power calisthenics 2 x electric boogaloo

Found a full body split works great with this template, but as an added bonus splitting movements into planes per day.

Who does this workout work for?

• Goal is to train for general strength and hypertrophy (not maximal in either respect).
• Mobility and joint health.
• Enjoy working the same muscle groups with a high frequency.

What equipment is needed?

• Any type of suspension trainer would be great (rings, trx knockoffs, homemade trainers).
• Pullup bar. This can be nixed if you have a suspension trainer that hangs high enough.
• Dip bar.
• Cinder blocks and a chair. Use cement to anchor the chair when doing jump bulgarian split squats.

What happens when I can do too many reps on the hardest variation? I don't want to train for endurance!

Hey! This is a great problem to have! If you get to the point where you are knocking out 15-20 rep sets on the hardest bodyweight variation of an exercise, then you have a few options:

• Add weight to the current exercise (conversely, add a 5lb vest and do the same workout).
• Decrease the stability of the current exercise.
• Add a new (harder) variation before the one you have mastered.

2 week mesocycle

Week1

Monday

Morning - Dip variations | Row variations | Bulgarian split squat variations

Afternoon (optional) - Conditioning

Diet: High protein and high calorie. Get in as much quality food as possible.

Tuesday: OFF

Diet: Fast until 5-8p. 

Wednesday:  

Morning - Pullup variations | Pushup variations | Bulgarian split squat variations

Afternoon (optional) - Conditioning

Diet: High protein and high calorie. Get in as much quality food as possible.

Thursday: OFF

Diet: Fast until 5-8p. 

Friday: Same as Monday

Saturday: OFF

Don't worry about diet, just don't be a weekend asshole.

Sunday:

Morning or afternoon - fuckin whatever man. Play. Do whatever feels right.

• Landmine push presses
• Sandbag pendlay rows
• Landmine lateral raises
• Tris and bi's
• Yoke walk
• Farmers walk  

Don't worry about diet, just don't be a weekend asshole.

Week2

Monday: OFF

Diet: Fast until 5-8p. 

Tuesday: 

Morning - Pullup variations | Pushup variations | Bulgarian split squat variations

Afternoon (optional) - Conditioning

Diet: High protein and high calorie. Get in as much quality food as possible.

Wednesday:  OFF

Diet: Fast until 5-8p. 

Thursday: 

Morning - Dip variations | Row variations | Bulgarian split squat variations

Afternoon (optional) - Conditioning

Diet: High protein and high calorie. Get in as much quality food as possible.

Friday: OFF

Diet: Fast until 5-8p. 

Saturday: Morning or afternoon - fuckin whatever man. Play. Do whatever feels right.

• Landmine push presses
• Sandbag pendlay rows
• Landmine lateral raises
• Tris and bi's
• Yoke walk
• Farmers walk  

Don't worry about diet, just don't be a weekend asshole.

Sunday:OFF

Don't worry about diet, just don't be a weekend asshole.

power x calisthenics

Thought process was driven in part by what i wanted to buy next in the gym - a kensui weight vest or farmers handles. Ive been feeling lost with weighted calisthenics and found with weighted carries, so handles it is.

The idea is this:

- carry heavy stuff

- calisthenics workouts are bw only

No set and rep schemes on the calisthenics work. Start with a hard version of a kinetic chain, and move to easier exercises as the workout progresses.

Split is still

1. Push/squat

2. Pull/hinge

3. Carry

4. Rest or repeat

Workout push example: 35min

Note: all push and legs sets are super setted with 1min rest 

Ring archer pushups: 3,3,2,2,1

Ring dips: 9,8,7,7,3

Pseudo planche pushup: 1

Ring pushups: 10,6,4

Dips: 10,7,5

Close tri ext: 12,8

Rrg grip tri ext: 10,8

Knee squinx pu: 10,8

Bss jump; 12,8,8,8,7,5

Bss: 21,15,13,12,10,8

Reverse nordic curl: 10,10,8,3

Garage Gym Update x Next Equipment

 Picked up a barbell, 195lbs of weights, and swing straps. Noticed a couple of things right away.

