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Contents

What to expect from the Strength + Play guide 6

Section One: Exercise science principles for Strength + Play 8

Section Two: The School of Calisthenics Framework 11

Introduction to the School of Calisthenics Framework 12Applying the School of Calisthenics Framework 16The Locker – Tools to progress your training 17

Section Three: The Training Programme 31

(Including video demonstrations and coaching of each exercise)

Movement Preparation 33Mobilisation exercises 36Activation exercises 37

Push Progressions 39Hand Balancing Progressions 45Pull Progressions 48Lever Progressions 53Push and Pull Finishers 57

Section Four: Planning your training programme 60

Creating specific adaptation 61Getting ‘strong 66Training programme structure 68Go Forth. Your Graduation 69Example training programmes 70

Appendix One: The School of Calisthenics Framework 77



Introduction

In all things, we start at the beginning. The calisthenics journey is no exception. Unless you have a background in gymnastics (which we don’t!), embarking on the pursuit of bodyweight mastery seems to level the playing field and bring us all back to the basics. Regardless of what previous experience you brought to the table, in our first exposure to calisthenics many of us will have been made to feel like complete beginners. As such, we have all experienced the range of emotions from extreme excitement to intense frustration that come from learning this new craft.

The problem with being a beginner is that whether you like it or not, there are a set of rules that govern and dictate the early steps in your calisthenics journey. To master the basics, you must learn to move in new ways and become strong in positions you may have never trained before. You must earn the right to progress and this can only be done by taking the time to build solid foundations.

But if you choose to play by these rules your beginner status can be short-lived. Sooner or later you inadvertently step into a new territory and almost unknowingly find yourself on the precipice of something much greater. The land of Strength and Play!

This is where the free people come together. To get here you’ve toiled through some hard stages of your development and equipped yourself with the basic skills and abilities to enter a vast, exciting and endless part of the calisthenics world. Here there are fewer rules and more opportunities.

Right now, you and your newly developed physical literacy are looking out on a fresh frontier. Welcome, this is a fun place to be.

Progressive Play

One of the really exciting things about calisthenics is the endless opportunities for progression. Your time as a beginner in bodyweight training will have focused on becoming competent with pull ups, dips, push ups along with basic hand balancing and ring work.

As we look out on this new landscape we are reminded of the easily forgotten, but all important central pillar of movement; play. Movement exploration should be fun, and if you enjoy exploring your physical potential through bodyweight training it’s hard not to find happiness in elbow levers, dragon flags, typewriter pull ups and clutch flags. These are just some of the things you have to look forward to.



The purpose of this guide is to reveal new movement opportunities to you, refine your technique and upgrade your arsenal of training options by presenting challenging variations that build upon your foundations. Calisthenics comes from two Greek words meaning beauty and strength. The focus hence forth is to explore this true meaning with more indulgence than is often permitted when training for one of the big moves.

Training Focus

If you have a specific movement objective such as the muscle up or handstand in mind, don’t feel like you are taking your eyes off the prize. You’re going to learn some new things but ultimately all progression in calisthenics leads to versatility and the development of your existing foundations. Getting strong is such an important part of bodyweight mastery and exploration. Whilst you may need to add some specificity to complete a human flag or back lever, whatever you are training for, there is no substitute for basic strength.

As such we believe there should always be a place reserved in your programme for fun and fresh challenges. It gives us a mental break and the opportunity for quick success when we feel entrenched in what can become a laborious road towards one of the iconic calisthenics moves. But these progressions do not lack value. Those who take time on their journey to explore them will be rewarded in the long term with a movement deck loaded in their favour.

Enjoy the journey

P.S. Remember to attend your graduation!We know that when you do something for the first time it’s such an awesome feeling. We want to know when you achieve your ‘impossible’ so we can share and celebrate your success with you! So, as evidence of your graduation make sure you capture your success up and send us a video via email or tag us on your favourite social media channels; Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (#schoolofcalisthenics).

Once graduated, the video of achievement won’t just live long in all our memories, but forever on our graduates’ page!

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What can you expect from the Strength + Play guide?

At the School of Calisthenics your education is important and we want you to understand not just the what, but the how and why as well. Because of this we include the relevant exercise science principles and teach you about our unique framework and how to use it. Over time, as your knowledge develops, you can make your own training decisions based on a proper understanding of how to structure an effective programme that actually takes you to your goals. If we can help you to do that we’ll be very happy.

We have divided this guide into 4 sections and have included both theoretical and practical elements. So… whilst you could just go and watch the movie rather than read the book, we would like to suggest the students that ultimately get the highest grades will be the ones that do both!

Section One: Exercise science principles for Strength + Play

Section Two: The School of Calisthenics Framework and The Locker

Section Three: The Strength + Play Training Programmes

a) Movement Preparationb) Push Progressionsc) Hand Balancing Progressionsd) Pull Progressionse) Lever Progressionsf) Push and Pull Finishers

Section Four: Planning your training programme

a) Creating specific adaptationb) Getting strongc) Training programme structured) Example training programmes

In the first two sections, we’ll introduce some principles that will help you to optimise your training and the physical adaptations you stimulate as a result.



In section 3 you will find a range of progressive exercises that build on the foundations you built as a beginner. We have provided a brief description of each exercise to give you a heads up before you click the link and watch the video coaching tutorial from our expert tutors. Both Tim and Jacko have a wealth of experience coaching elite Paralympic athletes so you can be confident you’re going to learn how to do each exercise correctly. They will also explain how to progress and regress each movement using the tools from the Locker.

Following the practical component, we’re going to finish with section 4 and some theory about how to design and plan an effective training programme. We have also included a number of example training programmes in this section. But don’t let these restrict you. All the information you need to write your own programme is contained in these pages.

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SECTION ONE: EXERCISE SCIENCE PRINCIPLES FOR STRENGTH + PLAY

With the basics of pushing and pulling rooted firmly in your repertoire it’s time to start applying this foundation strength to different body positions and shapes. To improve the effectiveness of your development there are some simple exercise science principles that will help you make educated decisions about your training programme.

Physical Engineering

One of the important principles of progression in calisthenics is manipulating the distribution of weight in relation to your base of support. To give you an example, here are three push-up exercises, each progressively more difficult:

1) Standard push-up with the elbows close to the body: Even weight distribution on two arms. Short lever length. Stable position.2) Archer push-up: Weight predominantly loaded on one side but supported by a longer lever on the opposite. Less stable position and less opportunity to produce higher forces. 3) Single arm push-up: Weight distributed on one arm. Least stable position. Force production limited to one arm only.

As you move from the beginner stage in step one, to the intermediate progressions in stages 2 and 3, you take a standard pushing movement and make it more difficult by manipulating joint angles, decreasing stability and challenging range of movement.

This requires the development of some new motor abilities, but first and foremost you need to be able to create the right shape. Range of movement is the cornerstone of performance. If the working parts of a machine can’t move to the positions they need to, it’s fair to expect the machine won’t operate in the way it was designed to. Our body is no different. We need to optimise the potential to explore new movements by ensuring we have the necessary range of motion around the joints involved. If you can’t get into the right body shape you can’t produce force effectively. It’s that simple. But don’t worry, we’ve got this covered and will tell you more when we introduce the School of Calisthenics Framework in Section Two. Overload

Creating a physical adaptation is about overload. Your body responds to the stress you place upon it (providing it is of a significant enough magnitude). For example, if you train Korean Dips at an appropriate intensity i.e. it pushes the limits of your ability, your central nervous system will



kick-start an appropriate adaptation so your body is better prepared to handle this unfamiliar intensity demand again in the future.

