Five Fitness Lessons You Can Learn From a Baby
One of the greatest joys in my life is watching my daughter discover the world. It’s amazing to observe her as she figures out how to perform physical tasks and solve problems. And while it is tempting to try to explain everything to her based on my experience, I think it is generally best for her to learn from her own personal trials and errors. I try not to intervene unless she asks for my help or I feel her safety may be in jeopardy.
My job as a personal trainer is actually pretty similar: I aim to impart only the most essential information to my clients and I do my best to let them make their own discoveries and form their own conclusions. I’m there to guide the process, but they have to do the work in order to unlock their physical potential.
The similarities do not end there, however. Many of the lessons that come up in child rearing are also applicable to the world of exercise. That’s right – there’s a lot you can learn about fitness from a baby.
Though you may still ultimately need to ingrain these lessons from your own firsthand experience, it can help to keep them in mind when you’re starting (or restarting) a fitness regimen.
Heck, I still need to remind myself of these things on a regular basis, even though I’ve been working out for over 30 years.
1 – Crawl Before You Walk
One of my biggest gym pet peeves is watching someone attempt an exercise that they’re clearly not ready for.
It’s silly to try doing weighted pull-ups if you can’t do them properly without additional weight.
Similarly, if you can barely get to parallel depth on an unloaded squat, you probably shouldn’t try one with 200+ pounds on the bar.
Just like a baby must learn to crawl before they walk, it’s absolutely essential to master the basics before trying to progress them.
And just like that baby will need a lot of practice in order to graduate from crawling to walking, don’t expect to move past the basics until you’ve worked on them thoroughly and consistently for several months, or even years.
If you suspect you may be guilty of rushing ahead, try lowering the resistance on your exercises and instead focus on doing every rep with a full range of motion and complete control of the movement.
It’s okay to make this mistake when you’re new to the gym and eager to get in shape, but it can quickly become a problem if you don’t check your ego at some point.
Which brings us to our next lesson…
2 – Learn From Your Mistakes
There’s this song that my 2 year old likes called “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.” The song is about these monkeys who keep jumping up and down on the bed, then falling off and bumping their heads.
Their mother keeps calling the doctor, who gives the same advice every time: “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
The mother apparently ignores the doctor’s advice and eventually, one by one, all the monkeys have fallen off the bed and gotten injured.
Some of my clients do the same thing: They come to me for help, and I give them clear, actionable (and oftentimes obvious) advice.
Afterwards they disregard what I tell them and keep doing the same thing they have always done. Then they continue to ask me the same questions, bewildered as to why they aren’t seeing any changes.
The song is actually a profound allegory for human behavior.
If we do not learn from our mistakes, we will be doomed to repeat them.
So stop jumping on the bed and go to sleep already, otherwise you’re just going to keep bumping your head.
3 – Train Your Posterior Chain
People often tend to focus on the muscles we see in the mirror. There is a reason why there are twice as many articles about how to train your chest, arms or abs as there are about training your lower back.
Unfortunately this obsession with “mirror muscles” often causes folks to develop asymmetrical imbalances that can result in poor posture, faulty movement mechanics or even injuries.
When you become a parent, you learn about something called “tummy time” which refers to placing your baby face down on their tummy for short periods of time. This helps the baby learn to engage their back muscles in order to lift their head and strengthen their posterior chain.
It’s an important part of a baby’s development that’s well supported in the pediatric community.
As adults, however, it is not any less important to work our spinal erectors. Back bridges, supermans, hyperextentions and deadlifts are all great choices.
Don’t be a baby about training your back.
4 – Deep Squats Are Natural
One of the first exercises I usually teach a new personal training client is the squat. During these early sessions, it’s pretty common for people to tell me the movement feels strange or unnatural.
Ironically, children tend to instinctively land in a squat when they lose their balance, and in many parts of the world, people of all ages eat, rest and poop while in a deep squat instead of sitting. Deep squatting is actually one of the most natural human movement patterns that exists.
Unfortunately, in Western society we spend so much of our lives in chairs, couches and cars that this universally natural human movement pattern can begin to feel unnatural over time.
If squatting feels uncomfortable to you, you probably just need to get reacquainted with it.
Start with brief holds throughout the day, and grab onto a sturdy object if you need to in order to stay balanced with your feet flat on the ground. It may be unpleasant at first, but if you practice consistently you will quickly learn to reclaim your squat.
