Bodyweight exercises or free weights?

Which one is better?

Now, there are avid people in both camps that adamantly believe that their method is very

clearly the better option of the two.

Some go as far as saying that doing the other is absolutely pointless.

Now we know, of course, that that’s just not true.

There are many examples of individuals in both camps that have gotten great results

in aspects of fitness, such as improving strength and muscle growth.

The thing is, anyone that tells you to avoid doing one or the other for whatever reason

does not the full benefits of the alternative.

Truthfully, yes, one can be better in some ways than the other.

Bodyweight exercises, aka calisthenics, are better suited to improve functional movements

that are used in daily life.

After all, the whole basis of calisthenics is to move your body through space without

any restrictions.

Free weights, on the other hand, are mainly static loads, where you stay in a single place

and manipulate the weight from point A to point B.

For example, if you want to improve your capabilities of moving more fluidly through a rocky environment

such as on a hike, stair runs and box jumps will be better suited than improving your

squat.

However, free weights have an advantage when it comes to simplifying progression.

If you wanted to build strength, you simply have to lift heavier weights.

This goes the same for building muscle, by increasing volume through increasing reps,

sets, or load.

If you watched my video about calisthenics, I stated, with much backlash, that bodyweight

exercises are simply not as easy to improve strength and muscle growth, and this remains

true.

Calisthenics progression is much more technically complex than your standard “add on more

weights” progression.

Take the push-up, for example, where the most common progressions are raising your feet

off the floor, dips, or single-arm push-ups.

For free weights, you can similarly progress in a dumbbell bench press simply by lifting

heavier dumbbells.

For your average Joe that simply wants to get a stronger chest, free weights clearly

require less learning effort.

tThere are also other advantages in both camps.

Bodyweight exercises, for the most part, is absolutely free.

Free weight exercises requires you to either purchase weight equipment or a gym membership.

For calisthenics, you can always go to a local park that have calisthenics bars to exercise.

At the very most, you can purchase things like a pull-up bar or a suspension training

system if you want to work out from home.

A winning advantage of free weights is being able to target specific muscle groups.

Because calisthenics consist of many natural and functional movements, which is usually

a good thing, it requires that multiple muscle groups are targeted at the same time.

However, there are cases where you do want to isolate a specific muscle in a workout,

and a great way in doing so is by using weights.

Whether it’s because you want a particular muscle to be stronger or larger or because

you’re recovering from an injury, isolation movements are best achieved with weights.

Speaking of injuries, many calisthenics enthusiasts will tell you to avoid free weight exercises

because it’s easier to get hurt.

Now, on paper, it might make sense, since free weights require you to lift heavy loads

and put a lot of stress on your muscle, tendons, joints, and ligaments.

But, fact of the matter is, with a proper training program and learning proper form,

there will hardly ever be a time where you’ll place yourself in danger of getting hurt.

The only times would be if you’re trying to lift a weight that is clearly out of your

capabilities or that you’re performing an exercise with improper form.

And that goes the same with bodyweight fitness.

Try to do a movement that you’re not physically capable of doing or do a movement the wrong

way, you can just as much hurt yourself as well.

So with all this being said, which one is actually better?

Well, as boring as this may sound, it all boils down to it depends.

If your goal is to pack on muscle fast without much learning effort, free weights are for

you.

If you want to improve your capabilities in moving your body through space rather than

pushing big things around, then calisthenics are the way to go.

It also depends on what you enjoy doing more.

Some people simply like moving big heavy weights around and some enjoy working out in the fresh

air, free of weights limiting their body movement.

And the thing is, even though each have advantages, it doesn’t mean the other can’t be good

at it, too.

Even though free weight exercises seem to be the better option for building strength

and muscle, there is no doubt that calisthenics can be pretty much limitless in these aspects

as well, as long as you’re willing to dedicate some work to it.

And that’s the catch for most.

Most people just want to be healthier or look slightly better than they do now.

Yes, doing something like push-ups and pull-ups can be beneficial to the average person, but

things such as flagpoles or front levers mean very little to them.

But if that’s what you want to be able to do, then by all means do it.

And that goes for free weight training as well.

Many of your standard calisthenics movements can be done with weight added to it, which

technically transforms them to a free weight exercise.

But of course, we’re talking about the typical exercises done in a gym.

Leg presses and back rows are great for pretty much anyone, but the majority of people don’t

care to deadlift 500 pounds off the floor.

But again, if you’re into something like powerlifting, then it’s completely reasonable

to start stacking plates on the bar.

Ultimately, the best thing that you can do is for yourself is… do both!

As we can see, they both have great advantages that anyone can benefit from.

So why limit yourself to just one?

Do both and reap the benefits of both.

Or… do one… it’s up to you.

What are other benefits that separate calisthenics and free weights?

Share in the comments below!

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