Progressive Calisthenics

Strength from Down Under – Aussie Pull-ups & Beyond

May 3, 2016 By Grace Kavadlo 13 Comments

Aussie Pull Up

“We all came here for the pull-ups!”

I love to see faces light up when Al or Danny say these words at the start of the PCC pull-up module. But before even getting into full pull-ups, we begin by practicing some lead-up steps, including the bodyweight row, aka the Australian pull-up.

Often dismissed by advanced calisthenics practitioners who can already perform full pull-ups, the Aussie is a viable and underrated exercise in its own right. Aussie pull-ups strengthen your arms, abs and even your grip. They can also help improve your posture, specifically countering the forward-head position that is prevalent in our texting, typing, and sedentary society, by strengthening the muscles of the upper and mid-back, including your rhomboids, lats, and traps.

While it may not be the sexiest or most eye-catching exercise, as a trainer, the Aussie pull-up is money! If you work at a gym, you will most likely be working with the general population, not a bunch of calisthenics ninjas. Unfortunately many folks cannot even do one full pull-up – guys or gals. For these clients, the Aussie is a fabulous option for increasing upper body pulling strength. This exercise is also of particular significance due to the fact that women are required to perform 10 consecutive repetitions in order to complete the PCC Century Test.

The Reverse Push-Up

An Aussie pull-up begins with the body suspended horizontally below a bar that is positioned at approximately waist height. In the bottom position of the Aussie, your arms should be fully extended with your body in a straight line, almost like an upside-down push-up. Just like push-ups, you’ll need to engage your abs, legs, and glutes during every inch of the Aussie in order to maintain proper body alignment.

The similarities don’t end there. In push-ups, your shoulder blades should come together as you lower down (eccentric phase), and spread apart as you extend your arms and push back up (concentric phase). The same principles apply to the Aussie, only with the positive and negative phases reversed: The shoulder blades should come together as you pull yourself to the bar (concentric phase) and spread apart as you lower down (eccentric phase).

Similar to the push-up, beginners often mistakenly initiate the movement by extending their head forward. Remember to cue your clients to allow their head to relax in a more neutral position so their neck is in line with their spine. The body should be in a straight line from the ears all the way down to the heels.

Aussie Pull-Ups at the PCC

Scaling Back

Thanks to the principles of progression outlined in the PCC curriculum, even the Aussie can be regressed for your more deconditioned clients. By shortening the length of your body, you can make this exercise less challenging. As with the push-up, bending the knees is a very simple way to accomplish this. Furthermore, the bent knee position allows the practitioner to push through their feet and create more favorable leverage. You can also flip your grip to an underhand position for the Aussie if you are having a hard time with the overhand grip. You can further regress the exercise by increasing the height of the bar, thereby distributing more of your weight in your feet.

Next Level Aussies

Just how elevating the bar can make the Aussie easier by placing your body in a more vertical position, raising your feet can make this exercise more challenging as you shift more of your weight into your hands and upper body. You can prop your heels on an opposing bar or a bench to use as an incline.

Aussie Pull-Up Variation

At the PCC, we also teach various grips for pull-ups in order to emphasize different muscle groups. These same methods can be applied to the Aussie. Experiment with placing your hands wider for more lat/back recruitment or closer together for more arm action. You can even try a variation on the Archer pull-up, which incorporates lateral movement in addition to the standard up and down motion. If you’re working towards a one-arm pull-up, you can even hone your unilateral skills in Aussie form, too. The variations on the Aussie are endless and fun to practice on your own, or with your clients.

Speaking of Aussies, I am excited to be teaching at the first ever PCC in Sydney, Australia this September along with PCC Lead Instructor Al Kavadlo. It’s always a pleasure to connect with you guys in person, and I can’t wait to do lots of Aussie pull-ups with my friends from down under.

I hope to see you there!

****

Grace Kavadlo is a PCC Team Leader, personal trainer and group exercise instructor located in New York City. She is a columnist for Bodybuilding.com and can be seen in several Dragon Door books, including Coach Wade’s Explosive Calisthenics. For more information about Grace, check out her website, www.DieselGrace.com

The Centerline Principle of Strength & Power

April 26, 2016 By Matt Schifferle 20 Comments

Matt Schifferle Centerline

I first learned about the magic of the centerline principle in martial arts. Everything from powerful kicks to dodging punches involved moving in relation to the center of my body as well as the center of my opponent.

As it turns out, the centerline is not only the key to powerful kicks but also developing strength and muscle when applied to progressive calisthenics.

Technically, your body has 3 center lines, one for each plane of movement. The scope of this post is focusing on the centerline that divides your right and left side along the sagittal plane.

Each plane has its own centerline. This article focuses on the frontal plane centerline. — Each plane has its own centerline. This article focuses on the sagittal plane centerline.

Focusing on your centerline is critical towards your strength and muscle building efforts. It opens the door towards developing more muscle control as well as improved performance. It also greatly reduces stress around your joints. Even your balance and agility will greatly improve by directing your muscle tension towards your centerline.