5 – Follow Your Curiosity
Kids have a hard time sitting still. They love to run, jump, skip and climb – but not because it’s good exercise. They do it because it’s fun!
The human body has a built in rewards system that gives us feel-good chemicals like endorphins, serotonin and dopamine when we engage in physical activities. So if you’re having a tough time getting motivated to work out, try to remember how good you will feel afterwards.
Kids also love variety, so if the same old routine you’ve been doing for ages has gotten boring, it might help to try doing something different. Mixing up your training keeps things interesting, and you may even discover something new that excites you.
You’ll know you’ve found something good when your training stops feeling like a chore, and starts making you feel like a kid again.
Fitness Pro Master Class
There’s never been a better time to start an online training business.
Online fitness training is one of the few industries that has actually seen massive growth in 2020.
I’ve been running aspects of my business online since 2009 and I’ve got more experience in this realm than just about anyone else.
I’ve taught workshops and certifications all over the world and I’ve mentored hundreds of successful trainers.
Now for the first time, I’m ever sharing insider info about the fitness business in a downloadable e-course!
In this program you will learn how to:
✅ Attract high paying clients for one-on-one online personal training sessions
✅ Write compelling articles and get featured on popular fitness websites and magazines
✅ Build a loyal following on social media that will help grow your business
✅ Develop a successful online fitness brand without compromising your integrity
✅ Create digital products that will provide you with ongoing passive income
Here’s what people are saying about the program:
Common Pistol Squat Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)
The pistol squat has been one of my favorite bodyweight exercises for a long time, but it seems to get a lot of criticism from others.
While I don’t deny that the potential to harm oneself is relatively high with this exercise, the same is true of any advanced movement – even in weight training!
Would you try to teach a weak, tight individual to do a kettlebell snatch or a barbell clean and jerk?
You shouldn’t try to teach them to do a pistol squat either. Not yet, at least…
Pistol Prerequisites
There’s always a chance that a shortsighted or ignorant person will hurt themselves doing something foolish, but I believe that when progressed properly and practiced with attention to detail, the pistol squat is a fantastic exercise, particularly if you are lacking equipment.
As a prerequisite, I would strongly recommend getting comfortable with the two-legged variety of squats before attempting single leg progressions. The ability to perform forty consecutive, deep two-legged bodyweight squats is a good baseline.
As such, it can take months before you’ll safely build to anything close to a full pistol squat.
Even people with strong legs should approach the move in a progressive manner when they are new to it. When I first encountered the pistol, I was able to barbell back squat almost double my body weight, yet the exercise was still beyond my reach.
Check out the video below for some examples of progressions you can use to gradually work your way up to a full pistol:
Pistol Squat Mistakes
Once you can perform a full pistol squat on both legs, it’s likely that there will still be aspects of your form that you can continue to refine.
That’s right – even after you’re able to bang out a few reps, there’s a good chance you may be making as least one of these technical blunders:
1 – Heel Coming Up
Ankle flexibility is usually the culprit here, so if you’re having a hard time getting to the bottom of a pistol squat without your heel coming off the floor, make sure you’re stretching your calves. Other times the issue is simply a lack of strength in the legs, glutes and abs.
Either way, you can try elevating your heel on a surface that’s higher than your toes. This allows you to push through your heel to help recruit your glutes and hamstrings without needing to flex your ankle as far.
Raising your heel also makes the leverage slightly more favorable, rendering the move less difficult. As you progress, you can gradually work your heel closer to the floor.
2 – Sitting Too Far Back
A pistol squat should be more or less a pure up-and-down movement. In order to do this, your hips must move back slightly at first, but as you get lower down you’ll need to bring them forward again. Your hamstrings should be pressed into your calf in the bottom position.
Many people mistakenly sit too far back, which can make it more difficult to balance and/or force you to have to round your back excessively.
Again, ankle flexibility can contribute to this problem for some people, but for others it’s simply a matter of bringing more awareness to this aspect of the movement pattern.
3 – Excessive Hunching
A certain degree of rounding in the spine may be unavoidable in the pistol squat, and as I’ve always said, since your spine isn’t loaded with weight, it shouldn’t be a problem.
But the more upright your posture, the more challenging and effective the exercise becomes. It just looks better, too!
