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Sunday, September 5, 2021

My 5 Years of Fitness Progress: The Joys of Calisthenics and Gymnastics

Hello friends!

Intro:

Salutations from the bodyweight fitness and calisthenics community! I just wanted to make a post showing my 5 years of progress in fitness and how calisthenics and gymnastics changed my fitness journey in the past 2 years.

Since this is a general fitness discord, I'd thought it'd be cool focus and share some of the fun stuff and training that goes on with bodyweight fitness :)

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Before and After Picture Comparison: https://imgur.com/gallery/sHOujco

Me Around 2016: (Around Senior Year Highschool around 19 years old)

https://imgur.com/gallery/btDM4KX

Me Around 2019: (Around Junior Year College around 22 years old)

https://imgur.com/gallery/Hy3Qpmn

Me Around 2021: (Me Now around 24 years old)

https://imgur.com/gallery/iKqiAnB

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Calisthenics Progress:

Here's a video I made documenting how I progressed the past 2 years in calisthenics: https://youtu.be/0_7z6VscypA.

It's long, definitely don't have to watch it but it adds context to the training section below. I put time stamps with the information below in the training section so if you get lost on some of the things I'm referring to it should clear things up.

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Cool Things I Can Do Now:

Just some fun clips on things I can do if you don't want to go through the other clips below.

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Starting Stats: June, 2019. Sex: Male

Height5'3 (160cm)Weight~110lbs (49.9kg)

Height 5'3 (160cm)
Weight ~100lbs (45.3kg)

Current Stats: Aug, 2021

Height5'3 (160cm)Weight~120lbs (54.4kg)

Height 5'3 (160cm)
Weight ~120lbs (54.4kg)

As you can see, I'm a smol man :)

​

General Thoughts and Summary:

So to keep a long story short, I started lifting in middle school (around 7th grade). At the time I didn't really know much about training and I wasn't consistent so I lifted weights on and off all the way through high school (2016 picture).

Once I got to college, I had easier access to a gym and got a bigger and stronger because of that (2019 picture). I trained with weights and focuses mainly on bodybuilding.

  • The convenience of my college gym was really conducive to my progress.
  • Having a base fitness background isn't need for bodyweight training but is helpful.

Then around the end of my junior year in college, I met some people that showed me calisthenics so I started training it the Summer of 2019 and fell in love with it. I incorporated it into my training and exercised a lot more frequently.

As time went on I started training on Gymnastics rings, now I'm the strongest and fittest I've ever been (2021 picture). The things I'm currently training are quite high level.

Here's just some general thoughts regarding that.

  • Consistency is king, I became much stronger through calisthenics because I was training more regularly vs when I was purely lifting weights.
  • Really enjoying my training made it much more effortless to exercise which helped with consistency.
  • Bodyweight training can expose weak links and lagging areas. I developed more mobility and body control because calisthenics movements required more of that. This also helped me reduce injuries because I had to ensure my weakest links were strong.
  • Turns out I'm very good at calisthenics and rings. My body type is quite ideal for that so I've been able to achieve some very high level skills

If you're someone that's tired/bored of their current training style, then maybe exploring other forms of training, such as bodyweight exercises, might be what you're looking for. Currently I do mainly calisthenics with weight lifting supplementary exercises.

My current goal is to achieve F skills on rings (Pretty much moves you only really see in the Olympics), wish me luck :)

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Training:

  • Lifting Experience:

So I pretty much did bro splits from middle school to most of college. I forget the exact splits I did but it probably wasn't anything smart of well thought out. I think it was something like: Biceps + Back, Triceps + Chest, Shoulder + Something Else, and Legs

Really most of my progress at this time was noob gains and that I was lifting regularly. I didn't have any strong or impressive numbers on my lifts but I could rep out pushups and pullups. I also dabbled in weighted pullups and dips.

I think the main thing was weightlifting gave me a good strength foundation for when I eventually swapped to calisthenics. My two main problems with weightlifting were that personally for me I could've been more consistent with it and that I was always tight and stiff because I purely lifted and that's pretty much it.

