Mike Tyson's bodyweight workout builds explosive strength and big muscles

This Mike Tyson full-body workout is almost certainly not how he got in shape for his comeback fight with Roy Jones Jr – remember that? He obviously won that fight if it was being scored, but it wasn't, so it was a draw. Both Tyson and Jones Jr acquitted themselves well on that occasion, so let's draw a line under it and move on. 

Now, if you want to know how to build muscle over 50, you'll have to ask Mister Tyson how he got in such incredible shape at 53 for that fight. Given his age, he certainly didn't use this full-body workout from his heyday. The workout here is how he got strong in his prime. As bodyweight workouts go, it is, of course, plenty brutal.

Back in the day, Tyson mainly used callisthenics – aka bodyweight exercises – to get his trademark broad-as-a-semi-truck body. Tyson was – and still is – muscular, agile, and seriously mean. And maybe you can be, too, if you follow this Mike Tyson bodyweight workout. But don't injure yourself or get punched in the face. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

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Of course, one might wonder how Mike Tyson got ripped using simple bodyweight exercises only. Can you build muscle using bodyweight exercises? You can only increase the resistance so much with callisthenics exercises, and after mastering push-ups, the only thing you can do is churn out more reps.

The problem is that most bodybuilders claim that the ideal hypertrophy range is between 8-12 reps per set. But by doing only 8-12 reps per set, after a few months of bodyweight training, you will stop seeing improvements; we can guarantee that. Progressive overload is key to muscle building.

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So, what's the secret sauce of Mike Tyson's bodyweight training? Surprisingly enough, it's frequency. It might not be as surprising to some, especially to those who are in the know about bodyweight training. To build muscle with callisthenics, you will need to up the rep range significantly so.

As mentioned in our press-up workout tips article, overloading the muscles is important in bodyweight training. Some might say a higher rep range will 'only' build muscle endurance, but that's only true if you work with lighter weights, and bodyweight exercises provide ample amount of resistance so they can be classified as moderate- to heavy-weight training.

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If you want to build muscle like Mike Tyson in his heydays, you should follow his bodyweight workout plan. It's worth mentioning that Mike was doing this workout for a month leading up to his fights; the Mike Tyson bodyweight workout is intense and demanding, especially if you aren't used to strenuous exercising.

Mike reportedly worked out 10 times a day, six times a week and followed this routine: 200 decline sit-ups, 50 bench dips, 50 push-ups and 50 shrugs. For the shrugs, he used the best dumbbells, but you can use the best resistance bands or the best kettlebells instead. If you have the best barbells at home, you can use a trap bar as well for the shrugs.

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Mike Tyson bodyweight workout: don't forget your protein

It is worth mentioning that if you are planning on building muscle mass, you can't do it without eating right. One thing that you will need to eat more is protein: it helps muscle repair and recovery too. This doesn't mean you will need to start chugging down the best protein powder shakes, but adding more protein to your diet will certainly help.

According to the manofmany website, "Tyson used to consume anywhere from 3,000-4,000 calories a day", and we are not talking about him chomping down on Domino's pizza. Just like his workout plan, Mike's diet plan was simple and effective: a lot of rolled oats, chicken and rice, steak and the like. Also, apparently, he used to have protein shakes with six bananas in them as a snack. That's a 700+ calorie snack right there.

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Mike Tyson bodyweight workout

Decline sit ups

Decline sit-ups allow a fuller range of motion than regular sit-ups and therefore activate the rectus abdominis muscle (a.k.a. six-pack muscle) more. When doing sit-ups, make sure you don't pull your head forwards with your hands: you can rest the hands in front of your chest instead.

Bench dips

Bench dips are the smaller sibling of parallel bar dips and require literally no equipment. Of course, feel free to use the best weight bench for support if you want to, that might come in handy for other exercises too.

Push ups

We love push-ups here at T3. Push-ups are one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do, and they will build monster pecs and impressive arms. They are great for improving core strength, and should you elevate your legs, you can also work your delts (a.k.a. shoulder muscles) beautifully.

Shrugs

Nothing says 'I work out' more than having big traps (the muscles around the neck). As well as making you look incredibly buff, traps can help stabilise the neck and reduce pressure on the upper back muscles. Shrugs also improve grip strength and we all know that grip strength is the best way to assess one's physical abilities.