As mentioned, this can often be related to the problem of sitting too far back, but it can also happen independently of that.
The fix for this one is to think about squeezing your shoulder blades down and back while bracing your abs and lifting your chest in order to minimize rounding your spine.
Again, sometimes it’s just a matter of bringing your awareness to this aspect of the movement. There’s a lot going on when you do a pistol squat!
4 – Airborne Leg Bending/Shaking
The phrase one-legged squat is a bit misleading . The leg on the ground is not the only one that has to work hard to achieve a perfect pistol.
People who are new to this exercise are often surprised by how hard the non-squatting leg has to work just to stay straight and keep from hitting the floor.
If you’re struggling with this, try holding onto the toes of your airborne leg for as much of the range of motion as you can in order to help that leg stay extended.
5 – Not Enough Full-Body Tension
The pistol squat is really a full body exercise. Don’t shy away from this aspect of it – embrace it – especially at first.
As you get better at pistols, you will learn how to use just enough full body tension to complete a clean rep without depleting yourself too quickly. However, in the beginning I encourage you to actively think about bracing your abs as hard as you can, especially during the bottom portion of the exercise.
6 – Bouncing
For a lot of people, the hardest part of the pistol squat is initiating the upward ascent from the bottom position. However, if you bounce out of the bottom position, you don’t need as much strength to come up. This is something I used to do myself when I was getting started with pistol squats. Once I realized what I was doing, I began improving my technique. I can’t do as many reps as I used to be able to when I would bounce out of the bottom position, but the reps I can do feel better and are far more challenging.
Pistol Programming
Lately, one of my favorite ways to practice pistol squats is to use a pyramid training protocol.
This means that after a brief warm-up and a set or two or two legged squats, I do just one rep on each leg. Then after a short break I do two on each leg.
I do three reps on the third set and continue to add a rep on every set until I reach the point where I can no longer complete a set with good form. At that point I begin taking away a rep on each set until I work my way back down to just one rep per leg.
The breaks between sets will naturally become longer with each set. Take as long as you need to recover and focus on technique more than anything else.
Watch the video below for more:
Next Level Strength
Next Level Strength – The Ultimate Rings and Parallettes Program is on sale now!
The latest Kavadlo Bros collaboration includes a brand new bodyweight program using rings and parallettes, as well as a detailed section on programming your own custom workouts. The book also contains extensive nutritional guidance and lots of other new insights.
Here’s what people are saying about Next Level Strength:
“Al and Danny cut to a depth that most calisthenic practitioners will never reach. What you have before you is a well researched, practical approach to achieving your fitness goals through bodyweight training, produced by the experts in their field.”
—Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS, ATHLEAN-X™
“In Arnold’s classic book, The Education of a Bodybuilder, Arnold stresses the importance of bodyweight training. His insights are brilliant, correct and… completely ignored. Danny and Al once again remind us of the need for bodyweight training in their new book, Next Level Strength.
I have been using the techniques that Danny and Al have taught me personally and I continue to make progress well after the age of sixty. This is amazing information brought to you by two of the best people I know.”
—Dan John, Author of The Hardstyle Kettlebell Challenge
“Next Level Strength takes all the power of old school calisthenics and blasts it to a higher level!
Just when I think the Kavadlo library of advanced calisthenics cannot possibly be improved upon, they raise the game for everyone else! Next Level Strength is brilliant…make no mistake: this is the ULTIMATE manual on using rings and parallettes as old school calisthenics tools. As I’ve gotten older I’ve found myself utilizing the techniques in this awesome book more and more…the result has ALWAYS been the same: old aches and pains vanish, my joints heal, I gain fresh muscle, and I make breakthroughs in total-body strength.
If you have seen rings and parallettes in gyms and were wondering how to use them to take your training to the next level quickly and safely, or if you are just looking for new tools to explode your athleticism beyond your old limits, Next Level Strength belongs on your bookshelf! 10/10!”
—Paul “Coach” Wade, Author of Convict Conditioning
“Danny and Al Kavadlo have truly taken their already masterful bodyweight strength instruction to the next level with Next Level Strength. Rings and parallettes are great training tools, but the genius of this book is in the exercise selection and progressions. The program is accessible to the beginner, while giving the advanced trainee all they can handle. Most importantly, the program is fun and goal oriented, and will be in regular rotation with my own training. The Kavadlos always set the bar high with the quality of their books, and I think this one will become my favorite, which is saying a lot. Next Level Strength should be on the bookshelf of any serious student of strength. Highly recommended!”
