Progressive Calisthenics for Strength

Progressive Calisthenics for Strength http://owenjohnstonkarate.com Calisthenics are a system of exercise movements which generally do not use equipment. he goal of these exercises is to !uild strength" flexi!ility" flexi!ility" and physical grace with movements that use only your own !ody weight for resistance. Calisthenics can !oost !oth muscular and cardiovascular cardiovascular fitness when practiced with enough effort and variety in the exercises. #alance" agility" and coordination also gain a lot of !enefit. Popular examples of calisthenics exercises include pushups and pullups. he approach to !ody weight training that $ teach is known as progressive calisthenics for strength. #ody weight training exercises may !e trained progressively !y adjusting leverage" range of motion" and positioning. %ith these in mind" !ody mechanics" and movement" one may use progressive calisthenics to achieve very high levels of functional" full  !ody strength and and coordination. coordination. his is primarily primarily !ecause calisthenics calisthenics use natural movements movements that act on multiple joints" and force many sta!ili&er muscles to !e used. 'astly" calisthenics help to improve posture" as well as !uild supple strength and tension in the tendons" ligaments" and joints. he progressive calisthenics for strength approach centers around several styles of movement" which include ( !ut are not limited to ( pushups" squats" pullups" leg raises"  !ridges" handstands" handstands" calf raises" raises" lateral lateral chain training training )clutch holds" holds" human flag*" hanging hanging grip  work" neck training" training" and +active +active flexi!ility+ )such )such as ' ,olds*. ,olds*. -f course" any any type of !ody  weight exercise exercise may !e made progressively progressively harder harder !y adjusting adjusting leverage" range of motion" motion" foot and/or hand positioning" and other such varia!les. aturally" it is also possi!le to make exercises easier ( which is especially important if you are working around an old injury and  want to !uild up your your strength again in particular joints. he key thing to remem!er is that progressive calisthenics for strength ( like with  weight training training  !oils down to a dou!le dou!le progression. progression. he first progression progression is !uilding !uilding up your sets and reps in an exercise that you can work with comforta!ly. he second progression is moving up to a harder variation of that exercise" !ut only once you have !uilt up enough strength in your muscles and joints. %hen you start on a harder variation" you will generally not !e a!le to perform as many to repetitions" and as such you will return to the first type of progression. Progressive calisthenics for strength is more a!out an approach than a set routine. 0veryone is different ( you have your own unique !ody type" goals" needs" meta!olism" and so forth. 1s such" feel free to use the progressive approach to calisthenics to help you develop  your own personali&ed personali&ed routines. routines. 2emem!er 2emem!er the key concepts concepts to the approach approach ( using the dou!le progression method to !uild strength and skill in various types of movement" while also collecting knowledge of !ody mechanics" mechanics" kinesiology" and +intensity varia!les+ or +tougheners+ to adjust leverage" range of motion" and positioning to make the movements progressively progressively harder or easier. here is a seemingly infinite num!er of ways to adjust your techniques" and continue gaining strength from them for years and years to come.  %ith all of this this in mind" keep experimenting experimenting with with every possi!le possi!le varia!le of the exercises you are working on. his way" you will !e a!le to squee&e as much !enefit out of each type of exercise. 3ust remem!er to keep !anking strength and skill in your movements !y putting in your sets and reps.  1s you practice practice your exercises" exercises" keep in mind mind that !ody weight training training techniques techniques can  !e treated like martial martial arts techniques. techniques. 1t first" first" when you learn learn a new movement" movement" it is important to take it slowly while getting an understanding of the !ody mechanics !ehind the exercise. hen" practice it repetitively to gain skill" strength" coordination" coordination" improved posture"

