- What's up Venice athletes? It's Chris Heria.
It's been long debated, weights or calisthenics?
Which one is best for building strength and muscle?
I'm gonna be asking different types of athletes
what they think and their opinion.
But first, let's get into the facts
about weightlifting and body weight training.
Now, the difference between both training methods
is that calisthenics or body weight training
uses your own body weight for resistance
whereas weight training utilizes external weights
to create resistance.
Calisthenics training will focus more
on building your relative strength,
meaning how strong you are relative to your body weight.
While weight lifting will usually prioritize
absolute strength, meaning how strong you are overall.
Regardless of which training style,
both focus on pushing or pulling for the most part,
meaning pushing or pulling an external weight
or pulling or pushing your own body weight
to build strength and muscle.
The process of building muscle and strength is also the same
with both types of training,
which is through creating a progressive overload
and muscular hypertrophy.
A progressive overload is when you increase
the resistance on a muscle over time,
while reaching hypertrophy will tear your muscle fibers
and allow them to grow back thicker and stronger.
Now, the fact is your body doesn't know
whether the force being applied to it
is body weight or external weight,
just that it requires a greater force
to oppose the resistance placed on it.
So yes, it is definitely possible
to build an impressive solid and shredded physique
from focusing on one style of training over the other.
That being said, there are exercises in calisthenics
that may benefit you more
just as there are weight training exercises
that may also be more beneficial to you.
For instance, if you wanna apply the maximum weight
to your chest, hamstrings, deltoids, quads or glutes,
this will be easier done with weight training
as it's as simple as adding another weight to the bar.
When it comes to calisthenics,
there's only so much you can do to increase the resistance,
with changing angles of an exercise or even reducing limbs
which will create an even greater resistance.
But when it comes to body control,
balance, core strength and relative strength,
calisthenics style exercises will be your best bet.
If your goal is to do handstand pushups,
planche, planche pushups, or 90 degree pushups,
as they require specific muscle groups and movement paths
in combination with strength relative to your body weight.
Same is true that no amount of planche pushups alone
will transfer to a 405 pound bench press.
If you have a specific goal,
the most efficient and effective way to achieve it
is to train for it with the right exercises.
Your own specific goals or sports will also be a huge factor
in determining what training style is best suited for you.
But a combination of both is usually the best answer.
Now knowing these facts, let's hit the streets
and hear what other people have to say
and what their opinions are
on which training style is better, calisthenics or weights.
And we're actually going around
and getting people's opinions
on a fitness related question, calisthenics or weights?
- Me, I prefer calisthenics more.
'Cause you just do a lot more with your body.
With weights, you're just pushing, it's kind of boring.
- Calisthenics or weights, which one's better?
- Calisthenics is the best for me. I watched your video!
- I lost 40 pounds last year by watching you on YouTube.
- Wow, that's a huge honor, bro.
- Oh my God. I watch you on YouTube.
- Wow.
- So good to see you, man.
- Bro, we're actually going around asking people
their opinion on a workout related question,
calisthenics or weights, which one's better?
- Right now, I'm trying to do the weights.
Trying to bulk up a little bit and get a little bigger.
- It's not an emergency,
but I do need to ask you a question.
Which one do you think is better, calisthenics or weights?
- Weights. - Why?
- Only because you're actually giving yourself resistance.
- Do you feel like you can do the same thing
with calisthenics or not?
- Yeah, of course you can.
You can do anything you want with calisthenics.
It's just, you're not gonna be able to progress though.
- Does it ever get annoying when you see calisthenics dudes
doing front levers in the squat rack?
- Nah, let them do their thing.
- This is a nice guy, bro.
Which one's better, calisthenics or weights?
- Both. - Why?
- Two different types of workouts.
Depends on what you're trying to do.
I like using free weights and dumbbells.
I like calisthenics, too.
It all depends on what you're trying to do.
If you're trying to fight, trying to look good.
I use this to fight with.
- Which one do you use to fight with?
- This.
- No, no, no calisthenics or weights?
- Weights. Well I'll do it one time.
Like this. Bam!
- Wow. - Fight!
- Bam. Get some!
All right, we're gonna ask my buddy the same question.
Calisthenics or weights, which one's better?
- Calisthenics. - Why?
- The breathing and the heart rate is way higher.
- Calisthenics or weights?
- To be honest, I feel like if you're getting started
in working out, I feel like calisthenics
is the best way to go because you have to be able
to at least carry your body weight.
