by Zach Even-Esh
When you think about working out, you’re likely looking at a training session that lasts an average of 30 – 45 minutes, right?
But what about those days where you’re so busy and just can’t get to the gym?
Or what if you’ve hit a plateau with your regular workouts and can’t seem to add any more strength or muscle?
Yeah, it happens to all of us at some point. But DON’T WORRY. There’s a simple solution.
I’m going to share a GREAT method with you for developing strength and lean muscle.
It’s called GTG, or “Grease The Groove”.
GTG is simple but extremely effective. Take 1 or 2 bodyweight exercises and do a few sets of moderate reps throughout your day.
By the end of the day, your reps add up and the benefit is twofold:
1) You practice your bodyweight exercises with perfect form, since they’re not being performed during a regular workout while under fatigue. Strength is a skill, and GTG allows you to perfect your skill to the best of your abilities.
As your skill improves, so does your strength.
As your strength improves, you’ll add more lean muscle mass.
2) GTG also adds volume to your training, which is what bodybuilders use to add lean muscle mass.
The easiest way to implement GTG is to perform 1 or 2 bodyweight exercises three times a day:
- Morning
- Early Afternoon
- Evening
You can use GTG with many bodyweight exercises. Here are a few sample exercises to choose from:
- Pull Ups / Recline Rows
- Push Ups (use varied hand spacing and feet positions to increase the challenge)
- Handstand Holds
- Handstand Push Ups
- Squats
- Pistol Squats
ANY Ab Exercise — here are a few to choose from:
- V-Ups
- Sprinter Sit Ups
- Hanging Knee Raise (If you have a pull up bar or suspension trainer)
- My personal favorite: Power Wheel Roll Outs
When performing Grease The Groove workouts with bodyweight exercises, you’ll get the best results if you follow these guidelines:
- Perform GTG with 1 or 2 bodyweight exercises as your focus
- Do that exercise 3 – 4 times a day
- You can follow GTG for 2 weeks and longer. I suggest 4 or 5 days in a row, then 1 day off.
- Do NOT go to muscular failure on any of these bodyweight exercises. Take each set to 50 – 75% of your maximum. This allows for perfect practice. The goal is NOT fatigue.
Use these Grease The Groove tips with your bodyweight exercises, and not only will you add more lean muscle and increase your strength, but your daily energy will improve as well.
Remember: strength AND health go hand in hand. Health is first and foremost, and when you have that, strength will follow.
And for more of my top tips for building muscle with bodyweight training only, you can check out this FREE resource:
=> Top 5 Bodyweight Exercises For Packing On Lean Muscle Mass (FREE ebook)
(To download this report, right click on the link above and save the file to your computer. Mac users, hold down the Ctrl button and click the link.)
Viv Adams January 29, 2013 at 12:57 am
Hi Guys,
I really appreciate you offering these handy ways to add variety and effectiveness to workouts. You give 100 percent professionalism and fun to every post. Just want to let you know the Bodyweight Burn programme is already working for me after two weeks, and I did my first Stinger with my right leg…the left side is almost there. I’m loving the cardio flow. And thanks for the freebies:) Viv.
Adam January 29, 2013 at 10:08 pm
Hey Viv. Thanks for the kind feedback!
And I’m glad that Bodyweight Burn is working for you! Make sure you keep us up to date on your progress.
Cheers,
Adam
Janine January 29, 2013 at 1:12 am
Pretty cool ebook!!! Is there any way that one can incorporate pull ups into the Bodyweight Burn program? And also people with knee trouble, are there substitute exercises for the lunge jumps and squat jumps and I’m worried about the shock to the knees on landing?
Thanks, Janine
Adam January 29, 2013 at 10:10 pm
Hi Janine. Yes, you can definitely replace some of the rowing movements with pull ups. Or, if you have the time, you can simply add some pull ups at the end of your Back Block.
And the best alternative for the explosive jumping movements would simply be to replace them with regular bodyweight squats and lunges. Just try to do them as vigorously as possible.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Adam
Janine January 30, 2013 at 12:22 am
Thanks for the suggestions Adam
matt January 29, 2013 at 1:42 am
So you can preform this 4-5 a week, on top of a workout program? since one isn’t going to fatigue.. lets say I workout 5 times a week already, this on top would be fine? In addition, it says perform 1-2 body-weight exercises, not including the Abs? So, really 2-3 exercises?
rep/sets -5 x 5, perfect form, slow..etc or is there a more exact approach? thx;p
Alejandro January 29, 2013 at 10:53 am
Hey Matt,
To add GTG on top of your 5 days workout program, will be up to you. If you don’t feel beat up from the workouts, there is no problem for you to do it.
It gives you option of abs exercises (Zach also says that his favorite is the ab wheel roll outs), the idea of picking 1-2 exercises is to focus your effort on those movements/ exercises that cause you most of the problems and are your weakest link.
Now each time you do the exercises during the day, you do one set of up to 5 reps with perfect form, if you need, you do less reps.
Hope that helps a bit
PAUL PREECE January 29, 2013 at 10:03 am
Hi I am a 58 year male who works nights, and I have a weak lower back, would these excercises be okay for me ?
Adam January 29, 2013 at 10:11 pm
Hi Paul. You’d have to test them out to see if they cause discomfort. But certainly some of the ab exercises listed may actually help strengthen your core and reduce your low back troubles.
Cheers,
Adam
Oksana January 29, 2013 at 5:27 pm
hi everyone!
I use this trick all the time, mostly since I’m a freelancer and work from home. I do 1 circuit of 3-4 exercises every couple hours. Works perfect for me!
Thanks, great Shapeshifters!
Adam January 29, 2013 at 10:12 pm
Hey Oksana. Awesome.