Then I made the jump to calisthenics.

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  • General Info on Calisthenics:

Before I get more into the calisthenics part of my training, just wanted to provide some general info.

  1. There's many different things that fall under the umbrella of bodyweight training, I focused mainly on calisthenics and ring strength training.
  2. Calisthenics strength training is similar to powerlifting (weighted calisthenics is basically just powerlifting but with weighted pullup, muscle up, and dips) and weight training in terms of training principle but instead of lifting weights you use your body. We use progressions (easier versions of exercises) to progressively overload to ultimately achieve some move usually referred to as a skill.
  3. It's not just HIIT or high pushups and pullups!
  4. Because our entire bodies are used, you'll notice weak links when you're training. This is great because in the long run it can bring up lagging body parts and lead to more balance, coordination, and mobility (can't do a handstand if you don't have shoulder mobility). Good form is very important!
  5. One thing to highlight is a lot of high level strength moves require straight arms (referred to as straight arm strength or SAS). Because of that, we also have to account for our tendons and joints because some moves can hit them quite hard. Tendons take longer to develop than muscle so it's wise to not try to progress too fast, you can risk injuring yourself.
  6. Don't want to toot my own horn but don't take my progress as being indicative of everyone that trains calisthenics. The progress I've made is quite fast and I'm currently doing moves some people have dedicated years to achieving. I'm probably around the top 1-2% of people strength skill wise training calisthenics. But definitely try, it's an awesome time!
  7. Sorry if some of the exercise names/terms aren't familiar to you! The clips I have linked should show what they look like. Here's a chart that does a pretty good job of listing exercises and their level of difficulty: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19l4tVfdTJLheLMwZBYqcw1oeEBPRh8mxngqrCz2YnVg/edit?usp=sharing
  8. Skills difficulty rating. So the Gymnastics Code of points rates skills from A - K where A is the easiest and F is the hardest. For rings, the highest scoring moves are F. Right now I've achieved/working on C, D, E skills. For context an Iron Cross (https://i.pinimg.com/originals/79/39/fd/7939fd84b0e836f8d773f7c74288f69f.jpg) is a B skill.

Hopefully this clears up some things and provides a bit of context. Definitely check out r/bodyweightfitness FAQ for more info, it's a useful resource!

Ok now to the calisthenics stuff!

Around June of 2019 is when I started. After doing research I decided I'd train for a front and back lever. I just YouTubed "Front Lever" tutorial and "Back Lever" tutorial and found a bunch of useful progressions and exercises which I incorporated into my lifting routine.

Essentially what I did was FL on pull and BL on push days. I trained PPLPP (or something like that I can't remember). The way I structured my workout was Static progressions in the beginning, then dynamics, then weights (which could be weighted calisthenics, bench, accessory workout etc.)

Overall, training was pretty straight forward and I got both moves before the end of the summer.

​

Once the summer was over, I decided to continue my current training style. I focused on calisthenics with weights but now that I had FL and BL (with ok form. I also couldn't do it all the time) I decided I would work towards full planche.

So I pretty much continued in a similar training manner as I mentioned earlier and eventually got a full planche by the end of the semester (or about 4 months). Well, not really...Because my form was actually really bad and my elbows were bent so I wasn't actually doing a full planche. I didn't realize it at the time that I wasn't actually planching. Because I didn't know better I continued on thinking I was ready for harder moves.

I made a post regarding my planche mistake previously here if you want to take a look at that: https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/k1069j/full_planche_vs_fake_plache_do_it_right_the_first/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

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When my last semester of Senior year started I joined the gymnastics club and made some really cool friends. I also had access to a gymnastics gym too. This is where I fell in love with rings and realized I wanted to train towards advanced ring moves.

So I started working towards Iron Cross and full planche on rings. I used the straps on forearms method to train for cross, but honestly it was mostly a waste of time. The straps didn't really develop the proper straight arm strength for cross, so other than some initial shoulder development I didn't find it useful.