Yeah, you can push 225, 285, that's cool.
But are you really gonna be hanging 205 pounds
when you weigh 180?
If you're hanging on a building or somewhere
and you need to hold your body weight,
calisthenics is gonna help you more than weight lifting
because you gotta be able to make sure
that you can pull yourself up.
- All right, this guy looks like he's been in the game.
We're gonna get his opinion.
Calisthenics or weights?
- Calisthenics is better. 'Cause it stays with you.
It stays with you forever.
Weights is just something temporary.
You gotta keep it up in order to maintain that physique.
- If you're trying to rip up,
or you're trying to shred down a little bit,
loose down a little bit of weight,
you want to do more calisthenics.
Focus less on the too much weight training.
- Do you think that weights helps you with calisthenics?
Do you think it works all the way around as well?
- The weights help a little bit,
but without the calisthenics,
the weights won't do too much effect.
The calisthenics start from the inside.
Weights is basically the surface.
That's why you see many time people train
lifting up weights.
And if they stop training, they turn flabby
and they also lose their swole.
So calisthenics stay with you forever, man.
- Could you shred up with weight training?
- Absolutely.
- So why don't you just do it with weights?
- Because it depends how fast you're trying to get there.
More or less where you're at in your body also.
- Calisthenics. - Why?
- Weights, it just blow you up and then it deflates you.
- I don't know. I don't work out.
- So why do you think weights doesn't stick with you,
but calisthenics does?
- If you're doing weights, it look good,
but you don't really got the power from it.
Instead in calisthenics, think about Bruce Lee
and Jackie Chan, they was skinny,
but they had a lot of inside muscles.
They did calisthenics.
They built their inside muscles instead of their outside.
- That is facts. I can't argue with that.
Yo, okay, okay!
Lets go.
- Oh yeah, he got some real weight on him.
Damn. Oh yeah, he pushing for real.
You pushing for real.
You gotta teach me how to do that shit.
- You got me in into calisthenics three years ago, dog.
- What? - And I watched your video.
I was like damn, my goal is to be able to do a muscle up
at some point.
- Do you got it now?
- I hit 10 the other day, so.
- Let's see it. Let's see it.
- Yeah, right now?
- Put him on the spot.
What?
That's amazing, man. Just from watching videos online.
Calisthenics or weights, which one's better?
- I think there's a time and place for each,
depending on what you're trying to do.
I would say in terms of functionality though
and actually being a good athlete,
calisthenics is a better option.
Push yourself in terms of mobility. You know what I mean?
Endurance and shit like that.
And sometimes weight training can allow you
to build your body up,
but you might not necessarily be a better athlete
because of it.
- I like more weights.
I like more going to the gym and grabbing that stuff.
- What are you guys up to?
You've been seeing those handstand push ups from over there?
- Yeah, I want to see those again.
- Oh my God! (girls laughing)
- Calisthenics or weights?
- I don't know. What is--
- Wait hold on, I know what calisthenics is.
- What's calisthenics?
- That's that's when you use pushups and pull ups and stuff.
You using the weight from your own body.
- Facts.
- My dude goes to the gym all the time
and he just do calisthenics, so.
I guess we just gonna go with his answer.
- Oh shoot, what the hell?
- [Girl] Oh my God. What?
- [Chris] You guys see anything like that in Chicago?
- [Girls] No!
- [Girl] Hell nah. We aint even got no palm trees.
- Calisthenics or weights?
- I would probably say calisthenics.
If I'm trying to build mass,
I would just go with the weights
but I'm just trying to get shredded
and more for strength conditioning,
I would do more of those.
- Could you build mass with calisthenics?
- Yeah, I think you can.
As long as you tear down the muscle fibers
as much as you can.
- I love both.
Because weights alone are good,
but I feel like the best bodies come from calisthenics.
For longevity, calisthenics is better.
- What's the benefit for weights?
- I do mostly weights for my lower body,
you know, squats and everything.
And I think it does way better than body weight, I think.
- Damn, we got the whole calisthenics crew out here.
You guys are shredded, man.
So I'm actually going around asking people
which one is better, calisthenics or weights?
- I like calisthenics more.
- Calisthenics all day.
- Calisthenics, man.
- Calisthenics for me, yeah.
- Calisthenics 'cause man,
the energy out here is unreal, unmatched.
At the gym, you kind of feel like you're left out.
