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Progressive Calisthenics - The Official Blog for the PCC Community

push-ups

Borrow These Calisthenics Cues From the Recent NYC PCC

November 21, 2017 By Adrienne Harvey 6 Comments

NYC PCC Instructors Team Danny Kavadlo, Adrienne Harvey, Julie Briggs, Al Kavadlo

One of my absolute favorite parts of any teaching situation is the opportunity to troubleshoot and help teach the troubleshooting process. This not only helps the participants with their own workouts, but teaches them how to help their clients make big changes quickly.

And whenever there’s a new group of people at a PCC, there are new questions, issues, and viewpoints. This was certainly the case at the most recent PCC held at Crunch Gym’s flagship location on 59th Street in Manhattan. As the Kavadlo brothers always say—and they’re totally right about this—on the first day we enter the room as strangers, but leave as friends. The amount of networking, cooperation, and brainstorming among the participants this time was especially high. Can’t wait to see what comes of these new friendships and alliances.

While it’s unrealistic to claim that everyone who attends a PCC workshop is guaranteed to experience a big breakthrough in their training, it seems to happen frequently. People attending a PCC are usually either trainers, instructors or serious enthusiasts, but we all have our blind spots. The combination of the demonstrations, lectures, Q&A, and the partner practice sessions on all three days of the PCC creates a powerful learning environment. Even though I’ve been involved with the PCC since the very first workshop back in 2013, I still learn something new every time. Should also add that since even the most recent time I helped instruct, the curriculum has continued to evolve and improve.

All of that being said, it is extremely rewarding to give someone a game changer cue or idea that almost instantly takes them to the next level. So, in this recap of the NYC PCC workshop I’d like to revisit a couple of my favorite cues that came up at the workshop. To those who might think I’m giving away too much, understand that these ideas really are best absorbed real-time in the context of a PCC workshop.

PCC NYC Ladies Pistols: Adrienne Harvey, Julie Briggs, Erica Dohring, Meghan Daly

“Point at Yourself” and “Pew-pew!”

Something I’ve seen both online and at PCC workshops with people who are so close to performing a perfect pistol squat is a slack looking foot on the leg held in front. Often, these same people will have the idea that they somehow aren’t strong enough to do it. But with one (or both) of the following cues they are often able to generate enough tension to pull off the move with precision.

The first cue is a personal favorite, it’s simply to think of pushing through the heel of the suspended leg while pointing the toe back TOWARDS you. “Point your toe back at your nose.” You’re basically flexing the foot as hard as you can, which causes the quad to contract very strongly, keeping the straight leg straight out in front of your pistol squat. You will want to stretch out the quad a little after this, and some folks (myself included, especially if I’m a little dehydrated) may actually get a little cramp in the quad. Common sentiment, “Oh I didn’t know I needed to contract the quad THAT hard”

Al also reminded us that generating extra tension from the upper body can also really help the pistol squat. Get in touch with your inner 007 and make the “pew-pew” fingers while strongly clasping your hands together. This can make for much more stable pistol squats in terms of tension and balance, and as in the example above, cute photos.

Al and Danny demonstrate the push-up

“I’m gonna hit you in the tummy, ok?” 

By the time someone attends a PCC workshop, they’ve done a LOT of push-ups in preparation for the Century Test. But, changing the angle or the points of contact from a standard pushup in one of the many advanced progressions taught at the PCC can make the exercise feel brand new again. Old habits can sometimes creep back when the focus moves from the familiar standard pushup. The novelty of trying a new progression can cause even the most advanced of us to forget the crucial basics.

Such was the case with a participant I helped at the workshop. He had been repping out fantastic standard push-ups and all the other variations perfectly until this point. While raising one hand high on a platform to try a nearly one-arm uneven push-up, he seemed to forget about his midsection. But, without trunk stability, this advanced push-up would be impossible. I knew he could do it based on previous performances, and after seeing his lower back sagging on the attempt, I said, “Wait! Use your abs, I’m going to hit you in the tummy, ok?”

He said, “OK,” so I gently gave him a couple little chops right in the tummy. The first one let both of us know that he had let his core go slack, and the second one revealed that he’d fixed the situation. His back was suddenly straight again and he was able to successfully complete a rep of this difficult and frankly extreme push-up variation.

No matter what push-up variation we’re discussing, the push-up at its heart is a moving plank. And that of course requires abdominal stability The more advanced the progression, the more extreme the stability requirement.

PCC NYC Participants Muscle-Ups

One Last Thing…

At the workshops I’ve been invited to help teach over the years, I’ve noticed that while we have a ton of fitness professionals attend, we also have many people from other fields. As someone with a computer science background I’m always pleased to see developers, engineers, and other technical professionals show up to a PCC and perform extraordinarily well. The idea that they are setting such a strong example in their lives outside the fitness industry is also excellent for public health. Fitness and the ideas in the PCC and Convict Conditioning really are for everyone.

NYC PCC November 2017 at Crunch Gym 59th Street

While we may all admire and aspire to the most advanced steps, and videos and photos of those feats are typically the ones that go viral, the bread and butter basics of calisthenics are applicable to all human bodies. The early progressions, especially as taught at the PCC and in Convict Conditioning are powerful for any level. And the newly certified PCC Instructors from this most recent NYC PCC at Crunch’s flagship gym are ready to bring these transformative ideas to the world.

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Adrienne Harvey, Senior PCC Instructor, RKC-II, CK-FMS, has been RKC Certified since 2010, and RKC Level 2 certified since 2011. Kettlebell and bodyweight training have been crucial in Adrienne’s personal quest for fitness. A core member of the PCC team, Adrienne loves sharing her knowledge with small groups and individuals. She has modeled in multiple Dragon Door titles including The Neuro-Grip Challenge, Rings of Power, DVRT, Neuro-Mass, Pushing the Limits, and several others.  For her recipes and workout programs to further support performance, body composition, and of course—FUN, check out her website: http://www.giryagirl.com.

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics, Tutorial, Workshop Experiences Tagged With: Adrienne Harvey, calisthenics, Crunch Gym, cues, New York City, NYC PCC, pistol squats, progressive calisthenics, push-ups, top tips, tutorial, workshop experience

Coaching and Using Powerful Push-up Elbow Positions

May 17, 2016 By Adrienne Harvey 29 Comments

Adrienne Harvey One-Arm Push-Up

I’m pretty sure there hasn’t been a PCC or SCC workshop where the following question hasn’t come up:

“Where do I put my elbows during the push-up?”

Or if it isn’t asked, there’s always more than a handful of people who need some coaching on elbow placement with the push-up.

Al’s answer is a real winner, and we can all benefit from hearing and reviewing it. Basically, you want to make sure your elbows stay below your shoulders. Keeping them way out at a 90 degree angle to your torso is not ideal, but they don’t have to be right next to the body either. For most people, the ideal arm position will create somewhere between a 0-60 degree angle between the upper arm and the torso.

Push-Up Elbow Range 0-60 degrees

The good news is the range of 0-60 degrees allows each of us to find a strong and comfortable place, but by intentionally varying the angle in our sessions we can recruit different muscle groups more intensely. Generally speaking within this safe range, when the elbows are close to the sides as on the left photo above, there’s more emphasis on the triceps and front delts. When the degree is greater, we can experience a little more recruitment of the pectorals.

