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ROFL.

Bodyweight exercises will not put any muscle on you. It may make your nervour system stronger, but it doesn nothing for muscle mass.

Why do you think Charles Atlas got Prosecuted for fraud after claiming he got as big as he was doing his crappy bodyweight exercises.

Progressive poundages in perfect form is how you get big. That and eat big.

Join a gym, and start using the weights.

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Hi, I am hoping someone here can help me.
I am 6' and 11 stone (154lb), and somewhat of a hard-gainer.

About a year ago I decided I needed to bulk up.
But due to limited time I never got around to joining a gym.

The only exercises I do are bodyweight exercises (push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, tricep dips etc.) and a lot of running...

Where did I go wrong?

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Bodyweight exercises are not the best way to increase strength or mass. Lots of running and bodyweight work on a naturaly 'skinny' frame will give you what you have, a wiry defined look ( a bit like Iggy Pop ),

You need to join a reputable gym, get good quality instruction on basic lifts (squat, bench press, deadlifts, cleans, shrugs), moderate your cardio work so as to allow for a change in emphasis in your training, and start eating in such a way as to provide your body with the nutrition it needs to change in the way you wish.

If it is important to you, you will find/make the time to achieve your goals.
Good luck

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I agree with Meanstreak. The idea that bodywieght exercises cannot be used to gain muscle is wrong.

The reason few people gain size with BW is that theyn train easy exercises, e.g. push ups, for long periods of time. This in not good for strength.

However, using weights is just using large resistance, there's nothing about the weights themselves that make you gain muscle, just the resistance they cause. So it is possible to gain weight using your own body as resistance. Try for instance, one-arm, one-leg push-ups. Or maybe one leg squats. Then try elevating your legs for one-arm push-ups. There are millions of ways to increase resistance for BW exercises.

Here's the downside though: With weights you have far more control over how much weight you lift- it is more scientific and more quantifiable. BW excersises, although being pretty good, do not have the same efficiency as weight lifting, since you cannot isolate muscle groups easily.

BUT... If you want functuional strength, then I think BW exercises are the only way to go. They get your brain used to utilizing all the muscles in your body for a desired action, unlike weights, which while building muscle, do not do that much for functional strength.

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