• I still should NOT do cleans/snatches. This is annoying. My lower back is SORE after 5 easy sets of RDL's alone.
• Weighted carries with the swing straps kicks copious amounts of ass. I likely.
• Farmers walks with bands are surprisingly hard due to the bounce factor. The only thing i don't like it they are difficult to load and to grip. 70lbs per hand is about as much as I can do right now.

I did want to get a kensui vest queued up next, but I'm not so sure it's next in the lineup. Possible:

• More weights.
• Mini farmers handles.

timed x rest pause

 Really enjoying this variation of rest pause. Instead of taking a clean number of sets, reps, rest periods, or rest pause periods, just set a timer and get to work.

All sets can approach failure without going to failure. Set a rep goal for the time period you use and increase the weight if you hit your goal. I also found a conjugate/concurrent method of lifting (see: heavy day | lighter/volume day) works really well with this type of rest pause. Going heavy all the time is great, but I need to back off way sooner than if I relegate 1 heavy day a week.

Example:

Ring dips | Heavy | 5min | Rep goal 20

9 , 5 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 2 , 1  = 26 reps, increase weight next time 

dont miss days

Ive got that voice in the back of my head that wants me to not do anything. We all do. This voice has speech level 70. It threatens, it bargains, and it complains. I hear it the loudest on my off days.

"

Hey man, youre fasting today. Dont do anything. 

Arent you afraid of impacting your lifting tomorrow?

"

Cool story bro.

Something is always better than nothing. And that something is activity, not necessarily lifting. I get wrapped up in 'everything is training' when its more accurate to say training is training. Everything else is staying healthy and mobile. 

Off day activity can be easy and it can be short. Personally it hypes me up for the day. And i really. Really. Really dont think 10 to 15min of conditioning is bad for anyone regardless of fasted status.

Examples

60min brisk walk

10min light farmers walk

15min heavy farmers walk

15min medley of 3 bodyweight exersies (3,6,9 rep cadence)

Strongman medley: keg carry, farmers carry, sandbag carry

push pull splits : the best

Ive been on and off push pull splits for near a decade. I consistently make my best gains with them until i decide to sabotage and derail a good thing. It's real simple.

Day1: presses, squats

Day2: pulls, hamstrings or deadlifts

Day3: off

Day4: off or repeat

Add a brief conditioning session after each workout. Baby, youve got a stew. Conditioning as a separate day feels kind of wasted. Not because theyre not useful, but because im warmed and ready to go by the time theyre over. Id rather start in a hole and go from there.

Post workout, accessories can be linked in during the day. For press this is triceps, shoulders, and quads. For pull, this is biceps, shoulders, lats, and hams. Isometrics and abs can be any day. Ez.

Example

Push1

Ring dips rest pause x 3

Step ups x 9 (one set per rest pause)

Condition

...After, sets of

Bw tri extensions, different grips

Ring extensions

Band shoulders

Abs

Reverse lunge

Iso

Pull1

Ring rows rest pause x3

Hamstrings x 9 (one set per rest pause)

Condition 

...after, sets of

One leg rdl

Bw pullups, different grips

Ring curls

Abs

Iso

Push2

Ring pushups rest pause x3

(Same as push1)

Pull2

Ring pullups rest pause x3

(Same as pull1)

Other variables:

Switch push or pull movements if bored

Switch progression schemes periodically (ex: clusters, top sets and backoff)

Conditioning changes every session

Off means off

Recovery, fasting, walks, and god damn suction cups.

single max(ish) | single clusters | volume | accessory

 Dips. 

A metric fuckton of dips is what I did. Using cluster training as a base with some volume to back it up.

Dips yo

Max(ish) BW+105x1, 10-20lbs left in the tank. Slow but not a ginder.

Singles BW+75x1x15. Controlled negative. Explosive concentric. Done in about 12min rest as needed.

BW+30 x4x8. This is how many sets it took before I couldn't get 8 reps. ~20-30s rest.