I was also making fake progress on planche too (I thought it was real progress at the time). I progress all the way from tuck to a full planche (bent arms so it doesn't count) on rings. I also started exploring planche pushups but again the form was terrible.

On the bright side, my weighted calisthenics was going well. I increased my one rep max weighted pull and chinup to 2 plates. I also could do dips with a plate and a half with good form. I could also do 2 plates but it wasn't parallels so I don't count it. Oh I also got one arm chinups so that was also pretty awesome too!

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So my senior year was a cut a bit short because COVID started at this point. I went back home around April 2020. I luckily made the smart decision to buy a power rack and continue training in my backyard and house which really payed off.

Earlier I started noticing there were weird quirks with my planche but I was still convinced I had a full planche. I posted a form check on reddit and someone pointed out my arms were bent. I was sad about it for a little while but eventually came to terms with it.

Again, check out the planche or YT video for more details b/c I'm mostly repeating myself. But TLDR I started from scratch, got injured from planche training for a few weeks, recovered, trained it some more but correctly (eblows locked) and eventually got a full planche.

For other moves Iron Cross was still a grind, I had to go through a few iterations and setups on how to train it to replace the strap method. I eventually ended on using resistance bands but my form always felt off so I was in an awkward limbo with the move.

On the bright side, around this time I started dabbling in other moves to improve on. They include front lever rows, one arm front lever, RTO dips, impossible dips, and victorian cross. I will never achieve these moves.

It was around this time I also found out about "Overcoming Gravity 2". I think it's really good and useful book. Great reference point for training and it helped me start thinking of other training concepts that I eventually started incorporating later on.

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Once it started getting too cold to train outside, I moved my stuff inside and continued training. I made a good amount of progress during this time. All the foundational work I improved on over the summer began paying dividends.

I could actually full planche for a few seconds so I started working towards harder variations like full planche pushups and planche press.

Iron Cross was still kicking my ass so no real update there.

I managed to get a few reps of FL rows with a false grip and some of the other moves I was dabbling with over the summer where also improving. The most noteworthy one is that my victorian cross form was shaping up well. I was using lighter bands.

Really the main thing that happened during this time is the gradual progress I was making with most things I was training and the fact I incorporating some simple periodization. I spent a more time refreshing my knowledge of training and periodization was one thing that really stuck out to me. Incorporating that helped me feel less tired and in danger of hurting myself in the long run vs what I used to do (i.e. not take deload weeks)

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Ok at this point I got really strong. Training wise I had a good understanding of how my body worked and how I needed to structure my workouts that worked best for me. I also incorporated a bit more complex periodization (though it wasn't always consistent) where I would ramp up and build towards strength phases. Also, I bought a dream machine for cross training, it was pricey but I found it useful.

Here's some clips of some of the other things I've managed to achieve. A lot of this skills are quite advanced so I'm really proud of myself :)

Still no iron cross...hate that move. The dream machine I bought has been much more helpful in training towards it bs bands though so that's nice. Slowly making progress on it now!

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  • Current Goals:

I still love training calisthenics, my main life goal is to achieve F skills on rings eventually. Currently I'm focusing at the moment on getting Iron Cross, cleaning up my Maltese, Maltese Cross, and cleaning up my Victorian Cross

Diet and Nutrition:

  • General Info:

I don't have much to say on my diet so this section is going to be brief. I'm in a lucky position where I've always been relatively skinny so I've never had to focus to much time on losing weight.

When I was in college, I was in a University that was ranked for having one of the best dinning services in the US. I always had access to healthy foods back then so my diet was varied and relatively clean with the occasional eating out. It was balanced as in I ate my fruits, veggies, grains, meats in most my meals. I couldn't tell you exactly what I ate because it was mostly intuitive. I don't count calories or anything.

Since college I've been living with my folks (moving out around April so that's exciting) and they cook every day. It's traditional Bengali dishes, so again food is generally clean and varied. I do however not eat as much veggies and fruits as I used back in college and need to fix that from a nutrition stand point. But over all I have an easy time maintaining a consistent weight. I also rarely drink alcohol.

