training strategies

Training One Rep at a Time

December 1, 2015 By Jack Arnow 40 Comments

Jack Arnow: One Rep at a Time

Several months ago, inspired and guided by Paul Wade’s Explosive Calisthenics, I started training for the “suicide jump.” From a standing position with a stick between my outstretched hands in front of my thighs, the goal is to jump over the stick which ends up behind my thighs.

Most of my best friends advised me not to train for the “suicide jump,” as they assumed injury was extremely likely for a 72 year old. There was much truth to their assertions, but I decided to train anyway. I thought the joy of training was worth the risks. It was!

I trained extremely carefully, discovering ways to make the training even safer, advancing one small step at a time. I really didn’t think I would succeed in reaching the master step, but that was a blessing in disguise. It allowed me to focus on each rep in each step with no distractions at all, improving technique, listening to my body, and trusting my intuition.

As a result, I loved the training. It was so much fun because I wasn’t overly attached to the outcome. To my surprise, after a few months, I jumped over a long straw, not a stick. Then a while after that I jumped over a rubber flex bar. Just recently I jumped over an actual stick!

https://youtu.be/ZZ12VRBTmxg

The funny thing is that I thought I already had learned to train this way, focusing on the present, but in retrospect I wasn’t. This was particularly evident in my training for one arm chin-ups over the last several years. Even though I should have known better, I’ve been too aggressive in my pursuit to regain this amazing feat of strength. I’ve lived and learned a lot over the years, but certain lessons need to be continually revisited.

Recently I applied my lessons from training the “suicide jump” to training the one arm chin. I began varying my workouts based on how each rep felt. I will end or continue my workout based on my immediate feeling, not on a predetermined idea. I test new ideas cautiously to see if they help. I’ve learned once again that joyful creative training makes you stronger.

On September 20th 2015 I finally did a flat footed righty one arm chin, but continue training towards a full dead hanging one arm chin. The future is never really certain, in life, or in exercise goals, so enjoy and focus on the present.

Jack Arnow Flatfooted righty chinup

Having clear goals is important, but listening to your body in the immediate present is essential to make better training decisions, and especially to reduce the chance and severity of injury. Constantly strive to improve your technique. One small advance follows one small advance, eventually leading to clear gain, but there will inevitably be setbacks along the way, so be patient with yourself. Others may help you with particular training ideas or suggestions, but test these things carefully in your practice because we are all unique in one way or another.

Regardless of your exercise achievements, be proud of them because your hard work made them happen. If others inspire you, or you inspire others, that is fantastic. Most likely both things are happening. Most importantly, try not to make the mistake of thinking you are better than someone else because you can do something they can’t. You know the difficulties and obstacles that you had to overcome, but probably don’t know theirs. And they most certainly can do many things that you can’t.

Have fun and practice one rep at a time.

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A student of calisthenics legend Jasper Benincasa, Jack Arnow has been practicing calisthenics for over 60 years. He can be reached by email at jackarnow1@gmail.com.

Actions, Not Words

May 12, 2015 By Al Kavadlo 50 Comments

Al Kavaldo Goals Lead Photo

“Don’t think, feel! It is like a finger pointing a way to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.” –Bruce Lee, from Enter The Dragon

It may seem obvious, but if you want to get something done, the only way to do so is to take action. You actually have to DO the thing. And it’s almost always better to do it sooner rather than later.

Thinking about something is not the same as doing it. Reading about something isn’t the same either. Talking certainly isn’t doing. In fact, talking is counter-productive in many ways. When you talk about doing something, you scratch your itch to do the thing and you may now be less likely to actually do it. You’ve alleviated the need to take action in the moment because you just made a plan. (And plans always play out exactly like we want them to, right?) You also feel good because the person you told has probably congratulated you on your decision. Why not celebrate with a cupcake?

Zip It Good
Here’s what I want you to try: the next time you decide on a goal for yourself, don’t tell ANYONE! Keep it to yourself. If you really feel passionately about this goal, bottling it up will make you think about it more. Thinking about it more will make you more likely to do it. You will want to explode when you finally get the chance to take action. That is, unless you weren’t really serious about doing it anyway. If that’s the case, good thing you didn’t make yourself look dumb by telling all your friends about it and then not following through.

