I am not going to explain everything again, so straight to the point.
Keep doing the Calisthenic Beginner Routine #1 until you can do 20 perfect Close Push Ups and 20 perfect Australian Pull Ups. Once you can do that, progress to this routine, which is essentially the same as the first one, but a few exercises change, and you will be alternating 2 different workouts with at least a day of rest between them, which is the simple A/B scheme.
The mighty Pull Up!! Everyone has at least once tried to do one pull up, even if it is jumping, kipping, and with horrible form! But not everybody knows how to do a correct pull up, and most of the time it is just because they started doing pull ups before having the strength and preparation to do it.
What I am going to suggest you is a progression towards your first proper pull up, so you can then focus on adding reps or progress to a harder variation, because there is no way you can do a one arm pull up if you can't do one proper pull up.
Many people want to start training with their own bodyweight, because they wanna try something new, or because they have no time to go to the gym. But the problem is that they don't know how to start. That's why I'm going to share with you a good routine you can follow, based on the most basic exercises for beginners, i.e., squats, Australian pull ups, push ups and leg raises, and how you can adapt it to your goals and life.
Leg Raises work your abdominal muscles and your hip flexors. Hip flexors are used for flexing your hips... Duh! This is when you approach your knee to your upper body in any way. Think of sprinting, holding the bottom position of a squat, kicking, and much more. I once injured my hip flexor, this is the reason why I know how important they are. I could not lift my leg 1 inch off the floor!
I've made a video showing you how to perform the different variations of leg raises on parallel bars. When you master straight leg raises on the parallels, start again form the easiest variation hanging from a chin up bar, or anything you can hang from.
Here's the video:
Just add this exercise at the end of your workout, and progress when you are able to do 15 reps. Even with just one set you will progress, no need to do any more.
If you give it a try, keep me posted, and if you have any question, don't hesitate to ask.
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.
The Pushup is one of the most
classical exercises on earth. They are the bread and butter of the military. It
is one of the first exercises that comes to your mind when you think of
bodyweight exercises.
However, most people do not give them the respect they
deserve. They think that it might be a great exercise for cardio circuits, for
a finisher and for warm ups, but that there is no way Pushups could help you
get bigger and stronger when you are past the beginner status, right? Well, I
am here to tell you that they are completely wrong. The first reason why they
think so is that they do not even know how to perform a strict pushup, not even
the regular variation. They do them only half way down, with they elbows flared
out to the sides and with shitty form.
The strict pushup is done by keeping the elbows close
to your body, and going all the way down till your chest touches the floor. Once
you have mastered the regular pushups, you should slowly progress to close
pushups, by reducing the distance between your hands an inch or two once you
get used to the new hand width.
Close pushups are awesome. They will blast you triceps
and shoulders, and they are a prerequisite to one arm pushups. Don't rush
things to avoid injuring your elbows, since you need to give time to your
tendons to get used to the greater ROM (Range Of Motion).
In this video I'll show you how to progress from a
total beginner level to the close pushup.
Hit the like button of my Facebook page and ask me anything you want.
Train hard!
Gabri
If you want to read this post in Spanish, click here.
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.