—Dr. Chris Hardy, co-author of Strong Medicine
Next Level Strength is available in both paperback and ebook versions. Click the link to get your copy today!
Kavadlo Brothers TRAIN Magazine Cover
Hey hey hey! The Kavadlo Bros are on the cover of the new issue of TRAIN magazine! What a way to start off 2019!
I’ve been a contributor to TRAIN since the very first issue and I’ve been in over 60 issues since the magazine’s inception, but being on the cover is a very special honor – an honor that Danny and I are extremely grateful for.
We owe a big thank you to every one of you for your support over the years. This would not be possible without you guys!
If you want to see more of this type of thing in the future, please continue to support us by picking up a copy wherever fine magazines are sold. It should be on the stands until the end of January, so grab a copy before they’re all gone.
(They don’t like smiling faces on their cover so I had to mean mug it for this shot. You can still tell that I’m smiling inside.)
Air Baby Tutorial
The air baby is an advanced hand balancing exercise that combines strength, balance and skill.
It’s a visually breathtaking manoeuvre that can take years to perfect.
The air baby has origins in breakdancing, but it’s also become a trademark move of calisthenics and certain styles of yoga.
Though the air baby requires a high level of strength and control, the process of building toward the full movement can help you improve those attributes.
Here’s a 5-step progression you can use to achieve the full air baby.
Take your time with each step and be patient.
Step One – The Crow Pose
The first step toward learning an air baby is the classic Crow Pose. In fact, you can think of the air baby like a one-arm/one-leg version of the crow.
Step Two – One Leg Crow
Once you can comfortably hold the crow for 30 seconds, you are ready to try taking one leg away and reaching it outward. You will need to shift more of your weight toward your fingers in order to stay balanced in this position.
Step Three – One Leg Crow with Staggered Hands
After you can do a crow with one leg extended for more than 10 seconds, you are ready to try the pose with your hands staggered. The idea here is to place less weight in your secondary arm by keeping it farther away from your body. You will also need to shift the position of your primary hand so that your fingers are facing out to the side rather than forward.
At this point you can also begin to play with turning your body slightly sideways and starting to stack your hips. You may be surprised by how much core strength this demands, particularly in the obliques on the side of your primary balancing hand.
Step Four – Assisted Air Baby
Once you can hold the previous progression for longer than 10 seconds, you can take more weight away from your assisted hand by raising up onto the fingertips. Then you can gradually start removing fingers.
Eventually, you’ll be close enough to a full air baby that all you’ll need for assistance is one finger. Even still, it can be a pretty big jump between this step and the full air baby.
Step Five – Air Baby
Once you can hold the assisted air baby for several seconds with just one finger, you can experiment with starting to remove the assisting hand completely. Be prepared for a lot of trial and error as you learn to find the sweet spot between tipping too far forward and falling too far backward.
Additional Air Baby Tips
–You may need to experiment with the exact placement of your knee in relation to your elbow. If it is too high or too low, you won’t be able to balance.
–It can help to think about pressing the ground away with your balancing arm while crunching your obliques to keep your knee on your elbow.
–Keeping the extended leg contracted and squeeze the heel of your bent leg toward your butt.
–Don’t be alarmed if your knee and/or elbow gets chafed from the friction caused by practicing this exercise. Sometimes breakdancers will wear a wrap or pad on the elbow to help with this.
–It may be helpful to first learn the one arm elbow lever before going for the air baby, as they are similar in some ways, and the air baby is more difficult.
Watch the video below for demonstrations and more:
How to Hang from a Pull-up Bar by Your Feet
Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be Batman. Now I’m one step closer.
The calisthenics foot hang involves hanging upside down from a pull-up bar with no contact points other than the tops of your feet.
It’s a fun and challenging exercise that can build foot and leg strength as well as confidence and mental fortitude.
Feets of Strength
In the world of calisthenics, there are some exercises that you absolutely need to do: squats, push-ups and pull-ups, for example, are non-negotiable in my book.
Then there are exercises that are “nice to do” – if you are interested. You can get in great shape without these moves, but they do have added benefits, and perhaps more importantly – they look awesome!