I know, I know. Every book on goal setting tells you to tell your friends about your goals. Telling people gives you accountability, they say. Blah, blah, blah. I already know from over a decade in the personal training industry that plan doesn’t tend to work. Talking is talking. Doing is doing. They aren’t the same thing.

Al_Danny_Kavadlo2

Psych!
Of course there are things in life that we need to mentally psych ourselves up for beforehand. Exercise is usually one of those things. I mentally prepare myself for every one of my workouts. I think about working out, I visualize myself doing it, I project positive thoughts out into the world. I might even have a template of which exercises I want to do and what order I want to do them in (though I’m also prepared to deviate from that plan). But I don’t talk about it – at least not until after I’ve taken action. When you spend all your time talking about things, you’re paralyzed by them. You only learn to walk the path by taking the first step.

One of my favorite Zen parables tells of a great scholar who came to Buddha seeking knowledge. “I have many questions for you,” the scholar told Buddha. “I’ve been told you are the only one who can answer them.”

“I will answer all of your questions,” replied Buddha. “But before I do that, you must fulfill a requirement. For one year, you must be with me in total silence. I can answer you now, but you are not ready. You must first empty your mind of misconceptions. Study with me in silence for one whole year. Only then will I answer.”

The scholar accepted Buddha’s offer and began to study under him in silence. After a year had passed, Buddha told the scholar he could now ask his questions. The scholar remained silent, as he no longer had anything to ask.

BukowskiGrave3

Don’t Try
Poet Charles Bukowski has the words “Don’t Try” written on his tombstone. Star Wars fans will remember Yoda’s famous advice to Luke Skywalker, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

These maxims can be confusing to many people, as they’re diametrically opposed to Western culture’s emphasis on goals and outcomes. We are taught from childhood that winning is the most important thing in the world and that happiness comes only from achievements. Ironically, the most “successful” people in the world are often prone to depression, drug addiction or worse. We see it with Hollywood actors, famous musicians and even Wall Street business executives; all the success in the world cannot fill the void one feels inside when material goods and ego-driven achievements are the only motivation in life.

When Bukowski says “Don’t Try” he doesn’t mean that you should give up on life and sit on the couch all day watching Youtube videos while you stuff your face full of gluten-free snack cakes. Yoda and Bukowski were both trying to convey the Buddhist concept sometimes called “effortless effort” – the idea that letting go of an attachment to any outcome frees you up and allows you to be fully present in the moment. When we forget the goal, we have no choice but to focus on the process itself. If you are always focused on goals, you will miss the entire journey. Instead, focus on doing each little task along the way with care and attention. Get lost in the moment; it is the only path to true joy. This is the “Zen Mind” I aim to bring to fitness.

Al Kavadlo One finger Headstand

When newcomers ask me for advice on training, I tend to keep my tips as brief and simple as possible. Rather than write out a detailed 6-week exercise template, I’ll simply tell a beginner to make a point to exercise consistently for one week. Once they make it through that first week, the only goal that I recommend is to continue for another week.

The specifics of training don’t matter if you don’t take action. Three sets of ten? Five sets of five? You can have the best plan on paper, but it means nothing until you actually do it. Only once someone has consistently made exercise a regular habit for several weeks do the details start to matter.

Pumping Irony
I realize there’s inherent irony in writing an article all about how talk is cheap. Though the written word tends to have more of an authoritative feel to it than speech (where do you think the word “author” comes from?), reading can’t do much more to help you take action than talking can. In fact, I have a confession to make: this article can’t really improve your life. Only you can do that. Nobody outside of you can ever effect change in your life. Not me, not Danny, not Coach Wade or anyone else. You and only you – and that’s the only way it’s ever going to be.

That’s right, nothing outside of yourself can ever bring you happiness or fulfillment, but I’m hoping my words can help you come to that realization. Let this article be the finger that points you to the moon. But please, don’t miss that heavenly glory!

Al with Buddha Street Art

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About Al Kavadlo: 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.