MattSchifferleMusculardiagram The image to the right shows how the muscles are arranged to direct muscle tension inwards towards the centerline. Almost every muscle has at least a few muscle fibers that direct force inwards towards the spine. This is yet another reason to practice back bridge progressions, as they develop all of the muscles in this image. While the bridge is classically described as a move for the posterior chain, it is also one of the best techniques for developing tension towards the centerline.

Knowing about the centerline is good, but it’s even more important to know how to use it in practical application. Below are three lessons on how to apply the centerline principle in your training.

Lesson #1: Avoid the “splat”

The centerline principal works because it encourages the tension in your muscles to converge between the right and left halves of your body. This serves as a powerful transfer of physical energy up against gravity.

You can find evidence of this even in nature, as anything that has been pushed up against the force of gravity is the result of two converging forces. A common example is the Rocky Mountains here in my home state, which were formed through converging forces deep within the earth pushing upward.

Converging forces push mountains up against the pull of gravity, just as they lift you up as well.

On the contrary, an object that does not have converging force holding it together eventually flattens out. A quick example is dropping a snowball or a glass bottle against a concrete sidewalk. As gravity pulls against the object and it meets an unyielding surface, the matter of the object spreads outwards. This is what I call the “splat effect” and it can happen to your body anytime you are working against gravity.

Gravity causes objects to spread out against the ground or floor. In this push up, I have to use my chest muscles to keep my elbows from spreading outwards.

Through directing your muscle tension towards your centerline you gain stability and muscle control so you can more effectively drive yourself up against the pull of gravity.

Lesson #2: Progressively apply force closer to your centerline

Many of the progressions in Convict Conditioning involve moving the hands and feet closer together. Close push-ups and squats are a great example of this. When you employ this style of progression you are putting force in a more direct perpendicular line against gravity. This brings you a host of benefits including greater flexibility, balance, muscle control plus more range of motion in the joints. It also forces you to be stronger since you are pushing your centerline in the most direct vector against gravity for the greatest distance possible.

Going narrow in grip or stance is a great way to make use of the centerline principle.

It’s important to understand that simply pulling your hands or feet closer to your centerline is only part of the progression. You also want to pull your elbows and knees closer in as well. To a certain degree, you can even pull your shoulders and hips in slightly. I like to think of trying to make myself as narrow as possible. This helps me draw myself inward sort of like a guy sucking in his gut on the beach, only now I’m pulling myself in sideways as opposed to front to back.

Lesson #3: “Screw” your limbs inwards

Many of the muscles in the legs and arms “wrap” around your body’s bones and joints, sort of like stripes on a candy cane. Even muscles that look like they run straight up and down the limb have an origin and insertion point that is slightly offset from one another. The reason for this is to partially create inward torque along the limb as you move about. This inward torque is very important for creating that converging force within the body when doing unilateral movement such as throwing a ball or taking a step.

Screwing in your limbs is a little counter intuitive at first because your arms and legs torque in opposite directions to one another. Your right arm and left leg torque in clockwise while your left arm and right leg torque counterclockwise. It’s sort of confusing at first, so I just keep in mind that the knees and elbows both torque inwards. The knees torque in towards your centerline as they bend in front of you, while your elbows toque inwards as they bend behind you.

As the elbows torque in or out the tension in the back follows towards or away from the centerline.

It’s important to note that torquing your legs inwards doesn’t mean your knees cave inwards. When your torque is applied there should be very little lateral movement in both the knees and the elbows. This is why I refer to applying limb torque as “locking up” the limb. It makes it stiff and stable just like twisting a towel makes it stiffer.

MattSchifferleTowel1 — Lock it up! Applying torque on your legs or arms will make them more stable.

Lock it up! Applying torque on your legs or arms will make them more stable.

If you can apply all three of these centerline lessons you’ll quickly discover more strength, stability, and power than you’ve had before. More importantly, your strength will become more functional and you’ll prevent joint stress that will erode your health and vitality. Just like any aspect of progressive calisthenics, using the centerline principle takes time and practice, so be patient with it. Also, look for opportunities to apply it even if it doesn’t impact the moving limbs. You’ll be amazed at how torquing in your arms can improve abdominal activation with hanging knee raises. Keeping your hands together is also a great way to make narrow and single leg squats more challenging.

Best of luck with your training and let me know if you have any questions down below in the comments!

***

Matt Schifferle a.k.a. The Fit Rebel made a switch to calisthenics training 5 years ago in an effort to rehab his weight lifting injuries. Since then he’s been on a personal quest to discover and teach the immense benefits of advanced body weight training. You can find some of his unique bodyweight training methods at RedDeltaProject.com and on his YouTube channel: RedDeltaProject.

Training Through Injuries (AKA: That Time My Friend Sat On My Thumb)

April 19, 2016 By Eric Bergmann 13 Comments

Eric Bergmann Calisthenics
Yup. My friend sat on my thumb.

We’ve all been injured at some point, and most of us are familiar with how it can derail our training. In response to the sprain I suffered, I had to decrease the size of my training repertoire and remove everything that required an opposable thumb.

Those who’ve had the dubious privilege of seeing me train know that my workouts consist largely of picking things up and putting them down with the help of said opposable thumb.

