BJ Gaddour - Mens Health Your Body is Your Barbell: No Gym. Just Gravity. Build a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular You in 28 Days!

This book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. The information given here is designed to help you make informed decisions about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, we urge you to seek competent medical help.

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercise and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your doctor. As with all exercise and dietary programs, you should get your doctors approval before beginning.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

Simultaneous exclusive direct mail edition published with the title Bodyweight Burners by Rodale Inc.

2014 by Rodale Inc.

Photographs 2014 by Rodale Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Mens Health is a registered trademark of Rodale Inc.

Photographs by Tom MacDonald/Rodale Images

Book design by Laura White

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-62336-383-3 trade paperback

ISBN 978-1-62336-384-0 ebook

We inspire and enable people to improve their lives and the world around them.
rodalebooks.com

This book is dedicated to anyone whos ever been underestimated.

Y ou dont need it.

Bank that membership fee. To shed fat and build a body of rock-solid muscle all you need is, well, you.

I used to own a successful gym in Milwaukee. I helped a lot of people from all walks of life lose weight, get in better shape, and improve their overall health using the exercises, workouts, and nutritional recommendations that youll find in this book. But one day, I came to the realization that owning a gym was actually doing people more of a disservice over the long haul. You see, my clients success had one major flawit was codependent success. Without my continued support and guidance, most people would not be able to maintain the results they achieved. After all, the business model of a gym is based on retaining members month after month, year after year, not on teaching people how to exercise on their own for the rest of their lives. So I sold my gym in hope of impacting more people and doing a better job of empowering them to take control of their bodies without my being there in person guiding them like a babysitter.

I used to train in gyms myself; that is, until I decided to screw the gym! and work out at home using bodyweight exercises. At the gym, I lifted heavy weights. I got big and strong, but I wasnt really fit at all. I wasnt athletic. I did more damage than good: I hurt my knees and had several operations. Ill tell you more about that later, but the point is, I realized that the gym was not doing me any favors. I was tired of people chatting with me while I was working out, even when I had my game face and headphones on, clearly not interested in conversing. I was so over having to wait for equipment or share space with other people who were slowing me down. I was annoyed by the guys wearing shirts that said PERSONAL TRAINER trying to tell me what to do or asking me to keep the grunting and groaning down because it was distracting the other members. Screw the gym. I told myself that from now on, I would only do workouts that I could do anytime, anywhere, whether it be at home or in a hotel room. I decided to drop the weights and start using my bodyweight.

At first, I had to get over the mental hump that I didnt actually need to be in a gym to get results. I worried that I was going to get weaker, gain body fat, and lose muscle. That never happened. In fact, I got leaner, stronger, and more conditioned. I was also working out more frequently than ever because I could just go downstairs to my little 90-square-foot workout den and start training right away. Screw the gym and the health club. I was way better off without them! I think youll be, too.

DONT GO TO THE GYM IF...

you think you need to lift weights to build muscles that show.

DONT GO TO THE GYM IF...

you think you need to jump on a cardio machine to burn fat and lose weight.

DONT GO TO THE GYM IF...

you would rather train in the privacy and comfort of your own home.

DONT GO TO THE GYM IF...

youd rather save time and money traveling to and from the gym.

DONT GO TO THE GYM IF...

you have to get less than 8 hours of sleep to make a workout.

DONT GO TO THE GYM IF...

bad weather gets in the way of your exercising.

DONT GO TO THE GYM IF...

you can consistently and safely work out on your own without supervision.

DONT GO TO THE GYM IF...

you dont need the support and accountability of others to get results.

DONT GO TO THE GYM IF...

you dont have a lot of money to waste.

DONT GO TO THE GYM IF...

you hate going to the gym.

DO GO TO THE GYM if you want to socialize or get out of the house, require access to a locker room with showers, or need a professional trainer to coach you through every set and rep.

Otherwise, screw the gym. You dont need it, even though it needs you to think that you do. What you now hold in your hands is a blueprint to losing weight without weights and building a better body with nothing but your own body weight. This is a training system you can follow wherever you are so you can break through the shackles of the gym and leave that musky scent behind. Everything you need is here and in you.

Yo, BJ! You coming to the weight room today?

Football coach Donald Fortis booming voice bounced off the lockers as I hustled to class during the second semester of eighth grade at University School of Milwaukee in Wisconsin. Everybody called him Coach. He was a larger-than-life physical education teacher, the high school teams head coach, and he also ran the schools weight room. Coach was a seasoned power lifter and built like a tank. A hot-blooded Italian with dark features and a thick Boston accent, he would have made Sonny Corleone shiver, and he scared the piss out of underclassmen like me.