Using Body Weight For Exercise Training

My wife and I had an interesting conversation last night on the subject of strength training.  A friend of hers told her she was going to eliminate weights from her workout and switch entirely to body weight for exercise because it was healthier.  They both currently do a combination of body weight, cardio, machines, and free weights.  She was looking for input as to whether body weight for exercise training would be challenging enough to build strength.

Body weight exercises are great, and you can build a very challenging workout using just your body weight for exercise.  For a great example of a beginner’s workout, see the YouTube Video below:

A co-worker and friend of mine recently started coming to the gym with me.  He hadn’t gone to the gym for quite a while, and started on this plan as a first step.  He found it exceptionally challenging.  When traveling I’ll often do a variation of the above plan in my hotel room.

However, the addition of free weights adds an extra dimension of difficults.  The increased weight provides extra stress on the bones and muscles.  This leads to increased bone density and muscle mass.  In addition, strength training with dumbbells has been proven to yield “practical strength” as we age.  Those individuals who use dumbbells in their workouts are proven to be less likely to injure themselves through slips and falls.

What is your opinion on the subject?  Do you use free weights or only body weight?  Why?

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