This process is about the human body’s continual quest for equilibrium. Inflicting a physical stress creates a fluctuation and upsets the balance. The brains’ response is to restore order by installing upgrades and trying to pre-empt any future disruption. The intended end game is if that same stress is experienced again, it will be within the body’s capabilities and equilibrium is maintained.

The upgrades may come in the form of a change to the hardware (cellular response i.e. an increase in muscle size) or software (neural system i.e. the ability to increase peak force production). The detail depends on the stimulus. The good news is that the resulting adaptation elevates baseline performance which facilitates new movement patterns, better movement quality and improvements in strength.

However, for those interested in physical progression, giving the brain an easy ride when it comes to maintaining equilibrium is not part of the plan. As we continue to train with appropriate structure, consistency and intensity we put this stimulation ▶ adaptation cycle on repeat, forcing continual performance enhancement. Over time this will look like one impossible redefined after another.

You are the resistance

Creating overload in free weight training is easy and done by adding more plates to a bar or picking up a heavier dumbbell. In conditioning or cardio focused training, it could be a decrease in the time taken to cover a certain distance, the ability to reduce drop off in repeat sprints or increase the number of repetitions done in a set time.

There is room in calisthenics to create overload using these principles. However, this approach often leads to more of the same as we apply it using movements we can already do. A much more exciting prospect is to stimulate a physical adaptation by challenging the body to move in new ways.

If we change how we interact with our training environment we can create a stimulus that not only increases the amount of force we must produce to perform the desired movement, but also increases the movement options available to us. Put simply, not only do we get stronger but we also learn to move in new ways. That’s pretty exciting. But how do you manipulate the training environment when all you have is your bodyweight and gravity? Well, we use a set of tools to help us. These tools are kept in ‘The Locker’ and we’ll explain each of them to you in the next section.



SECTION TWO: INTRODUCTION TO THE SCHOOL OF CALISTHENICS FRAMEWORK

We developed the unique School of Calisthenics Framework to not only provide athletes with a progressive system but one that simplifies the exercise science and training process for you.

The structure of the framework means that any calisthenics movement can be broken down to the composite parts enabling you to train each of the physical characteristics required to be successful.

The School of Calisthenics Framework consists of two main stages, each with two sub-phases (figure one). We provide a brief overview to each section below but you can read about the Framework in more detail in Appendix One.

Figure one: The School of Calisthenics Framework

PREPARATION

STRENGTHMOVEMENT

APPLIED

PATTERNING CAPACITY



Stage One: Movement

Redefining your impossible starts by creating the conditions for success. Before you worry about getting strong you need to be concerned with increasing movement quality and the movement options you have available to you. Your ambition to move in a way you have never done before is more likely to be achieved if you take a proactive approach to enhancing how you prepare for movement and how you progressively develop the movement pattern.

Movement Preparation

In this section of the framework we address the fact that everyone needs do some work to improve posture, correct faulty movement mechanics and prepare for the session you’re about to do. This is not a quick fix for what could be decades of trauma whether that be old sports injuries, training practices or neglect, but real changes can be made in a matter of minutes. If you do this consistently you will be taking positive steps to restore your body to as close to postural optimum as possible.

The key outcomes are to improve range of movement, mobilise joint positions and prepare the body for the session you are about to do. In doing this you lay the foundations to optimise your training in the immediate and long-term time frames.

Movement Patterning

Movement Patterning focuses on teaching new movement patterns or enhancing existing ones. In calisthenics this is essential as we need to educate the kinetic chain to operate and integrate in new ways. Skill acquisition is a central focus of this phase so Movement Patterning exercises are programmed early in the training sessions while there is limited fatigue and before we train the strength component.

MOVEMENT



STRENGTH

Stage Two: Strength

Strength is an essential part of calisthenics. The ratio of how much force you can produce relative to your bodyweight is going to be a determining factor in achieving your goals.

Applied Strength

Many calisthenics movements will require you to be strong in positions that are unfamiliar and you haven’t trained before. For example, staying high above the bar on a typewriter pull up as you transition from left to right. The full movement is likely to be too hard at first so we need a more structured and progressive approach to strength development. Applied Strength is about using exercises and training body shapes that are similar to the movement pattern you’re aiming to for, but are easier to perform.

Capacity Strength

This phase of the framework is about global strength. Success in calisthenics is often limited because you’re simply not strong enough. The specificity is taken care of in the Applied Strength section so in the Capacity Strength component of the training programme we’re focused on increasing volume and intensity. In short, improving basic strength. This is where a lot of training time should be directed if you’re going to achieve some of the more complex calisthenics movements.

Our background is based on many years of experience working in elite sport where avoiding injuries is of primary importance. Because of this, the framework has been designed to not only guide you safely through your journey, but also improve your general functional movement, health and wellbeing at the same time.

You don’t have to be a gymnast to use the framework. We had no prior experience in any calisthenics style training when we started. In fact, we’ve punished our bodies with many, many years of rugby and still to this day manage the remnants of all the injuries that went with it.



Since then we have tried and tested this training methodology on ourselves but more importantly it has guided many other people to success in their calisthenics training. Check out the graduates page on our website to see the evidence.

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Applying the School of Calisthenics Framework to Strength + Play

One of the strengths of the framework is its flexibility. Whilst there is great value in using it as a complete system, each stage can also stand alone as an individual component that can be used to stimulate a specific adaptation.

When the target is a complex movement like the human flag or muscle up, the framework breaks it down into smaller, composite components. Following a period of focused and structured training the various motor abilities are upgraded and the framework evolves with your training to help you integrate it all together. This means you ultimately achieve the goal and redefine your impossible.

When training is targeted at the exercises covered in this Strength + Play guide, you are challenging yourself to move in ways that present far less complexity. With this goal in mind, some sections of the framework, whilst still being relevant, hold a lower priority. This is primarily due to a smaller need for neural learning and specific strength development. To give you an example, we’re going to show you a number of push up variations in this guide. Chances are you already know how to do a push up. The progressions we will introduce simply challenge this existing movement pattern in new ways. This is a very different learning process to starting your handstand journey as a complete beginner where you may have very little foundation to rely on.

Increasing your movement abilities and strength in a wide range of positions primarily utilises the framework phases of Movement Preparation and Capacity Strength. However, there are a few exercises where we will want to seek the adaptations offered in the Movement Patterning and Applied Strength sections.

For simplicity, we’re going to give you a selection of Movement Preparation options and then present the Strength + Play exercises in the categories shown below.

Movement PreparationPush Progressions Hand Balancing ProgressionsPull ProgressionsLever ProgressionsPush and Pull Finishers

In addition, we will also give some suggestions about how these exercises might serve as useful progressions towards other calisthenics movements.



‘The Locker’

Just before we show you the training programme we first want you to know about the ‘Locker’. This is a gold mine of information that, if deployed well, will have a considerable impact on your progression and success.

