Recently I received a question on doing thousands of reps in bodyweight exercises and this is definitely something I’ve been involved in. For example, I had a pleasure of doing one thousand reps in a single session of hindu squats as well as sets of 500 on many occasions in my past. The big question is if this type of training is good for your strength or useful at all? Is there really a point in doing thousands of reps in bodyweight exercises?
Like with most exercises, it depends on your goals. Furthermore, I don’t think anyone is doing thousands of reps on a daily basis, since it’s obviously time consuming. If you are able to do thousands of hindu squats in a single session, you don’t really need to do it on a daily basis to maintain this number – once or twice a month is probably all you need.
I am a big fan of light bodyweight exercises like hindu squats, hindu pushups and similar exercises, since they are quite useful for people who are just starting out as they can set a goal of, let’s say, 500 hindu squats and work toward that goal. However, I can’t say this is the best way to reach a level of strength you might want to achieve.
To sum it up, it’s not a bad idea to set a goal of certain number of reps for these light bodyweight exercises at some point of your life, but I wouldn’t recommend doing those on a daily basis, as it can have a negative impact on your other forms of training which are most likely better for your personal goals.
Comments
Well put Logan..I myself did 800 or so Hindu squats years ago..and really..what’s the point? I do 60-150 or so now,and not everyday..some pistols..assorted push ups when I can,etc.Common sense has to come into play..knees esp are not going to last forever. Will I ever duplicate yours,Mike Gillette,or other strong men?,prob not..gotta make it fun ,like Bud says.Darryl