There’s several reasons that the elbow issue keeps coming up, and will probably continue to be up for discussion with trainers and enthusiasts alike. Here are three of the bigger reasons:

  1. There are a LOT of heavily used stock photos of people doing push-ups with their arms way out at big 90-degree angles. This is actually a huge pet peeve of mine because you’ll see these photos in well known, famous magazines and advertisements for everything from workout wear to every supplement you can imagine. The most extreme example I’ve seen was a (at least we were told) highly converting photo chosen to promote my friend’s boot camp. The woman in the stock photo had her elbows cranked out to such a degree that doing a push-up from that picture-posed position looked physically impossible!I could continue with more examples, but you get the idea—we’re all surrounded by tons of strange visual examples of something as simple as a push-up. It’s easy for even experienced exercisers to start thinking that this super-wide elbow angle is a preferred position, considering how often we see it in supposedly authoritative mainstream books, magazines, ads, etc. for men and women!
Elbows up too high can put shearing force on the shoulder joints, etc. I hated even taking this picture. OUCH!
Elbows up too high can put shearing force on the shoulder joints, etc. I hated even taking this picture. OUCH!
  1. The elbows can sneak out and up when someone has moved ahead to a more difficult variation too quickly. I’ve also seen many people start out with a great elbow position, then as they fatigue, the elbows start coming forward as compensation. At the same time, you’ll see their head jut forward to the ground as another, often simultaneous compensation. Beginners can sometimes be so focused on hitting a particular rep goal, that they won’t even feel these compensations happening.That’s where you, as a great instructor can help out.

    If you are training on your own, check in from time to time by shooting a short video (just for you) on your phone and checking your form. Whenever I feel like something is “off” with any given exercise, I get out the camera, it’s a great tool. When you’re coaching a client and they’re doing well, you can also shoot short videos of them on their own phones—they will now have that as a reference (they’ll also probably proudly show it to their friends and end up sending you referrals). It takes everyone some time to build the body awareness to know when the form is breaking down. This is part of why it’s so important NOT to rush through the beginning steps of any calisthenics exercise.

  1. I’m sad that we need to bring up this third reason. As with the “squat depth” debate there still are still plenty of dogmatic trainers out there who are insisting that “there can only be one” (true for the Highlander, but not for elbow position) correct elbow position for everyone all the time. So, feel free to break free from the “right and wrong” dogma and find your effective elbow placements within that generous 0-60% angle area. Experiment, have fun, and don’t do anything that hurts!

The important thing to remember (and which is stressed at both the SCC and PCC) is that the exact elbow position will vary with each person. It can even be fun to challenge yourself within this range after you’re comfortable with your own ideal elbow position. Always remember to think of pointing your “elbow pits” forward at the top of the push-up, and the points of your elbows aimed at your feet or toes. This will help maintain your position and keep the reps nice and productive for building strength and habits.

Point the elbow pits forward at the top of your push ups
Point the elbow pits forward at the top of your push ups

What if someone can’t perform a push-up without putting the elbows way up high with their shoulders crushing their ears? This simply means they’ll need to work on an earlier step in the progression until they have enough strength. Push-ups on railings are great for teaching the elbow position while building the requisite strength. Be extra sure that the hands are placed in line with and below the shoulders, no matter what surface is used. Knee pushups performed with absolute precision are also very useful for gaining the strength and habit of a healthy elbow/shoulder position.

The same idea applies for the often-maligned, but still very effective knee push up…
The same idea applies for the often-maligned, but still very effective knee push up…
It also applies to the raised push-up step…
It also applies to the raised push-up step…

Let’s start with the “smallest” angle. This is with the arms right next to the body—even touching. Yoga enthusiasts may recognize this position as similar to when they perform the chaturanga series of movements. The hands are almost automatically placed right under the shoulders with this position too. It’s a very stable feeling for most people. If I’m going for high reps, or am helping a student activate and use the whole of their torso (lats, serratus), then this is a great go-to position.

People with large lats from serious pull-up habits, as well as those who may have a few pounds to lose will naturally need to take their arms a little further away from the body. They will of course need to still be sure to engage the lats, keep the shoulders away from the ears and maintain a plank position and tension throughout the body.

Paying attention to elbow placement VERY much applies for the more advanced variations like this feet raised push up. A good elbow angle will ensure that you don’t face plant when you first progress to this variation.
Paying attention to elbow placement VERY much applies for the more advanced variations like this feet raised push up. A good elbow angle will ensure that you don’t face plant when you first progress to this variation.

Taking the elbows out to a 45 degree or larger angle will usually be a choice of personal preference given physiology, or a choice made to make the exercise different or a little more difficult. We know that taking the hands out wider past the shoulders will be more challenging for most as well. When you’re ready, explore different hand positions, and then prepare to progress to a really fun intermediate/advanced push-up, the archer push-up.

Danny Kavadlo performing a precision demonstration of the archer push-up at a recent PCC workshop.
Danny Kavadlo performing a precision demonstration of the archer push-up at a recent PCC workshop.

No matter what elbow angle is best for you, a real power-booster with the push up is the idea of having a spiraling feeling throughout the arm, and especially with the hands through the ground. A useful cue for this is to have your fingers pointing forwards, but at the top of the push-up, your “elbow pits” (see earlier phoot) will also be pointing forward. In a pinch—like those last few crucial reps of the Century Test—this spiraling feeling can make the difference between pass and fail.

Figuring out your optimal elbow angle can also lead to great success with the intermediate/advanced variations below, and of course your path to the one-arm push-up:

Close push-ups are safer and more effective when the elbow placement is right for you.
Close push-ups are safer and more effective when the elbow placement is right for you.
Neuro-Grip Push-Ups are nearly impossible without good elbow placement.
Neuro-Grip push-ups are nearly impossible without good elbow placement.
And the scary-looking back of the wrist push-ups (work up to these gently and only if appropriate for you) simply DEMAND proper form…or else!
And the scary-looking back of the wrist push-ups (work up to these gently and only if appropriate for you) simply DEMAND proper form…or else!

Hopefully these ideas will help you and your clients/students continue to get strong and progress with the eternally useful, do-anywhere push-up. Please share your experiences in the comments below.

Train STRONG!
Adrienne

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Adrienne Harvey, Senior PCC Instructor, RKC-II, CK-FMS, has been RKC Certified since 2010, and RKC Level 2 certified since 2011. Kettlebell and bodyweight training have been crucial in Adrienne’s personal quest for fitness.  A core member of the PCC team, Adrienne loves sharing her knowledge with small groups and individuals. She also loves to develop recipes and workout programs to further support performance, body composition, and of course—FUN.

Adrienne will be leading a one-day SCC (Strength Calisthenics Certification) Workshop in Gaithersburg, MD next month, and joining the Kavadlos at the PCC in New York next month as well. There are still a few spots available for each workshop, sign up today.

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics, Tutorial Tagged With: Adrienne Harvey, calisthenics, elbow placement, PCC, progressive calisthenics, push-up, push-ups, SCC, technique

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.
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.

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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.

Filed Under: Motivation and Goals, Progressive Calisthenics Tagged With: 100 push up challenge, Al Kavadlo, Al Kavadlo Push Up Challenge, press-up, press-ups, push up challenge, push-up, push-ups, pushup

The Smith Machine and Push-Ups: The Calisthenics Odd Couple

October 13, 2015 By Derek Spoden 9 Comments

Smith Machine Push-Ups Lead

There are very few objects that come to mind when thinking about “calisthenics equipment” other than the floor, a bar, and maybe some chalk. Bodyweight culture prides itself on minimal equipment, unrestricted movement, and the ability to exercise anywhere. The Smith Machine represents absolutely none of that.

When most bodyweight enthusiasts think of a piece of equipment like the dreaded globo-gym behemoth that is the Smith Machine, few would see an incredibly effective tool for learning and perfecting your push-up form. While the Smith Machine may evoke visions of flared elbows and terrible pressing technique form below the bar, I suggest getting above this piece of pop-gym equipment for perfecting your horizontal pushing pattern with incline push-ups!

Smith Machine Push-Up SetupThe Smith Machine is basically just an adjustable straight bar, so it really is a bodyweight athlete’s best friend in disguise when it comes to learning push-ups, both the basic and one-arm versions. Strict form push-ups are an absolute foundation of calisthenics, but they can be difficult for beginners, or those with shoulder injuries, to initially learn and perform safely. Earlier progressions like wall push-ups and knee push-ups are fairly fixed positions, but incline push-ups can perfectly fill the rather large gap between the vertical wall and the flat floor. While we can’t adjust the wall or the floor, the adjustable bar of the Smith Machine provides an effective way to perform an incredible range of push-ups at various inclines without having to sacrifice form.

