Body weight coaching retains bumping into the identical criticism: it gained’t make you robust. It’s true that at a sure level, you’ll need exterior masses to construct extra power. However many lifters deal with the shortcomings of body weight coaching relatively than its advantages, explains Brad Kolowich Jr. “If you happen to can’t management your personal physique, you don’t actually personal your power.” In his new e-book, The Body weight Blueprint, power coach Brad Kolowich Jr. goals to dispel the myths surrounding body weight coaching and supply a blueprint for getting robust anytime, wherever. Kolowich, a lifelong athlete and power coach, trains high-profile our bodies corresponding to Tyler Perry, Cody Rhodes, Alicia Silverstone, Luke Evans, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, utilizing body weight strategies. If it really works for them, there’s no cause why it shouldn’t be just right for you, too.
Who Is Brad Kolowich Jr.?
Earlier than coaching A-list celebrities, he was a nationally aggressive tennis participant who traveled the nation competing in tournaments from age 10. His athletic background formed how he views coaching: motion high quality, sturdiness, and repeatable efficiency matter greater than chasing PR’s.
Right now, Kolowich Jr. owns and operates KoloFit Private Coaching, with areas in Atlanta and Lake Oconee, GA, the place he trains everybody from on a regular basis professionals to elite athletes and A-list celebrities. His e-book displays his system, constructed on mastering your body weight.
Coming to the conclusion of body weight coaching’s worth got here the arduous and painful manner for the athlete turned coach. After years of intense, high-volume tennis coaching, he underwent knee surgical procedure at age 14. He realized that power with out management, steadiness, and kind has penalties.
Then, later, as a coach, he started to note patterns creeping into his purchasers’ actions. They had been getting stronger on paper, but motion high quality lagged, accidents popped up, and progress stalled.
That’s when the concept lightbulb appeared. Kolowich Jr. started shifting his focus away from the barbell towards body weight work, corresponding to excellent push-ups, squats, lunges, holds, and tempo-based actions. Then one thing sudden occurred; all the things improved. Power carried over higher, joints felt more healthy, and efficiency improved.
It turned clear to him then that body weight coaching isn’t a regression. It’s the inspiration. However earlier than moving into the nitty-gritty of body weight coaching, let’s debunk just a few myths.
Widespread Myths About Body weight Coaching
Some suppose body weight drills are nice as warmup strikes, however are solely an appetizer for the principle course. Those that imagine that manner have by no means carried out single-arm push-ups, pistol squats, or entrance lever. That dispels the widespread fantasy that body weight coaching is for rookies, as Kolowich Jr. explains. “In actuality, true body weight mastery is brutally difficult. Most robust lifters wrestle when you introduce tempo, instability, full vary of movement, and strict management.”
The second greatest elephant within the room suggests you may’t construct muscle with out weights. Nevertheless, muscle development and power come from resistance and pressure — not simply iron. “One other fantasy is you could’t construct muscle with out weights,” says Kolowich Jr. “ However whenever you perceive leverage, time underneath pressure, unilateral work, and density, body weight coaching turns into a strong software for hypertrophy, athleticism, and longevity.”
Right here, are a number of body weight coaching myths that he places to mattress.
Fantasy: You want a gymnasium to get a whole exercise
Reality: Your physique is the gear. Body weight coaching can goal each main muscle group, together with the chest, again, legs, and core, and can even embrace mobility, steadiness, and cardio conditioning in a single session.
Fantasy: You’ll plateau shortly
Reality: Plateaus stem from an absence of development, not from the software used. The Body weight Blueprint addresses this by incorporating train variations, rep tempo, lowered stability, and programming strategies (e.g., circuits, HIIT, power-focused periods) to make sure steady adaptation.
Fantasy: Body weight coaching can’t enhance athletic efficiency
Reality: Explosive body weight actions, corresponding to leap squats, plyo push-ups, sprints, and mobility drills, practice energy, agility, and coordination. These are important for athletic efficiency.
With that out of the way in which, how does Kolowich Jr. get Captain America to do push-ups?
How Kolowich Jr. Explains Body weight Coaching To His Purchasers
Kolowich’s two gyms are stocked with high-grade gear, so you may think about a shopper’s shock when he says body weight coaching is on the menu. “I inform them this,” says Kolowich. “If you happen to can’t management your personal physique, including load hides weaknesses.”
If Luke Evans disagrees with him and desires to hit the bench as an alternative of tempo push-ups, he pulls out the massive weapons. “Body weight coaching forces you to attach together with your physique,” explains Kolowich. “You’re not counting on exterior resistance to really feel a motion. You’re studying the way to have interaction the proper muscle tissues, brace your core, and personal each inch of the rep.”
As soon as his purchasers expertise how mastering body weight actions improves their barbell lifts, reduces nagging joint ache, and extends their coaching longevity, buy-in occurs shortly.
“I work with high-profile purchasers who must look nice, transfer effectively, and keep wholesome underneath demanding schedules,” he says. “Body weight coaching performs a big position of their packages.
“Whether or not it’s getting ready Cody Rhodes whereas he pursued the WWE World Championship or serving to Yahya keep camera-ready whereas getting ready for his Emmy-winning position as Dr. Manhattan, body weight work builds athletic, resilient physiques with out pointless put on and tear,” explains Kolowich.
Body weight Train Progressions
Kolowich emphasizes that the precept of progressive overload nonetheless applies — even when your physique is the one resistance.” I deal with body weight workout routines with the identical respect as heavy lifts. Every part is intentional and progressive. I manipulate tempo, vary of movement, leverage, unilateral loading, quantity, density, and relaxation durations.”
Since you may’t add plates, Kolowich Jr. adjusts different variables, corresponding to:
Repetition and Tempo Manipulation: Rising reps for quantity and slowing down the tempo, particularly the eccentric section, to extend time underneath pressure. Including 3 to 5-second pauses on the most difficult a part of the motion concurrently builds muscular endurance and power.
Leveraging Your Physique’s Place: Altering your physique’s place relative to gravity shifts load distribution—for instance, from incline to say no push-ups. The Body weight Blueprint introduces leverage-based progressions, corresponding to transferring arms or ft nearer to the anchor level throughout suspension coaching to extend issue.
Lowering Stability: Unilateral and balance-challenging variations enhance demand on the core and joint stabilizers. For instance:
Common squats → Break up squats → Bulgarian break up squats
Push-ups → Archer push-ups → One-arm push-ups
Rising Complexity: Kolowich introduces neurologically demanding variations into his programming. Suppose:
Push-ups → Grasshopper Push-ups
Squats → Skater squats
Utilizing Exterior Instruments: Suspension trainers, sliders, and ab rollers amplify instability, enhance vary of movement, and improve core engagement. These instruments make conventional actions tougher with out including weight.
The Wrapup
As a rule, body weight coaching is handled as a fallback possibility when it needs to be the inspiration. Grasp your motion, and all the things else in your coaching improves sooner, safer, and for the lengthy haul. If you wish to begin doing that, buy The Body weight Blueprint.
