Opposite exercises?

georges · 1 Jan 2008 at 14:25

Hey,
I do quite a few exercises at home (not at a gym, since I can't be bothered to spend the money on it), but I don't know what I should do to get the opposite muscles equalled up to those being trained. Obviously with just body weight I'm not going to get hulklike, but I want to minimise the risk of damaging joints or having my shoulders pulled forward by the pecs.

At the moment I do a variety of pull ups and chin ups, press ups (I'm trying to get those plyometric ones down, but I'm struggling) and bicycle crunches( as apparently normal ones and sit ups are bad for your back).

So what exercises are there you can do at home with no weights, although I may be tempted to buy some cheap ones - we'll see, which will balance what I do already out.

I know there is the thing I call a 'banana' where you lie on your front and lift your feet and head off the ground and hold, for the opposite of the crunches.

Is this really the best for it, or are there better alternatives?

Thanks.

DanH84 · 1 Jan 2008 at 14:28

squat a bit. more to come when hangover gone.

georges · 1 Jan 2008 at 14:58

Thanks in anticipation

georges · 2 Jan 2008 at 19:33

Anyone?

georges · 5 Jan 2008 at 16:53

There's gotta be some you can do at home. I'm considering welding up a chin up/dipping thing, as I feel my climbing frame is only so good

.

Is there anything else you can weld on for other exercises, but not use up much more metal for?

Having had a look around, a bar for chest dips, and a lower one for upside down press ups (forgotten the name, but you pull yourself up).

Reeve · 5 Jan 2008 at 20:02

http://www.beastskills.com/

Theres plenty of body weight skills you can try out, most of those listed on that site are HARD, seriously hard but the make nice goals and theyre pretty impressive if you can accomplish them. Theres nothing girly about being able to combine strength and balance at the same time

Its not listed on there, but a planche pushup requires atleast a resonable amount of strength in your back as you have to keep yourself balanced in a static position as you move up and down.