The most common piece of equipment for incline push-ups is often a bench, a plyo box, a chair, maybe even your kitchen counter, but these items often vary from location to location and don’t really offer specific and strategic height modification. Not all of us go to gyms and not all gyms even have Smith Machine stations, so any squat rack with adjustable side safety bars or bar catches can be used with this article’s tips in a similar fashion—however, do exercise caution and always use a slow tempo when using an unsecured barbell.

Hand Close-upTo begin working on Smith Machine incline push-ups, start with the bar set to about chest-height and set up your stance and grip as you would any other incline push-up, except you will be gripping the bar rather than placing an open-hand on the floor. This slight difference can cause the elbows to naturally want to flare out to the sides, so keep your grip close to shoulder width and be mindful of your form. I do recommend using a “thumbs over the bar” grip rather than wrapping them underneath, as this allows the wrists to turn out slightly and keep the elbows pointed inwards. After performing a good 10 reps to get a feel for the angle, assess your performance and fatigue.

Did you hit 10? How intense was it? How many sets could you complete? Ask yourself these questions while you rest and adjust the intensity accordingly. If you didn’t make all the reps, raise the bar a notch or two, then try again at this higher level. If you made all the reps and everything felt good and easy, then lower the bar a notch or two and repeat this process until you find a level that allows you to perform more than 5, but less than 10 repetitions for consecutive sets with good form—mark and remember that level as your base training level. Depending on your fitness goals, once you can perform 4-5 sets of 10 incline push-ups on a given bar level with <2 minutes rest each set, it’s time to progress.

These incline push-ups can also be easily modified based on specific training goals by raising or lowering the bar to alter movement intensity. Lower the bar until you can only perform 3-5 reps to emphasize strength. Move up and down to amass numerous sets within the 8-15 rep range for building size. Or try raising the bar to test your stamina and stability with higher reps (30+). The height of the bar can be adjusted to change the movement’s intensity based on your body angle across a wide difficulty range depending on the equipment’s adjustment design. Bar height/intensity can also be changed from set to set and rep to rep, allowing for seamless Pyramid Sets, Drop Sets, or even Interval Sets.

At this point, you can also modify your foot position from wide to narrow as mini-progressions between bar heights, making the same level push-ups more difficult as your stance gets closer to centered or easier as your stance and base of support widens. Using a straddled stance will give a much wider base of support and make the movement a bit more stable. As the stance narrows towards shoulder width and then tight together, the balance shifts more towards the upper body.  From there, you can even begin to stack your feet or perform push-ups with one leg raised, placing more weight and much more balance demand on your arms.

One-Arm Raised Push-UpWith these same methods of adjusting movement intensity via bar height and foot placement, one can also begin to safely explore the more advanced one-arm push-up progressions. Although most of the preceding article has been geared towards beginner calisthenics practitioners who are attempting to learn basic push-ups, all of the stance strategies and varied intensity tactics discussed above can be used by more intermediate and advanced bodyweight athletes attempting to learn or perfect their one-arm form. No matter your level, using an adjustable bar is a simple and effective way to track and ensure your progress.

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Derek Spoden, PCC, M.S., is a personal trainer and health caretaker from Minnesota who enjoys teaching calisthenics to clients from ages 8-80. Bodyweight exercise and mindful exploration are at the heart of his training.
Check out Facebook.com/derekspoden to learn more about Derek!

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics, Tutorial Tagged With: beginner drills, calisthenics equipment, Derek Spoden, incline push ups, push-ups, regressions and progressions, Smith Machine

Neck Bridges, Squats and the Changing Nature of Ambition

August 18, 2015 By Dan Earthquake 31 Comments

Dan Earthquake Wrestler's Bridge

At three years old I wanted to be a wrestler. The local judo club was the focus of my ambition until I was seven and could join the class. The instructor–Ted Spacey–was a large jovial man. Among the calisthenics that he imposed upon us were neck bridges. I complained once to him that they hurt the top of my head. “Then you’re not doing enough of them,” was his reply.

Family legend puts me in the sea with my Granddad at 5 months old and I’ve always swam, mostly for leisure. Vanity lifting caused a few injuries which directed me into doing more swimming and as I found I could go further, my ambitions became more aquatic. Eventually I swam the English Channel at 39 years old. On the way to France I had a lot of time to quietly reflect upon what I wanted to do next.

A little unfinished business with a 40-mile hike was concluded nineteen months later by which time I had started watching pro wrestling again online. My wonder at the spectacle now increased by knowing what injuries feel like and having some idea what strength it takes to lift people overhead. The conditioning aspect of the sport still intrigues me. The volume of calisthenics that many of the wrestlers do is impressive. Throughout all my other activities I’ve continued to do neck bridges, and since the age of sixteen have enjoyed doing pull-ups and dips. Lately I added push-ups, leg raises and bodyweight squats (which I had largely ignored for most of my life).

Pro wrestling legend Ric Flair has spoke of doing 500 bodyweight squats and 200-250 push ups and leg raises daily for about ten years during his busiest period as NWA World Champion. Admiring his longevity & ability to take bumps into his early 60’s, I decided to see if I could get near those numbers. It hasn’t been easy.

Dan Earthquake Backyard Workout

Slow sets of five repetitions are my preference and have been my habit for nearly twenty years. I used to do these in an intense manner so as to struggle to get the fourth and fail on the fifth. This was a once a week program which fit in with an otherwise physical job and active lifestyle.

Last October I bought a copy of C-MASS, which inspired me to look at different strategies. I love that book! I decided to start as if I were a novice, using some basic strength sets multiple times a day, then do a few months of muscle building in the 15 rep range. Coach Wade posted his “Diesel 20” article in January which inspired me further to go for the 500 squats in one day.

Initially a few sets of 15 were as much as I could manage. I’d given up on my training diaries a few years ago but it was Coach Wade saying “Do it for old coach” that made me restart. I’m glad I did.  I started out by putting a set of 15 squats between other exercises and I found I could do a hundred and fifty during a session. Soon it was twenty five reps, then thirty and so on. As the reps got bigger, the sets reduced.  Some days I do five sets of a hundred. That’s not everyday–I’m not Ric Flair!

Sometimes I combine other movements using bars or benches and squat down whilst pulling on the lats as I descend. At the top I change grip and move forwards into a slow incline push up. This feels like an ideal movement to do in between sets of my favorite exercises: dips, pull-ups and push-ups.

Dan Earthquake Bodyweight Dips

Following the PCC blog is very encouraging. Recent articles of regression, simplicity, focus on the basics and the Replek concept have stimulated my imagination. Danny Kavadlo’s assertion that calisthenics is a creative discipline had me smiling and nodding in agreement.

I didn’t always realize the importance of calisthenics and in hindsight should have favored them more over the lifting in my early days. Big ambitions can distract a person from doing the right thing in many aspects of life. I’ve worked myself into a lot of dead ends. Most importantly I’ve never stopped, always finding something productive to do.

I never became a pro wrestler but I had a taste. Judo, drug-free powerlifting competitions and heats of the UK Strongest Man were as close as I ever got. I wasn’t very good at any of those things. I’m not very advanced in my calisthenics either. Rather than worry about that, however, I enjoy the experience and savor struggle.

Sometimes the small ambitions are the ones that endure to provide the most value. Impressing the judo instructor was once an ambition. I often think of Ted Spacey when I do wrestlers bridges and it always makes me smile. Two years ago I realized that my head had stopped hurting. I guess I’m finally doing enough of them now.

