I'm a big fan of bodyweight exercises...they're among THE most effective exercises for building functional strength and mass.

But what do you do when bodyweight just isn't enough to keep on getting growth and strength increases? One of the ways I like to tackle that is to find ways to actually add weight to exercises that would normally only be bodyweight.

This is an excellent one for developing the lateral aspect of the hips and thighs. It's basically a lunge (or more accurately, a step-back lunge) movement. But instead of holding dumbells in your hands or a weight across your back, you're going to be using a whole NEW type of set-up...

This is a great training concept that I've been using recently that I came up with as a way to get mass-building effects out of bodyweight exercises that I could do a lot of reps with. It's a type of training you could easily build a more comprehensive program on simply by extending the concept.

The Donkey Calf Raise is simply one of THE best exercises for developing the calves. The reason is the great stretch you can put on the calves at the bottom of every single rep. But here's the problem...what do you do when you don't have a donkey calf raise machine OR a partner to sit on your back

Honestly, I had no idea what to call this one - feel free to make up your own name! It's a GREAT core-strengthening exercise that hits the rotational and support functions of the area...

One of the single most effective ways to build hand and grip strength is by using thick handled equipment. It's one of the secrets of building a strong grip! You can buy thick bars and thick handled dumbells but what do you do if can't afford to buy those things or train in a commerical gym and don't want to bring your own equipment...

The hanging leg raise is one of the most commonly used lower ab exercises you'll see in the gym. As tough as it is, it can be done much more effectively with a small modification. Instead of hanging down with your arms straight, do the hanging leg raise in the Flexed Arm Hang position!

This is a great leg and core exercise - VERY challenging even though you're using lighter dumbells than you normally could for a "standard" dumbell squat. Basically, with this exercise, you're not going to hold the dumbells at your sides at arms length (which I've also thought was more of a dumbell deadlift anyway, rather than a squat, which is what a lot of people call it)...

Stiff-Legged Deadlifts are one of THE best lower body exercises you can do (not to mention hamstring exercises). This exercise is a variation of the SLDL that turns two barbells into something similar to a SLDL machine. Why would you want to do that? The reason is this - improving your balance can help you focus on FEELING the hamstrings working rather than on balancing and worrying about other parts of the exercise...

This one is a GREAT chin-up exercise that will blow your lats and your biceps up like crazy! I won't go into detail about how chin-ups are one of the best back exercises you can do and how bodyweight exercises generally activate more muscle fibers, making them superior to machine exercises (and many free weight exercises)...of course, I guess I just DID go into detail there!...

Six pack abs, flat stomach, strong core...sound interesting? But what to do you if you've tried every abdominal exercise in the book and you need something NEW? These following 3 ab exercises, using only very simple equipment, will hit your abs in ways they've NEVER felt before...

There aren't too many trainers I know who don't want a bigger bench press. Let's be honest...it's an ego lift but it's nice to see people's eyes bug out when you tell them how much you can bench press (because you know they always ask!). But what do you do if you get stuck at a certain weight with the bench press and you can't seem to budge it upwards a single pound?...

If you've ever had a hard time developing your shoulders, this exercise is going to be a lifesaver for you! Personally, shoulders are one of my WORST bodyparts. It's tough to keep them strong...tough to get them bigger...and tough to really feel them working when I'm actually doing shoulder exercises!...

My VERY favorite leg exercise for really hitting the thighs HARD is not a new exercise...it may not even seem to you to be all that great of an exercise at first glance. But when I tell you how to do it FOR REAL, you're going to LOVE the results you get with it...