Progressive Calisthenics for Strength" page 4 http://owenjohnstonkarate.com and !alance in the required positions. 5rom there" you can learn new variations of the !ody  weight exercise ( just as in martial arts" when learning variations of different strikes or !locks.  1lso" improved !alance" coordination" and strength in postures help martial arts training. 1ll in all" progressive calisthenics for strength are very useful for everyone into not just martial arts" !ut athletic sports in general. #elow" $ recommend some calisthenics exercises. $ list the muscles worked !y the exercises" how to !asically perform them" and how to adjust different varia!les to work them progressively. $ want to emphasi&e firstly" however" that to achieve total fitness" calisthenics alone are not enough. 6eep in mind that you will want to make needed lifestyle changes in diet" nutrition" rest" recovery" and so forth to help improving overall health in !ody" mind" and spirit. Scientific research has helped to develop many useful therapeutic modalities. ,owever"  we should not entirely discount or deny age old wisdom and practices. his includes yoga" meditation" prayer" solitary hiking ( anything that helps you to cope with day to day stress and strengthen your spirit. Pushups hese work primarily the pectorals" triceps" and deltoids. o perform a full pushup" get into the correct start position. 7et into a kneeling position" then !ring your open hands up to a!out shoulder height as you carefully lean forward and get into a hands and knees position. 5rom there" straighten your knees out slowly  one !y one if needed. 8ou will want to end up holding your !ody weight up on your palms and toes. 'ower your !ody carefully to the floor"  with the palms still against the floor" and under the shoulders. he toes should !e curled upwards. hat is the starting position. o perform a repetition" simply push up with your arms while keeping your !ody straight" from head to heels. 8our el!ows should go from !eing almost fully flexed in the  !ottom position" to almost completely locked out in the top position. ake a one second pause at the top" then slowly !end at the el!ows to allow your !ody !ack down to the !ottom position. 9o not rest on the floor when you come !ack down to the !ottom  you will maintain light tension with the chest and triceps. ,owever" still take a one second pause at the !ottom position !efore !eginning the next repetition. 1s your form and your strength in this exercise improves" do feel free to change the speed of the repetition. $ recommend performing reps  with a slow cadence  such as a " 4 count" a  second pause !etween reps. his way" you force  your muscles to hold tension and fight against gravity" instead of using momentum to make the reps easier. $f you;re just starting out" working around an old injury" or just want some other ideas on how to !uild up strength in your joints and ligaments" here are some easier pushup exercises. $ recommend starting with wall pushups. Place your palms on the wall" keeping  your hands at chest level. 6eep your arms straight" and shoulder width apart. 6eep your feet together and your !ody aligned. #end your shoulders and el!ow slowly until you can softly touch your forehead to the wall. Push away from the wall" !ack to the start position. 9o this at least < more times with good form. o make this exercise progressively harder" use a chair" !ench" !ed" solid fencing" work surface" or any other safe o!ject or furniture that will allow you a deeper range of motion. Prefera!ly" it will !e an o!ject a!out half your height and solid enough to hold you up" as you lower and push !ack up. 1s with wall pushups" start with your feet together and your !ody kept in a straight line as you practice this exercise. o get into the start position" lean over and

Progressive Calisthenics for Strength" page = http://owenjohnstonkarate.com get a hold of the o!ject" with your arms kept straight" shoulder width apart. #end at your el!ows and shoulders until your torso makes contact with the top of the o!ject. Push away from the o!ject" !ack to the start position. his is one repetition. his type of pushup is known as incline pushups. -nce you feel comforta!le working with incline pushups" !ut do not feel quite ready to master full pushups" try kneeling pushups and half pushups. $f you can;t complete a full range of motion in kneeling pushups" simply shorten the movement. 1s you get stronger in this position" you will gradually !uild up your range of motion. $n this way" kneeling pushups help to !egin mastering the full range of motion required in a full pushup. -nce you feel comforta!le with kneeling pushups" move on to half pushups. Start in the kneeling pushup start position" then straighten your legs out !ehind you. >ake sure that you start with your arms straight" then lower your !ody until your el!ows form a right angle. 5rom there" push yourself !ack up to the start position. his is one repetition. $f you like" you can place a !asket!all" soccer !all" or medicine !all under your hips to help determine how far down to go. he key is to keep your supporting muscles tight so that your !ack" hips" and legs  will stay aligned. ,alf pushups help you start !uilding strength in the correct posture for full pushups. 6eep trying to increase your range of motion !y at least  inch each week. 0ventually   you will !e a!le to perform full pushups for at least ? repetitions. 