Having a range of tools at your disposal is fundamental to your progression and allows you to constantly morph and manipulate your training environment. At the School of Calisthenics we keep these tools in ‘The Locker’, open it and you will find:

Levers and AnglesStabilityEccentricsIsometricsAssistanceWeightedBroken Sets

We’re advocates of setting a movement goal to work towards as it represents a tangible end point and the opportunity to achieve something real. That could be a muscle up, back lever, handstand or a human flag and we have designed specific frameworks for these purposes.

In these specific frameworks, we primarily use the Locker to bridge the gap between progressions in the Applied Strength phase. As such we take a more prescriptive approach as each tool has one or more specific jobs or applications in the context of the movement we’re working towards.

But as mentioned in the introduction, the land of Strength + Play has fewer rules. We’re going to show you a range of calisthenics exercises in this eBook but there is far more value on offer. If you develop an understanding of the Locker, your progression beyond what we have included is limited only by your imagination. Regardless of how far along your journey you are, for the most people the Locker offers significant value by helping you accumulate more volume in your programme. This means you can hit higher rep ranges and do more sets, therefore building more Capacity Strength, and that is an essential part of calisthenics.

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Remember to play, explore and be artistic. When you have strength + play as a philosophy in your training programme the tools in the locker should be viewed as toys. The skill in utilising them effectively is found in understanding how, when and why each can be used to regress, progress or change a movement and whether one tool should be applied in isolation or combined with another.



LEVERS + ANGLES

Altering either the length or a lever or the angles used to alter the demands of an exercise. Biomechanics is the science of human movement. More specifically it is concerned with the forces that act on the human body (kinetics) and the analysis of how we move (kinematics). For the calisthenics athlete, understanding and manipulating your own biomechanics provides an extremely potent tool in facilitating your progression.

Levers

One principle that we will use in a number of exercises is that of levers. In basic terms the longer the lever length, the more force you have to apply in order to move or hold a position.

In some exercises the lever tool is easy to see. For example, ‘ice cream makers’ with bent knees vs straight legs. Holding the body in a completely straight line means you create a longer lever and place more demand on the upper body and core musculature. Sometimes a change in lever length can be more subtle. If you choose to adopt a wider hand position on a pull up, the lever involved (distance from the shoulder to the hand) is longer. This means more force is required to perform the pull up. You haven’t added any external load to the exercise but you have increased the physical demand by changing how you move.

Understanding how to change lever lengths means you can play with different movements and all the time know how to scale the difficulty.

Angles

This refers to the angle of a joint, or your entire body in relation to your base of support, whether that be on a bar, or on the floor. Understanding how a change in joint angle effects exercise intensity and progression is useful in developing strength in new positions and leads to new movement opportunities.

A good example is the elevated wall handstand push up where your hands are placed on a box slightly away from the wall. When you lower down you’re able to take your head below the box height and move the shoulders and through a greater range of movement.



From a physiological perspective, we’re strongest around the midpoint of a joints full range of motion, meaning we produce less force at a muscles end range. This is due to the opportunity for overlap of the muscles contractile elements. Opting to expose yourself to more end range positions is therefore an effective way to progress basic strength. But it also creates further movement options which may transfer well into other calisthenics exercises. For example, elevated wall handstand push ups may serve you well when you set your eyes on an advanced hand balancing exercise like the Tiger Bend.

A second example of the use of angles is to change exercise intensity. Push ups on the floor become more difficult if you raise your feet on a box. Whilst you are still using only your bodyweight, the elevation of the lower body shifts more load onto the working muscles. Combine this with working through greater joint angles by using paralettes and you can scale push up intensity very effectively. If you were to continue to increase the angle by raising the feet so you are closer to a handstand push up, you change the dominant musculature from that of the chest to the shoulders. This again opens up lots more training options.



Levers and Angles Combined

In many cases the lever length has a direct effect on the joint angle and we’ll use the dragon flag as a final example. The hardest progression of a dragon flag is to hold it in a completely horizontal position, 90 degrees from the vertical. If you’re still developing the strength to do that you might choose to hold a position closer to 45 degrees. The angle is less but so is the lever length. Therefore, the strength required is lower meaning you can train progressively at a stage that is appropriate for you. Over time as you get stronger you will find yourself able to work closer to the horizontal.

The take home message concerning levers and angles is that by manipulating your body position, body shape and how you move through space, you have a wide range of exercise variations available to you. A big positive for using this tool is the intensity of exercises can be scaled easily, either making them more difficult, or easier.

Aside from learning new movements, when you’re working with minimal equipment or in a less than perfect environment, these tools are extremely valuable in ensuring you can train and create adequate overload.



STABILITY

Changing the stability demand on the body can make an exercise easier or harder.

Manipulating the environment by creating instability often makes an exercise more difficult. This has numerous potential benefits in your training and progression.

Unstable environments

Most people will be able to produce more force (add additional weight, do more reps or work through a better range of movement) in dips using the parallel bar compared to the rings. This is because the bars provide a more stable environment. The central nervous system will only allow muscles surrounding a joint to produce as much force as that joint can stabilise. Therefore, when instability is detected, the brain will place a limiter on how much force generation it allows. It’s a simple protective mechanism. Putting large forces through an unstable joint carries a high risk of injury and the brain doesn’t want that.

If you want to get better at training in unstable environments, like on the rings, you need to earn that right by exposing yourself to the stimulus over time. In the short-term it presents an interesting and fun challenge, but there is a bigger picture you might like to be aware of.

Through the process of improving your ability to perform exercises in an unstable environment you install system upgrades to the hardware and software that manage joint stability. If you now go to a more stable environment (i.e. rings to bars) the central nervous system has less concern for the need to maintain joint integrity and the big guns are given permission to crack on with what they do best; produce high levels of force!

Therefore, using the stability tool is not just about challenging yourself with exercise variations but also creating performance improvements across your whole training programme.

Base of support

A change in the base of support will also influence stability and therefore exercise difficulty. Take a single arm push up as an example. The difficulty increases purely because more load (your bodyweight) is shifted onto one arm instead of being shared by two. In addition, there is a need for the body to recreate the stability that is no longer provided by both hands being on the floor.



The brain will try to offer an intelligent, but unfortunately flawed solution. It will rotate the hips and non-weight bearing shoulder upwards so more body mass is stacked over the base of support. Clever! This unconscious shift in bodyweight decreases the overall stabilisation demand making it biomechanically easier. However, it’s is not helpful when we actually want the chest parallel to the floor and enough performance capacity from the shoulder to execute a safe and stable pattern. To do this we must use the rest of the body to stabilise the shape and allow high quality movement to take place.

In the early days of learning the single arm push up it’s not uncommon to feel your hips flexors and adductors going crazy. This illustrates the point of other musculature coming to the rescue in an effort to stabilise the shape. But with some focused work to improve the stabilisation capabilities of the shoulder, a large helping of single arm pushing strength and an increase in kinetic chain integration and education, you will be well on your way to an impressive feat of strength.

In the last 10 years of training high performance athletes we have implemented these stability concepts to great effect. A simple change to the environment (rings, mats, sand, medicine/stability balls), or a reduction in base of support (lying, kneeling, single leg kneel, standing, single leg stance) presents a very effective tool for progression.

Have fun with it but make sure you’re not setting yourself up for YouTube fame on a gym fails show reel. Play progressively at the edge of your current limits of stability and remember you’re using ‘tools’ from the locker, you’re not trying to look like a tool!