Switching gears was tough for me, especially since my training was going so well at the time. In fact, I was in the middle of the best training year of my life. It was tough for me to believe that an adjusted and, in my mind, adulterated training program could provide the same level of benefit. It was even tougher for me to be cool with doing only the following types of movements:

Squat variations, push-up variations, and pull-up variations (with thumb-less grip).

First, a confession…

I didn’t put my heart and soul into the planning of this thumb-less program. Looking back, I could have made some different choices and put together a more comprehensive regimen. Instead, I just looked at which exercises I felt I could do without risk of further injury and hoped that I wouldn’t lose much ground from my last several phases of training. Unconvinced that these bodyweight-only movements were going to successfully maintain my hard work, however, I was prepared to lose some strength.

That said, I didn’t just throw in the towel and half-ass my training. I pulled out my PCC manual.

Eric Bergmann with PCC Manual

I chose the hardest variations of each movement that I could manage for a handful of quality reps, backing those up with variations I could do for a moderate-to-high number of reps. In essence, this was an attempt to mimic what I had already been doing in successful programs rather than suddenly switching gears or starting all over.

As I explored the variations available to me I took advantage of the leverage concepts from the PCC Certification. This allowed me to transform movements that I could do for 0-2 reps into movements I could do for 4-6 reps, movements I could do for 25+ reps into movements I could only do for 15-20 reps, and so forth. These variations or “hidden steps” allowed me to tailor the movements to my abilities and to use that as a platform for continued growth.

During the “strength” oriented movements (I used multiple sets in the 4-6 rep range) I noted a marked increase in full-body tension/contraction/stabilization. What does that mean? It means that during one-arm push-up variations, I found abs of steel, quads of quartz, and rotator cuffs of coordinated reactive stabilization. It means I found and minimized imbalances between my ability to stabilize my left lateral chain and my right. It means I got strong. Really strong. Way stronger than I’d thought I possibly could with a busted thumb.

During the more endurance oriented movements (I used multiple sets in the 12+ rep range and in the 20+ rep range) I found minor but important losses in active stabilization. What does that mean? It means I found and was able to close gaps in endurance that caused subtle lumbar extension (low-back sag), thoracic flexion (upper-back rounding), and cervical flexion/capital extension (chin jutting). The higher reps gave me the opportunity to lock down my form during my sets, making my positions and joints healthier and stronger, thereby making me more bulletproof.

Overall, this has proven to be one of, if not the most successful training phases I’ve ever enjoyed. From the experience I’m taking improved strength, endurance, and ability to create balanced tension through my body, but the lessons I learned go beyond the physical changes.

I didn’t expect that using calisthenics alone could be brutally hard yet readily adjustable to my current capabilities. As a modern fitness culture we are so accustomed to adjusting loads rather than body positions, and to measuring success in pounds and kilos. What I learned during the calisthenics-only phases of my training has expanded my understanding not just of bodyweight movements, but all movement, and will impact how I train both myself and my clients.

Perhaps the most important thing I’m taking with me is that limitations can often free our creativity and expand our horizons. Injuries are going to happen. It’s what we do in response that determines our long-term success.

***

Eric Bergmann is a New York City based strength coach, movement specialist, and proud member of the PCC family. He co-owns Bergmann Fitness—a boutique training and nutrition service—with his wife, Beth. You can find out more about them at bergmannfitness.com

London Calling

April 12, 2016 By Danny Kavadlo 10 Comments

Danny Kavadlo demonstrates the clutch flag at the PCC London 2016

After over thirty events in dozens of cities, spanning multiple countries and four continents, the Progressive Calisthenics Certification keeps getting better and better. More personal records, more lifelong friendships and more experiences that we’ll never forget.

Every time we do another PCC workshop, I go in with big dreams, and still I find my fitness forecast is exceeded. That’s right, friends: my sky-high expectations are smashed every time. How, you ask?

Because of you.

PCC London Elbow Lever. What makes an event great? YOU! — What makes an event great? YOU!

When you guys and gals make the commitment to attend PCC, it’s your energy, positivity and strength that make it incredible. So when the team and I found ourselves in the historic city of London, England and met the PCC candidates this past weekend, we knew that together we’d make history.

PCC "London Bridge" — Historic London Bridge.

Calisthenics practitioners from over five countries showed up to train and learn from us, as well as each other. It was a fantastic group of trainers, martial artists, acrobats and fitness aficionados from all walks of life. Beyond the sheer physical prowess, the love, passion and commitment of this group were simply brilliant. Nothing stood in the way of progress. In fact, one attendee came all the way from Singapore and did the entire PCC workshop with a broken foot! (For the record, he broke his foot running a triathlon… and still won!) No excuses!

Our venue, the Commando Temple, was hands down one of the greatest facilities I’ve ever seen in the world. Beyond being a playground for calisthenics commanders, it was also a museum of strongman education, and a tribute to all forms of strength in pop culture. The members of the staff were not only amazing hosts, but also dedicated bodyweight beasts in their own right.

Double front lever performed by PCC instructors Fitsz Dubova and Coung Hua from the Commando Temple.