Lower Body Calisthenics

September 9, 2014 By Corey Howard 50 Comments

Corey Howard One Arm Plank With Cast

One of the best things that happened to my training was rupturing my triceps in late May. It was devastating! Right after the injury happened, on the way to the ER my 10 year old son said, “Dad now you won’t be able to do push-ups for a long time!” He was right. After surgery it was 3 full months before I could do anything upper body related and even then that would only be light pulling movements. That being said, it was the best thing to happen to my training. I couldn’t do any upper body training, I couldn’t touch any weights, and the only thing left to train was calisthenics only for legs and abs. To most people that sounds like Hell, but to me it sounded like fun!

When you look at some of the calisthenic practitioners online, you notice they have a lean muscular athletic look, yet typically don’t carry a ton of thick lower body muscle. The week of my surgery, Dragon Door published Paul Wade’s book, C-Mass, where he shows how to add size using calisthenics. This ignited my plan. For 12 weeks I would train legs and abs twice a week using only bodyweight movements. My goal was to gain two full inches on my thighs and glutes, and at least an inch on my calves. I emailed Al Kavadlo, told him about my injury and to expect an article about my journey. Here are some things I learned over the last 12 weeks…

First, know your progressions! Paul Wade gave us all an excellent training guide in Convict Conditioning. For success, you need to know what level you’re at in the pistol squat progression, and how many reps you can do. This way, if you can only do three reps, you know to work on adding reps. Or if you’re proficient with a movement, you can pair it with an “easier” exercise to thoroughly exhaust the muscle. An example of how this worked for me was pairing sissy squats with shrimp squats, or pistol squats with split squat jumps. Over time I developed some proficiency with shrimp squats, so I did sissy squats first to make them more difficult. This exhausted my quads and cut the total number of shrimp squats I could do in half.

Corey Howard Shrimp Squat

Adding a plyo movement immediately after a high skill movement like pistols also pushed the limits of my ability. Remember, your body has no idea if you’re holding a dumbbell or simply tweaking a calisthenic movement, it just knows you’re asking it to work harder and generate more force. By pairing various squat or bridge progressions, you can really push the limits of your lower body.

Second, don’t be afraid of reps. It frustrates me when someone says, “Any more than 5 reps is cardio.” Really!!! If you want to add size, anywhere from 1-20 reps should be performed. Embrace reps. Think about bodybuilders, typically they perform 4 sets of 12 with a shorter rest period between sets. Basically they are increasing the amount of time the muscle is under tension.

Corey Howard Single Leg Bridges

So if you do 20 single leg bridges per leg, then immediately follow it up with 15 glute-ham raises you’re increasing the time under tension for your posterior chain. Things like this will create muscle growth as well as a deep soreness the next day! Don’t be afraid to push a set to failure, especially with lower body calisthenics. What’s the worst that can happen? Maybe you fall on your butt while doing pistols? If you’ve been doing your bridges it will only cushion the blow! This simple philosophy reminded me what it’s like to step off a curb and have my legs collapse!

Third, two sets will work. Why on earth do we need 4 sets of anything? For the last 12 weeks I never took a movement past 2 sets. Once you’re warmed up and locked in, fire up the grueling sets. After pushing the reps to as many as possible and doing it twice, the muscle gets the message that you need it bigger and stronger. Two working sets also gives you time for other movements, and that means you can play with some variety.

So what happened at the end of 4 weeks? I added an additional 2 inches on my thighs and glutes, and an inch on my calves. Twenty-four ab and lower body calisthenic workouts later and I have a meatier, stronger, more powerful lower body than I ever have. Keep in mind, I’m not a newbie to strength training. I’ve been working out for 22 years! After all that time, even I can add size using only calisthenics!

A side benefit from this has been the carry over. As I start with some upper body work I’m noticing that I really haven’t lost much strength, despite surgery, a cast, and upper body inactivity. If your foundation is strong, you will be strong. If anyone is interested in what I did or would like to see some of my workouts, just message me or comment below. I’d love to help. I will warn you though, none of it was easy! Fire it up!

Corey Howard added 2" to his legs after 12 weeks calisthenics only leg training

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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 www.resultsptonline.com or www.coreyhoward.com.