ECCENTRICS

Performing only the lower or deceleration part of a movement can aid in developing strength.

Performing eccentrics means we emphasise the lowering phase (deceleration) of a movement when the muscle under tension is in fact lengthening. Humans can decelerate much larger forces than we can accelerate.

Eccentrics are often used in the pursuit of specific strength development. It might be you aren’t yet strong enough to be able to perform the concentric (e.g. pulling from the bottom of a pull up or pushing from the bottom of a dip) phase. In these cases, training the lowering phase only is an effective way of increasing a muscles ability to produce force. In time, you will be able to deploy that strength to perform your first full rep.

The application of eccentrics to Strength + Play training is to apply this principle to any movement progression where you need to develop more strength but want to train as close to the full movement pattern as possible. This for example could be eccentric Russian Dips where or Handstand Push Ups through the full range of movement.

The effectiveness of an eccentric movement is determined by being able to control the deceleration thus extending the total time the muscle is under tension. Slow controlled movements with an eccentric duration of at least 5 seconds per repetition are recommended. Aim for 5 – 8 repetitions and 3 – 6 sets.



ISOMETRICS

Holding a static position with little to no movement.

Isometric muscle contractions occur “when the developed tension in the muscle is equal to the force acting upon it”, meaning there is no visible movement.

In simple terms, it’s a static hold. Elbow levers, forearm stands and clutch flags are all examples where the end goal is to hold a static shape. The principle of specific adaptation to imposed demands tells us the body adapts to the stress we place upon it. Therefore, you must understand the isometric tool in order to apply it effectively and perform these awesome calisthenics moves.

The sweet spot for training isometrics is to find a level of progression that means you can hold that position for about 10 seconds. Across a target of 4 – 6 sets you will accumulate 40 – 60 seconds of ‘time under tension’. As you improve you simply increase the difficulty of the progression until you’re holding the full move.

Isometrics are also a great tool in your locker for developing new strength and particularly where you find ‘sticking points’ in a movement. If you’re working through a range of motion and there is a point that you just can’t push or pull past, use the isometric tool. At the point where you can’t go any further, hold it and push or pull as hard as you can for around 10 seconds. Isometrics have been shown to increase strength 15° either side of the stationary position you hold. Therefore, you’re not just getting stronger at that joint angle, but above and below that point as well and that will help you overcome the obstacle in the way.

Isometrics provide a great stimulus for strength gains and an effective way of blasting through plateaus.



ASSISTED

Using bands or a partner to assist the movement by reducing the load.

The assistance tool is about getting a helping hand when an exercise or movement pattern is too hard. Incorporating assisted exercises in your programme allows you to ‘connect the dots’ in terms of the Movement Patterning but also train the force development components as well. In the land of Strength and Play this tool offers lots of value. An example might be typewriter pull ups, a more demanding and biomechanically more challenging version of a standard pull up. If you’re not yet strong enough you can use a band to help develop the strength you need as this highly progressive tool enables you to:

1) Hit the right amount of volume (reps and sets) to get the desired adaptation, and 2) Do it with perfect technique.

Partner assisted training is also useful where you use your training buddy or a similarly friendly person to help you. In the same way as someone would spot a bench press, partners can give you a little nudge or stop you from falling when you need it. Pull up variations and hand balancing exercises are a great example. This variation also comes with an added bonus, it might just build you a little community as well, and that is a good thing!



WEIGHTED

Adding additional load to a movement to increase strength development.

The simplest and most common form of progressing an exercise is to add additional weight. This can be in the form of a weighted vest, a weight belt or a well-placed and anchored resistance band.

The weighted tool offers considerable value when it comes to increasing capacity strength within a movement or exercise that you’re competent doing, but want to push to the next level.

You can also increase the intensity of an easier progression to help build basic global strength that will contribute to a harder progression. For example, wearing a weight vest to do typewriter push ups will not only allow you to create overload in that movement but also facilitate your single arm push up training.

Before deciding to add more resistance though you should ensure you have mastered the movement pattern with appropriate postural control. Training with poor form and additional weight is not going to aid in your long-term progression and will increase the risk of injury.



BROKEN SETS

Breaking a set down into smaller groups of reps separated by a short rest.

When you’re trying to build strength in a new movement or exercise you might find that you’re unable to achieve the number of repetitions required for a desired adaptation. Take for example the impossible push up. You might be aiming to increase muscular endurance which means you will need to perform 12+ repetitions, but you can only do 8 in one go before fatigue kicks in and you can’t do any more.

Broken sets offer an effective way to stimulate a specific adaption by allowing you to hit the target number of reps at an intensity that is above your current ability but in line with your end goal.

Instead of trying to do 12 reps in one go you can break the set down and do 5 reps followed by a 10 – 15 second rest then do another 4, rest again and then finish the set with another 3 reps. You have performed 12 reps in total, you just take a few short rests along the way.

Get creative with how you break up the set and consi der your current training level, the target exercise and number of repetitions you want to do.

Extra Lessons

Broken sets are sometimes also known as cluster sets when the desired adaptation is hypertrophy (see section 4 for more information on creating specific adaptations). Cluster sets are a great way to achieve a tonne of volume in a very short period of time. Try doing 4 reps and 10 sets with each set separated by a 10 second rest to get a metabolic hypertrophy stimulus. 40 reps in around 4 minutes’ works as a great finisher.



COMBINING TOOLS

Utilising more than one tool at a time to further enhance the progression opportunity.

Employing more than one tool from the locker to any given movement in order to progress or regress means the opportunities to adapt training to your specific needs are endless.

Like a tasting menu at a top-class restaurant there are some pairings that complement each other beautifully. Isometrics and assistance. Assistance and levers. Levers and eccentrics. Eccentrics and weighted. These are just some combinations to think about.

Again, be creative but don’t be the class clown. Eccentric handstand push ups on a stability ball wearing a weighted vest is not a great investment in your physical longevity………or dignity.

Utilising the locker effectively and to address sticking points in your training is something our tutors teach in more depth during our School of Calisthenics Workshops. View upcoming workshops on our website.

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SECTION THREE: THE TRAINING PROGRAMME

Let’s get started! In this section, you will find:

1. Movement Preparation

a. Mobilisation Exercises

b. Activations Exercises

2. Push Progressions

3. Lever Progressions

4. Hand Balancing Progressions

5. Pull Progressions

6. Push and Pull Finishers



Movement Preparation

Some form of Movement Preparation should be done at the start of every session. It’s what we do in our own training and it’s what we do with the elite athletes we support. We honestly believe it is one of the main reasons why our athletes’ injury rates are so low and we’ve successfully helped them to win medals at the highest level of their sport. If you want to minimise the risk of injury and achieve your goals, take this message on board.

There are many exercises in this section but don’t feel you must do all of them every time you prep for a session. Just identify which create the greatest benefit and commit to doing them regularly. It is worth noting that when it comes to self-massage, the ‘greatest benefit’ can sometimes be disguised behind a mask of pain and miserable tightness. This feeling of discomfort and restricted range of motion will ease as you spend more time utilising this section of the Framework. Whilst change can be made in 5 minutes before a session, the real value comes from a commitment to frequency + consistency. Do this and you’ll see an improvement in your mobility and you can move on and focus on other areas.