As always, it was a privilege to witness astonishing teamwork all weekend long. Hand in hand, this new crop of PCC’s guided each other through the exercises and lifted each other up, never putting one another down.

The one-on-one instruction and the power of the group is something that must be experienced to be believed. We entered the room as strangers, but left as family. There is no substitute for an in-person experience.

Congratulations to all the newly certified PCC instructors. It was truly a weekend I’ll never forget. We are all grateful for the experience.

Keep The Dream Alive,
-DK

PCC London 2016 Group Photo

****

Danny Kavadlo is one of the world’s foremost authorities on calisthenics, nutrition and personal training. He is the author of the Dragon Door titles Strength Rules, Diamond-Cut Abs and Everybody Needs Training. Danny is known for his minimalist philosophy, simple approach and motivational talents.

A true in-person experience, Danny is a Master Instructor for Dragon Door’s Progressive Calisthenics Certification. He has been featured in the NY Times, TRAIN, Men’s Fitness and is a regular contributor to Bodybuilding.com. Learn more about Danny at www.DannyTheTrainer.com

Workout Tips for Busy Professionals

April 5, 2016 By Brad Sadler 23 Comments

Brad Sadl and wife, Laura train calisthenics together
“Hey Honey, let’s quit!”

That’s what I said to my wife today about two minutes into the workout we were doing together.

She looked at me incredulously and said, “No!”

Well, back to push-ups, pull-ups and squats for me.

Once we finished the workout, I was glad I’d chosen to train with my wife. Usually, I’m the one to push her, but today I needed some encouragement.

Let me back up just a bit. I love to workout. It’s one of the biggest pleasures in my life. Not only do I love to workout–but I love bodyweight workouts. I love all kinds of push-ups, pull-ups, muscle-ups and levers. Sometimes I wish I could make working out my entire life–but already I have a career that I love.

I’m a physician–a psychiatrist. A busy psychiatrist. I run an inpatient service and I recently started an outpatient practice as well. I am on call every 3rd week for 7 days straight. It’s a lot of work. There are nights I don’t get any sleep. Sometimes that makes it hard to stick to my training. Thankfully I’ve found a few ways to help keep myself in check.

Here’s how I’ve been able to do it:

Plan your workout schedule to correspond with your workload: I know that I’m on call every 3 weeks. That call is 24/7 and it lasts 7 days. Ugh! That week that I’m on call it’s REALLY hard to workout. By the end of the week, I’m dog tired and getting in my workouts is almost impossible. Instead of giving up completely, I now treat that week as a deload week. I plan to work out really hard the first two weeks. I do the majority of my strength work, longer workouts, more intense workouts those two weeks and I rest more and do shorter workouts during the call week. I also don’t expect myself to perform as well when I’m on call so I don’t beat myself up if I’m not where I want to be. You can do it too. Have an upcoming project at your job or a busy season? How about a cyclical business? Plan your workouts accordingly.

Let others motivate you: Sure it’s great to work out alone. I do enjoy that. Typically, I can design my own workouts, I can motivate myself to do them at a fairly high intensity, and I enjoy the solitude of listening to my favorite music (heavy metal and gangsta rap) while getting it in. Sometimes though–when things are busy I can’t quiet that nagging part of my mind–the part that tells me I’m too tired to do this. The part that asks, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a chocolate sundae and watch TV?” This is why I work out with my wife. We motivate each other. It’s good to have her there right with me. Other days, I leave the house and go to the gym. I get motivated by working out with my friends. There’s something that brings out the best in you if there’s a bit of friendly competition in your workouts.

Animal motivation: I love dogs. I have 4 of them. I have VERY active dogs. My dogs need walks. They need play time. On days when I’m too tired for an intense workout, I take them for long walks. Sometimes I even take them for a run. If you have a pet, they need exercise too, so you’re helping them and you’re helping you!

Brad Sadl, PCC, with his Dogs
Learn a sport: Every Friday evening, I go to the local gymnastics gym for a private session with my awesome gymnastics coach. There’s nothing like paying an instructor, coach or fitness professional to motivate you. There are plenty of times I feel tired on the drive over–but once I’m there I’m happy and engaged with the learning process and I always leave feeling happy I went. Starting to learn gymnastics at the age of 40 was a humbling experience as well. I’m the oldest person in the gym by sometimes 30+ years and the young gymnasts are amazing. Sometimes, I just stop and watch. I’m astounded by what the young gymnasts can do. Watching them encourages me to push myself to get better.

Eat well: I’ll admit it, this one is kinda hard. When I’m really busy with work and I’m not sleeping well, I crave sugar. I crave chocolate. I have a hard time saying no to sweets and processed foods when I’m stressed. I know this about myself. I justify eating a cookie or having a couple glasses of wine at night because I’m tired. I worked hard, I deserve it. Sound familiar? I know I’m not the only one. I noticed that after leaving my old job and starting my new practice, I was eating worse. I was gaining a little weight, and I wasn’t feeling as motivated. I recently doubled down on my eating. I haven’t been allowing myself to give in to the thought, “I deserve this.” I also have a trip to Cancun coming up that motivated me to get back on track with eating. I feel better, my workouts are better, and my energy is better. Not only that–my abs are back and that keeps me happy! A lot of people find temporary motivation in an upcoming trip, a wedding, the summer. The trick is, I think, to keep coming up with motivating ideas. Once you’re married–don’t become complacent. Once you’re back from your trip or once the summer ends don’t stop all the positive changes you made. Keep coming up with reasons to eat better and pretty soon it will become habit and habit is harder to change.