  • Bulking and Cutting: So I don't bulk or cut. I like slowly gaining weight over time. That's just me.
  • Supplementation: I take creatine and protein powder that's it. I think most people do not "need" supplements, a good rule of thumb is to use supplements to enhance lagging parts of your diet. Actually requiring supplements is probably a conversation between you and your doctor.

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Final Thoughts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_7z6VscypA&t=1298s

This post is already pretty long now so I'll keep this section a bit short.

  • Fitness has had a huge positive impact on my life! I'm so glad I started lifting weights in middle school :D. I hope everyone else also has an great fitness journey.
  • Switching to calisthenics took my fitness journey to the next leve. I'm the strongest I've ever been because of it. This isn't because calisthenics is any better than other forms of training. I just have some much more fun training it which has helped me stay consistent and discplined.
  • I've also met awesome people through it's really been a net positive in my life
  • Be honest with yourself when you train, bad form can really waist your time or get you hurt.
  • Hopefully this post was somewhat informative and peaks others interest into the wonderful world of bodyweight training (it's more than just calisthenics)

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All the best,

Efran

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Saturday, September 4, 2021

Weight gain isn’t inevitable when you start college

Researchers found that first-year college students do pack on pounds, but implementing healthy patterns early can help stave off that weight gain.

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Physical activity in children can be improved through ‘exergames’

Physical activity among young people can be improved by well-designed and delivered online interventions such as 'exergames' and smartphone apps, new research shows.

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Thursday, September 2, 2021

OVERTRAINED: 50 consecutive days of deadlifting 605-750+ pounds, and what I learned along the way

TLDR: I Deadlifted over 600lb every day for 50 days, and came out the other side stronger, and better for it.

In the process I took my 1RM from 712 to 752 (323->341kg), and hit a bunch of other PR’s along the way.

Background Info

I started lifting with my dad as a young kid. I am in my mid-thirties now. There were some extended breaks from training over the years, but I always maintained an active physical lifestyle playing sports, working construction, etc.

You can find more detailed background information in my previous program writeups.

(Links are to removeddit, give them time to load)

So fast forward a bit, and we get to spring 2021. I just wrapped up ”Simple Jack’d”, and decided to sign up for a meet. Now I had to decide how to train for it.

Enter – DLED – Deadlift Every Day

Over the years I have experimented with many different setups for high frequency training. From my earliest attempts of mimicking the "Bulgarian Method" of maxing out every day, to "Simple Jack’d’s" more reserved setup of a 6 rep daily minimum, I have learned a lot. I decided to start this program with a new approach, similar to "Simple Jack’d", but with some rules.

1) Deadlift 3 reps at 85% Every Day.
2) Deadlift 1 Rep at 95% once per week.
3) No hype, no grinding on daily reps.

If the week goes well and all the reps are completed, add 1 rep, or 1% to the daily minimum, and move onto week 2. Maintain the weekly 1 rep minimum at the same intensity unless I set a new 1RM PR.

In the end, this is how my 50 days of programming looked.

  • Week 1: 3 reps at 605 Every Day, 1 at 675+ Every Week
  • Week 2: 3 reps at 610 Every Day, 1 at 675+ Every Week
  • Week 3: 4 reps at 610 Every Day, 1 at 675+ Every Week
  • Week 4: 4 reps at 615 Every Day, 1 at 675+ Every Week
  • Week 5: 5 reps at 615 Every Day, 1 at 690+ Every Week
  • Week 6: 5 reps at 635 Every Day, 1 at 690+ Every Week
  • Week 7: 1 rep at 675 Every Day, 1RM Conventional and Sumo
  • Day 50: 700 AMRAP

DLED Accessories/Assistance

I decided to pair my high frequency low volume deadlifting, with the polar opposite for accessory work. A basic, single muscle group per day, “Bro Split”. I would hit that single muscle group with high volume of a single lift, and then move on.