Self-Massage

Tight muscles often have a little too much neural activation causing them to contract and restrict range of movement. Self-massage helps to ‘tone down’ some of this over-activity and enhances the effectiveness of the other mobilisation and activation exercises to come.

Using a lacrosse, tennis or other specialist mobility ball, spend 2 minutes working into the tight areas of each muscle as shown in the videos. Anything that feels, sore, gristly and generally unpleasant is where you should invest your time.



Activation Exercises

An important part of preparing the body for the session you’re about to do is to activate the musculature and movement patterns you intend to use.

Every action has a reaction, and postural imbalances are no different. Where we have tight ‘overactive’ musculature, it is common that the muscle serving the opposite function will be ‘underactive’. We address the eager beaver overactive crew with the self-massage. But if we are to get the high-quality movement we desire, there is great value in isolating the muscles that aren’t pulling their weight and then reintegrating them into more global movement patterns. This is done once you have completed the self-massage exercises and gives them a little wake up call.

In this guide we are going to focus on improving the activation and integration of the shoulder musculature, thoracic spine, core and hip complex.

Once complete you will have taken steps to increase your range of movement and get the musculature around a joint ready to go. Now you can maximise your Movement Preparation with one more step. This is an easy win but one many people ignore. It’s as simple as this; warm muscles produce more force. By elevating muscle temperature by 1°C you can increase power output by 3 – 5%. That is a good thing if you’re doing exercises that demand near maximal effort. So, make sure you’re doing movements with enough intensity to get your muscle temperature up before you start the main body of your session. We recommend this is done using simple bodyweight exercises at a moderate intensity rather than a 5km run. There is a difference between increasing muscle temperature and core body temperature. Simple ring rows, flys, push ups, frog stands and crawling patterns are all great options.



Mobilisation Exercises

Self Massage: Pecs If you have spent too much time sitting, driving or on the pec deck in the gym you’re going to need to loosen off your anterior chest musculature. This is the first step in improving shoulder posture and function.

Self Massage: Lats The latissimuss dorsi is the only muscle which directly connects the shoulder with the hip. When overactive it wants to pull those two structures as close together as it can. If you lack appropriate muscular balance you end up with rounded shoulders, limited range of movement overhead and an anteriorly tilted pelvis that would make Daisy Duck go doolally. The lats are very important in many calisthenics movements so it’s worth the time to make sure they’re functioning well.

Self Massage: Upper Traps Your shoulder blades are designed to slide and glide around the ribcage but this is often not what we see. Instead we observe poor movement quality, which in the trade, we call scapular dyskinesis. It’s a problem because poor scapula function may mean a decrease in shoulder stability and force production.

The upper traps often try to take over when the middle and lower sections of this big muscle get inhibited or are weak. We need all 3 portions of the muscle to work together in a range of positions. Releasing tightness from the upper section will help to make this possible.

Self Massage: T-Spine Ball Modern day lifestyles mean many people sit too much and spend far too much time looking at their mobile phone. These things are not conducive to good spinal mobility, and therefore, not conducive to success in calisthenics. We need to take steps to restore spinal mobility.

Mobilisation: Banded Lats After some time in the pain cave doing self-massage on your lats, follow up with this exercise to improve range of movement in overhead positions and get the scapulae moving. Spend 2 minutes exploring the corners of any shoulder restriction in these distracted overhead positions.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-self-massage-pecs/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-self-massage-lats/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-self-massage-upper-traps/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-self-massage-thoracic-spine/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-mobilisation-banded-lats/


Mobilisation: Overhead Band Rotations A healthy shoulder has 360° of high quality movement. Unhealthy ones try to do a good impression but it in the end it just looks nasty and people looking on might worry that something is going to snap. Go steady with this one if you’re in the ‘tight shoulder club’ and ensure you prioritise time fully acquainting your pecs, lats and upper traps with some self-massage work before attempting it.

Take a band or bar and rotate through the entire range of motion. The wider your hands the easier this exercise becomes.

Mobilisation + Activation: Banded Shoulder Flexion + Internal Rotation Now that you have decreased some of the tightness using the self-massage techniques you can start the movement re-education process. We use a band to place the shoulder joint in a more postural optimum position and to give the central nervous system some feedback on how we now want the shoulder to move.

Working in sets of 15 - 20 reps try to work through progressively increasing ranges of movement in flexion and internal rotation whilst allowing the band to keep your shoulder in a good position.

Activation Exercises

Activation: Wall Angels with Internal Rotation Restoring the ability to internally and externally rotate the shoulder is important in accessing high levels of function and performance.

Do sets of 12 reps and work on your ability to create high quality overhead positions whilst controlling your shoulder and core posture. These two systems need each other…….just like Tim and Jacko! :o)

Activation: Banded Retraction The scapular retractors are a group of muscles that get inhibited or ‘switched off’ when we have tightness in the pecs and lats. This simple but very effective banded exercise helps with activation and integration. Postural correction, improvement in scapular movement quality and contribution towards increased force production. Sounds good to us.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-mobilisation-overhead-band-rotations/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-mobilisation-activation-banded-shoulder-flexion-internal-rotation/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-activation-wall-angels-internal-rotation/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-activation-banded-retraction/


Activation: Round the world push ups Floor based crawling and transitional movements from a push up position offer a multitude of benefits. The variations are endless but all of them are right up there when it comes to getting a big return on your investment. Round the world push ups load the shoulder via the hand on the ground which gives you a high level of activation around the joint. It also gives you the chance to think about integrating and co-ordinating shoulder and core posture. Put some reps together and you’ll add some temperature to the equation as well.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-activation-round-world-push-ups/


Push Progressions

Archer Push Ups (Floor and Rings) This exercise provides variation to your push training and requires the shift of bodyweight during the transition from one arm to the other. It is also the first step on your road to the single arm push up. Easily scalable with the additional bonus of stimulating some straight arm strength development.

The ring variation adds another ingredient, courtesy of the instability provided by the rings. You can also work through a larger range of movement due to the space between them and this is a really nice addition to further progress your archer push ups.

Typewriter Push Ups (Floor and Rings) The classic push up is the foundation of horizontal pushing strength in calisthenics. This typewriter progression presents a similar challenge to the archer but you transition from one arm to the other whilst staying close to the ground. The increased time under tension notches things up on the fatigue scale and you’ also get to focus on maintenance of good shoulder and core posture as well. Aim to float from one side to the other making it look effortless.

The Ring Typewriter Push Up is slightly different as your body actually stays in the middle under the anchor point of the rings as the straps allow you to move your hands away from the body.

Examples from The Locker for the Archer and Typewriter Push Ups

Levers and Angles: On the rings change the angle of your body to progress of regress the difficulty. The lower to the floor you are the harder it becomes.

Levers and Angles: Keep the non-load bearing arm closer to the body and slightly bent to regress this exercise whilst you build strength.

Weighted: Add a weight vest to increase the load and strength development

School of Calisthenics Framework Application

Capacity Strength as global strength development or progression towards the single arm push up

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-archer-push-ups-floor-rings/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-floor-rings-typewriter-push-ups/


‘Impossible’ Push Ups We’re not sure who labelled these as ‘impossible’ but you can be certain it wasn’t us! But seeing as the School of Calisthenics exists to help you redefine your impossible this push up is a quick win. There is however room for everyone from the beginner to advanced to enjoy. A small shift in body position is all it takes to ramp the intensity so even those in possession of a strong set of triceps will find something to keep you interested.