I’m talking about things like the human flag, elbow lever and yes – hanging upside down from a pull-up bar by your bare feet.
Tread Lightly
So how does one begin to train for such a move? The first thing I recommend is learning to do a toes-to-bar leg raise – even if you need to bend your knees a bit for now.
Learning the toes-to-bar is a good prerequisite, as you pretty much need to be able to do this in order to get your feet in position to begin. It will also ensure a solid baseline of core strength, which plays a key role in the calisthenics foot hang.
When you are ready to try, start by hanging from a bar, then lift your legs all the way up and hook your feet over the top of the bar. Aim to get as close to your ankle joint as possible in order to give yourself the best leverage.
From there, slowly begin loosening your grip as you actively flex your toes toward your shins and squeeze your quads, shifting weight onto the tops of your feet.
If you feel ready, try moving one hand from the pull-up bar onto one of the side posts that supports the bar. Eventually, you will be able to take both hands away from the bar, instead holding onto both posts for support. From here you can progressively put less weight in your hands over time until you feel ready to remove them completely.
Toe-tal Body Tension
Make sure you are actively maintaining tension throughout your body the entire time and remember to squeeze your abs. In fact, you may find it easier to hang in a sit-up position with your torso flexed forward at first.
If you feel like you are starting to lose your footing, be ready to grab the side posts and lower yourself down carefully before you fall. However, I recommend making sure there is something soft beneath you, just in case you slip.
Bare Feat
Though the purest version of the move is performed barefoot, it may be helpful to practice with sneakers on at first.
Just like the skin on your hands when you were new to pull-ups, the skin on your feet will need to get conditioned to supporting your body weight. And yes, you can get callouses on the tops of your feet if you spend enough time hanging from them.
As is the case with all calisthenics exercises, a high strength-to-mass ratio is crucial to performing this move.
With enough practice, you can eventually get pretty comfortable hanging in this position. Then you can try doing it while simultaneously tearing a deck of cards in half.
Al Kavadlo 2017 Year in Review
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” –Lucius Annaeus Seneca
With 2017 winding down, it’s hard to believe another year is coming to an end.
It’s been a good one, and I’m excited to see what 2018 has in store!
Here’s a quick look back at some of my personal highlights from the past 365 days:
PCC? Yeah you know me!
My role as lead instructor for the Progressive Calisthenics Certification once again had me teaching bodyweight strength training workshops across the USA. I also got to teach in the UK, Poland and Australia!
It’s a privilege and an honor to continue to teach the world’s #1 bodyweight strength training certification all over the globe. If you’ve ever wanted to train with me in person, the PCC is the place to be!
I hope to see you at a PCC event in 2018!
Get Strong and Universal Strength
2017 saw the release of my latest book, which I co-wrote with my brother Danny Kavadlo.
Simply titled GET STRONG, the newest Kavadlo Bros book hit #1 in Amazon’s Exercise and Fitness category multiple times during the year.
Additionally, I released my first-ever online video course this year, called Universal Strength. The initial response from the first wave of people who went through the program was even better than I had hoped!
Universal Strength is currently closed for registration but will reopen in January. In addition to the 30-day structured video course, Universal Strength members also get access to my new premium membership club, where I’ve been uploading exclusive videos and answering people’s questions personally. I’m very excited to continue Universal Strength in 2018!
App-solute Value
My animated We’re Working Out! App got a new update this year!
This latest update includes improved animations, more exercises and more workouts.
We also added a tracking feature so you can record your workouts and monitor your progress.
The app is available for both iOS and Andriod.
Go check it out!
Media Player
I appeared in several magazines this year, including TRAIN magazine and Men’s Journal. I was also featured in Poland’s #1 strength training publication, Body Challenge.
And of course, I continued creating content for various websites throughout 2017, like Bodybuilding.com, T-Nation and Mark’s Daily Apple.
Here are links to my top five articles that I published in 2017 (you may notice a theme):
T-Nation – Five Damn Good Reasons to do Bodyweight Training
Bodybuilding.com – The Top Five Newbie Calisthenics Mistakes
GMB Fitness – Five Steps to Achieve the Human Flag
PCC Blog – Five Reasons to Practice Pistol Squats
Bodybuilding.com – Five Advanced Pull-up Variations for Building Muscle and Strength
Nailed It!
