[green_dee]

I don't think bodyweight training is relatively easier get into neither to perform.

I really enjoy bodyweight movements and I include them in my routine, mainly splits squats, pushups, pull ups and abs, but I still think one of the best things you can do to yourself is trying to get over what you call "hassle of going to the gym".

If done properly, the gym will teach you periodization and allow you to: - practice different repetition patterns - you can't perform useful 6's, 10's and 15's if you can't change the (body)weight variable - you can't perform useful < 15reps (for strength or hypertrophy) if you can do 100 repetitions of it (like abs or pushups) - want to work the delts? Just get into a rack and press the bar up, get a minimum weight dumbbell and do some raises, facepull a rope. Now try it in bodyweight movements. - form a habit (you have to go to the gym, if you hate exercises, being at home will just be a "I will a do pushup and it's over).

It's always about preferences, but honestly, I find that creating and maintaining a bodyweight workout routine will always be harder and a last-case option compared to the gym.

[ricc]

As with anything about health, a workout routine is always individualised, not just to the person's specific situation but also for the person's goals.

What you illustrated here is perfect for someone who's seriously looking into improving not just their general health but also their strength and, sometimes we have difficulty admitting, their looks. But for the purposes of breaking a sedentary lifestyle and get into a level of general fitness, basic bodyweight exercises is a good start.

When I started working from home full-time in the summer of 2019, I worried about my health because even though I was not working out in my last job, it forced me to walk and climb eight flights of stairs every day. Know what I started with to make sure I don't become sedentary? Just 10 push-ups a day, which then became 10 push-ups every 2 hours after a week. Then I added some squats, then some lunges, and so on and so forth.

Fast forward to 5 years later today, I either go to the gym, where I experience what you expounded on, or play basketball by myself every day. Just last March, I've set a deadlift PR of lifting about 25% more than my bodyweight.

And I attribute all of these progress to that simple "10 push-ups a day" in 2019.

[127]

If you train for health instead of body building, going from sedentary to a regular body weight routine is a colossal improvement.

[strken]

I think the point is that a regular body weight routine is harder than using weights. If you're sedentary, doing a push-up is like starting out with bench presses that are more than half your bodyweight, finding an inclined surface to do push-ups against is not always possible, and using your knees can be painful, whereas if you're in a gym you can go bench press the 20kg bar or lighter dumbbells and know exactly how much weight you're using each session. Doing a chin-up on a tree in the park means you can't grab an assisted pull up band or use a machine to help you, so you're stuck trying to scramble up the tree with your feet + use bad sideways technique then lower yourself down slowly, which is risking injury.

These concerns are especially relevant for the elderly.

[criddell]

Is more always better? If your routine is maintenance focused and you can do 100 crunches and pull-up and pushups and body weight squats, wouldn’t you be getting most of the brain-health benefits or do they only come by getting stronger and stronger and stronger? Are there not diminishing returns?

[itsoktocry]

>If done properly, the gym will teach you periodization and allow you to: - practice different repetition patterns

Does periodization even matter? Professional fighters are some of the fittest athletes on the planet, functionally and aesthetically, and they aren't worried about weightlifting routines (if they lift weights at all).

[Retric]

Most professional athletes including fighters lift weights or use machines.

If you want to add power to some movement then practicing it repeatedly at full force can work. But you run into repetitive strain injuries, it’s much safer to build power using weights and controlled movements.

Critically these are very focused workouts. A professional wants to build strength in very specific ways as unnecessary bulk is actively harmful in most sports.

[CPLX]

Those guys lift weights constantly. Nearly every variant of professional athlete does, maybe a few exceptions for fully endurance based sports.

[Jedd]

I think you are arguing whether it's better (overall) rather than, as GP said, it's easier to get into.