Examples from The Locker

Levers and Angles: Shift body weight forward and thus increase the angle at the elbow making it a much more challenging position to push from.


Applied Strength for the Forearm Stand and Tiger Bend movementsCapacity Strength for targeted tricep development

Single Arm Push Ups A calisthenics classic that may appear to be about brute force, but there is a lot more going on than meets the eye. It’s not just about the ability to handle considerable additional load on one arm. To perform a beautiful single arm push up you need a big helping of stability. Your body is going to want to rotate so you need to get control over your shoulder and elbow position whilst linking everything together through a rock-solid core.


Assistance: Place your non-load bearing hand on a medicine ball and push it out to the side like in a typewriter push up. You can progressively rely on it less and push it further away as you get stronger.

Eccentrics: Lower slowly down to the floor counting 5 seconds as you descend.


Capacity Strength for the Single Arm Handstand and to aid advanced global pushing strength

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-impossible-push-ups/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-single-arm-push-ups/


Streamline Push Ups This is more of a core focused push exercise that will add a lot of value to any lever and handstand training you are doing. The real gem in this exercise is that you must load everything together and create tension before you start pushing otherwise the whole system crumbles. An example of kinetic chain integration at its best.

It may be known by another name but we called it a streamline push up with the elite swimmers we work with as it closely relates to the positions they need to hold in the water.


Levers + Angles: Progressively move your hands further overhead to increase the difficulty.Stability: The best in the business do this on one arm with the hand outstretched overhead.

School of Calisthenics Fra mework Application

Capacity strength for lever and hand balancing training including planche, handstand and front lever.

Superman Push Ups Time to take your standard push up to the next level by adding a power element. The job is to push explosively so you create enough vertical height to momentarily hover in mid-air. Lock down the mid-section and push hard before quickly extending the hands overhead and flicking the feet skyward. For the icing on the cake, try to smile for the camera. In order to reduce the risk of a crash landing maybe save that last cue until you’ve built some confidence.


If you want to add some explosive power based training to your programme plyometric push up variations such as this fit well as Capacity Strength exercises.

Plyometric push ups are also effective neural primers and muscle temperature boosters so including this in the Movement Patterning prior to some heavy pushing work would be a wise decision.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-streamline-push-ups/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-superman-push-ups/


Russian Dips If anyone knows what Russia did to claim this dip variation please let us know! But let’s not get bogged down with the name, these are a great progression on your standard dip. A backwards shift in body position means you must eccentrically load the triceps with control as you plant your elbows on the parallel bars. To get back out you transfer weight forwards again to get back into the bottom dip position before pushing out. Doesn’t sound like much but these empty the tank way faster than the standard dip and as such present a great new challenge.


Assistance: Use a resistance band like a cradle for your kneesEccentrics: You can work the deceleration during the phase where you place your elbows on the bars or in a standard deep dip position. Broken Sets: Break the whole set up into smaller sets separated by 10 seconds rest to help accumulate more volume.


Capacity Strength exercise for learning and strengthening the transition phase of the ring and bar muscle up.

Russian Push Ups The Russians have claimed the dip variation of this exercise so we thought it was only right that they get to claim this push up variation too! It requires a big shift of body weight forward and movement of the elbow like in the transition phase of a ring muscle up so great for learning that new movement pattern. It’s easier than it’s ‘big brother’ the Russian Dip and more like a hybrid of that and the Impossible Push Up, but an easy win as not as difficult as either!


Levers + Angles: Change the range of movement you work through and make less use of momentum by pausing before starting the transition


Capacity Strength as global pushing strength development and movement patterning for the transition phase forward in the muscle up.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-russian-dips/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-russian-push-ups/


Korean Dips After seeing Russia claim international notoriety from having their own dip the Koreans couldn’t help but jump on the bandwagon. They however opted for a variation that requires just as much skill in terms of being able to control and co-ordinate your body shape, as it does range of motion and strength of the anterior deltoid, pecs and triceps. The trick is to get your bum around the bar. Have fun with this one, it takes a few attempts to feel the right shape.


Eccentrics: Focus on the lowering phase allowing yourself to move slowly beneath the barIsometrics: Hang out at the bottom position whilst trying to put down as much force as you can to develop some more end of range strength. This will help you get out of that hole and back above the bar when you try the full movement.


Capacity Strength for the bottom pushing arm in the human flagGetting strong in the bottom position is an important part of the advanced back lever done with palms down.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-korean-dips/


Hand Balancing Progressions

Forearm Stand With a bigger base of support compared to the handstand this movement is a great way to start getting comfortable being upside down without the need for as much fine motor control. For many it’s an achievable movement that teaches the need to distribute weight over the base of support in order to stay balanced but also how you can use force within the body to create tension and therefore stability.


Assistance: Start close to the wall and use it to for support and to tell you where your feet are in space. It also stops you from falling head over heels. You can also ask a partner to help you by catching and holding your feet.Isometrics: Once you can hold this position use isometrics to build strength by pushing hard into the ground. You will feel yourself lift up slightly rather than resting without any tension in the muscles.


Movement Patterning before a handstand or push focused training session due to the tricep activation.

Elbow Lever Progressions These are a great variation from the classic frogstand. A fun exercise that challenges your hand balancing skills with the added difficulty of holding a horizontal lever at same time. If you want to start planche training this is a nice starter for 10.


Levers and Angles: Start with bent knees and gradually extend your legs further as you get a better feel for the balance point and build strength.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-forearm-stand/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-elbow-lever-progressions/



An effective Applied Strength exercise as part of any lever movement such as a planche, front or back lever and the human flag.

Parallel Bar Frogstand Switching the floor for a set of paralettes or parallel bars presents a new challenge. The change in grip means you make corrections like you would on an old-school joystick and the neutral position of the wrist often makes this more comfortable for many people.


An effective Movement Patterning exercise building towards the parallel bar handstand

Shoulder-Stand Parallel Bars Once you’ve mastered the frogstand on the parallel bars it’s time to take the excitement factor up a notch and look at getting inverted. The shoulder-stand allows you to get your trunk and legs into the handstand alignment but in a tucked arm position that provides extra stability around the shoulder. Also the overall lever length is shorter meaning the balance is far easier than a full handstand on the parallel bars. When starting out set them up close to the wall just in case you feel like you might topple over, that way you can rest your feet on the wall just like in a wall handstand.


Levers and Angles: Start with bent knees and gradually extend your legs further as you get a better feel for the balance point and build strength.Stability: If you get confident you can try this same exercise on the rings for a more advanced progression.


An effective Movement Patterning and balance exercise building towards full handstands on the parallel bars.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-parallel-bar-frogstand/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-shoulder-stand-parallel-bars/


Pull Progressions

Tucked Horizontal Row In calisthenics the main pulling exercise that people work on is the classic pull-up and this develops vertical pulling strength. However all too often the horizontal pulling strength is missed out. This exercise takes the benefits of the bodyweight row to the next level.


Broken Sets: These are not easy so break the set up into smaller chunks with short rests between efforts.


Horizontal pulling should be a consistent part of your Capacity Strength training as it helps to keep the shoulders healthy and functioning well. This variation aids in foundation strength development for the front lever.