Dan Earthquake English Channel Swim

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Dan Earthquake is involved in event safety and hosts winter swimming training camps for Channel Swimmers. In 2013 the Channel Swimming Association awarded him the trophy for “Greatest Feat of Endurance” for his 21hr 25 minute crossing of the English Channel.

Filed Under: Motivation and Goals, Progressive Calisthenics Tagged With: bodyweight exercise, C-Mass, calisthenics, Dan Earthquake, extremely high rep training, motivation, push-ups, squats, training

5 Unique Push-Up Variations to Help You Increase Strength & Size

July 14, 2015 By Todd Kuslikis 14 Comments

5 Push-Up Variations

It could be argued that the push-up is the most popular exercise ever invented. Before we had chrome plated dumbbells and Olympic sized barbells people had to rely on their own body weight for building strength.

Yet is the push-up outdated? Should it be used only as a simple conditioning exercise or as a “finisher” after the “real” weight-based exercises are completed?

Of course not.

There is still tremendous value to the push-up. It is the Godfather of all exercises so we must pay it due respect. Yet, descendants of this exercise have sprung up around the world to help bodyweight enthusiasts continue to improve their strength and build more muscle.

Today, I’d like to share with you my five favorite unique push-up variations to help you increase strength and size.

These exercises are super effective for three main reasons…

1. Challenge Different Muscle Groups

The typical push-up targets mostly the middle portion of the chest, front deltoids and triceps. In order to get stronger, you have to challenge your muscles from different angles and in unique ways. Some of these exercises you might have never heard of before, but after you try each of them, you’ll feel muscles you never knew you had.

2. Build Whole Body Strength

True bodyweight enthusiasts know that one of the greatest benefits to calisthenics exercises is that they build whole body strength. Isolation exercises can cause weak links in your armor that may eventually lead to an injury.

The exercises below surpass most other forms of exercise because they strengthen the entire chain (whole body) as a functional unit.

3. They Are Fun To Do!

Let’s be honest, haven’t you gotten tired of cranking out rep after rep of basic push-ups? When you add unique exercises to your normal routine it becomes fresh and exciting again. Which makes you WANT to do it!

That’s one of the most important aspects of fitness. Sure, getting a nice physique and becoming healthier is great, but we only get one life to live – why grudge through your normal routine? Have fun with it!

Changing up your exercises and adopting new and unique styles will help you do this.

Ok, now on to the exercises…

Variation 1: Barbwire Push-Up

The Barbwire Push-Up (also known as the Diver Bomber Push-Up) is great for developing strength through a large range of motion. You’ll work the upper, middle and lower portions of the chest along with the front, middle and rear delts.

One of the greatest benefits is that with each rep, you are improving spinal mobility. The spine is so important for keeping up your strength. As soon as your spine starts to stiffen you lose functionality which leads to poor performance.

How To Do The Barbwire Push-Up

Start off in a “Downward Dog Position”. Lower yourself down toward the floor as if you were sliding under barbwire. The more arc you can get in your spine the better. As you “slip under the barbwire” arch up while pressing down against the floor. At this point you should have a full arch in your back. Make sure to look up, too, which will extend the arch into your cervical spine.

Begin to arc back down “under the barbwire” while curving your spine the entire time. Press back to starting position.

Coaching Tips

1. The key to this exercise is getting a full range of motion. Make sure you that you are arching as much as you can.

2. To make the exercise easier you can do any number of modifications:

  • Perform the exercise on your knees (you won’t get much range of motion but it will still help you build strength).
  • Decrease the range of motion in your spine (i.e. don’t go down as far or arch up as high).
  • Do the first part of the movement normally but instead of arching back “under the barbwire” come straight to the starting position, which is also known as a Hindu Push-Up.

Variation 2: X Push-Up

The X Push-Up is one of the greatest exercises to develop whole body strength. Normally, with any exercise, you’ll have some muscles that are working much harder than others because the exercise targets a particular muscle group.

With the X Push-Up it seems that it targets ALL of your major muscle groups. In order to perform this exercise your chest, back, core, shoulders, and glutes will be firing on all cylinders.

How To Do The X Push-Up

From a normal push-up position, separate your legs so that your feet are 1.5x shoulder width. Then separate your hands 1.5x shoulder width and bring them up so they are NOT in line with your head. Your body will look like a big “X”. The further you separate your hands and the higher you bring them, the harder the exercise will be.

Lower yourself down until your nose gently touches the ground. Push back up.

Coaching Tips

1. It is important to maintain proper alignment when performing this exercise. One tip that will help you is to keep your glutes and core tight throughout every rep.

2. If the full X Push-Up is too difficult, bring your hands and legs in to 1.2x shoulder width. This will create less demand on your muscles and allow you to progress up to 1.5x shoulder width or even more.

Variation 3: Diamond Kiss Push-Up

The Diamond Kiss Push-Up is a go-to calisthenics exercise for developing strong triceps. It also helps to target the inner portion of the chest muscle and lats. You have probably heard that form is very important when performing any exercise. Well, when performing the Diamond Kiss Push-Up, it is especially important because you are putting tremendous demand on your shoulders. If you can not perform the exercise without your spine being perfectly in-line, then switch to an easier progression.

How To Do The Diamond Kiss Push-Up

Start off in a normal push-up position. Place your thumb and pointer finger together creating a diamond in-between. The diamond should be in line with your head. While keeping your spine perfectly straight lower yourself down until your nose touches the ground in between the diamond. Then press back up.

Coaching Tips

1. As mentioned before it is very important to keep your spine straight.

2. Elbow positioning is also important. While performing this exercise the more you flare your elbows out to the side, the greater likelihood of injury. Try to keep your elbows tucked close to your body as much as possible.

3. Easier Variations: If you can’t complete 5-6 reps of this variation I recommend separating the fingers so that there is more space between your hands. This will decrease the emphasis on your triceps and rely more upon your chest muscles. As your triceps get stronger you’ll be able to bring your hands in close.

Variation 4: Spider Push-Up

The Spider Push-Up is an exercise that incorporates abdominal specific training into the normal push-up. If you have a strong upper body this is a great exercise to incorporate into your training because it will help tighten not only your abs but also your obliques.

How To Do The Spider Push-Up

Start off in a normal push-up position. Lower yourself down like normal while simultaneously bringing your left knee up toward your left elbow. This may take some flexibility but eventually you’ll get it. After you reach the “down” position, press up to starting position while simultaneously bringing your left leg back. Repeat on the other side.

Coaching Tips

1. Maintain proper spinal alignment while performing this movement. You may find yourself arching up to get enough space to get your leg up. Don’t do this. If you don’t have enough flexibility to get your leg up high than just bring your leg up as high as you can (while maintaining form).

2. While performing the movement, consciously contract the abs. This will help you engage more muscle fibers and get more out of the movement.

Variation 5: Dolphin Push-Up

This is one of my favorite conditioning and strength movements. Is it the hardest progression? No. But it targets muscles you don’t normally work, which makes it challenging (especially when you get into high reps) and is very fun to do. Also, I’ll teach you a variation to make the exercise even harder.

How To Do The Dolphin Push-Up

Start off in the plank position, resting on your forearms and elbows. Lower yourself down a bit further (you won’t get a ton of range of motion but the little bit that you get will help to engage the middle rhomboid muscles in your back), then press your butt up into the air. Go as high as you can. You’ll feel muscles in your shoulders that aren’t normally targeted, which is great for developing a healthier shoulders.

Coaching Tips

1. Just like the Barbwire Push-Up, this exercise is focused on spinal mobility as well as developing strength. You don’t need to perform this exercise quickly. Keep a strong, steady pace and try to get as much range of motion as you can.

2. How To Make It Harder: Instead of resting on your forearms, start off on your hands. This is the “Horse Push-Up” variation and is harder than the Dolphin Push-Up. You’ll perform a normal push-up but instead of maintaining a straight spine up to starting position, you’ll lead with your butt and come up all the way to a downward dog position. This will increase range of motion in your spine and shoulders as well as put greater demands on your chest.

