Take a look at the corresponding video that reveals about 5 minutes worth of explosive bodyweight exercises. Notice the creativity that went into forming these exercises. Yes, some of the moves are complex for someone who is in the novel stages of learning, but the beauty in the video is not in the complexity—it is in the creativity and taking advantage of the capabilities of the human body.
It is the creativity portrayed in this video that leads me to the following question:
HAVE WE ABSOLUTELY LOST OUR MINDS?
There are way too many excuses that are thrown around about not having a place to train, not knowing what exercises to do and what progressions to do them in, how many reps or sets to do, what kind of equipment to use, etc. The excuses come flowing along like a never ending river!
I can knock on this issue rather freely because I, myself, use to be one of those excuse makers, and so believe me when I say I wish I could go back in time and knock some sense into my young and naive self.
Exercise and training is not a matter of rocket science as I have learned along the way as an athlete and a student in the field of exercise physiology. It is a matter of understanding your goals and moving in such a way that reflects these goals.
For example, if your goals involve attaining extremely explosive qualities, you should probably train in an explosive manner, as was visually displayed in the video above. On the contrary, if you desire to have qualities of endurance, you should probably train at a slower pace for a longer period of time. I mean it is really that simple.
Of course, there are benefits to understanding the differences between anaerobic and aerobic metabolic processes and other physiological adaptations that go along with exercise, but they are certainly not required in order to train.
I always like to think back to the saying that goes something like this: ‘making the wrong decision is always better than not making any decision at all.’ It is through the making of these wrong decisions that allow us to learn, adapt and grow into our stronger forms.
Likewise, it is always better to make the mistakes or wrong decisions in your training, than letting your fear of doing something wrong keep you from training altogether. Certainly it is always best to learn from the mistakes and lessons of those who have already been there done that, but when all else fails, the simple solution is to just do it.
The major point in all of this is that training does not have to be robotic in nature no matter what the final goals are or what others may advise you to do. You have the freedom to create something new; something that is exciting and enjoyable to yourself; something that represents who you are. There is no need to hold back out of fear of doing the wrong thing. I believe that the biggest problem in our modern day society is not in moving too much, it is in moving too little!
I invite you to take the time to create something new and have some fun while expressing your innermost self. The possibilities of explosive bodyweight exercises and bodyweight exercises in general are endless, making it an excellent place to allow your creativity to shine.
Greg is an exercise science major at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania with minors in biology and coaching. He is also a lifelong athlete – involved in the sports of basketball, baseball, football, track & field and volleyball growing up. Competed at Shippensburg University in the shot put, discus, and hammer events as a Division II Track & Field athlete.