to the MA.

[IronFist]

Originally posted by fa_jing
Standard bar is 45 pounds, are you saying that you side pressed 75 pounds x 5 @160? If so that's pretty darn good

[IronFist]

Did you show the guy how to do it, or did you just go "here" and give him the bar? You should have said to start with a lower weight.

[FooFighter]

Ironfist:

I work out at New York Sports Club. The dude was a huge black body buildering dude. His arms are three times bigger than mine. He was Benching 250 or more? when he saw me perform the side press. He looked at me when I doing my presses and when I was done he said could he tried. I say sure but didnt give him any instructions. He was the type would get offended if a skinny punk like me would tell him he should start with a lower weight. Plus he had the face of someone who thought if a skinny ***** could do it, then I could do it. Well, he copied my movement from beginning to end, but I just he didnt know how to generate tension or embrace himself and breathe correctly. As he was about about to press upward, he lost control and it felt back on his head and neck. I jumped back because I dont want that bar falling on me. Boy, it was priceless to have witnessed what I have seen. He was in pain. He wont be benching in a short while? The personal trainer came when he heard the bar fell hard on the ground and that when he started to rebuke me and not the muscle head.

[Toby]

Well, I'm not a huge body buildering dude, but I bench 250 and I would struggle to do 5x75lb @ 215ish. I used to do 3x6x45lb with a dumbell and it was pretty tough, let alone with a barbell. Or maybe I did bent presses. Forget which is which now. Congrats Foo. Good lifts.

Sounds like the guy may have been a dick, but you've still gotta watch your fellow lifter. Should've at least tried to offer some advice first. But then, he shouldn't try a strange lift (especially overhead) without knowing the mechanics of it.

Anyway, no problem embracing myself ;).

[FooFighter]

Toby

I can bench heavy too, but I am focusing on single arm push ups and single leg squats (with weights). The dude which I written about gave me a very condensing look and deserved what he got. If he wasnt a **** and was more polite I would have watched him and gave him some pointers. However, now I hope it is more humble. Embracing yourself is just a difficult skill as any lifts in my opinion. I never used a belt in my whole life for lifting.

[blooming lotus]

FF

dude...those weighted one - arm pushups sound like something I could admire...props on the committment

as for the side presses...you're doing them weighted right?? what comes to mind for me is my pilates workouts which have same but unweighted .......sounds good though... you could hold a weight and do some tris on the way down right????

dude..as for the big dude thing...i get the same thing often myself...being a chick and all and most folks end up with red - faces.....not that its about fame or infamey..but little dudes ( specially little chick dudes) have always been doubted for physical adeptness and strength and defence capabilities.....

props dude

cheers :cool:

[FooFighter]

Lotus:

I didnt understand much of your sentences. Thanks for the kind words of encouragement. The Wing Chun I have learned from Alan Lee is very physical and currently for the last year, I couldnt train with him due to personal reasons. So I decided to focus on specific strength training that would be functional for wing chun gung fu. So when I do return to class I shall be better prepare to handle the demanding wing chun program.

Single Arm Push Up is similar to Wing Chun vertical punch. Ultimately, I want to develop single arm vertical fist explosive push ups from an elevated position. No body at my current wing chun school is able to do this and with much patience and applied correct knowledge by the Summer this will be a reality I hope. Likewise the single leg squats is much like the same single leg techniques found in my style. My goal here to single leg squat while holding a standard bar over my head.

I dont know if you know what is a side press? But yes it is weighted BarBell movement and doing this movement works the Triceps as well. I have not done any single joint movement in a long while such as curls or Tricep extension. I work all these muscles indirectly I guess from all the compound movement I do. I am not too familar with Pliates except that it was invented by a German and it is popular with dancers and females.

Lotus, you are female, correct? Yes, women can be strong and I met some tough and powerful females in my time. This may sound bias or sexist, but I do see a physical difference between men and women and strength in women and men will vary according to various factors.

As them big dudes, I dont hate them and dont get me wrong. Size does plays a huge difference in some cases and to deny that would be living a lie. However, size doesnt really matter (no pun intended). True real world power should be measure by not the size of the muscle but its performance and function.

Actually, I have always wanted to be bigger in muscle mass as a child and not in the other area. <wink> But as I gotten older, accepted my ectomorph frame, and I grew out of the BodyBuilding stage and I have learned to love my body and look for ways to develop strength and power for my daily task, my performance in the martial arts, and as preventive
medicine.

[blooming lotus]

chick ...correct...

feeling your committment ;)

cheers :p

[Toby]

Originally posted by FooFighter
Embracing yourself is just a difficult skill as any lifts in my opinion. I never used a belt in my whole life for lifting.
Oh, you probably mean bracing yourself. "Embracing yourself" has a somewhat different meaning, I would've thought.

[FooFighter]

Toby

You are correct I meant learning how to stabilize your core and create dynamic tension is a skill like learning to perform a lift.
"Embracing yourself" means something all together like in those self help books.

[dodger87]

I feel that V-holds kind of tones out my whole body, now i feel these little lumps in my lower back area, kind of like a 6pack except on my back.