The traditional push-up is the Mac Daddy of all calisthenics, yet performing endless reps of the same exercise will eventually lead to diminishing returns. You must challenge your body in unique ways in order to get it to grow. You must apply the principles of Progressive Calisthenics so that it adapts and gets stronger. All of the above exercises are unique variations to the normal push-up. They’ll not only challenge you in new ways but also add more enjoyment to your routine.

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Todd Kuslikis is the founder of a bodyweight exercise blog called AShotofAdrenaline.net. He teaches men how to build muscle using only calisthenics. You can download his free 3 month bodyweight training program by clicking here. 

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics, Tutorial Tagged With: advanced push-ups, advanced variations, bodyweight exercise, increase muscle size, muscle mass, push-up variations, push-ups, Todd Kuslikis, tutorial, video

Calisthenics, Injuries and Life

February 10, 2015 By Corey Howard 72 Comments

Corey Howard One Arm Aussie Pull-Up

On June 8 of 2014, I turned 40.  The following day I had surgery to repair a ruptured triceps in my right arm.  In late August, just 3 months later I was able to pass all of the skill elements for my RKC recertification using ONLY calisthenics for training.  But what happened in between those dates is where the magic of calisthenics lies.

Fitness gives me life.  It helps me stay in shape so I can help out my wife around the house and keep crossing things off the seemingly never ending to-do list.  Being in shape gives me the ability to play basketball with my son in the driveway, or throw soft toss to him in the batting cage.  In late May when I ruptured my triceps I was no stranger to working around injuries, but it still gave me a few new opportunities.  First, I was able to focus entirely on my lower body and write what turned out to be a fairly successful blog post about calisthenics leg training.  Second, it forced me to start my upper body training from ground zero and really dig deeper into the Convict Conditioning progressions.

How does an advanced lifter re-teach himself one arm push-ups?  I will admit, despite limited range of motion in my elbow and absolutely zero pushing strength in my right arm; I had retained most of my pulling strength.  After regaining complete active full range of motion in the joint I was able to start push-ups at an incline as well as horizontal pull-ups. Pairing the pushing and pulling together gave me a chance to work on regaining my tricep strength as well as the range of motion from the pulling movements.

Despite my youthful desire to challenge myself and rush to the next progression I made sure I was able to hit 20 quality reps with each movement before moving on to the next harder step.  I think this also helped strengthen the tendon as well as create movement proficiency.  Eventually I was able to do 20 quality narrow push-ups on the floor and 20 wide grip pull-ups with my ankles elevated on a support bar.

Corey Howard One Arm Raised Push-Up

The transition to a dead hang pull-up was surprisingly quick and easy, but moving to the one arm push-up proved to be a bit more challenging.  To accommodate the added weight and strain on the elbow joint I had to move to incline one-arm push-ups and follow a similar rep progression back to the ground.  I think it really helped practicing single arm push-ups at various heights and immediately following it with tight narrow push-ups on the floor.

I learned a couple things along the way.  First, patience is everything.  Don’t rush to get to the next progression until you’ve mastered the step you’re on.  As Paul Wade says in Convict Conditioning, earn the right to advance to the next step.  This pays dividends when you attempt the next step and find that you can actually control a few reps with quality technique instead of surviving and gutting out two or three sloppy injury risking reps.  Second, most of us are not professional athletes.  Yes, a lot of us think part of our identity comes from what we can do in the gym.  Our true identity is created by how we are as a husband and father.  My injury sucked.  It took away my ability to train upper body and I lost some of my hard earned muscle mass, but that paled in comparison to not being able to play catch with my son, or help my wife carry in the groceries.

On Friday January 9th, I ruptured my bicep in the other arm.  On Monday the 19th I had surgery to repair that. Click here for a photo during the repair process. Warning: Graphic medical photo.  Two major injuries in six months.  This time around I’m not worried about the lost training time, I’m upset that I won’t be able to go sledding with my son, or do everything my wife needs me to do.  I’ll admit I’m having a hard time dealing with this one. Three months from now I know I’ll look back and see countless blessings from this, including a deeper appreciation for the pull-up progressions, but right now I’m in the storm and it’s tough to see the shore over the tall waves.

Corey Howard Recovers From Surgery

I know there are tons of people dealing with worse situations than mine; those of us in the fitness world sometimes stake too much of our identity on our physical capabilities. Twenty years from now the only thing people will remember is how you treated your family and those around you. It’s easy to forget that we work out to be healthy and so we can have a good quality of life. I may have temporarily lost the use of my arm, but I’m not going to let myself lose sight of the big picture.

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About Corey Howard, PCC, RKC, CK-FMS: Corey Howard strives to constantly become stronger, and to help others to achieve their fitness goals. He is the owner of Results Personal Training, and can be reached at fithubby.com, resultsptonline.com or coreyhoward.com.

Filed Under: Motivation and Goals, Progressive Calisthenics Tagged With: bodyweight exercise, calisthenics, Corey Howard, Injury, push-ups, recovery from injury, surgery

Conquering the Century Test

November 18, 2014 By Adrienne Harvey 51 Comments

Adrienne Testing Pushups At Sweden PCC
Adrienne closely observes push ups during the Century Test at a PCC Workshop

The Century Test is the climax of every Progressive Calisthenics Certification event. After three days of intense training, the Century is the only opportunity for prospective candidates to prove their mettle and earn the title of PCC Instructor.

While helping Al and Danny teach at several PCC workshops, I’ve noticed the same common issues continually come up during the Century Test. Before you think these don’t apply to you, remember I’ve actually seen many accomplished and highly athletic people make these very mistakes! Of course we make sure to point out the complete rules and standards at each workshop, but why not work to avoid these hidden perils from the beginning?

First, let’s talk about speed—you will have a total of EIGHT minutes to complete your Century Test. Somewhere along the line, a terrible rumor started about doing the test “as fast as you can.” Unfortunately, this is the opposite of how the test should be approached; the Century is not a race!

While we don’t want you to fall asleep mid-test or run out of time, we do require you to use a moderate pace that allows you to complete each rep with your best form, crisply and cleanly. We also need to be able to evaluate and count your reps in real time. If someone gets into speed demon mode, it’s very difficult to evaluate AND count each rep while making sure they are up to our standards. We shouldn’t be seeing “motion blur” around you!

Once you begin a set, you can’t stop until you have completed the required amount of reps (which will be counted by whoever is testing you—Al, Danny, or an assisting PCC instructor). For example, the first set is 40 bodyweight squats. Once that set begins, there’s no stopping until you complete all 40 reps. After a set is completed, you can take as much time (within that total of eight minutes) as you need to rest between sets—more on that later!

For many PCC attendees, an odd issue happens with the squats, but it is easily corrected. Sometimes people focus SO much on the “down” portion of the squat that they don’t always fully complete the “up” portion! Make sure you stand ALL the way UP at the end of each squat rep. Again, if this can happen to some of the most athletic and accomplished people then it can happen to anyone. If you have a training partner, ask them to keep a close eye on your full squat movement (or record a short video of yourself).

Testing Squats at the PCC

As for the lowering phase, the top of your thighs must come below parallel with the ground without any bouncing at the bottom. Some people have had issues here as well, so make sure you go all the down before you come all the way up!

Next up are push-ups, 30 reps. Men will do these from the feet, and the ladies will be doing them from the knees. (Feet must be together for men; knees together for women.) Again, be sure to come all the way up to a full lockout at the top – much like the squats, it’s easy to become preoccupied with the bottom portion of the exercise, the required depth, etc. while shortchanging the completion of the rep. Use a comfortable, moderate pace so we can see that all your reps are up to our standards.