Cardio I ran 171 miles over the course of these 50 days. An average of 3.4 miles per day. My longest run was 8 miles.

I strongly believe that a good base of cardiovascular fitness enables me to work harder, longer, and in the end, lift more weight.

Training Log/Highlights

My full deadlift training log for these 50 days can be found in this spreadsheet with videos of the top set each day hyperlinked in the log.

Here are some highlights of my favorite sets

Data / Summary

Overall I hit 187 reps over 600lb in 50 days, for a total volume of 120,252 lb. That's makes the average day 3-4 reps at 640+

The lowest daily weight I hit was 605, the highest was 752 off the floor, and 815 off of wagon wheels with the top set estimating out to 889 on day 50 (702x8)

Of those reps, 134 were hook grip, and 53 were strapped, 32 were conventional, and 155 were sumo.

Using Variation to combat Fatigue

If you look through the training log, or have followed any of my comments in the weightroom daily discussion threads, you’ll notice that I used a LOT of variation throughout the last 50 days.

These variations weren’t chosen entirely haphazardly. In fact, I put a lot of thought into what I was going to do each day/week ahead of time, and then paid close attention to how I felt to adjust along the way.

Here are a couple examples of how lift selection could facilitate recovery or increase stimulus without just adding/decreasing weight:

  • When my thumbs were hurting I would use straps
  • If my hips felt good I would pull sumo
  • If my lower back was feeling good, I would pull conventional
  • If my lower back and hips were both feeling good I would go heavier, and hit more than my daily minimum intensity
  • If my upper back felt strong and rested, but I didn’t want to overwork my lower back or hips, I would add bands or chains, increasing the intensity at the top of the lift, without increasing demands at the bottom
  • When my positioning felt sloppy, I would add paused reps.

Every variation had a purpose, and was chosen to fit that day based on how I felt when I woke up, and in the hours leading up to my training.

Diet, Sleep, Recovery

My starting weight was 228 and my ending weight was 225, a net loss of 3lb

I tracked calories for a bit at the beginning of this 50 day period, but stopped about halfway through. At the time I was eating around 4,200 calories per day and maintaining.

As for what I eat... it varies, but I'm a big fan of carbs. I aim for 180g+ of protein, 100g+ of fat, and then fill in the remaining with 600+g of carbs

I usually start the day with some sort of PB&J, my favorite is to [Toast a Blueberry Bagel, add Chunky Peanut Butter, Honey, Raspberry Jelly, Fruity Pebbles]() and maybe a banana.

Mid day I usually eat out, because I work pretty far from home. My go-tos are burritos, sandwiches, pizza, all the good stuff people tell you to avoid if you are a serious lifter... I eat it.

Dinner is usually whatever my wife makes, it changes all the time due to kids, and I don't worry too much about it.

If I am hungry, I eat more.

If I'm tired, I eat more.

If I'm sore, I eat more.

If I am feeling achy or run down? I'll eat a bunch of gummy worms and drink a half gallon of OJ, then go for a run.

I don't take / never have taken steroids. Due to a pituitary tumor I have multiple recent blood tests showing my T levels, and offer my physique as further evidence.

I try to go to sleep before 10:00pm every night, and usually wake up around 5:00am

I do LISS cardio as often as possible, preferably in more frequent, shorter doses

(I find that two 5ks are easier to recover from than a single 10k)

CNS fatigue and overtraining

You see it all the time on internet forums. “You cant do X, you’ll overtrain”, or “Deadlifts are too taxing on the CNS to do more than a single set of 5 per week”

Obviously that’s ridiculous.

Now, I am not going to say overtraining isn’t real, or that it doesn’t happen. It does. But it is just REALLY hard to get to that point if you are paying attention to the other variables.

If deadlifting 600-750 for reps every day for weeks on end, while also running 171 miles doesn’t result in overtraining, you are probably going to be OK adding that 3rd set of curls to the end of your 5x5 LP

The key is to focus on what I mentioned above in diet/sleep/recovery.