Ring Archer Rows A progression of the basic bodyweight row these horizontal pulling exercises increase intensity and time under tension of the scapular retractors. Additional strength in this area will serve you well in any exercises that require pulling and it aids in creating a stable, robust foundation for all your upper body calisthenics training. Changing your body angle is a key part of progressing or regressing the difficulty of this exercise.


Levers and Angles: Change the angle of your body to progress of regress the difficulty. The closer to the floor your body is at the start, position the harder it becomes.


Use these as an Applied or Capacity Strength exercise to build the foundation strength for the more challenging Archer and Typewriter Pull Ups or as a great session finisher to target some horizontal pulling volume.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-tucked-horizontal-row/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-ring-archer-rows/


Single Arm Ring Row This is one of the first steps towards some serious single arm pulling strength. You’ll find that the core has to work harder as well to stop you twisting now that you’re pulling with just one arm. You can make it as easy or hard as you want depending on your foot position so anyone can get started with these at any point!


Levers and Angles: Change the angle of your body to progress of regress the difficulty. The closer to the floor your body is at the start position, the harder it becomes.


Used for building Applied or Capacity strength for any pulling exercise and the starting progression for a single arm pull up.

Bar Archer Pull-Ups Archer pull ups not only look cool, they also build some serious pulling strength without having to add any additional weight. You get to develop straight arm pulling strength with the outstretched arm which is important for the top arm pull in the human flag for those with more higher level anti-gravity aspirations!


Assistance: Put your feet in a resistance band tied over the bar to help support you through the movement. Progressively try to use bands that provide less support.


A great pull up variation for Applied or Capacity Strength training. Straight-arm pulling strength improvements will benefit the top arm in your human flag.

Bar Typewriter Pull-Ups Typewriter pull-ups are a great progression from the standard overhand pull-up and a regression on the very advanced single arm pull-up. As you pull up and transfer much of your weight onto one side, you give the illusion that the outstretched arm is simply showboating and not doing much to help. The reality is however that it’s still taking a significant share of the workload.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-single-arm-ring-row/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-bar-archer-pull-ups/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-bar-typewriter-pull-ups/



Isometrics: Staying high above the bar during the transition is one of the challenges this progression presents. To build this specific strength spend time holding an isometric with your head as high above the bar as you can. Do this in both the middle and side positions. Assistance: Put your feet in a resistance band tied over the bar to help support you through the movement. Progressively try to use bands that provide less support.


You should be able to do a good number of clean reps of these if you have your eyes set on one day doing a single arm pull up. Otherwise they make for a great pull up variation to mix up you Capacity Strength training. Some benefit also exists for your human flag.

Ring Archer Pull-Ups The instability of the gymnastics rings increases the demand on your shoulder stability capabilities (refer to the Stability tool in the Locker for more information). Very similar to the ring typewriter pull-ups without the need for as much isometric strength at the top of the pull-up however does emphasis the straight arm pulling strength of the outstretch arm just like in the bar variation. Get these nailed on the bar first and then progress to the rings.


Just like the bar variation it’s a great pull up variation for Applied or Capacity Strength training. Great straight-arm pulling strength benefits for the top arm in your human flag.

Ring Typewriter Pull-Ups This pull up variation therefore offers a slightly different challenge and is a nice way to progress your bar typewriter pull-ups. Whilst the rings add some complexity to the movement they also offer some assistance. The space between them means you’re able to find more comfortable and stable positions.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-ring-archer-pull-ups/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-ring-typewriter-pull-ups/


Pull Overs The bar pull over is an important movement to learn if you want to link movements together in a sequence, routine or bar flow. It’s also the ‘maverick’ way of getting above the bar for things like eccentric, dips, pull ups or muscle ups rather than using a big box and jumping up!


Assistance: This one comes down to strength and commitment to the movement pattern. Skin the cat, toes to bar and tuck ring rows will all help, you could also ask a training partner to help you over the bar so you can learn the movement pattern.


Useful in muscle up training allowing you to practice straight bar dips and eccentric transitions.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-pull-overs/


Lever Progressions

Hollow Rock This is the key to understanding how to maintain tension throughout the kinetic chain. The hollow body is a calisthenics essential but it’s a movement that many people struggle to get right without some practice. It’s all about holding a body shape and learning to get your lower abdominals functioning well with your hips.

If you have a training partner you can work together to test each other’s core strength and hollow body position by pushing down on the feet. What you should see is the hollow body stay intact whilst the rock is initiated. What you shouldn’t see is them cheating and doing a sit up!


Lever and Angles: Star with the knees bent. This will help you feel the tucked position of the spine that you need in order to create the rocking movement and build some strength so you can extend the legs fully.


It’s not just levers, this move benefits everything and forms the foundation of success in many calisthenics movements.

Rollout Progressions A big part of your lever training is learning to connect your glutes and core. This creates a stable link between the upper and lower body and helps you maintain that all important tension in the system that is necessary for success with the static holds.


Lever and Angles: If you’re using the rings you can move your feet forwards or backwards to make the movement easier or harder. Assistance: Tie a band over a bar above you and hook it round your waist. When you do the rollouts you will get some support from the band which helps you to get into a lower and straighter position.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-hollow-rock/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-rollout-progressions/



Capacity strength for all lever variations

Ice Cream Makers Unlike making real ice cream this exercise will do wonders for your mid-section……..and your pulling strength! It’s a hybrid between pull-ups and hollow rocks, and not only will it help your front lever strength training, it also helps you feel the muscle activation and connection needed without having to hold the actual isometric position.


Assistance: Use a band tied to the bar and hooked under your feet.Levers and Angles: You can perform this movement in a tuck, advanced tuck (hips and knees bent to 90°), single leg or both legs straight and together.


Capacity strength training for the front lever and higher level core strength development

Hanging Leg Wipers A move that will make you feel like Rocky Balboa, the hanging leg wipers require hip mobility, grip, shoulder strength, lower abdominal strength and of course a strong set of obliques’. This one exercise therefore puts ticks in a lot of boxes and will help when you come to train for more complex movements.


Levers and Angles: Keep the knees bent and decrease the lever length to make a great regressionBroken Sets: If you feel like you grip is struggling or you can’t keep your hips high enough, break the sets into small chunks separated by 10 – 15 seconds rest.


Capacity Strength as a core finisher but also for the back lever due to the hanging component combined with elevated hips.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-ice-cream-makers/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-hanging-leg-wipers/


Clutch Flag Lateral strength and stability is one of the important components of holding your first ever Human Flag. The Clutch Flag is cool move in its own right, and whilst it is considerably easier than the full flag, it serves as a great progression to help build the ability to hold horizontal, anti-gravity positions. If you want to learn to human flag, this is a great place to start.


Levers and Angles: You can do this exercise in a tuck, single leg or straddle, each providing a nice progression to the full double leg clutch flagAssistance: As a training partner to lightly hold your legs at first which will help you to feel the muscle activation and movement pattern.


A great Applied Strength progression for the human flag

Dragon Flag Progressions Made famous by the great Bruce Lee, the Dragon Flag is maybe the pinnacle of core strength. With many progressions and variations to play with, this exercise is an essential for your programme if you have ambitions to learn the Front Lever, Back Lever and Planche.


Assistance: Use a band tied to a vertical pole and hook it around your feetLevers and Angles: Try this movement in tuck, advanced tuck and single leg progression as shown in the video.Eccentrics: Lowering down for 5 seconds and then resetting is a great way to build some Capacity Strength in this movement.