Over here, no matter what your skill level is,
there's somebody that's gonna show you something.
- Calisthenics for me I like the most.
I used to lift weights maybe five years
and came to calisthenics.
I find I'm more motivated,
also more functional in everyday life.
- I like how it's a mixture of strength and athleticism.
- I think calisthenics builds agility,
functional strength, like you said.
So that's why.
- Let's get some muscle ups. - Yeah, let's get some.
Let's get a couple for sure.
Let's go, baby!
Thank you guys so much, man.
I'll be back in a little, ask some more people.
- Sounds good.
- I like the fit too man! That's sick.
- Thank you. This is the new fit that just came out.
There's brand new shorts, shirts.
- What you doing out here, man?
- Hey, we're asking people what's better,
calisthenics or weights?
- I say calisthenics a hundred percent,
especially being in the military.
You could weight lift as much as you would.
You could be in the thousand pound club,
but the moment somebody asks you
oh, can you do 30 pushups, it's hard.
- Why do you think that's so? How come it doesn't translate?
- That's a good question.
I hope you find the right answer out here.
- Hey, that's why we're going around asking people, man.
We're trying to figure that out.
We got the homies over here.
They're actually filming a vlog right now.
30 days with the weight vest. 30 days straight.
You're doing a hundred pushups every single day.
You're doing a hundred squats every single day.
You guys gotta check out that vlog, it's coming really soon.
Weights or calisthenics?
- It's really good to mix both.
If you wanna be shred, calisthenic is better.
If you wanna body build, you should go and do lifting.
- So what do you think is better, calisthenics or weights?
- Weights. - Why?
- Because I feel like they build more, you know?
- So can't you get swole though with calisthenics?
- I guess.
- Can't you get that same swole feeling?
- Yes.
- Calisthenics or weights?
- Weights. - Why?
- Weights put on mass.
- Could you gain mass with calisthenics?
- Not the same kind of mass.
Lifting puts on a different type of mass than calisthenics.
Calisthenics is good for your fast twitch muscle fibers.
If you're playing sports, lifting lighter weight,
doing calisthenics is a hell of a lot better for you.
- Do you think you can do the same thing with weights
to activate your fast twitch muscles?
- I think so.
I mean, you can do negative reps is what I do a lot of.
I mean, I don't ever lift that heavy.
I always do sets of 15 to 18 to be honest with you.
- How much weight do you do? Like 15 to 18?
- It depends on what I'm doing.
When I do bench press for example, I weigh 205 pounds.
I might do 180 to 200 pounds.
I mean, I don't even lift over my body weight.
- How many sets? - Three to four.
- Do you use progressive overload
or you use the same weight every time?
- No, progressive overload. I'll do do bands, drop sets.
- Excellent man. You're in great shape, bro.
Appreciate that. You're gonna help a lot of people, man.
- I prefer weight training. I enjoy lifting heavy.
Calisthenics is good. It's harder.
You exhaust yourself a little bit more.
- Can you replicate something similar
or pretty much the same thing with weights?
- Yeah. You can.
A lot of that matters on rep ranges
and exactly how you're doing your workout.
Progressive overload a hundred percent.
Little by little over time, you're gonna gain strength
whether you're doing weight lifting,
whether you're doing calisthenics, so.
- I'm actually going around asking people
a fitness related question.
You look like you're training hard.
I was gonna ask you your opinion
on weights versus calisthenics.
- I like both.
I think weight training is better for me now
since I want to build muscle, but I like both.
- Do you think that you can do the same thing with weights
as you can do with calisthenics?
- No, I don't think so.
Because with weights I'll build more muscle faster
than I will do without weights.
- Body weight or weights?
- I personally like the free weights,
'cause that's what I'm used to.
- I personally love body weight.
I feel like I can get the most fit and healthy
from just my own body.
But I love weights for adding strength.
- Do you think that you can also have the same strength
doing calisthenics?
- I think so.
Weights are just maybe a faster way to get there.
What about you?
- What do I think? - Yeah.
- I feel like it happens faster with weights
because it's just easier to progressive overload.
There's a 35 pound, there's a 40 pounds.
So it goes in increments of five.
So it's a lot easier versus
in calisthenics body weight training,
to do progressive overload,
you may have to know a more advanced calisthenics exercise
and that may be a longer of a jump.
A more advanced movement may apply a lot more resistance.
As weights, you can just easily go up in weight.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- I think just doing everything is the best.
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