In addition to continuing to refine my calisthenics practice, I also began dabbling in some other feats of strength. This year I learned to tear a deck of cards in half and even started bending nails!
Attitude of Gratitude
I’m extremely grateful for all the good fortune that I received this year and I owe a big “thank you” to everyone who read my articles, purchased my products, or supported me in any way this year. I appreciate your continued commitment. Onward and upward in 2018!
Hey hey hey! We’re Working Out!
How to Do A Double Under
Who knew you could burn fat and have fun at the same time?
Those of you who’ve been following me for a while probably know that I’m not a fan of “cardio workouts” – but I do love me some jump rope training!
Jumping rope burns a ton of calories, plus it’s a great workout for your heart, lungs, legs, grip…and brain!
You see, unlike mind-numbing treadmill or stationary bike workouts, jumping rope requires you to stay focused and pay attention to your body, which has major cognitive benefits.
And wouldn’t you know it – by focusing on the task rather than the outcome, you can have a more enjoyable experience – and still get ripped!
Double Under Technique
The double under is a particularly effective technique for expending huge amounts of energy and revving your metabolism, but it can also be quite challenging to learn. As such, make sure you are very comfortable with standard jump rope technique before you begin working on the double under.
In order to perform a successful double under, you’ll need to whip the rope extremely quickly and jump higher than normal to make room for the rope to pass beneath your feet twice before you land.
I also suggest keeping your hands relatively low and slightly forward of your hips. If your hands are too high or too far back, you won’t have enough clearance beneath your feet.
At first, you may only be able to perform one double under at a time, but with practice you will eventually be able to string together multiple reps.
Double Trouble
There’s often a lot of trial and error involved in figuring out the proper timing for a double under. It’s a skill that takes practice and patience to master, so try not to get too frustrated in the beginning.
It’s best to practice on a soft surface like rubber or grass in order to minimize impact on your joints. Also make sure to bend your knees and ankles upon landing in order to reduce impact.
It can also help to learn the technique with a lightweight speed-rope, like “The Bolt” from Crossrope.
Lighter ropes can move a lot faster than heavier ones, and I’ve found that ropes which weigh around 3 or 4 ounces tend to be ideal for learning double-unders.
Once you’ve gotten fluid with your technique, you can try using an even lighter rope for more speed. Be aware, however, that very light ropes can potentially be harder to control, so some people will prefer to stick with a slightly heavier option.
That’s part of what I love about “The Bolt” from Crossrope: It comes with two ropes that are easily interchangeable – a lightweight 3 oz rope and a super-lightweight 1 oz rope.
Watch the video below for more:
One Arm Elbow Lever Tutorial
The One Arm Elbow Lever (aka Crocodile) is one of my favorite handbalancing skills.
It takes a lot of practice and patience to learn to balance in this position, but once you get the hang of it, you can have a lot of fun with this move.
In fact, it doesn’t require much more effort than the two-arm version once you get the feel for the balance.
Of course the first step toward learning a one arm elbow lever is to learn the standard two arm elbow lever.
Assuming you’ve got that taken care of, the next course of action is practicing a self-assisted version of the full one arm elbow lever by using your secondary arm to spot yourself.
As with the standard elbow lever, I recommend learning to do the one arm elbow lever on a bench or other elevated surface before trying it on the ground, as being elevated leaves more room for you to lift your legs into position.
Elbow Placement
The placement of the elbow for this exercise should be right by your hip – don’t go too close to your belly button, which is a common mistake. As such, you will need to lean your body ever so slightly toward your balancing hand in order to avoid tipping over in the opposite direction.
Additionally, when practicing on an elevated surface, you can experiment with wrapping your fingers around the side, or flat-palming it – one might come a bit easier to you, but both ways are ultimately worth practicing.
Once you have your elbow in place, tighten your abs and lift your legs. It’s best to start with your legs wide and knees bent in order to get a feel for the balance.
After both legs are in the air, you can begin to play with taking weight away from your assisting arm. I recommend going up on the fingertips to begin shifting more weight onto your primary hand. From there, you can slowly start taking fingers away.
Don’t be in a hurry to get to the full one arm elbow lever. Staying on one finger for a while can be a very helpful progression toward acquiring this skill.
Be My Lever
It will take a lot of practice, but eventually, you will be able to balance solely on one arm. Once you get the feel for this, you can try fully extending your legs and eventually bringing them together. Holding a one arm elbow lever with your legs closed makes the balance significantly more difficult.