BWx12,11,10,9,8,7. ~20s rest.

Total volume: 105 reps. Couple more counting warmups.

Accessory:

Lateral band raise 1xamap multiple lengths

BW tricep extensions x20,10, had to stop right tri is not ok with this.

poliquin clusters

It's been a long fucking time since i just used singles. Boy oh boy did i miss them. I dont know if it's just working with a heavier weight or feeling shaky while still energized post workout, but singles rock.

I used poliquin singles, a type of rest pause, so i could still get in some inverted rowing volume. Accessory post main lift was normal.

Workout

Fat grip Dips 65lbs

4 clusters of 5 singles

20s rest between singles

3min rest between clusters 

Every cluster ends with a single set of inverted rows 1xamap 50lbs

Accessory

Rear delt, bands 

Close tri bw extension

Front delt, bands

Tri bw extension

isometrics only workout

Ive never done this period. 

Isometrics are a little bit of a leap of faith due to the information on them. They work. They dont. Use short holds. Use holds of 30 to 60 seconds. Yielding isometrics! No....overcoming isometrics....

Cool guys. Cool.

Why am i even entertaining this as an idea? Couple reasons:

- i love when my goals line up with someone else's philosophy and results. Said person has a single $1 pdf he released with a 50 day program (he doesnt make his living off youtube or writing)

- i want to work out more often. This isnt possible with classic weighted calisthenics without comprimising strength and my sanity. I tend to get depressed when i train too much. Isometrics are short training sessions needing little recovery.

- this doesnt change my current 2 hard workouts per week.

- ive got little to lose. If this works for strength and size, i get a low cost accessory to training. If it doesnt, i lose 30min a week on something that is still great for prehab.

The schedule is said pdf is

Day1: isometrics, condition

Day2: strength (heavy), core

Day3: isometrics, condition

Day4: strength (explosive or volume), core

Day5: off

This plays rather well into my long term goals.

- strong goal: hit sub 12% bodyfat

- strong goal: 1 standing ab wheel rollout

- weak goal: forget what being tired is like

 

calisthenics only workout

My usual insomnia hit at 330a and it had only been 1 rest day since my last weighted dip session. How tired could i be?

Turns out pretty fucking wrecked. I worked up to a single shaky rep with 75lbs before calling it quits. What resulted after was a breath of fresh air and may become my new rotation if i can use it to lift more frequently.

Enter calisthenics only. Mentally way easier than adding weight. The goal was to find ways to still make this tough.

Ring dips 16,12,9,10

Ring Archer pushups 3,2,1

Ring pushups 18,12,6

Accessory with shoulders and triceps

1min rest between all sets

Notes

Archer pushups are way harder than ring dips. They go first next time.

Rest longer (2 to 3min) between exercises. The goal on this day should be massive volume.

Add more exercises: incline ring pu, bar dips, pushups, pseudo planche pushups.

today was a solid fuckin win

Maybe I didn't highlight my last post enough. Or concentrated too much on the conditioning aspect of that conditioning workout. I want to emphasize what a big deal today was for me. For the last 2 years I've been freaked out to dance, sprint, or otherwise frolic for fear of messing up my back and knees. 

Today I ran. I RAN. And I'm pain free. Both during and after. I'm so happy right now. Basic shit is now back on the menu.

conditioning | sprints sleds and kettlmobiles

It's been a long ass time since ive run full speed. I truly dont even remember when. And this sucks. Because my speed was always something i was proud of and cultivated. Even without sprints, i felt a direct correlation to oly lifts and my ability to dance like a fiend.

Remove cleans and who the fuck am i? As ive gotten older, ive started to covet things i didnt have ti fight for a few years ago. Mainly speed and power. On the flipside, my conditioning has always kind of sucked. Ive had rare moments where i didnt gas out first, but those moments were rare and subsidised with substances. Enter more conditioning.

Im pressing for conditioning on my non upper body days. This means ive got to choose movements that do not interfere with my ability to press and pull weight the next day. Today this meants a lot of movement training.

