Do This To Get Your Back in Great Shape!
Do This To Get Your Back in Great Shape!
Static pull up holds are a great way to stretch and strengthen your back.
They are a game changer to get better at pull ups!
This exercise consists of holding at 3 levels of the pull up for an extended amount of time:
- The top of a pull-up (bar to chest, or bar behind the neck)
- The mid-hold (bar above the head)
- The dead hang (straight arms)
The mid hold is probably the hardest part of the combo. It requires good shoulder strength and mobility. You can practice assisted lat flies and use a resistance band to build up to it.
This is an overall great combo for building core strength, as well as increasing flexibility. It can also help to improve posture and reduce back pain.
If you can’t hold behind your neck yet, substitute for a classic chest to bar at the top of the pull up hold.
Aim for 5-10 seconds at each level. Go for 3-5 sets after your pull up workout.
Check out one of my sets here!
Give them a try and see how much...
What I Asked To Calisthenics Santa For Christmas!
What I Asked To Calisthenics Santa For Christmas...
...is for you to stay consistent with your routine and get "gainz" during the holidays!
That's really the secret!
There is no resolution to have on January 1st.
Whatever happens, the secret is to never stop.
That doesn't mean you have to train beast mode every single day.
That means you need to keep up with the bare minimum of movement your body needs to stay alive.
There are MANY reasons and ways to make that a very cool part of life.
1/ You have 100% freedom of choice.
You can do it whenever you want, anywhere, anytime.
2/ It's extremely easy to remember.
It's just like you remember to brush your teeth everyday.
3/ The 100 rule.
Do 100 repetitions of a compound movement, as a bare minimum to do everyday, on any day where/if you don't fully workout (Sunday can be mobility!). Convert that to seconds if it's a static movement or a mobility routine. If you can't perform some movements, you can...
The Best Dips To Hit Your Chest
The Best Dips To Hit Your Chest!
Today I just want to share the absolute best way to hit your chest with calisthenics dips.
This dips variation hits EVERY PART of your upper body and MAXIMUM tension on the negative phase.
It's a classic gymnast move variation that looks easy but is actually advanced.
You must control the descent and keep your core in a hollow body position during the movement.
Don't compensate the descent with poor form.
Go for sets of 3's if you are getting started with that variation.
Click here to watch the video!
Nicolas
How To Get Your First Muscle Up
How To Get Your First Muscle Up!
The muscle up is one of the most iconic calisthenics movement, and put calisthenics on the fitness map.
Despite being very hard to achieve, it became somehow mainstream on social media and everyone wants to do it!
The secret is to break down the movement into different sections, and train them until you feel good with each move:
- Start with the "take off" phase: practice lat pull downs, tuck levers, front lever raises
- The pulling phase: practice lots of explosive pull ups (sets of 15+)
- The transition phase from pulling to pushing: practice mid range hangs and short range pull ups
- The pushing phase: practice single bar dips (sets of 15+)
- Muscle up with bands: put everything together with a resistance, train until you "feel the movement" and get better at it, then start trying without the bands.
These are the main ingredients for success.
I put together a complete Muscle Up workout program in the app, so you can schedule...
My Favorite Calisthenics Superset!
My Favorite Calisthenics Superset!
It's busy season, so last week I shared my Vegas trip and how I managed to workout "on the go".
These days, I don't always have time to get the perfect workout.
That's when I like to use my favorite calisthenics superset: muscle up - dips - pull ups - core.
You can build up the reps as you want. I like the following splits:
- Ladder sets: 1 Muscle up/10 Dips /5 Pull ups, 2 Muscle Ups, 10 Dips...Up to 5 Muscle ups
- Straight sets: 3 Muscle up/5 Dips/5 Pull ups/5 sec Lsit x 5 sets
Keep your form as clean as possible on each rep.
Click here to watch one of my sets!
Nicolas
How To Stay Healthy On A Business Trip In Las Vegas
How To Stay Healthy On A Business Trip In Las Vegas?
I just got back from a 3 day business trip in Las Vegas.