After it’s no longer challenging to hold a one arm elbow lever on a bench, you can explore performing the move on the ground, or even on bars and other odd objects.
You can also try changing the angle of your body to make the move more challenging, such as rotating to a sideways position.
Watch the video below for more:
The Benefits of Cold Exposure
Every time I take a shower, I go through a little battle inside my head.
Allow me to explain…
Several months back, I read Wim Hof’s The Way of The Iceman, and it inspired me to experiment with cold exposure training.
In the book, Hof suggests ending every shower by turning the dial all the way to the cold side, then staying under the frigid water for as long as possible.
The first time I tried it, I barely lasted 30 seconds and found the whole thing to be quite unpleasant.
When it was over, however, I felt a powerful surge of energy which encouraged me to do it again the next day. After doing this daily for a few weeks, I’d conditioned myself to withstand several minutes under the cold water.
Though I’m a bit sceptical of some of the bold claims certain proponents of cold exposure training have made, there are three clear benefits I’ve experienced from it, and that’s enough to keep me going:
1 – Increased Energy
Though I’m not typically lacking in vitality, I do feel especially energized right after a cold shower. When the water hits my skin, it really wakes me up and gives my nervous system a jolt.
The science also shows that when the body is exposed to cold, it causes the capillaries to contract and blood is rushed away from the extremities in order to keep the internal organs warm. In the moments following cold exposure, the capillaries expand and fresh blood is returned to those areas. That’s probably why I’ve had some really good workouts right after a cold shower.
2 – Improved Recovery
When you’re fired up, a cold shower is a great way to cool down. Though it may seem like a contradiction to my last point, cold showers are perfect after a workout, especially if you’ve built up a lot of body heat.
Cold exposure following an intense training session also seems to help relieve muscular soreness, which makes sense given the anti-inflammatory power of the cold. There’s a reason it’s common practice to put ice on a fresh wound or injury. The healing power of the cold is undeniable.
3 – The Ultimate Meditation
The cold has an amazing way of bringing you into the present moment. It’s pretty much impossible to daydream or think about anything other than the physical sensations you are experiencing while you are in the midst of cold exposure. All you can do is stand there, breathe and accept it.
Focusing on the breath is a cornerstone of virtually all forms of meditation training, as well as a major part of the Wim Hof Method. If you focus your mind deep inside your belly and take big, powerful breaths, it’s easier to keep from succumbing to the cold.
It can also be helpful to move around. If I’m doing outdoor cold exposure, this could mean hitting a few yoga poses and/or doing some light stretching. If I’m taking a cold shower, I might start by letting the water hit my back and legs for the first few seconds, then turn to the side for a bit and let it run over my shoulder, finally letting it hit my chest, armpits and face after I’ve had a little time to adapt to the sensation.
Cold War
Even after following Wim’s teachings for the last several months and experiencing the benefits firsthand, it’s still sometimes a struggle for me to turn the shower knob to the cold side. Occasionally there are days when I’m eager to feel the cold against my skin, but much of the time there’s a voice inside my head trying to talk me out of turning that dial.
And that’s a big part of why I keep doing it.
Forcing myself to override the part of my brain that desires comfort has made me mentally stronger.
Just like my calisthenics training, my experience with cold training has helped reinforce for me how to best approach potentially daunting tasks without getting overwhelmed. The key is to focus on breaking the bigger task down into smaller chunks.
On the days when I really don’t want to feel the cold, I tell myself I’m just going to do 30 seconds. Once I get to that point, it’s usually not hard to convince myself to endure another 30 seconds. After a minute, I try to convince myself to say in for another minute. Sometimes it even starts to feel good!
There are days when I time myself on my phone and make sure I do a full 5 minutes. Other days I don’t bother with the timer and just stay in for as long as I can handle.
In addition to cold showers, I’ve also experimented with outdoor cold exposure, ice baths and cold rooms (like the one in the photo to the left), which can all get very intense.
Of course, I do take a day off once or twice a week when I am feeling particularly dispassionate about experiencing the cold.
Just like strength training, it’s good to give your body a break from all that stimulation occasionally. Typically when I skip a day, I’m more eager to go for it the next time.
