Can anyone help with a no-equipment workout regimen?

[jigmastermatt]

I'm 14, and I can do about 25 push ups for a couple sets. I do sit ups, etc. Can anyone tell me what I should do? I have no equiptment, and I cant really buy any. I've been trying to do some sprints and stair climbing and stuff. Can anyone tell me exercises I can do without equipment, and if I should do them every day, or 3 times a week, or whatever.

Thanks

[aku aku]

Sprints and running stairs are both good. Pushups and body weight squats, done for high reps, will build muscle endurance. You can also add deck squats, squat thrusts, mountain climbers and the like for conditioning. To build strength you could do 1 leg squats and 1 arm pushups and handstand pushups, there are progressions that will help you work up to them. Pullups are great if you have something to hang from. Jumping rope and different footwork drills are good. These are just a couple ideas. There are many different schedules and workouts you can follow depending on your goals and time available.

Here's a couple of good websites:

http://www.trainforstrength.com/workouts.shtml

http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode2/Workouts

[BiGGinZ]

Squats, Push-ups, Pull-ups, Lunges, Sprints. You also can use things around the home to do workouts. Like a bucket. Fill with sand or whatever, Use it as a makeshift dumbell. If you make resistance you can get a workout. Even if you have a partner just put resistance on you during push ups or a curl motion, ab workouts, whatever. I know it doesn't sound the best but it will work. I have met people in amazing shape that have never picked up a weight in their lives.

BiGGinZ

[aku aku]

I would suggest, instead of working up to hundreds of pushups and squats the way some people do, you would be better off finding more difficult exercises that will build strength. I think this will help your martial arts more and leave more time for skill training. The difficulty of pushups can vary all the way from pushing off a wall to one arm handstand pushups. If you can do one leg squats, try one leg jumping squats or hold a weight in front of you.

I can describe some progressions to work up to those if you're interested.

[jigmastermatt]

sure, name some. I dont know what some of the things you named where, maybe you can explain?

[treelizard]

You should check out rosstraining.com. He has a book called Never Gymless with lots of no-equipment exercises.

[aku aku]

sure, name some. I dont know what some of the things you named where, maybe you can explain?

Sorry for taking so long, I've been really busy and haven't had time to post.

You can work up to the 1 arm pushup by doing them on an elevated surface like a table, chair or stairs. As you get stronger, lower the height until you're doing it from the floor. Keep your shoulder level, don't cheat by letting one side come up before the other.

For handstand pushups, start by kicking up to a handstand against a wall and hold for time. When you can hold it for about a minute, put some books under your head so there's an inch or two of space. From the handstand, lower yourself until your head touches the books and press back up. As you get stronger you can lower the height of the books.

For the one leg squat or pistol, the usual advice is to start by going down to a chair or step and increasing the depth as you get stronger. I found I didn't progress much until I found a way to work the full range of motion. Start by holding on to a counter or sturdy chair or something. Stick one leg in front like you're doing a front kick and, using your arms as much as you need, lower yourself to the floor on the other leg and come back up. The next step is to start in the bottom position with one leg in front. Using your fingertips, give yourself a push to get started and stand up the rest of the way on your other leg. Eventually this will help you build the strength to do a full one leg squat. Don't be in a hurry. I spent about a month on the first step and about 2 months on the second step before I could do unassisted one leg squats but it was worth it because now I can do something that few other people can.

I'll also refer you to this excellent article: http://www.powerathletesmag.com/pages/pistols.htm

There are different options for training them. You can do 3 days per week. If you keep the volume low you can do them daily, listen to your body and be sure to back off if you need to. One strategy, called "greasing the groove" is to do a few reps now and then throughout the day, every day. When doing this, go nowhere near failure. Most sets shouldn't be more than half your rep max and don't hesitate to lower the volume for a few days if you find yourself overworking.

[treelizard]

There's also an awesome handstand pushup tutorial here: http://www.beastskills.com/tutorials.htm