Take a day off: What? Isn’t this supposed to be about motivation to work out? Yes. Yes, it is. Sometimes, the best thing I’ve ever done for myself is to take a day off or even two. Come back refreshed. Come back when all your muscles are rested. I promise, you won’t lose all your gains in two days. In fact, once you’ve rested your overworked muscles and your mind–you will come back stronger than ever. I’ve had some of my best PR’s after 2-4 days of rest. If work has been killing you–don’t go and kill yourself even more in the gym. The body can only handle so much stress. If you’re in overdrive all the time–something is going to go wrong.

Have fun: Workouts don’t have to be stressful. They don’t have to be long. They don’t have to leave you gasping for air. I know there’s something you’re good at. Everyone has something they can do well, even if it’s simply walking. Indulge it once a week. Indulge it briefly every day. Anytime you’re moving that’s good. There will be time for working on weaknesses, getting stronger, and building muscle, but some days you just need motivation. You need the spark that’s going to get you going. Go ahead and do it if you love it. Even if you did it yesterday or this morning or 5 minutes ago. Something is ALWAYS better than nothing.

Sign up for the PCC: Making the commitment to take the PCC was one of the best things I ever did to enhance my training motivation. Once I was signed up, I knew there was no backing out. I also knew that if I wanted to make the most of the weekend, I would need to practice my calisthenics regularly in the months leading up to the event. When PCC weekend came around, I was able to try new things and learn new skills because I had built a proper foundation.

I hope this list helps inspire you to find ways around your busy schedule. Even if you don’t do it exactly how I do it–I’d love to hear the ways you motivate yourself when life throws you that curve ball!

Brad Sadl at the PCC with Al Kavadlo

****

Brad Sadler, MD, MS, PCC is a full-time psychiatrist and avid fitness enthusiast. He loves spending time with his family, and practicing calisthenics.

How To Get Better At Pull-Ups

March 29, 2016 By Al Kavadlo 27 Comments

Al Kavadlo Pull Up

Pull-ups are my favorite exercise. I started practicing them at age 13 and throughout my lifetime I’ve pulled my chin over a horizontal bar more times than I can count. That’s probably why I’m good at them.

But that’s not the case for everyone. In fact, for many PCC candidates, the pull-up is the most difficult and intimidating part of the Century Test. Its placement at the end of the 100 rep sequence only adds to the challenge, but this is no accident. If you want to be a PCC instructor, you must be able to perform 10 proper pull-ups even when you are fatigued.

While there are no secrets or shortcuts in the world of calisthenics, if you feel like you’ve plateaued on pull-ups, there are certain techniques and training methods that may help you blast through those barriers and take your pull-up game to new heights. I’ll share a few ideas with you below, but before we move on, let’s be clear about how the PCC defines a proper pull-up:

The classic overhand grip is encouraged, though the underhand or “chin-up” grip is allowed during Century testing.
The shoulders may be relaxed at the bottom of the rep when the elbows are fully extended, but the scapulae should retract and depress as the rep begins.
The chin must fully clear the bar at the top, and a full extension of the elbows is required at the bottom. The body must also remain relatively straight throughout, with minimal hip or knee flexion.
Though you obviously have to lean back a bit to avoid hitting your head on the bar at the top of your pull-up, your torso should not travel very far forward or backward.

Tighten Up
One of the biggest mistakes people make when performing pull-ups is thinking of the movement purely as an arms exercise. Of course you involve your arms to a great degree when performing any type of pull-up, but the muscles of your back, shoulders, chest, abs and more all play their part. As such, it can help to focus on maintaining tension throughout your entire body as you pull your chin over the bar. Grip tightly with your hands, tense your abs, squeeze your glutes and flex your quads as your drive your elbows toward your hips to fully utilize your lats during the pull. Focus on maintaining total body tension during the descent as well in order to avoid picking up unwanted momentum.

Hang On
The “rest/pause method” is an old-school technique to increase your reps on just about any exercise, and it can be especially useful for pull-ups, particularly once you can do several in a row. After a brief warm-up, simply do as many proper pull-ups as you can, then continue to hang on the bar for a few seconds. After you catch your breath, try to squeeze out one more pull-up, then hang on for a bit longer, take a few more breaths, and try for one more. You might be surprised at how many extra reps you can manage this way, plus you will get additional grip work from all the extra hanging.

Al Kavadlo Pull Up

Pull-Up Pyramid
Implementing a pyramid protocol is a fun way to incorporate a fairly high volume of pull-ups without sacrificing proper technique. The idea is to gradually increase, and then gradually decrease the amount of reps you perform in each of several consecutive sets.