5 rounds as fast as possible

Sled push driveway x 2

Sprint lawn x 2

Kb suitcase carry lawn x 2

conditioning | bw + sandbags

Been getting a little complacent with my conditioning over the past few weeks. The cards method is awesome and im not ditching it, but ive gotten way too good at running through the deck. It aint hard right now unless i go through the deck twice.

Todays conditioning:

Rounds of 60s, 45s, 30s, 15s

Each round

1. Reverse lunge left

2. Reverse lunge right

3. Bw squat

4. Sandbag dead

Reset timer to next round and immediately start.

Ex

60s lunge, 10s rest

60s lunge, 10s rest

60s squat, 10s rest

60s dead, 10s rest

Reset timer to 45s rounds

45s lunge, 10s rest

...

And so on

calisthenics | explosive legs | let's see some fucking intensity

I was a quarter into a deck of cards workout when I realized I was phoning it in. Ya, I got all of my reps. But every single rep was enduring instead of injecting speed and aggression into the mix. When I consciously made every rep a fight against death, two things happened:

• I ran out of steam REAL fast.
• I woke up out of a fog and felt like $1000000000 bucks.

This folks is quality over quantity. If you're doing something like me - running through a deck of cards for lower body, bodyweight only - then the only ways forward are to add weight, do the same reps in less time, or add some fucking intensity. I choose intensity. That bulgarian split squat jump? You should be trying to jump through the roof on every rep. That bodyweight squat? If you had the intention of leaving the ground you absolutely would. That deadlift or clean? Light up them glutes baby.

The literal only thing I've felt 'go' with age is feeling explosive. And like most things with aging, you can still have what you've always had. But now it isn't free. You have to work for it and practice it. If you practice to be slow, you'll be slow. Practice being fast. If you are only using your bodyweight, practice intensity.

bfr bands and calisthenics

Experimenting with adding bfr bands to bodyweight movements. Dis is what i enjoy so far.

Pull giant set

Add bfr

Ring pullup

Ring rack pullup

Ring row

Ring row 45deg (one arm)

Ring row 45deg (two arms)

Ring curl 

Band curl

The biceps are not the limiting factor in most sets. By the end of each set, im pumped beyond belief.

End of cards

Play card method using lower body

Add bfr after entire deck

Alternate reverse lunges until you can't 

Especially if something in this deck involved explosive legs, this is fucking money. Heavy movements after explosive movements signal more power, strength, and hypertrophic gains. Bfr introduces the same metabolic stress of heavy lifting. Time will tell if this is a money shot or not, but it's a pump from hades in the interim with 0 added weight.

massive drop set | pull chain | calisthentics

I do as many of these as possible in a single day spaced out with at least 30min between sets. All sets are completed with 1 to 2 reps in the tank before moving to the next movement. If at any point a more difficult variation isnt possible, skip it or spend more time recovering before the next set (usually the limiting factor is my hands are torn up).

Giant set

Rings towel offset pullup (switch sides)

Ring pullups

Ring rows, parallel body position

Ring one arm rows, 45deg angle

Ring rows, 45deg angle

Ring curls, 45deg angle

This gets a little bit of everything. Intensity, volume, and a sick ass pump (especially in the last 3 movement). 

No weights required. If at any point towel pullups become too easy (starting to get 10+ reps in the first sets) just make the exercise harder.

More workouts sans equipment | deck of cards

Start with a deck of cards. If you dont have cards, download a cards app. Either works.

Run through the deck 2 times as fast as possible. 

First time through the deck

Spades: jumping bulgarian split squat (left)

Clubs: jumping bulgarian split squat (right)

Hearts: bw single leg rdl (left)

Diamonds: bw single leg rdl (right)

Values of cards

2-10 = their value in reps

Jack - ace = 10 reps

Bss jumps use half the reps indicated rounding down.