Al Kavadlo Testing Pushups at a PCC Workshop

Many of the women who come to the PCC are super fit and have not done push-ups from the knees in a while—these same women often tend to have some very fashionable workout wear. This can be perilous when these high performance fabrics make our knees slide during the push-up. Suddenly our hands and knees are very far apart, and it’s against the rules to re-adjust them during the set. Make sure you have a non-slip mat below you, and/or hike up those shiny capris past your knees so they do not move on that mat!

Another issue that even very fit women will have with the knee push-up (especially if we’re used to doing push-ups from the feet) is the idea of keeping the body in a perfectly straight line from the knees to the shoulders, without bending at the hips. Have a training partner observe you, or shoot a video to watch and make sure for yourself. One cue I have used successfully with clients is to have them practice by starting in a “straight arm plank” position, then while keeping the trunk straight, drop down to the knees to find the proper alignment to begin a knee push-up.

Danny Testing Hanging Knee Raises

Hanging knee raises are a real equalizer! Like squats, they’re tested the same for men and women. You must not swing or use momentum to make these reps, and you must hang onto the bar for the entire duration of the set. Make sure to grip the bar tightly while squeezing your shoulders down and back (basically, don’t hang like a limp noodle!) Imagine trying to bend the bar in half to intensify this feeling. Make sure to practice this at home!

Don’t underestimate a set of 20 knee raises. Bringing your knees above your waist takes a surprising amount of abdominal strength when you don’t use any momentum. When your feet come back down (also under control), I’ve found that aiming to put them just below (or even slightly in front of) your body is a great way to prevent momentum. People have found themselves in big momentum-trouble when they’ve extended their feet behind them on the “down” portion of the knee raises, because they start swinging back and picking up momentum. It almost becomes a mini-kip. Control is the name of the game with knee raises!

Finally we have the pull-ups, which are often the most challenging (and potentially heartbreaking) part of Century Test. Sometimes someone with plenty of time to spare just wants to get the test done and he or she does not give themselves adequate rest between the hanging knee raises and the pull-ups. I’ve seen very strong (but reasonably fatigued from 3 days of fun and intensive PCC work) people fail the test at the workshop because they couldn’t finish those last 1-3 pull-ups. An extra 30 seconds to 1 minute rest time between sets could have meant the difference between passing at the PCC or having to go home, regroup, train and submit a test video. It’s moments like these that we all wish for an “undo” or “rewind” button on life! Don’t underestimate the adrenaline rush of “test time”! Remember, it is not a race; you have 8 full minutes, so use it!

For the pull-ups, men will be doing 10 dead hang pull ups from a pull up bar with their choice of underhand or overhand grip. (If the bar is too high, and/or your hands are somehow shredded because you were inspired to overdo it a bit on the previous days, do not hesitate to ask us for a step stool!) Women will be performing 10 “Aussie” pull-ups (down under the bar—also known as bodyweight rows) from a waist-height bar. Again, I can’t encourage the ladies enough to experiment with these bodyweight rows. When practicing for the PCC, find a bar that’s the right height for you, and make sure that your body is positioned in such a way that you’re able to pull yourself up to the bar without having your feet slide—experiment with a mat, or a good shoe choice, etc. Pull yourself up close to the bar at the top of each rep, stay engaged (think plank) without having your body bow up or slump down.

Adrienne Demonstrates Aussie Pull-Up

Men, make sure that you are doing full pull-up reps, as half reps won’t count and can be costly in terms of fatigue! A SLIGHT kink in the elbows at the bottom of the rep is technically allowed, but make sure to have someone check you and video yourself to make sure that you aren’t slipping into doing half-reps. And, no kipping or momentum allowed!

I hope that these details have been helpful, and please feel free to ask questions here and always at the workshop. We really do want everyone to pass if they are truly ready and able to represent the PCC as a certified instructor, while helping their students/clients improve their fitness and quality of life.

Hope to see you at a future PCC Workshop!
Adrienne

Adrienne at the PCC Workshop with Adam

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About Adrienne Harvey, Senior PCC Instructor, RKC-II, CK-FMS, Primal Move Nat’l Instructor: Originally RKC Certified in 2010, and RKC Level 2 certified in 2011, kettlebell and bodyweight training have been crucial in Adrienne’s personal quest for fitness. A core member of the PCC team, Adrienne loves sharing her knowledge with small groups and individuals. She also loves to develop recipes and workout programs to further support performance, body composition, and of course—FUN. Go to http://www.giryagirl.com for more information about Adrienne!

Filed Under: Motivation and Goals, Progressive Calisthenics Tagged With: Adrienne Harvey, attending PCC, Aussie Pull Ups, bodyweight row, Century Test, Century Test details, Hanging knee raises, how to pass the Century Test, Knee Push ups, Passing the PCC, PCC Testing, PCC Workshop, Progressive Calisthenics Certification Workshop, pull-ups, push-ups, squats

The Bodyweight Revolution

April 15, 2014 By Paul "Coach" Wade 146 Comments

Al and Danny Kavadlo
The Kavadlo brothers are the face of
the Dragon Door bodyweight revolution!

If you have been keeping track of the fitness world over the last five years, you have definitely heard the term bodyweight revolution used by writers and teachers.

Lots of folks have used this term, but few—if any—have defined it.

To me, if there is a common theme behind the modern bodyweight strength revolution, it’s this:

Cutting edge athletes and coaches are starting to break down the distinction between bodyweight training and externally-weighted methods for adding strength and muscle mass.

What does that mean?

Well, up till fairly recently, the fitness “status quo” treated bodyweight training and, say, weight-training very differently. Weight-training was done to get ya big and strong as possible. To achieve this, you were supposed to follow three basic rules:

  1. Train hard for strength and mass. (A given. No pain, no gain, bitches!)
  2. Be progressive. (The goal is always: add weight to the bar!)
  3. Focus on load, not reps. (Folks will ask: how much can you bench? Not; how many reps?)

Fairly simple, huh?

And it worked, too. For the last fifty or so years, barbells and dumbbells have been the “go-to” method for bodybuilders and strength trainers alike. Some coaches and exercise ideologists have gotten so wrapped up in the romance of the iron, that they have told us that these tools are the only way to maximize muscle and power. (This is horseshit, but you know that already, right?)

Compare this model with bodyweight training. Over the last forty-plus years, personal trainers, writers and fitness coaches have been force-feeding the world with a philosophy of bodyweight training which is built on the following three principles:

  1. Train moderately for skill or conditioning. (e.g., soccer drills, circuit training)
  2. You can’t be progressive with load. (Sure, you can add weight to pullups, but then you are weight-training, right?)
  3. Build to high reps. (How many pushups can you do?)

Notice something? The bodyweight training principles are pretty much the diametric opposite of the weight-training principles! Why? Because it was figured that there was no point in treating calisthenics like a PROPER strength and muscle discipline, coz there was no way to make the load progressive. For this reason, bodyweight training ceased to be viewed as a power and strength method. It became relegated to a “fitness” method, or for a warm-up, prior to the weights. Worse still, it was viewed as a means for “light toning”. (Puke now, ye who have the buckets readied.)

Recent conditioning icons have shattered this illusion, and are actually bringing intelligent athletes round to the notion that you can break any bodyweight exercise into progressive chunks—all the way from easy rehab work, up to the hardest strength exercises know to mankind. I’m talking about revolutionary books like Al Kavadlo’s Pushing the Limits! and Raising the Bar; Brooks Kubik’s wonderful Dinosaur Bodyweight Training; and Pavel’s breakthrough Naked Warrior.

Bodyweight can’t build total-body strength? Give me a break!
Bodyweight can’t build total-body strength?
Give me a break!

This is the idea at the very heart of the modern bodyweight revolution. If you can use external weights progressively—in hard sessions designed to build load over time—why can’t you do the same using your body’s own weight? The answer is, of course, you can. You don’t need to treat bodyweight as a gymnastics or sports skill, or as a warm-up, or as a simple endurance discipline. You can do it progressively, just like weight-training. All you need is a solid understanding of the science of bodyweight progressions. And this is why the Progressive Calisthenics Certification (PCC) organization was born, to catalog and disseminate this traditional knowledge to anyone in the fitness world who wants it.