I think you can imagine the amount of things that can go wrong there.
But, there are also very simple things we can do to stay healthy and feel energetic, even in Vegas!
Today I will share my personal trip, schedule and tips, so you can use it whenever you have to go somewhere for work.
Day 1 - From LA to Las Vegas.
The night before: 5 min nightly stretching routine (hips, shoulders, quads/hamstrings, back, wrists)
- 8 am: Wake up - 1 Big glass of water.
- 8:30am - Big breakfast, as always.
- 9:30 am - 11 am: Shower + work emails.
- 11:30am: Pack the car, pack the 12 Big Bottles of Fiji Water. Drive to Vegas.
- 4 pm: Get to Vegas. Drink water through the trip - Park, walk 2 miles, check in, drop luggages in the room, walk 2 miles back.
- 5 pm: Meeting the team at the Venetian expo hall, work until 6pm.
- 6-7pm: 10 min stretching routine + shower.
- 8pm: dinner at the Italian...
3 Unconventional Calisthenics Moves For Strong Abs
3 Unconventional Calisthenics Moves For Strong Abs!
The most common mistake people make when training abs is using a single plane of motion, mainly the frontal plane, doing sit ups.
This DOES NOT work.
The “Core” is a muscle chain you must train using MANY different angles, to tap into its full potential.
The core of the human body can bend forward, back, twist, go side to side, lift your legs, everything in between and much more.
Here are 3 unconventional calisthenics movements to add to your routine to build a well rounded and functional core muscles.
These moves are ideally performed on parallel bars or high parallettes. Click each link below.
- Repetitions: 4-8 reps
- Sets: 3 sets
- Repetitions: 10-12 reps
- Sets: 5 sets
- Repetitions: 8-10 reps
- Sets: 5 sets
I build ALL my programs following the rules and method I share with you weekly.
4 Things You Need For A Better Calisthenics Workout
4 Things You Need For A Better Calisthenics Workout!
Working out is quite simple once you know the rules of the game.
Today, I wanted to talk about the 4 key elements that will make you better at working out, and get you results immediately.
1. Speed
There is no power without speed. You can have the most massive body, if there is no speed associated with it, the overall performance will suffer greatly.
Solution: always practice speed when you train. For example, go fast up on your pull ups and slower on the way down. Same for pretty much every movement.
Add plyometric exercises like sprints, jump lunges, wide jumps etc… to your leg day.
2. Mobility
This is what allows you to train with full range of motion, hence developing your full muscle mass.
Be able to move optimally is key to proper muscle development.
Solution: Daily focus on hips and shoulders first, then work on your smaller joints (wrists, knees, ankles). It takes 5 minutes per day.
I post mobility...
Have you ever heard of the fascia?
Have you ever heard of the fascia?
This is the most complex fabric ever explored!
And we are ALL made entirely of it.
Knowing more about it is a crucial way to understand how your body mechanics work and get more results with your calisthenics workouts.
Check out this great 30 min video to dive into your own body through microscope videos.
Click here to watch the video!
Nicolas
How Many Calisthenics Repetitions Should You Do?
How Many Calisthenics Repetitions Should You Do?
Have you ever asked yourself how many times you have to do an exercise? For how long? Which exercise?
A LOT of clients always wonder how to build a workout with calisthenics.
Today I am going to give you an easy way to figure it out.
Design your workouts around compound movements: pull ups, push ups, dips, squats and core hinges.
All variations of those moves are also compound movements.
Set the proper total amount of reps per day:
- Beginner: 100 reps
- Intermediate: 200 reps
- Advanced: 300 reps
- Master: 400+
Divide this amount equally between each exercise, each day.
Don’t train the same thing every day.
Here is an example:
- Day 1: pull ups, push ups, core
- Beginner: 30+ of each
- Intermediate: 60+ of each
- Advanced: 100+ of each
- Day 2: pull ups, dips, core
- Day 3: Push ups, squats, core
Get my Free Beginner Calisthenics Workout Program here!
The Online Calisthenics programs are made to save...
