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By SHANE MCLEAN, GHOSTWRITER OF THE BODYWEIGHT BLUEPRINT
When most people think of getting stronger, they picture barbells, dumbbells, and weight machines. While lifting heavy can certainly build strength, it's not the only way.
Bodyweight training is often dismissed as too easy or only for beginners, but it can be an excellent tool for developing relative strength. This article will examine how bodyweight training can enhance strength by exploring the science behind neuromuscular adaptations, the impact of time under tension, and the principles of progressive overload.
Absolute vs. Relative Strength
When discussing strength, it's essential to distinguish between two key types: absolute and relative strength.
Absolute strength is the maximum force you can exert, regardless of body weight. It's the kind of strength measured by how much you can lift. Think of one-rep maxes in the squat, bench press, or deadlift.
Relative strength is your strength in relation to your body weight. Consider activities where efficient body movement is crucial, such as gymnastics, rock climbing, or sprinting. Here, being able to control and maneuver your body often outweighs being able to lift heavy.
Research supports the importance of relative strength. A study comparing progressive bodyweight training to barbell back squats in sedentary young women found that both methods significantly improved muscle strength and hypertrophy. Notably, the bodyweight group achieved these gains through exercises emphasizing control and stability, highlighting the effectiveness of bodyweight training in the untrained population.
Neuromuscular Adaptations to Bodyweight Training
Building strength is not just about muscle size; the nervous system is pivotal in generating force. Bodyweight training can elicit significant neuromuscular adaptations that enhance strength, even without weights.
Strength gains, particularly in the early stages of training, are primarily attributed to neural adaptations. Del Vecchio et al. (2019) demonstrated that, after four weeks of strength training, participants' nervous system improved in terms of activating more muscle fibers and doing so more quickly. This means your body becomes more efficient at utilizing the muscle it already has, allowing you to produce more force without increasing in size. These findings suggest that bodyweight exercises, when performed with sufficient intensity and focus, can enhance the nervous system's ability to activate more motor units, leading to gains in strength.
Now you know it’s possible to get stronger without external resistance, how do you make this happen? Let me introduce you to time under tension and tempo.
Time under tension (TUT) refers to the total time a muscle is under tension during a set. Slowing your exercise during the lowering (eccentric) phase increases time under tension (TUT), leading to greater muscle activation and growth.
Tempo training involves controlling the speed of each phase of a movement. For example, a 3-1-3 tempo means a 3-second eccentric phase, a 1-second pause, and a 3-second concentric phase. Incorporating TUT and tempo variations into your bodyweight training can promote strength gains without weights, but it’s not the only way. You can utilize biomechanics to your advantage and enhance strength without a load.
Understanding Leverage & Body Positions in Bodyweight Training
In biomechanics, a lever consists of a rigid structure, such as a bone, that rotates around a fixed point (the joint) when a force is applied. Changing your body's position during an exercise can change the lever arms involved, increasing or decreasing the resistance. For example, a decline push-up shifts more of your body weight towards your upper body, increasing the load on your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Adjustments like these change the leverage and center of gravity, effectively increasing the load on targeted muscles.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared progressive bodyweight push-ups with barbell bench press training. The findings revealed that both groups experienced significant increases in upper-body strength, demonstrating that bodyweight exercises like push-ups can also enhance muscle strength when progressive overload is applied.
Changing your body position and introducing instability, like with single-leg squats, requires greater balance and stability, engages more muscle fibers, and increases the neuromuscular demand. Research suggests that unilateral training can enhance strength and improve muscle activation patterns.
Furthermore, introducing instability into your workouts, like performing exercises on a suspension trainer or with sliders, can further challenge your muscles. By adjusting your body position, incorporating unilateral movements, and adding elements of instability, you can progressively overload your muscles using your body weight.
The bottom line is that you don’t need only a barbell to get stronger.
Strength is a skill because it combines neural drive, muscle control, and strategic progression. When you manipulate tension, tempo, leverage, and volume, bodyweight training becomes more than a convenient alternative. It becomes a legitimate way to build power and strength that has direct carryover to your daily life.
The science backs it up. Whether you train at home or want to add variety to your routine, bodyweight training deserves a permanent place in your strength toolbox.
Ready to train smarter with your bodyweight? Grab your copy of The Bodyweight Blueprint, a comprehensive, no-fluff system for building muscle, boosting performance, and staying consistent without needing weights.