2emem!er to always practice perfect form in these@ o make full pushups progressively harder" experiment with various hand and foot positions. 5or foot positioning" try posting up your feet on a chair to work on decline pushups. $nstead of using a chair or other solid o!ject" you could ask a training partner to hold your feet so that you can practice progressively steeper angles. Altimately" you could !uild up to handstand pushups with your partner" or using a wall to help support you. he Convict Conditioning approach" discussed !riefly near the end of this article" includes a training progression dedicated strictly to handstand pushups. 5or hand positioning" try getting into standard full pushup position" then place your hands closer together for close pushups. #ecause of the increase in el!ow flexion in close pushups" practicing them helps to !uild more strength in your triceps" as well as in the ligaments and tendons of your el!ows and wrists. his will prepare you for training towards one armed pushups ( widely considered one of the greatest feats of upper !ody strength. -nce you feel comforta!le with close pushups" it;s time to start !uilding up to unilateral )one side* work. 7et into the top position of full pushups  resting on your palms and toes"  with el!ows straight" and !ody aligned. Support yourself on one arm as you put your other hand on a !asket!all. Sta!ili&ing the !all makes you use your rotator cuff muscles" and strengthen them for later exercises. his kind of pushup ( known as lever pushup  will help  you to get used to putting more of the !urden on one arm at a time. ow" !efore you perform a repetition" make sure you have !oth arms directly !elow  your shoulders so that you are sta!le. 6eep your weight evenly distri!uted !etween !oth hands" and !end the el!ows and shoulders until your chest touches the top of the hand holding on to the !asket!all. Pause for a second" then push !ack up. his is one repetition. #e sure to also practice this exercise with the !all under the other hand" to make sure !oth arms get worked. $f you have trou!le using a !asket!all" try using something solid like a !rick for this exercise. 1s you !uild strength in this exercise" you can add another !rick and start over. -nce  you feel strong enough in uneven pushups" go !ack to using the !asket!all. ry to !uild up to

Progressive Calisthenics for Strength" page B http://owenjohnstonkarate.com 4 sets of 4? !efore moving on to harder exercises" such as half way down onearm pushups and lever pushups. Pullups Pullups are a compound exercise that primarily work the !iceps" and latissimus dorsi )or +lats+ for short*. he lats are the largest muscles on the torso" and run from your armpits to down !eyond the ri!s. >ost of the other muscles in the !ack also get worked !y doing pullups. ot only that" your fingers" palms" and forearms are given a great workout !y holding up and pulling your !ody weight as you grip the !ar. his translates to !uilding grip strength. 'astly" pullups give your a!s and hips a great isometric workout. #ecause of these !enefits" pullups help train the !ody for hanging leg raises. o do a pullup" start !y getting a good grip on a hori&ontal !ar or anything sturdy you can hang from. 6eep your shoulder girdle tight and your el!ows slightly kinked in the starting position" to help prevent injury. 7enerally" with full pullups" you will try to pull your !ody  weight up until the chin clears the !ar" and you then lower the !ody until your arms and shoulders are almost fully extended. $f you don;t have the strength yet to complete the full range of motion" start with easier variations of the pullup. 1lso" to work strictly on grip strength" try working on hanging grip work )again using a hori&ontal !ar or anything you can hang from*. 1 simple" natural way to perform hanging grip work is to use one or two towels draped over your hori&ontal !ar. here are many ways to train pullups progressively" !ased on a few simple adjustments. o heavily work the lats" try wide pullups. 7et a strong overhand grip on the hori&ontal !ar"  with your hands separated !y a!out twice the width of your shoulders. 6eep in mind that" like any variation of pullups" you will want to hang with your arms mostly straight" and to keep  your shoulder !lades retracted. 8ou can also !ring your hands in close on the hori&ontal !ar for a close grip pullup. Asing an overhand grip in a close grip pullup will help train the lower lats" and using an underhand grip will work the !iceps harder than a normal shoulderwidth grip. +Aneven pullups+ are a variation in which one hand grasps the !ar" with the other hand grasping tightly around the wrist of the pulling hand. he el!ow of the arm holding the !ar should !e slightly !ent ( a!out ? to  degrees ( with the other arm !ent at a larger angle. he thum! of the hand grasping on to the wrist of your hanging hand will !e just !elow the opposite palm" with the fingers !elow the !ack of the hanging hand. #oth el!ows will !e out in front of your torso. 