A lot of athletes—specially those already in the bodybuilding or powerlifting world—have taken this breakdown in the barriers between regular lifting and bodyweight training approach real literally. Hell, why not apply regular lifting templates to bodyweight training? This is what many have tried to do; and in this article I’ll discuss some ways of doing it. I’ll also show you a good alternative used by my own teacher, Joe Hartigen.

The CC-Style Template

When it comes to sets and reps, I generally prefer a real simple, old school, American-style double progression. You warm up with some fairly easy exercises, then hit your major technique hard for two-to-three sets. When you hit your rep goal, you move to a tougher exercise. Don’t go to failure—always leave a little energy left in your limbs to complete an exercise safely, or in case you need to defend yourself. That’s the Convict Conditioning approach—and trust me, it works just as well for weight-training as it does for calisthenics. Many old school bodybuilders and strength athletes have used this kind of program with great success—it’s not a million miles away from the sort of training performed by old school strength marvels like Doug Hepburn, or modern-day bodybuilding champions like Dorian Yates.

Dorian Hepburn
Hepburn—like all the ultra-strong old-timers—used bodyweight training alongside his lifting. He also trained infrequently, going all-out with low sets. Sound familiar?

Popular Strength/Mass Templates

Of course, there are other rep/set formats than the CC approach. Dozens. Here’s a roll-call of a few well-known ones:

  • The 5×5 system
  • Pyramid training
  • Ladders
  • Heavy singles

All of these popular weight-training approaches can be used with bodyweight—in fact, they are being used right now. But no method is perfect, and there are problems when applying these methods.

Using singles is a good example. A heavy singles workout might consist of, say 10 sets of 1 rep, using 85% of your max. This is pretty easy to accomplish if you are working with your bench press; but it’s a lot tougher to translate it to your bodyweight pushups. For a start, how do you define “85%” of effort accurately? Which pushup progression do you select? With the bench press, you can add a tiny increment, maybe 2lbs to the bar every so often. How do you add such microscopic increments to your pushup form? How do you maintain this system, long-term with such fuzzy variables? You are kinda pissing in the wind here.

A bigger problem with most training systems is that they waste the athlete’s precious energy. A really great rule of thumb in muscle and strength work is that the degree to which your body adapts is proportionate to the stress you put it through. But what athletes constantly forget is that the muscle-building and strength stimulus is based on your best set, it’s not spread over your other sets! As I’ve said elsewhere:

Paul_Blog4To put that shit simply, if you want to get diesel, you need to do a lot of work in a single, relatively brief set. Your peak set! Trouble is, a lot of athletes are in the habit of exhausting themselves before they reach that peak set.

Bodybuilding is possibly to blame for this. Back in the seventies and eighties, it was all about “pyramiding”; you would typically warm up with 15, 12, 10 and 8 reps before knocking out a few peak sets of 6-8—then you would reverse the process. (You go up in weight, then down, hence the term “pyramid”.) The problem with this was that by the time you had done the first four sets you were too shot to do very much in your peak sets! Then you would repeat all those lighter, higher-rep sets again, just adding more volume to eat into an already overloaded recovery system.

The same problem is true of the popular “ladders” method of training. With ladders, you start with one rep—say, a pullup—then take a short break, and do two pullups. Break, then three. All the way up to your peak set, of, say, five reps. Then you take a short breather, do four reps, then break, then three, and so on down to one rep. See the problem with this? If your peak/best set here is the five rep set, you will have already done TEN reps of that exercise before you reach it! If the five reps really represent your best, then doing ten reps of the same beforehand is definitely going to adversely affect your performance in the five. In essence, ladders are a good way of doing a lot of work, but a pretty imperfect way of doing high quality sets.

5×5 is a more traditional method—it was used by Arnold’s hero, Reg Park, back in the fifties.

Big Reg Park
Bodyweight back work: Big Reg Park
rocking some behind-the-neck pullups.

Park’s method was to use two warm-up sets of five, then three sets of five with the heaviest weight you can handle for a particular exercise. Once you can hit the 3×5, you go up in weight.

It’s a simple (and pretty effective) idea. The problem—in terms of hitting one great, “peak” set—is that it makes you hold yourself back. You are inevitably (even if only subconsciously) holding yourself back from giving your all on the first hard set, in order to get the five reps on the final two sets. You need to do this, because if you really gave your all grinding out five reps on the first heavy set, you would be pretty unlikely to be able to repeat that twice. So with 5×5 you never have the motivation to really give your all and hit that one peak set.

Enter the Mentor: Joe Hartigen

One template which doesn’t contain any of these problems was taught to me in the 1980’s by my mentor, Joe Hartigen. Joe was a bona-fide calisthenics master, and although he was in his seventies when I met him, he was much more powerful than me, and remained incredibly strong in pulling movements right up to the final year of his life. Joe had forgotten more about training methods and the history of physical culture than I will ever know, and I learned virtually all the progressions in Convict Conditioning from him.

Despite the fact that Joe was an icon to me—and several others in San Quentin—we didn’t train in exactly the same way. We had different backgrounds, for one thing. I came from a “new school” calisthenics approach, one based on building up high reps in squats, sit-ups, pullups and (especially) pushups. In fact I would often return to these high-rep workouts—often ultra-endurance bodyweight work—throughout my time inside, particularly in Angola. (Think “thousand pushup days” and you got the idea.)

Joe was very much a man who favored lower, more intense, higher quality reps. He typically shook his head when he looked at my training journals, and—likewise—I must admit that when I was younger and dumber, I possibly looked down on his methods as a bit old-fashioned. Like a cool photograph, but colored in sepia. In later years, I realized he was right on the money, and although I modified my own training to better match his thinking, our workout styles were never quite the same.

The Hartigen Method

When it came to sets and reps, Joe had a pretty fixed method for working out. I’ve never heard a name for this scheme, so I’m gonna call it The Hartigen Method (although there’s no way he was the first to use it). This approach is simple to apply, allows for the use of real hard exercises, and is progressive—so I thought I’d put it out there for any ex-lifters or strength athletes looking for a new way to work with bodyweight exercises.

Here’s how it works:

1. Pick the hardest exercise you can do for 5 reps in good form.

2. Warm up, and perform a 5 rep set.

3. Rest approximately 1 minute. Shake your muscles loose as you rest.

4. Perform 4 reps of the same exercise.

5. Rest approximately 1 minute. Shake your muscles loose as you rest.

6. Perform 3 reps of the same exercise.

7. Repeat this procedure until you have performed a single rep.

That’s it! In essence, Joe picked an exercise he could do five good, strict reps with, and did 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

It’s that simple. Joe’s theory was that if you could bust out five reps of an exercise you were working on, then after a minute’s rest, you should be able to do four reps. After another minute, you should be able to do three, and so on. Joe felt this rep scheme offered low reps for strength and muscle, but also enough reps—fifteen total—to give an athlete plenty of hard practice on an exercise, but without burning out.

Plus, using this method you can hit an exercise hard in under ten minutes. Even if you were working with four exercises in a workout (two or three would be better!) you could be done in half an hour. Joe’s method works great with weights, too—kettlebell presses and rows would be a wonderful superset, if you’re that way inclined. (5 presses, a minute’s rest, 5 rows, a minute’s rest, 4 presses, etc.) You could superset pushup and pullup exercises the same way.

Making progress
Progression couldn’t be simpler with this method. When you can do all 15 reps—that is, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1—for three workouts in a row, you move to a slightly harder version of the exercise. As with all bodyweight strength, having an extensive toolbox of progressions is key to moving forward; it’s also why the PCC Instructors’ Manual includes hundreds of progressive exercises.

