🏋️ best bodyweight exercises for serious gains

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Toshisuke Kanazawa is an 86-year-old bodybuilder from Japan who still regularly competes on stage. And his latest appearance is proof there's no age limit on gains. 

He's been a fixture at the CrossFit Games for almost a decade, but it seems Noah Ohlsen is ready for the next chapter of his career.

You don't need weights or equipment to get jacked. Here are 16 of the best bodyweight exercises to align with your fitness goals.

Bodybuilding

Toshisuke Kanazawa Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Many often say, "you're only as old as you feel." While that's not necessarily a literal proverb about life, it might be in the case of the 86-year-old Japanese bodybuilder Toshisuke Kanazawa.

When the seasoned athlete posed on stage at the 2022 Japan Bodybuilding Championships earlier this month, he became the oldest competitor to ever take part in the show. The person whose record he broke? His own, from 2021. As the 15-time bodybuilding champion told the Japanese daily national, The Mainichi, he's not prepared to stop competing any time soon, either.

“I want to compete until I’m 90, and I’d like to set myself as an example to other grandpas and grandmas in the world by living healthy until 100,” he said.

We can all learn a little something from Kanazawa's inspiring life.

CrossFit

Noah Ohlsen Is Ready for His Next Chapter

Since 2014, we've gotten used to seeing Noah Ohlsen compete at the CrossFit Games. He's never finished lower than 15th and can boast seven top-10 finishes during his nine consecutive appearances at the event.

But despite such consistency, the 32-year-old is ready to move on to other endeavors.

In a video on his YouTube channel from last week, Ohlsen announced that there's a "good chance" the 2023 CrossFit season will be his last as an individual competitor. Ohlsen cited disappointment with his recent 12-place finish at the 2022 Games, which is fair — but more than anything, it seems like he just wants to channel his energy elsewhere.

That said, even if Ohlsen won't feature as an individual competitor, he still wants to field an elite team. In this instance, it looks like one of CrossFit's mainstays is closing one door and opening another.

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Training Tips

No Weights? No Equipment? No Problem

Picture this disaster of a day (at least in our minds). The local gym is closed. You don't have any weights or equipment of your own at home. What horror! That means you probably have to skip your daily workout, right? Wrong!

To help you plan for chaotic days like this or even to help you implement more healthy functional movements in your routine, we've mapped out 16 of the very best bodyweight exercises. Of course, you have your classic push-ups and squats, but there are bridges, burpees, lunges, you name it. There's assuredly an accessible bodyweight movement for every part of your body.

Everything Else

A Junior World Champion's Return

• After a three-year hiatus, former Junior World weightlifting champion Rebeka Koha plans to return to competition.

• Speaking of Noah Ohlsen, he has a new world record on a benchmark CrossFit workout.

• It'll be the last year bodybuilder Breon Ansley competes in the Classic Physique division. Here's how he's eating to prepare for his final ride in this class.

Sound Off!

Your Go-To Bodyweight Move

The Results Are In!

Arnold Reigns Supreme

Earlier this month, four-time Mr. Olympia winner Jay Cutler revealed who he thinks are the five best bodybuilders of all time. And in the October 10, 2022, edition of the BarBend Newsletter, we asked which of Cutler's picks was your favorite. Here are the results:

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger (34%)

2. Sergio Oliva (22%)

3. Ronnie Coleman (21%)

4. Dorian Yates (18%)

5. Lee Haney (5%)