5rom this starting position" !end your el!ows and shoulders" as you pull  yourself up smoothly" until you clear your chin over the !ar. ake a short pause at this top position" then lower yourself slowly !ack down to the starting position" where you will pause again !efore !eginning the next repetition. #ecause you are supporting your !ody weight from one hand during uneven pullups" practicing them help you to !egin !anking the kind of strength you need for one arm pullups. $f you find it hard to keep hold of the hori&ontal !ar" go !ack to close pullups" to !uild up your sets and reps. $ also recommend practicing some hanging grip work. Squats Squats train primarily your quadriceps" hamstrings" calves" and gluteals. he legs are designed to work naturally as holistic" coordinated units. #ody weight squats are among the  !est exercises to train the legs" !ecause they are a natural" functional motion that trains most

Progressive Calisthenics for Strength" page  http://owenjohnstonkarate.com of the muscles in the legs in synergy. 0ven the hamstrings" shin muscles" hip flexors" and calves get trained !y squats. $f you look at the !ody mechanics of running" jumping" sitting down" standing up" pushing a heavy o!ject" pulling such as in tug of war" you will see they all use !ending at the legs and hips ( just like squats@ Anlike exercises that isolate certain muscles" squats will make your legs work the way they were made to ( and not cheat you of the functional strength your legs were designed for@ o train squats progressively" experiment with the positioning of the upper !ody or the feet" or how close together your feet are when you squat. 'et us start with the standard full squat. Simply stand with your feet at shoulder width apart" and squat down as far as possi!le" then return to standing position. $f you are new to squats or are working around an old injury" start with this simple  variation. $t will help you condition the tendons and ligaments of the knees" as well as help  you to start working on your squatting form. Stand in front of a chair" ta!le" or something similar that comes up to a!out your knee level. 6eep your legs straight and at least shoulder  width apart. #end over at the hips so you can lightly rest your palms onto your o!ject of choice. his will put some of the load onto your upper !ody" thus making the squats a !it easier on your legs. $t also helps maintain !alance. 1s you perform squats from this starting position" try to keep your torso parallel to the floor or ground. #end your knees and hips until  you cannot go any further down. 8our hamstrings and calves should reach each other. 8our arms will necessarily !end as well on the way down. 5rom this finish position" use com!ined leg and arm strength to push !ack up to the start position. 9o not raise your heels at any point" so that you don;t !ounce during the squats )to prevent injury*" and to make sure that the squat stretches out the 1chilles; tendon. ,aving flexi!ility in that area will help you to master the lowest position of a full squat. $f you;re having trou!le making it out of the !ottom position" don;t worry@ 3ust try to increase your range of motion a little each workout. 1nother way is to use a little more arm strength to take some of the load off your legs as you come out of the !ottom position. 1s you !uild leg strength" you will rely less on your arms. -nce you feel comforta!le working with this type of squat ( called jackknife squats  start using a sturdy o!ject that is higher than your thighs ( such as a desk" !ack of a chair" or similar. 1gain" your legs should !e straight and a!out shoulder width apart" with your arms out straight" holding on to your o!ject of choice. 6eep your !ack straight as you squat down for the deepest range of motion that you are comforta!le with. 7radually increase the depth of   your squats as you !uild strength. 2emem!er to keep your heels flat on the floor. -nce you have !uilt up your leg strength" you will !e ready for full squats. $f you find that you cannot quite squat all the way down without an o!ject to support you" squat half way down instead ( your thighs should !e parallel to the floor in the !ottom position. 7radually  !uild depth in your squatting. 1lways keep your !ack straight when squatting" keep your knees pointing the same way as your feet" and never !ounce.-nce you have worked up to 4 sets of =? or more with full squats" you are ready to notch up the difficulty. he squat progression in Convict Conditioning recommends working on close squats and uneven squats after full squats. $ have used those exercises personally and taught them to my students ( they  are very useful in !uilding up to one leg squats. $ highly recommend picking up a copy of the  !ook for the progressions alone@ $ also recommend having a training partner ;spot; you as you start working on halfway down one leg squats. 6eep the !ody aligned" with your arms straight out. 8our partner will

