How to do Bodyweight Squats

Bodyweight squats, also known as free or air squats, are possibly the most primal and basic exercise you could do. They require good flexibility in the hips, heels and back, and no equipment at all.

You should master free squats before doing any other lower body exercise, as a good squat is the foundation of many exercises. Chances are that if you can't free squat correctly, you won't be able to do many other lower body exercises correctly, and that something is wrong in your body.

To squat with proper technique, set your feet at shoulder width pointing slightly outwards. Start the movement by bending at the hips and pushing them backward as much possible, until you reach a point where you must bend your knees. Do so while keeping your shins as vertical as possible, and never lift your heels. Remember to focus on pushing the floor through your heels. Finally, keep your back as straight as possible, and don't lean too much forward.

When squatting, go at least as low as parallel, this is where the top of your knees is at the same level that the upper crease of your hips. Don't go ass to grass, i.e. as low as you can, when your hammies touch your calves, if doing this causes you pain.

Here is a video where I show you how to progress from zero to a point where you can perform a full squat.





If you have any question, don't hesitate to ask me anything on this post or on my Facebook page, and I'll answer you ASAP.

Train hard,
Gabri.


If you want to read this post in Spanish, click here.

How to do Australian Pull Ups

The Australian Pull Up is a splendid exercise for your back and arms, and a good one to start building your pulling power. It is also a good way to gain strength when preparing for your fist pull up, and it will teach total body tension, a good technique for pulling and proper posture for your shoulders and shoulder blades.

Besides, it will keep your shoulders healthy by balancing all the horizontal push you may do (push ups, bench press…).

They are also known as inverted rows and fat man pull ups, but don’t get me wrong, they can be as hard as you want them to be, going from a vertical pull for total rookies, all the way to one arm Australian pull ups to advanced trainees.

In these two videos I show you how to go from vertical pulls, which are the easiest version, to the regular Australian pull up, which is an intermediate level version. Even if Australian pull ups are not the hardest exercise you can find, it is important to do them with great technique and don’t underestimate them.

Once you have mastered this movement, you will notice you have a better mind-muscle connection with your back, an important thing to get bigger, and you’ll feel stronger. A strong back lays the foundation for a strong push, so you can expect your push power to increase as you train properly your back.

Here’s the video where I show how to do them on rings:

And here you can see me doing them on bars:

Don’t hesitate to ask me any question you may have, be it on this blog, on my Facebook Page, or on my youtube channel.

Train hard!

Gabri

                                       To read this post in Spanish, click here.

Calisthenics, why use them & beginner routine

            Calisthenics are the exercises, or movements, done without any external load, using our own bodyweight as the only resistance. The most known are the classic push ups, pull ups, squats and crunches.

            The word Calisthenics comes from the ancient Greek kallos, which means beauty, and sthénos meaning strength. It is the art of using your own body weight and qualities of inertia as a means to develop your physique.

            The legend tells that in a horribly cold day the god Kallisto decided to wrestle hand to hand with his friend the god Yemo (not sure if this is his name in English) to get warmed up. The thing is Yemo hated secretly Kallisto, so they begun a fight to death. Kallisto, horrified and about to die because Yemo was very strong, asked for help to the demigod Heracles. This one did not ignore his pleas and gave him the skill to move his muscles harmoniously so he could defend himself with grace. The legend ends with Yemo sent into exile to the barbarian islands.

           

           

            Talking about Greeks, how do you think that the Spartans became so strong and feared? It was clearly by the continuous and intense practice of calisthenics.

Why get stronger?

            I’ve heard many people say things like “I just wanna get big, not strong” and “I don’t care about strength, all I want is to get ripped”. Other times, they say worse things like “I just came to workout a little” and “I don’t want to get huge like Arnold!” The latter is the funniest, because if you add some weight to the bar, you will surely wake up in the morning looking like Arnold… Common! Do you really think so?

Poor Arnold, nobody wants to look like him...

             Strength is the foundation you need to build before anything, whatever your goals are. To gain 20 kg of lean muscle, you need to get stronger. You ain’t gonna gain a lot of muscle lifting the same weights year after year, especially if you’re weak. If your goal is fat loss, lifting big weights will make you many more calories, and even if you diet to lose weight, if you don’t strength train, you will lose all your muscle and end up like a scrawny kid.