Bodyweight training in the cold? Low stamina when exercising? Psycho Mantis?

[Leego]

OK, now that I am back in college for the new semester, I have more time and space to exercise. I'm even planning to take a few PE classes. Mainly swimming, at least. However, I've run into another issue with exercising on a consistent basis in college, and that's the cold.

 

I need a full-body dumbbell workout, and I need to practice situps, squats, and push-ups. I've been thinking of trying this one and replacing the squats and deadlifts with bodyweight squats until I can hit 30 reps in b-squats: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html

 

It's cold where I am.  So cold, that when I go outside, my legs begin to feel stiff. Plus, all the extra layers I'm wearing (hoodie with sweater and t-shirt underneath; windbreaker pants with thick pajama pants underneath) make me feel more weighed down. I mean, maybe it's a good thing, as far as building strength, but it doesn't feel like it.

 

Also, I already couldn't do a pull-up. Now I can't even do arm hangs outside, with this cold. When I keep my gloves on, my hands feel like they're going to slip off the bar and out of my gloves. When I do it barehanded, I feel like I'm getting 3rd degree frostbite. Also, I'm pretty heavy, still, so I question if it's even good for my shoulders to be doing arm hangs.

 

All these things combined with me having access to a rec and gym makes me wonder if I should just switch over to dumbbell training and incorporate situps, bodyweight squats (in place of squats with any weight), and push-ups. I chose dumbbells because I figure they might be safer than barbell training, even if it may require more movements.

 

I also had a hard time having energy for exercises, over winter break. Then again, I had to exercise in front of a heater, which was hot.

[Zwaarbier]

Go to the gym, yo! If you have access, why aren't you using it?

Just go there with a plan, and keep track of what you do. You shouldn't ever be there more than an hour!

[jfreaksho]

I need a full-body dumbbell workout, and 1. I need to practice situps, squats, and push-ups. I've been thinking of trying this one and replacing the squats and deadlifts with bodyweight squats until I can hit 30 reps in b-squats: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html

 

3. It's cold where I am.  So cold, that when I go outside, my legs begin to feel stiff. Plus, all the extra layers I'm wearing (hoodie with sweater and t-shirt underneath; windbreaker pants with thick pajama pants underneath) make me feel more weighed down. I mean, maybe it's a good thing, as far as building strength, but it doesn't feel like it.

 

Also, I already couldn't do a pull-up. Now I can't even do arm hangs outside, with this cold. 3. When I keep my gloves on, my hands feel like they're going to slip off the bar and out of my gloves. When I do it barehanded, I feel like I'm getting 3rd degree frostbite. Also, I'm pretty heavy, still, so I question if it's even good for my shoulders to be doing arm hangs.

 

4. All these things combined with me having access to a rec and gym makes me wonder if I should just switch over to dumbbell training and incorporate situps, bodyweight squats (in place of squats with any weight), and push-ups. I chose dumbbells because I figure they might be safer than barbell training, even if it may require more movements.

 

I also had a hard time having energy for exercises, over winter break. Then again, I had to exercise in front of a heater, which was hot.

1.  Why do you need to practice pushups, situps, and squats?  If I recall correctly, you are thinking about joining the military in the near or intermediate future- is that the reason?  If so, a solid strength training program will be more useful in the time you have before you ship out.  Pushups and situps are about endurance, which you can build in a matter of weeks.  Strength gives you something with which to endure, but takes much longer to build.  Stay focused on strength.  You want to progress past pushups to close-hand pushups, 1-arm pushups, and pseudo-planche pushups.  You want to skip situps and work on hollow body position, RKC planks, ab wheel rollouts, and hanging leg lifts.

 

2. Warm up more.  Walk or jog for a bit.  Whatever.  You need to get blood moving.  You can even do this before you go outside, but you need to keep moving while you are out there.  Keep your outside time limited to the things that must be done outside if it is that cold.  (I go to the park to do all my ring work, and a couple other exercises.  If it's really cold, I skip the others and do them when I get home.)

Additionally, non-shivering thermogenesis (cold exposure) is a useful way to increase your calorie expenditure.

 

3. 

- Squeeze tighter.  Work on increasing the duration of the hangs. 

- Work on rows- get rings or a TRX or something if you don't have a bar to do rows on.  You will build grip and back strength that will help you progress towards a pullup, all while building posterior deltoids (rear shoulder muscle) that tend to be underdeveloped.

- Get different gloves.  Have a pair of warm gloves that go over your grippy gloves (you only need to take off the warm gloves while you are hanging on the bar).

- Third-degree frostbite will freeze your skin solid and turn your fingers black.  You might lose them permanently.  Do an image search if you dare.  A few seconds on the bar isn't going to do much.

 

4.  Use the rec room/gym.  There's probably a pullup bar you can use.  Dumbbells are not inherently safer than barbells- you have fewer muscles supporting the dumbbell with less room for error.  (If you become a bit unbalanced with a bench press your other side can help you recover.  That isn't as effective with dumbbells.)  Dumbbells also make it more difficult to learn how to coordinate your whole body into executing a lift.  Bodyweight (at an intermediate level) is best for this, then barbells.

[Leego]

I thought that, according to NeatStrength, push-ups were good for building and maintaining strength.

 

So, what I'm getting is, leave out sit-ups entirely, leave out push-ups for now (until I can do a single, solid, basic, non-inclined push-up and intermediate bodyweight training),

 

Begin doing bodyweight rows, and continue to practice my arm-hangs, jump-pullups, bodyweight rows (with rings), and everything else.

 

I also need to spend more time getting in cardio before working out, and from what I've been told and have experienced, I need to drink more water, eat better, and do more cardio, and then I will have more stamina for things like bodyweight squats.

 

It's almost starting to sound like it would be easier to just go back to barbell training. I mean, I can do it, and my knees are better and have been supporting my weight so far, even though they still occasionally hurt when under a load. It's just because of those injuries that I kind of steer away from barbell training and more towards dumbbells.

[jfreaksho]

I thought that, according to NeatStrength, push-ups were good for building and maintaining strength.

 

So, what I'm getting is, leave out sit-ups entirely, leave out push-ups for now (until I can do a single, solid, basic, non-inclined push-up and intermediate bodyweight training),

 

Begin doing bodyweight rows, and continue to practice my arm-hangs, jump-pullups, bodyweight rows (with rings), and everything else.

 

I also need to spend more time getting in cardio before working out, and from what I've been told and have experienced, I need to drink more water, eat better, and do more cardio, and then I will have more stamina for things like bodyweight squats.

 

It's almost starting to sound like it would be easier to just go back to barbell training. I mean, I can do it, and my knees are better and have been supporting my weight so far, even though they still occasionally hurt when under a load. It's just because of those injuries that I kind of steer away from barbell training and more towards dumbbells.

If you can't do pushups right now then you need to keep working on the progression to get there.  You do the version that is appropriate for your level.  Pushups build strength, up until when they become too easy.