Begin by doing one pull-up, then come off the bar and take a short break. Next, perform two pull-ups, then after another break, do three. As the sets get longer, the breaks between them should get longer, too. Continue this pattern until you reach the point where you can no longer add another rep with proper form, then start working your way back down.

Pull-up Superset
A superset involves taking two exercises and performing them back-to-back with little to no rest in between. Typically the harder exercise goes first and when fatigue is reached, you switch to the less difficult exercise.

A great way to apply this concept toward improving your pull-ups is to perform a set of Australian pull-ups (aka bodyweight rows) immediately following a set of standard pull-ups. Take a long break, then repeat the superset again.

This method allows you to continue to work your pulling muscles once you can no longer perform any more pull-ups. You can do this 3-4 times in a single workout, but you’ll probably want to give your upper-body a day or two of rest afterward.

Learn To Love It
More than any specific training template or method, consistency and effort will always be the two primary factors that determine success. You have to spend a lot of time doing pull-ups in order to get good at them. There’s no substitute for hard work. Learn to embrace your pull-up practice and in time you may even learn to love doing pull-ups as much as I do.

Al Kavadlo Pull Up

***

Al Kavadlo is the lead instructor for Dragon Door’s Progressive Calisthenics Certification. Recognized worldwide for his amazing bodyweight feats of strength as well as his unique coaching style, Al is the author of five books, including Raising The Bar: The Definitive Guide to Pull-up Bar Calisthenics and Pushing The Limits! Total Body Strength With No Equipment. Read more about Al on his website:www.AlKavadlo.com.

Perfecting The Hanging Knee Raise

March 22, 2016 By Al Kavadlo 21 Comments

Al Kavadlo Hanging Knee Raise I get a lot of questions from potential PCC candidates about our Century Test. It’s understandable that folks want to be prepared for the testing that comes at the end of the PCC weekend, and it’s often the same questions that come up:

Am I allowed to come off the bar during the pull-ups?

Am I allowed to rest in a “down dog” position during the push-ups?

Can I bribe the instructors in order to pass?

Do I really have to go all the way down on all 40 squats?!?

Hardly anyone asks about the hanging knee raises. And this is precisely the problem. (For the record, the answers to the other 4 questions are NO, NO, NO and YES.)

Though far more people have failed the Century during the pull-ups than during the hanging knee raises, I believe that many of those who couldn’t complete their pull-ups had trouble at least in part due to the knee raises having taken more effort than they anticipated. If you’re struggling by your tenth hanging knee raise, it does not bode well for the rest of the test, even if you manage to hang on long enough to finish the 20 required reps. This is why perfecting your hanging knee raise is a key part of training for the Century. It’s a great strategy to make sure you have gas left in the tank to complete the test, and the extra time spent hanging from the bar can only help your pull-up game in the long run.

PCC_UK-Stephen-Hughes-Landers-HangingKneeRaise2 The first few times I taught the PCC workshop I was surprised by how many people could not perform a proper hanging knee raise upon entering. At this point, it no longer surprises me, but it still sometimes amazes me when otherwise solid candidates struggle with this exercise. It’s not the hardest move in the world, but it does take some practice. Particularly in the context of the Century, performing 20 clean reps in a row is a more difficult task than many expect it to be, yet it seems like lots of folks show up for the PCC having never even attempted more than a single rep. People either underestimate the hanging knee raise, or they’re too focused on all the pull-ups to even notice this relatively modest exercise.

As such, many PCC candidates end up getting “no-repped” on a lot of their hanging knee raises due to poor technique, which wastes both time and energy. If you wind up getting no-repped 6 or 7 times during the hanging knee raises, not only does that leave less time to rest before your pull-ups, it can also zap your strength and vitality.

If you want all of your reps to count, the biggest thing to watch out for is excessive swinging. This is especially true during the lowering phase of the movement. Though a slight degree of wavering may be unavoidable, anything more than that is unacceptable.

In order to facilitate a controlled descent, think about pointing your toes and reaching your feet slightly forward in the bottom position, almost like a gymnastic “hollow body” hold. This will help you avoid picking up excessive momentum. Also make sure to maintain tension in your abs, and don’t let your legs swing behind your body at the bottom of the rep.

Al Kavadlo Hanging Knee Raise Focus on raising your knees with control as well. Avoid moving too quickly and aim to pause briefly at the top of each repetition to make sure that you remain steady.

Furthermore, it’s crucial to make sure you have a solid grip. Squeeze the bar tightly, keep your elbows locked, and actively pull your shoulder blades down and back to minimize any swinging.

Though range of motion is less often a concern on this exercise than the others that comprise the Century test, it is essential that your knees are raised above hip height for a rep to count. Focus on tilting your hips and pelvis forward at the top of each rep in order to fully engage your abs and ensure that your knees come up high enough.

It’s great to understand all of those concepts theoretically, but it’s another thing to actually put in the time to get a feel for the exercise physically. The key to perfecting your hanging knee raise is very simple: lots of practice. Do them before your pull-ups to warm up or do them afterwards to burn out. Just make sure you do them before you come to PCC.