Cold, Hard Truth
Studies continue to surface about the benefits of cold showers, ice baths and other forms of cold exposure therapy, yet many people are still hesitant to give it a shot. We live in a culture that encourages comfort above all else, but being comfortable all the time does not allow us to grow.
I’m sure you have a friend or two who thinks that you’re crazy for doing calisthenics. Keep that in mind if you think I’m crazy after you watch the video below:
If you’d like more info about cold training, pick up a copy of Wim Hof’s The Way of The Iceman.
Revolving Pull-up Handles for Grip Strength
There’s a street hustle in parts of Europe where passersby are offered the chance to win 100 euro if they can hang from a bar for two minutes.
To play the game, an entry fee of 10 euro is required, which seems like a small price to pay if you’re confident in your ability to hang.
The only problem is that nobody ever wins. That’s what makes it such an effective hustle.
A two-minute bar hang is no easy task, but it’s something that any serious calisthenics practitioner can accomplish.
So what’s the catch? How come nobody wins the 100 euro?
The answer is simple but hardly noticeable upon first glance, hence the effectiveness of the con: The bar they have you hang from is very thick and – more importantly – it rotates.
Perhaps you’re thinking that a little bit of spin shouldn’t make it harder to hang. That’s what I thought, too, which is precisely why people fall for this game.
As The Bar Turns
I recently found myself in London teaching a Progressive Calisthenics Certification workshop at The Commando Temple, a fantastic place for calisthenics training, and home to some very serious grip enthusiasts. In fact, their head calisthenics coach and PCC Team Leader, Fitsz Dubova, is also a world-record holding grip strength competitor.
During one of the breaks at PCC, Fitsz showed me a pair of rotating handles that can be hung below a standard pull-up bar. Then he had me try to hang from them, so I could see for myself how they felt.
Fitsz demonstrates a one arm pull-up at PCC
I was immediately surprised by how tough it was to hold onto the rotating handles, but I was still able to hang for a bit in spite of the increased difficulty.
Then Fitsz challenged me to try hanging from it on one arm.
On a standard bar, I can hang for a minute or longer on one hand, but on this thick, rotating apparatus, I was barely able to hang for two seconds!
Though I was intrigued, I didn’t get much time to play around with the revolving handles that weekend. After I returned home to NYC, however, I began thinking about them again.
I started looking around online, and came across an article on Jedd Johnson’s blog detailing how to make your own rotating grip handles. Then I went to my local hardware store and got everything I needed to assemble my own revolving pull-up bar handles.
Each handle consists of two pieces of PVC pipe – one inside of the other – with a foot and a half of chain threaded through and attached to a climbing strap with a carabiner. Placing one piece of pipe inside of the other is what causes the handles to rotate smoothly. They are cheap and easy to assemble.
Roll With It
Training with these handles has been a humbling experience. I’m no stranger to thick bar pull-ups, but the rotating nature of these handles makes them very tough to hold onto. I have pretty strong hands from decades of doing pull-ups on various types of bars, and I’ve messed around with a few kinds of grip boards and other climber’s training tools. Those of you who follow my blog also know that I recently started training to rip decks of cards in half. All of these things offer their own unique challenges, but these rotating thick grips are one of the most difficult grip tools I’ve encountered over the years.
If you have a very strong grip, you might not notice right away how much harder it is to hold onto a rotating bar or rotating handles, but as soon as you begin to fatigue, it will become immediately apparent.
Think about what you do when you are hanging from a bar and start to lose your grip. Most people instinctively try to choke their hands up a bit higher on the bar for more surface contact and improved leverage.
When you try to do this on a rotating handle, however, it just spins right back to where it was, forcing you to grip from a position of unfavorable leverage. It’s impossible to utilize any type of false grip on a bar that turns.
On top of that, these 2-inch grips are too think for most people to wrap their hand completely around, which makes the idea of hanging for two minutes that much more daunting.
Though I usually prefer to grip with my thumb on the same side of the bar as the rest of my fingers, as I feel that gives me the best leverage, I’ve been practicing pull-ups and hangs on these handles with my thumb wrapped around the other side in order to purposely increase the grip challenge.
I can hang from a standard pull-up bar for close to four minutes, but so far I’ve yet to stay on these handles for a full 60 seconds.
If I ever get to two minutes, I’ll be ready to try and win that 100 euro.
Watch the clip below to see my max set of pull-ups on these revolving pull-up handles: