Can You Get Stronger With Just Push up and Pull ups?

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Sooner or later the question comes up; how few exercises does someone need to still build muscle and strength? Are push ups and pull ups enough for the upper body or do you need more?

[kevinbrown]

You absolutely Correct. I used to go to the gym 5 to 6 days a week and lifted weights. Now I do Calisthenics pull ups, chin ups, different variations of push ups (my favorite is diamond push ups), dips, squats, toe lifts, lunges, jump rope. I've doing been Calisthenics for 3 years and I love it and it brings excitement. Through Calisthenics, I am reaping the benefits such as getting stronger, more muscular and sculped physique. I'm 56 years old and now I'm doing the monkey bars and I haven't done that since I was a teenager. Doing Calisthenics I can literally feel weakness leave my body. I'm doing stuff on the bars that 20 year olds can't do. When you do Calisthenics it engages your core and your entire body. When you lift weights you are only engaging that muscle group your focusing on. Calisthenics All The Way!!! It's AMAZING that the emptiest place in the gym is the area with the pull up bars, monkey bars and the dip station. 80 percent of the time, I'm the only one working out in that area.

[danmor]

I did 3 years in Prison all I did was pull-ups, Push-ups and squats.
1000's of them.
I did got huge!
And the food wasn't great.

[dublindietrite]

I add leg raises to my pull-ups, then you get the an workout at the same time. I'm all about getting a good workout in the lowest amount of time.

[cesarat]

Be fit, 'live free'. Truer words couldn't be more pertinent these days now.

[jndrgr]

I'm in calisthenics almost 5 years. Started when I was 41. Last few years I'm having minimalistic approach doing basically only dips, pull up & squat developing nice body sculpture so far. Now I need something to change a bit. Started working out with kettlebells but incorporated them with PU & Dips. Already feel and see benefits from this king of approach.

[mutsu-tv]

I love it how u talk about body weight training in front of 200 bycicle machines in a gym. xD

[chowderfaceable]

First video was enough for me to subscribe. Love your enthusiasm ! Keep up the great work !

[northernsurvivalbackcountr]

True i have a pull up bar a TRX and a 50lb weight vest you need very minimal equipment to get in shape thx

[scott]

Proof that you don't need expensive weights and gym memberships. All you need is the floor and a bar

[snrachna]

I feel push up and pull ups can give amazing body. It should work on progressive overload.

[thebrownbaldy]

I've been saying for years dips and push ups are the same thing

[willdeleon]

100 on the money! The meat and potatoes just like you mentioned ( Good thing I'm no vegetarian, lol). I do Pulls, push, squats. Some leg raises and bridges here and there. That's it!

[leodicaprio]

absolutely agree with you

i've been working out for 3 years .. 6 days week 1 hour (push-pull-leg)
the last 3 months i don't have a free time as i used to be

every day i do 2 sets of dips pull ups squat for 10 minutes and my mind is freaking out of losing all my muscle because i just train for 10 minutes!!

now surprisingly i get stornger
my Endurance and Stamina goes down because the low volume

[mikaellundqvist]

I agree but the meat and bones pull, push and squats IS enough and then some if you choose those three exercises more carefully. Pull ups are the best and need not be replaced but ordinary push ups can be replaced with hindu push ups which do so much more like stretching and strengthening the back, shoulders and thighs.
Squats can be replaced with hindu squats which is strengthening the whole body but with focus on legs of course.

I think the body movement is superior over the weight movement because of the benefits in using the whole body while doing it. Most people don't need the gym at all.

[simplybass]

Pushups and pull-ups body weight squats 5 days a week took a break from traditional weight training after watching your videos great info .

[regprofant]

I will apologise for this being lengthy but I feel tight be intery. Freeweight exercises and more so machines work mostly in the sagittal plane. Where's bodyweight and kettlebell can work in the frontal(coronal) plane, oblique planes, transverse plane, and sagittal plane as well making a much more efficient form of exercise. Also bodyweight exercises are considered a closed chain exercise as opposed to open chains a whole. Another plus for bodyweight exercises. Then you have proprioceptors which provides information about the joint angle, muscle length, muscle tension and give information about the limb in space. I could go on for hours on the plusses of body weight over free weights here. There are baroreceptors, noxious receptors and thermoreceptors on which I could also go into the advantages of bodyweight. Then there's plasma proteins and the lymphatic system involvement. Another win win for bodyweight exercises. People have been so brainwashed into thinking barbells, dumbbells and all kinds of machines are the only way to go. But the intelligent, thinking perso will realize otherwise.

[mrpinkpony]

The reason why most people in this industry don’t advocate for body weight exercises, is because it isnt profitable. It doesn’t support the gym and supplement industry.

[Noiconnotag]

There is a reason why all military units in the world, from ancient days to today, are using body-weight exercises, it is effective.

[ondrej]

Or maybe you could do a "No equipment full body routine" video:)

[emanueletorregrossa]

I’ve done this, minus leg raises for 6 months when the gyms shut down. Didn’t do it every day, but started with 40 pushups at one shot to 81! In about 6 months! When gyms opened back up. I added dumbell flies dumbell chest press, neutral press( two dumbbells together) and triceps extension as well as seated dips up to 30 for my chest day! On back and biceps I did pull overs, standard dumbell bicep curl (40 lbs up to 4 sets of 10) concentration curls, hammer curls and preacher curls up to 2 sets and bothered exercises once a week per body part and did shoulders once a week doing 40 lb shoulder press! Checked my bench press at 175 for set of 9, at a body weight of 170. And also curled 40 lbs for 4 sets of 10. 6 months later gym opens up . I revv C order everything on paper religiously! I heard it all! Big muscular people telling me all they do is body weight. Others who say you can’t get big in body weight exercises alone. Also used protein shakes etc etc. I’m 45. Checked websites like live strong and strength level and am actually very good for my age and then some!
But the verdict?? After 6 months I went down two reps on my bench, 175 for set of 7!! Did t get stronger after all those exercises!! I didn’t have a barbel at home but I might have maintained my bench otherwise I think I would’ve lost more! But devotedly didn’t get bigger!!! So I’ve come to the conclusion that you need weights to get bigger calisthenics just make you toned nothing else!! Dumbell curls demeaned the same because I naturally had the dumbbells at home so I never missed a beat!
My stats 45 years old.
170 body weight
81 pushups till failure (although I went back to doing 20 reps per 5 sets)
40 lb dumbell curls for 3 sets of 10, can do 45 for set of 10 and 5.
15 standing dips and 30 seated.
And now back in gym can do 170 bench for set of 10!
Pretty good considering age etc, I’ve read everything and studied a lot and am
Disappointed because ear I think this should be a science but there’s no Co census and what’s right. Started with a 14 inch bicep last year when gyms shut down and still have 14 inch (flexed) I set out to prove calisthenics wrong and I seem to be correct.
I will say my diet isn’t good, I don’t eat that much or the large amount of proteins I need but I compensated by taking protein shakes 2-3 times a day sometimes and still the same!
When I started the gym 4 years ago this October 2021 I measured my arms at 13 inches flexed no I’m almost 14.5 but that’s after 3 years. And I still can’t do 225 for reps on a bench! Maybe one rep!! Anyways will welcome advice feed back etc, but I actually worked my butt off to prove once and for all pushups etc could do it for me and aside from ego and some kind of fitness (more ego the fact that I can do so much etc) I come to the conclusion calisthenics don’t make you big!!
Welcome advice etc and sorry for my long rant!!
Thanks