Eat, sleep, do your conditioning.

Pain and Injury

I’ve dealt with many injuries over the years, from broken bones and torn muscles, to herniated discs, jambs, sprains, and dislocations…. and I had a few little bangs and tweaks over the last 50 days as well.

Going into this, I hadn’t pulled with a hook grip on a regular basis. Within the first week I had bruising on both thumbs, a split in my thumb nail, and a tear on two fingers. It took some adjustment, but I learned how to fix my grip, and was able to train through the discomfort, to the point that I am now comfortable holding 750+lb without issue, and my thumbs are all healed up.

I also smashed my toes one day, they bled a bit and bruised badly. I thought that my middle toe may have been broken, but a bit of tape holding it to the other toes, and some caution while running was enough to let me push through it. Although it is still hurting to this day.

Then, on day 46 I tweaked something in my lower back pulling 700 beltless. I actually felt/heard a pop and immediately dropped to the ground. Everyone has heard of R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation) but I refused to let a back injury sidetrack me again.

I immediately started working at it. Instead of RICE I opted for MEAT/METH, Motion, Elevation, Analgesics, Treatment/Traction, and Heat. What this means, is that I didn’t just lay down. I started foam rolling, stretching, taking Ibuprofin, working the area with a lacrosse ball, heat packs, hot baths, hot showers, walking, and even some light jogging, etc.

On day 47 I woke up in the morning STIFF and SORE. I immediately attacked the issue again with the same Methods. Later on I was able to Deadlift 675 off wagon wheels, which reduced the ROM to the point of less discomfort, and got out for a nice run without too much pain.

On day 48 I was already feeling significantly better, but I was still stiff and sore. Once again, I employed the same methods and rehabbed my way through the pain until I could touch my toes with straight knees, and pick up my kids without holding my breath. Later that day I would pull 765 pounds off of wagon wheels again. This time with even less discomfort than the day before.

On day 49 I woke up feeling like I was back to 80+%. But I took the time, and the medicine, and worked through the same drills and stretches. Later that day I would pull 675 off the floor for my first full ROM deadlift since the injury, and then go on to pull 765, and 815 off the wagon wheels, ending with a nice big PR. On day 50, I felt great, and finished with a big 702x8 deadlift AMRAP for a new all time PR on my estimated max… and did so completely pain free.

I am still a bit tight and sore in the morning, but its improving every day, and I am diligent about working at it. Staying moving, working the area, taking basic meds like Ibuprofen, foam rolling, stretching, and even lifting all make a huge difference on healing faster.

Conclusion

This couldn’t have gone better. At the outset I had no idea I was about to put 40lb on my deadlift 1RM in only 50 days.

Starting 1RM: 712 vs Ending 1RM: 752

And better yet, I learned a lot about myself, about training, about diet, and recovery, about pain and fatigue management, and more.

Is your deadlift stalling? Should you go deadlift 600+ Every day now?

Probably not.

But if you look at your training, I'm sure there is room to do MORE...

I'm happy to discuss high frequency or answer any non-accessory related questions.

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Wednesday, September 1, 2021

These Are the 18 Fitness Sales and Deals We're Shopping This Labor Day Weekend - POPSUGAR

These Are the 18 Fitness Sales and Deals We're Shopping This Labor Day Weekend  POPSUGAR

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The Importance Of Superfoods For Overall Health And Balance Ebook

The Importance Of Superfoods For Overall Health And Balance Ebook
fitness • August 30, 2021, 12:00 am


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Moderate-vigorous physical activity is the most efficient at improving fitness

In the largest study performed to date to understand the relationship between habitual physical activity and physical fitness, researchers have found that higher amount of time spent performing exercise (moderate-vigorous physical activity) and low-moderate level activity (steps) and less time spent sedentary, translated to greater physical fitness.

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Matching your personality to workouts delivers better fitness outcomes - Digital Journal

Matching your personality to workouts delivers better fitness outcomes    Digital Journal * This article was originally published here ...