Ex: jack = 5 reps

Ex2: 9 = 4 reps

Second time through the deck

Spades: split squat (left)

Clubs: split squat (right)

Hearts: band pullthrough

Diamonds: bw squats

Bw squats use 2x the reps indicated.

Progression methods: 

1. Strive to beat your previous time.

2. Make every movement more explosive.

3. Switch out 1 to 2 movements.

4. If possible, add a small amount of weight aftee a few weeks (optional).

Switching up movements

Ive been doing nothing but weighted ring dips for the past month. Although my overall strength has gone up (bw+55 x 10, up from a previous best of 45x8) things are starting to feel creaky. The movement is boring. Even my warmups feel a little iffy. Ring dips didn't suddenly turn on me. Im either under recovered or getting stale.

Enter a planned switch.

Replacing weighted ring dips with weighted ring pushups is money. I can still go heavy without burning my house down. The literal only downside is i may run out of weight to use (75lbs), but thats a great problem to have. Also, something i wont run into for weeks if i only add 5lbs every 3 sessions (+5 week). 

This is working. My joints feel great. My shoulders are rounding out. My chest is looking better by the day.

Hypertrophy | Turning isolation into full body

Summary

With isolation movements that have little to no injury risk, start strict and end sloppy.

Not so summmary

Sometimes you try something and think - why the fuck haven't i been doing this already? Years. Wasted. Should have sent a poet.

For the past few months, Ive been ending each workout with a gauntlet of quasi isolation. Something like:

- band rows

- bw tri extensions

- band curls

- band one arm overhead extensions

- ring rear delt raises, face pulls

- band two arm overhead extensions

- band rear delt raises

This takes all of 8min to run through. It's the icing on the cake of an already complete workout, but i enjoy it and see a visible difference when i neglect it.

Ive noticed a solid pronounced increase in performance (on main lifts) and size when i started to cheat every movement once i could no longer complete a strict full range of motion rep. Lemme say: YOU SHOULD BE DOING THIS ON ISOLATION. Especially when bands are involved and the most tension is at the end of each rep.

You have little to no increase on injury risk, and unless youre a psycho you arent trying to enhance performance on these tiny movements. Turn each isolation movement into a full body movement once strict isolation can no longer happen.

Example: band bicep hammer curl

Grip low on the band, strict reps

Grip low on the band, cheat reps

Grip medium on the band, strict reps

Grip medium on the band, cheat reps

Grip high on the band, strict reps

Grip high on the band, cheat reps

6 sets where your biceps are being challenged without risk to your biceps or back.

I wouldn't suggest using this method with dumbbells or barbells. There is too much risk involved once you get fatigued and start to put in sloppy reps. Likewise, most bodyweight movements are probably not great choices for the same reason as barbells, but with the added bonus of ingraining shit form for movements you actually want to be competent at.

vacation no equipment pushups

Found 2 different protocols that have been fun to play with this vaca.

First: dynamic pushups, band curls

Rounds of: 

5 dynamic pushups 

5 heavy band leg curls

30s rest (1min if you miss 5 reps on either)

Repeat until 40 to 100 reps

The power side of dynamic pushups is a real kick in the ass to start a day. Great stuff.

Dynamic pushups are NOT clapping pushups or where your hands leave the ground. Instead they are 

- As fast as possible on the way up

- free fall down. Catch on the bottom and pause before exploding up again. You get a cool little plyometric effect here.

Second: pushup medley, band curls

Rounds of: 

Amap pushup variation

Amap light band leg curls 

30s rest

Repeat

The goal here is gaining strength in harder pushup variations before accumulating volume in easier variations. Start at whatever variation you can that allows for >= 3 reps in the first set. Change variations when you cant get more than 3 reps in a set.

Variations (10 is hardest, 1 is easiest)

10. Planche pushup

9. Dead stop planche pushup

8. 90degree pseudo planche pushup

7. Pseudo planche pushup (i start here)

6. Clapping pushup

5. Explosive pushup

4. Archer pushup

3. Elevated pushup

2. Pushup

1. Reduced rom pushup 

Both protocols take 10 to 20min.