Hi i'm Lee and i've been dumbbell free for 6 months!
So since I was 16-17 (just turned 20) my Dad got me involved in typical bodybuilding style training. Then I began doing kind of 'hybrid training' with typical dumbell/barbell exercises and basic body weight exercises together (about a year ago). Which was great but I found that my body (joints in particular) reacted so much better to body weight exercises.
I then decided I wanted to make the switch because for me doing a planche press up is much more impressive/rewarding/safer/fun than pressing 120 kg or deadlifting over double my bodyweight (which is almost certain to destroy my joints) + although I was strong on paper I began to feel slow and 'weak?' which is no good for other sports I play. However I had never heard of levers, handstand push ups as training exercises. (So a big thanks to Coach Sommer and this community who have broadened my horizons.)
So basically I now only use body weight exercises, but also add weights to certain set types to make them more challenging.
Example pull session
20 mins isometric work (BL/FL/Inverted Hang)
20 mins ecc/concentric work (pull up, straight arm pull up, side pull up, supine pull up ect,)
10 mins core work
Example push session
20 mins isometric work (Planches, handstands, reverse planches, improvised iron cross)
20 mins ecc/concentric work (push up, HePU, dips, ect.)
10 mins core work
So these (^^) are my basic sessions without going into massive detail.Its worth saying also that I do this in a regular 'old school' gym so i have to use towels over a smith machine for levers and pull ups.
Finally thankyou to anyone who has took the time to read this and I would appreciate it if you could give me the advice on:
1. Are there any exercises that i could implement that I have missed out?
2. When holding a back lever I can keep my body perfectly straight (no piking) but im finding it impossible to get parallel to the floor (so my head is a little lower than my feet) what am I doing wrong?
3. Although I dont feel I have 'strength issues' with handstand work, I can correct a forward lean by slightly pressing my fingers into the ground, but i cant adjust the opposite way and i cant understand why, any ideas?
4. Lastly, after over a year of stretching I finally have decent hamstring flexibility, but it doesnt seem to translate into active flexibility (i.e. during floor L-Sits), any advice here?
Again thankyou for reading, any and all advice is welcome.
Lee. ![]()