There will be times you don’t get 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. You may only get 5, 3, 2, 1, 1. That’s fine, and to be embraced. When you don’t get the full 15, use these principles to move forward:

Try to add a rep (or two) next time; shoot for 5, 4, 2, 1, 1, then 5, 4, 3, 1, 1, and so on.

Whatever you get, always push yourself hard on the first set—that’s your peak set.

Adding reps on the earlier sets is more valuable than adding reps on the final sets.

Never do more reps than you are aiming for; stick with 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Aim to perform ALL five sets, even if those sets are very low rep; e.g., 3, 2, 1, 1, 1.

Exercises, post-set work and warm-ups

Joe often performed more exercises than I stuck to. Most people today would probably call his routine imbalanced. In particular, he loved hanging exercises, and would do all kinds of weird variations of pullups, leg raises, levers, holds and hangs. Strangely, despite being such an aficionado of hanging work, he would typically do only three exercises for the rest of his body—one-leg squats, flat one-arm pushups, and some kind of inversion; handstands, but often headstands (I rarely saw him do inverse pressing, these were typically static). I have watched Joe do bridges, and do them easily, but like the man himself, these were an exception rather than a rule.

Whatever his last exercise of the session was, Joe would often make his very final set harder by completing a ten second dynamic-tension isometric at the top position of that very last rep. He’d follow this with a slow negative of about ten seconds. He claimed that this little “trick” for finishing his workout told his body that the session was over, and increased his hormonal profile. I’m not sure that’s true, but if Joe’s physique—at over seven decades—was testament, then he knew what he was talking about.

Al Kavadlo Push-Up
No matter what exercise you finish with,
you can squeeze it at the top for an isometric benefit.

What about a warm-up? Interestingly—like Reg Park—Joe never went over five reps on his warm-up sets. He would typically do two or three warm-up sets of five reps, and he always applied Charles Atlas-style dynamic tension during his warm-ups. If he was doing an exercise like one-arm pullups, he would perform an exercise about half as tough on his warm-ups—two-arm pullups. Always five reps. Why not more? Joe felt that you should always train to meet your goals. His peak sets were always five reps, so he thought if he did more in his warm-ups, his body would get confused and start adapting to higher reps instead! I’m not certain I agree with that, but it gives you some food for thought, eh?

I often advocate using progressive exercises when warming up—maybe start with a real easy exercise for high reps, then follow with a slightly harder exercise for less reps. But Joe only ever used one exercise technique in his warm-ups, no matter how many warm-up sets he did. I used to wonder why, for example, he’d perform two sets of regular pullups before his one-arm work; why not one set of regular two-arms, then something harder, like assisted pullups? I asked him once. Because I can make the two-arms as hard as assisted pullups, dumbass! he replied. And it was true. His capacity to tense his muscles during training—dynamic tension—was so profound, he could make seemingly easy exercises as seem as hard as advanced ones. He was able to adjust the intensity of any exercise by 100% or 1%, just using the power of his mind.

That was how profound his body wisdom was. Not many athletes could aspire to this level, although it’s possible with time and patience. I still admire the man to this day!

Lights Out!

Well, that’s it from me. Thanks again for reading—it means a lot to this dopey fella that you guys and gals still take the time to read my weathered musings. I hope this article has given you a new idea to play with. Looking for a lower-rep strength and mass routine that fits well with bodyweight? Give The Hartigen Method a try…tonight!

Oh, and if you liked hearing about Joe’s attitude to training, check this article out. I wrote it for my good buddy Neil Bednar.

You could do a lot worse than modeling your training around old Joe’s philosophy. That brother was something else!

***

Paul “Coach” Wade is the author of five Convict Conditioning DVD/manual programs. Click here for more information about Paul Wade, and here for more information on Convict Conditioning DVD’s and books available for purchase from the publisher.

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics Tagged With: Al Kavadlo, bodyweight exercise, calisthenics, Danny Kavadlo, Kavadlo brothers, Paul Wade, PCC, PCC Workshop, Progressive Calisthenics Certification Workshop, pull-ups, push-ups, Raising the Bar, squats, strength training

Push-ups for a Better Bench Press

April 8, 2014 By Corey Howard 9 Comments

Al Kavadlo Push-upAs someone who loves a challenge, I get excited when someone tells me it’s impossible to get strong using only calisthenics. Though at first I was skeptical, too, I’ve learned firsthand how effective bodyweight training can be.

Most coaches tell us that to get stronger you need to keep adding weight to whatever lift you want to improve on. If you want to bench press more, they say to use some sort of pyramid training and ramp up the weight each session. With the exception of Stanford, that’s what’s taught at most collegiate and high school strength programs. Imagine the frustration on a 16 year old kid when I tell him I won’t let him bench press until he can perform 20 quality push-ups off the floor!

As I was talking with a student of mine named Caden during his first session at my facility, the topic of bench pressing inevitably came up. We discussed my background in competitive powerlifting and, as you would expect, he wanted to know how much I could bench. After telling him my best competition lift he responded with a story about how some other kid at his school can supposedly press more than me. So of course I had to know what his own best effort was on the bench.

day_3_100_2“One hundred thirty-five pounds… once,” he stated. For those of you that have trained young teenage athletes, you know they need proof before they believe anything you say. So I decided to challenge him a bit. I told him I could help him improve on that 135×1 in only 4 weeks without even putting him on the bench. In fact we would be using a steady diet of push-ups. Caden scoffed at me. Why wouldn’t he? Remember the old school thinking at most high schools?

“Alright, but it’ll never happen,” he promised.

Let’s stop for a second and quickly compare a textbook push-up to a text book bench press. In a push-up, the hands are under your shoulders while the body is elevated and tight (abs, lats, glutes and thighs) to prevent any sagging or arching. As you descend it should feel like you are screwing your hands into the floor, the lats get tighter, and the elbows stay close to the body. Everything is tracking straight and tight. Then once your nose or chest touches the floor you reverse the motion as slow or fast as you want. Speed will build explosive strength and slow will teach you to grind out a heavy rep for strength.

Compare that to a textbook bench press; before you lower the bar to your chest, the shoulder blades should be retracted, glutes are tight and feet are driving into the ground. As the descent begins it should again feel like you are screwing your back into the bench, tightening the lats, and keeping the elbows near the body. Then after the bar touches the chest you can drive the meaty part of your thumbs into the bar almost as if you were rotating your elbows in and driving yourself away from the load to lock it out over head.

Notice any similarities?

CadenPush-upNow let’s take those same principles and apply them to Caden. On day one he could not do any of this. Once he was on the floor it kind of looked like a saggy banana getting tazed. We needed to tap into the Convict Conditioning principles and start teaching push-up technique against a wall. As he grew more proficient, his push-up got closer to the floor. It’s important to note that although we always had a specific number of reps in mind for each day, once technique failed, his set was over. Many times he wanted to crawl under the bar and “just try” the bench press again, I happily refused to allow that. Remember sometimes young teenage clients need proof or an “A-ha moment” before they buy into you or your system.

Caden’s “A-ha moment” came 4 weeks later. After dialing in the pushup similarities to the bench press in his warm ups, we loaded the bar with 135. He gave me a solid 5 rep effort. If you use one of those 1-rep max calculators, that’s roughly a 20lb increase in max effort strength in 4 weeks using nothing but pushups. For those of you that are wondering what other “assistance work” I had him do? It was all calisthenics- bridge progressions, bodyweight squat progressions, lying leg raises, and horizontal pull-ups. Caden never touched a weight his first 4 weeks in my facility.

Calisthenics work! Fire it up!!

Caden1 ***

About Corey Howard, PCC, RKC, CK-FMS: Corey Howard strives to constantly become stronger, and to help others to achieve their fitness goals. He is the owner of Results Personal Training, and can be reached at www.resultsptonline.com or www.coreyhoward.com.

Filed Under: Progressive Calisthenics Tagged With: bench press, carryover, Corey Howard, push-ups, strength training

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