Progressive Calisthenics for Strength" page D http://owenjohnstonkarate.com stand !eside you and place his or her palms under the arm on that side. Put one foot out in front of you" at a!out the height of your other thigh. he raised leg should remain locked" and held off the ground" throughout the exercise. Slowly !end at the hip and knee of your standing leg" until the knee is at a!out a ake sure to !reath out as you !ring up your knees. #y the end of the drawing in motion" you should have completely exhaled" and your a!s should !e very contracted. his is the ending position of the exercise. Pause !riefly and then reverse the motion" ending !ack in the starting position )feet out in front*. 9on;t let your feet touch the floor until you;ve completed your set" and always keep your stomach tucked in. his

Progressive Calisthenics for Strength" page E http://owenjohnstonkarate.com exercise !uilds good spinal posture" as well as !uild strength in your a!s and hip flexors. $t also helps to drill the kind of motion that you will need for later variations. 5or flat knee raises" simply lie !ack flat on the floor" put your legs together" and your arms down !y your side. #end your knees at a!out
Progressive Calisthenics for Strength" page G http://owenjohnstonkarate.com My references for this article  %ikipedia article on calisthenics  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calisthenics Convict Conditioning" and Convict Conditioning $$"  written !y Paul +Coach+ %ade #e sure to check out these !ooks for various training progressions that $ haven;t covered here. hese !ooks inspired my approach to progressive calisthenics for strength. he first !ook provides training progressions for pushups" squats" pullups" leg raises" !ridges" and handstand pushups. $t provides a solid foundation for the second !ook" which details progressive calisthenics for the extremities )neck" forearms" calves*" as well as lateral chain training" and active flexi!ility. $t also has useful chapters on diet and nutrition" recovery" and good mental ha!its.  Fiew my review page of the Convict Conditioning !ooks" which also contains a Convict Conditioning video playlist as well as 1ma&on ordering links  http://www.johnstonkarate.com/4?4/?B/convictconditioninghighlyrecommended.html he !ook -vercoming 7ravity" !y Steven 'ow" details many very useful !ody weight training progressions !ased on gymnastics. he progressions have given me a lot of useful ideas on mastering the harder strength exercises in Convict Conditioning@ he !ook also has a lot of useful information on anatomy" how to structure your own workouts" and much more. he P95 edition of the !ook is availa!le here  http://shop.eatmoveimprove.com/collections/products $n the article H$ntegrating #asic 7ymnastics with -ther #ody %eight raining >ethodsI" $ detail some ideas on integrating !asic gymnastics skills and training with other types of old school calisthenics" as well as martial arts training methods.  1nother mustread is #rooks 9. 6u!ik;s ;9inosaur #ody %eight raining;. $ would have summari&ed some of his ideas in this article" !ut the !ook contains S- much useful information" $ simply can;t do it justice in such a short article. 'ike Paul ;Coach; %ade" >r. 6u!ik pays a lot of respect to the old time strongmen and physical culturists. ,is 9inosaur raining philosophy promotes a return to the types of training that they engaged in" including progressive !ody weight training. Fiew my related writeup !elow  http://oddo!jecttraining.!logspot.com/4?=/?E/dinosaurtraining.html  Fisit the author;s we!site for more information a!out his !ooks" and ordering links  http://www.!rooksku!ik.com/ #e sure to also read my $n Pursuit of Perfection series of articles" which detail an outline of my formulation of martial arts and fitness. he articles are included in my karate student guide !ook ( http://understandingkarate.com/

Progressive Calisthenics for Strength" page < http://owenjohnstonkarate.com Paul ;Coach; %ade has teamed with 9ragon 9oor )who pu!lished his !ooks*" and the 6avadlo !rothers to create the Progressive Calisthenics Certification %orkshop and the official Progressive Calisthenics !log. 9ragon 9oor is considered to !e an industry leader in fitness certifications. he new !log has many free resources" as well as details on the  workshop. Fisit my related !log post for links to the relevant pages on the Progressive Calisthenics !log  http://owenjohnstonkarate.com/4?=/?/=/progressivecalisthenics/ $ teach progressive calisthenics classes. Fisit this page for more information  http://johnstonkarateclasses.com/4?=/?D/D/progressivecalisthenicsforstrength/