***

The 100 Push-Up Program

March 15, 2016 By Al Kavadlo 37 Comments

Al Kavadlo 100 Push-up Challenge

There’s a famous Zen parable that says, “If you want to be a monk, you’ve got to cook a lot of rice.” In other words, you can’t get to the destination without doing the work.

Well if you want to be a PCC, you’ve got to do a lot of push-ups. If you’re into calisthenics, chances are you’re no stranger to this classic exercise, but have you ever attempted 100 of them in a single session?

This 100 Push-Up Program consists of doing just that, no matter how many sets it takes. Even if it means you are doing sets of just one rep by the end. For example, you might start out with a set of 20, followed by two sets of 15, then do a couple sets of 10, before finishing with several sets of just 5 reps or less. You are allowed as long of a break in between sets as you need. Focus on keeping your form clean and avoid going to failure.

Completing all 100 reps could take a while at first, but with repeated efforts the amount of sets required to reach that target should start to decrease. Eventually you might even complete all 100 reps in a single unbroken set. Just be careful not to sacrifice good form to get there.

Furthermore, if you feel that standard push-ups are not challenging enough, choose a more difficult variation. Fingertip push-ups, close push-ups or archer push-ups are all viable options. Conversely, you can adjust this workout for a beginner by using knee push-ups or push-ups with the hands elevated.

If you feel standard push-ups are not challenging enough, choose a harder variation.

Here are a few more things to keep in mind:

– A full push-up requires a minimum of 90 degrees of flexion along the outside of the elbow at the bottom of the rep, and a full extension of the arms at the top.

– Make sure you maintain a straight line from your heels to the back of your head throughout the entire range of motion.

– Keep your elbows relatively close to your body; do not flare them out to the sides.

– Your shoulder-blades should come together at the bottom of your push-up, but make sure to spread them apart at the top to get the most from each rep.

Danny Kavadlo Demonstrating Push-up form

Don’t feel constrained to using this training tactic with push-ups only. This simple program is a fantastic way to increase your strength and endurance on any basic calisthenics exercise: squats, pull-ups, dips, etc. are all fair game. Advanced trainees can even use this template for more difficult exercises like muscle-ups and pistol squats.

At first I would recommend only doing this once a week per body part, as it can be a bit of a shock to your system. Eventually, however, you can condition yourself to doing this type of thing regularly. When 100 is no longer a challenging number, pick a harder exercise or raise the total reps to 200 or more. Additionally, if 100 reps is just not realistic for you right now, then pick a smaller number (maybe 50?) and build up from there.

Programming your workout does not have to be complicated. No matter your fitness level, this infinitely scalable template is a great way to increase strength and endurance on any movement. Just remember, you have to train consistently to get results. You don’t become a monk without making a lot of rice.

***

The 10 Minute Bodyweight Squat Challenge

March 8, 2016 By Al Kavadlo 65 Comments

Al Kavadlo Squat challenge

“I want to get in better shape, but I just don’t have time to exercise!”

If you’ve been a fitness trainer for more than about 15 seconds, you’ve probably heard this excuse from at least a dozen different people already.

It’s probably the most common rationalization folks use to justify their lack of regular exercise, and it may very well be the lamest.

The truth is, you can get a challenging and effective workout in just 10 minutes, and anyone who says they don’t have 10 minutes is just kidding themselves.

What I’m about to share with you is so quick and simple, many people may question its effectiveness. If you are one of those people, all you’ll need to verify the power of this workout is to try it for yourself.

Here’s the challenge:

Begin by setting up your feet in a comfortable squat position. The toes may be turned outward slightly or your feet may be placed parallel. Set a timer for 10 minutes and start the clock.

Your objective is to perform as many slow, controlled squats as possible, while using a full range of motion. Aim to make each rep last for three full seconds. You may take as many breaks as you like, but your feet must remain flat on the ground where they began for the entire time.

Grace Kavadlo Close Squat

After about 30-60 seconds, your legs will likely begin to experience a burning sensation. Keep going: this workout will be a mental challenge as much as a physical one. Only take a break when you absolutely have to, and even then try to keep it to 10 seconds or less. As you go on, the amount of breaks you need and the duration of each break may start to increase. This is fine.

The first time you attempt this challenge, aim for 100 squats. That’s an average of 10 per minute. If you are sticking to the 3 second per rep rule, that’s 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest every minute for ten minutes. Not too bad, right?

By the same token, the highest number of squats you could complete in ten minutes at a 3-second pace is 200 reps. Though very few will accomplish the full 200 on their first attempt, I encourage you to do this workout once or twice a week until you can make it without stopping. A good method is to add 10-20 reps each time. I guarantee that if you eventually build to the full 200, your legs will be stronger, and your ankles, hips and knees will feel great, too.

When you’re ready, the 10 minute squat challenge can eventually become your warm-up before practicing pistol squats and other one legged squat variants.

Al Kavadlo Pistol Regression

Here are a few more things to keep in mind:

– An ideal squat starts with a tall chest, neutral spine, and flat feet. As you initiate your squat, your hips will move back while your knees slide forward slightly, allowing your ankles to flex. Your heels need to remain on the ground throughout the movement. Keep your chest upright and your back straight during every rep. You may be surprised by how much you’ll need to engage your abs and back to maintain your posture.