The dragon flag is not an easy move so depending on your training objectives it could feature in the Applied Strength phase as a priority movement or as a Capacity Strength finisher.

http://schoolofcalisthenics.com/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-clutch-flag/https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/videos/strength-play-dragon-flag-progressions/


Pushing + Pulling Finishers

No matter where you are in your calisthenics journey, if you’re learning something new it is easy for session time to become consumed with the skill acquisition component of your programme. It’s fun and feels like play which is important. But it is also important to get strong and this is not optimised in the Movement Patterning phase.

In this section, we’ve included examples of ‘Finishers’. These are basic Capacity Strength exercises performed against the clock. Rest periods are short and volume is high meaning we can get a significant number of reps in the bank but also introduce a conditioning element. This will save you valuable training time and ensure you still get foundation strength development whilst you’re working on learning new movements!

The ‘Finishers’ are structured as a pyramid. 20 reps down to 5 and then back up to 20. We still employ scientific principles as the difficulty and strength demand of the exercises increases as the reps decrease. This means the volume:intensity relationship is intact and working in your favour.

The finishers are done against the clock and you should be aiming for less than 10 minutes. You’re free to rest whenever you need to but speed is of the essence. However, we do have one final stipulation. Technique is never to be compromised!

Remember you can adapt any of the exercises using ‘tools’ from the locker (see page 18) or swap an exercise if one of the ones we have chosen is still a work in progress.

Enjoy (as best you can)!

If you follow us on social media you’ll know about the School of Calisthenics #ChallengeTuesday. This would be a perfect challenge to set your training partner and we’d love to see how you get on so post up some highlights and your times on your favourite channel using the hashtags #SoCPushFinisher or #SoCPullFinisher!



push + Pull Finishers

IncorporaTing sTrengTh and condiTioning

Push Finisher Reps Sets tempo restPush Ups 20 1 Controlled 0 Secs

Dips 15 1 Controlled 0 Secs

Impossible Push Ups 10 1 Controlled 0 Secs

Typewriter Push Ups 5 1 Controlled 0 Secs

Impossible Push Ups 10 1 Controlled 0 Secs

Dips 15 1 Controlled 0 Secs

Push Ups 20 1 Controlled 0 Secs

puLL Finisher Reps Sets tempo restBodyweight Rows 20 1 Controlled 0 Secs

Pull Ups (Standard, Archer, Typewriter) 15 1 Controlled 0 Secs

Ice Cream Makers 10 1 Controlled 0 Secs

Bar Pull Overs 5 1 Controlled 0 Secs

Capacity Strength



SECTION FOUR: PLANNING YOUR TRAINING

At the School of Calisthenics we place a high priority on your education. The ultimate goal for us is that you develop a well-rounded understanding of the calisthenics training process, become self-sufficient and place yourself at the helm of your own progression.

No generic programme we could write would be perfect for you. The best programme considers your specific needs so it’s up to you to make some of the decisions.

We do however understand that initially, you might not have the confidence to sit with a blank template and write your own training programme. Therefore, on the pages that follow we have provided some example sessions to get you started along with an example of how you might structure a training week.

These examples will make much more sense if you study the detail within some context. So here is another quick dose of exercise science to support your longer-term knowledge development.

Creating Specific Adaptation

The body will adapt to whatever stress you place on it. You can manipulate this using repetitions, sets, intensity, tempo and rest. These are known as the acute variables and guide whether the physiological response to training with be strength endurance, hypertrophy, maximum strength or power.

Acute Variables

Repetitions (the number of times you perform an exercise), sets (the number of times you perform the chosen repetitions) and rest (time between sets) are straight forward. Finally Tempo describes the speed of the exercise and is written as three numbers in the order:

Eccentric Isometric Concentric



Tempo Example:

A push up with a 2 – 0 – 2 tempo would mean you counted two seconds on the way down, no pause at the bottom and counted two seconds again on the way back up. If the tempo was 3 – 2 – 1 that would mean 3 seconds on the way down, a hold for 2 seconds at the bottom and 1 second to return to the top position.

Intensity

Exercise intensity is determined using percentage repetition max (%RM) and is based on your 1 Repetition Max (1RM). This being the most amount of weight you can lift for 1 repetition. The table below shows how %RM correlates to target repetitions. If you know what your 1RM is you can work out how many reps you should be aiming for and make sure you’re ‘Red Lining’ on each set.

Repetition Max Testing: Setting Intensity using the ‘Weighted’ tool from the Locker

The standard procedure to start calculating training loads would be to determine your 1 repetition max. This method works well if your training has progressed to stage of adding additional weight to pull ups and dips.

You determine your 1RM by gradually adding weight or making an exercise more difficult until you only do 1 repetition. Using the total load lifted for that repetition you can then work out your training loads.

If we take a pull up as an example, your 1RM would be your own bodyweight plus whatever weight you add to a belt or vest whilst maintaining good technique. When you’re training pull ups you can now pick your desired adaptation, choose the appropriate number of repetitions and sets, then finally calculate what load you need to add based on the %RM associated with that rep range.



For example if you were targeting an endurance adaptation and your 1RM was 100kg, you would aim to do 12 repetitions with 67kg (67% of 100kg).

This approach however can become complicated with calisthenics as we don’t always have the luxury of being able to gradually add or remove weight from an exercise like you would when using a barbell.

Setting Intensity using the ‘Assistance’ tool from the Locker

For those that are still mastering their own bodyweight and do not need additional loads, your 1RM could be 1 bodyweight pull up or 1 repetition using assistance from a band. Setting training loads for specific adaptations then becomes challenging because using a resistance band to assist the movement doesn’t provide an accurately measurable increase or decrease in intensity.

This is where multiple repetition max training is useful. Instead of testing your repetition max by seeing how much weight you can do for 1 rep, you flip it. How many repetitions can you do with a given weight?

Using the pull up example again, you could pick a blue band, hook it under your feet and see how many reps you can do. If your max is 10, you can then use different band combinations to adjust the repetitions accordingly and guide your training loads from that. This method works well in calisthenics.

The most important principle to remember is that you need to train with a level of assistance that means you hit the target repetitions. No more, no less. So adjust accordingly.

The Physiological Response

There are many different options, formats and ways to structure sessions. For the intermediate, the following acute variable parameters and related physical adaptations will be most relevant.

The table below gives an overview of the acute variables used to stimulate the range of physical adaptations broadly available to us.



Strength Endurance

Many of the exercises included in this guide lend themselves well to higher volume and as such fit well in the Capacity Strength section of the framework.

If you want to be able to do more push ups, and you understand that the body responds to the stress we place on it, it’s logical that you need to do more repetitions. The acute variables in the table above give broad guidelines for you to experiment with.

High volume, short rest periods, supersets, tri sets and circuits all work well in this phase. The ‘Finishers’ we introduced in the last section are great examples.

Hypertrophy

Often people ask whether you can build muscle by training with calisthenics. The answer is yes. The body does not differentiate between dumbbells, barbells or bodyweight. Resistance is resistance and the exercises in this guide provide us with lots of options to play with.

The key is that the programme needs to be designed appropriately. Increasing muscle mass requires a certain level of volume and intensity, and the speed at which you train is also an important component.

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