Not everyone is lucky enough to have access to a gym, so when Redditor the_brown_stockton decided it was time to start getting into shape, he was faced with a dilemma: quit before he started, or figure out a way to make gains without using your standard weight training equipment.
Most people (myself included) would’ve either given up or taken up cardio as a compromise, but not the_brown_stockton. “I don’t have access to a gym or weights which is why I started calisthenics, and to be honest I think the only thing lacking in training is my legs,” he explains, “…I know a lot of people think that bodyweight work is useless, but it’s done wonders for me in terms of strength, mobility, flexibility, posture, and it’s fun as hell.”
While he laments that his gains “aren’t amazing” (which I’d argue against considering he’s only been using his body weight to train), he does note that he went from being able to do only two pull-ups to sets of 12 “easy.” “I’m working on front lever currently, and I’ve got an eight second l sit when I couldn’t even do it for 1 when I started. Also can hold a full handstand for 15 seconds unassisted. Couldn’t do one at all when I started.”
Starting at 137 pounds at 5’7”, the_brown_stockton has put on an impressive nine pounds of muscle sans doing any heavy lifting minus his own body weight, putting him at 146 pounds with visible abdominal muscles:
Before:
2.5 Months In:
After:
Amazing job Bro, but if you want to get as built as someone like The Rock, you’ll have to commit to an even more active lifestyle, gym membership included:
[Via Reddit]