– In order for a rep to count, you must descend until the tops of your thighs are at least parallel to the ground. The range of motion at the top of the squat is also crucial. Do not shortchange yourself by failing to fully extend your hips and knees. I can’t stress enough how important it is to go all the way down and all the way up.

– Arm position is up to the individual, but most people find that reaching their arms forward on the way down helps facilitate proper form.

– Don’t rush. The goal is to perform every rep with precision and control.

This workout will likely leave you sore for at least a day or two the first time you try it, and possibly a lot longer than that if it’s been awhile since your last leg session. This is good. Work your upper body in the meantime (maybe a ten minute push-up workout the next day?), then do your squats again once you’ve recovered.

Also, if you’ve got time to stretch after you’re finished, a standard toe touch and/or quad stretch on each side would probably feel nice, but I totally understand if you’re too busy. Ten minutes is all I initially asked for; I didn’t mean to get greedy.

Al Kavadlo Squat

***

Training Handstands For Strength

March 1, 2016 By Grace Kavadlo 26 Comments

Grace Kavadlo Handstands 1

When many people think of the handstand, they think of a bodyweight skill. In other words, if your goal isn’t to hold a freestanding handstand, somehow it’s not a worthwhile exercise. While learning to balance on your hands is certainly a noble pursuit, a lot can be gained from approaching the handstand from a pure strength training perspective by using a wall for support. In calisthenics, we encourage all types of isometric holds from elbow levers to L-sits. You can think of the wall handstand as just being the inverted variety.

Wall handstands take the balance element out of the exercise and are excellent for building overhead pressing strength. Practicing wall handstand holds is also a great way of building shoulder stability and increasing static strength. Handstands strengthen your triceps, delts, rhomboids, traps, and the extensor muscles of your forearms which can help build strong, healthy wrists. When you tense your entire body in a wall handstand, similar to how you would in a plank, you can also target your quads, glutes, and even your abs.

Below are 3 different wall handstand variations that you can try. Aim to hold each pose for as long as you can, ideally working up to one full minute. It’s not uncommon to feel dizzy or slightly disoriented after performing long holds, so ease in slowly and rest as needed between efforts.

Back-to-the-Wall Handstand
This is a great place to start if you are new to handstands. Begin by facing a wall with both hands on the ground, your front knee bent and the other leg extended behind you. Hop off your bent leg and reach your extended leg towards the wall. It may take a few hops before you finally hit the wall. Make sure your arms are straight with your elbows fully extended. A common mistake beginners tend to make is to bend their elbows as they kick up which makes them fall on their head and never want to attempt a handstand again. Remember “when the elbows bend, the power ends.”

Once you’re up, allow your head to relax between your shoulders as you actively press into the ground. It is normal to have a slight arch in your back when you are practicing this exercise, but aim to minimize this pressure on your low back by actively squeezing your glutes, engaging your abs and pushing your head and chest through your arms. When you’re ready to come down, release one leg at a time back to the ground, doing your best to land gently.

Grace Kavadlo Handstands

L-to-the-Wall Handstand
Begin in a push-up position with your heels touching the wall behind you. Slowly begin to crawl your feet up the wall as you fold at the waist, walking your hands in closer until your hips are aligned above your shoulders. Your body will wind up in an inverted capital letter L-shape. It may help to have a pair of eyes on you to let you know when you are in position, as it can be hard to tell at first.

In addition to upper body strength, there’s a lot of flexibility needed in your hamstrings to fully extend your legs. If you don’t have the mobility to achieve a full lockout, you can practice with a slight bend in your knees and/or allow your heels to come off the wall slightly. This is also a really intense exercise for your shoulders. It can help to alternate extending one leg upwards at a time in order to take some of the pressure off your shoulders if it starts to get too intense.

Grace Kavadlo Handstands

Face-the-Wall Handstand
Similar to the L-to-the-wall, begin in a push-up position with your heels against the wall, then start crawling your feet up and walking your hands in. This time, the idea is to get the entire front of your body pressed flat against the wall. When you reach the wall, tuck your chin to your chest, tense your glutes, squeeze your quads, point your toes and engage your abs. Think about lengthening your body as much as possible by actively shrugging your shoulders, pressing into the ground and reaching your legs upward.

You can ease into this variation by walking in as close to the wall as you feel comfortable and then walking back out. Gradually you will build the strength and confidence to bring your hands all the way the wall.

Grace Kavadlo Handstands

Upside Down and Inside Out
From an overall health perspective, inversions have a lot more to offer than strength or skill alone. Due to the effect gravity has on the body, practicing inversion holds can be beneficial for the circulatory, lymphatic, and nervous systems. Your body has many valves and veins all transporting lymph fluid, nutrients, and blood constantly. By inverting yourself, you are in essence helping these natural processes by encouraging venous return from the lower extremities back to your heart, brain, lungs, and lymph nodes. As such, there are many folks in the yoga community who consider handstands to be the fountain of youth, so don’t neglect them!

See you on the flip-side, ninjas!

Grace Kavadlo Handstands

****