Is 30 Too Late for Calisthenics?

The world of fitness is mostly images of youthful vitality and boundless energy.

It's easy to get the impression that if you haven't started your fitness journey in your early twenties, you've missed the boat. 

But let me tell you something that's not talked about enough – it's never too late to embark on the incredible journey of calisthenics. 

So, is 30 too late for calisthenics? 

Not by a long shot. In fact, your thirties can be the perfect time to dive into this transformative discipline.

I started calisthenics at 28.

Here's why age should never be a deterrent when it comes to embracing calisthenics:

1. Natural Movements Know No Age: Calisthenics is all about embracing the natural, primal movements of your body. Push-ups, squats, pull-ups – these are movements that humans have been doing for millions of years. And guess what? Your body doesn't forget how to do them just because you've hit 30. In fact, these movements can help your body recla...

The Benefits And 3 Ways To Train Weighted Calisthenics

If you are an advanced calisthenics practitioner, then weighted calisthenics is definitely for you.

Advanced is when you can do 15-20+ pull ups, 50+ push ups, 25+ dips, 100+ squats.

Adding weight to your sets and reps will help increase your muscle mass and overall strength level.

I did not plan this workout but ended up doing the heaviest pull up I've ever tried.

Life can be unpredictable!

Here are the pull ups sets I did:

• +130 lbs x 1 
• +70 lbs x 5 + hold
• +60 lbs x 5 + hold
• +45 lbs x 5
• +25 lbs x 5

And here are 3 ways you can design your weighted calisthenics workout sets: 

- Progressive overload: increase the weight as you go and decrease the amount reps as needed.

- Ladder training: Starting as heavy as you can with low reps and lower the weight as you increase reps.

- Pyramid training: start with high reps low weight, then increase weight with lower reps then go back up to higher reps lighter weight. 

Besides...

How To Save Time With Harder Reps

To get serious calisthenics workout results, high workout volume is key overall.

You have to grind for growth.

But here is how you can save time with fewer reps and harder sets, on days where your schedule gets in the way: add partial reps and/or isometric holds between each repetition you do.

In this video, I’m only doing 2 pull ups, but each way up and down was a good challenge.

Aim for 10 sets reps total, depending on your level, for a good back and core workout.

Here is also how to make your push ups harder!

You can use that method with any movement you want.

Get ALL my calisthenics workout programs and personal coaching here!

How To Deal With Low Energy Days

Those days come in cycle. Here is another tip I use when that happens.

I believe we create our own energy, and that it’s up to us to make the best of what we have.

The way I deal with lower energy days is by reducing the overall amount of reps I do during a workout, and focus on intensity exclusively.

I mean that I try to not let my "low energy feeling" days keep away from doing some type of explosive work along the way.

I'll reduce the volume and pair it with some lighter work.

In this last muscle up set I did, I did not have the gas for more that 3 proper reps.

So I focused on what I was able to do. I added straight bar dips reps and partial pulling reps as well as isometric holds to make the set as demanding as possible.

To recap here is a set you can repeat 3-10 times:

• 3 Muscle ups
• 5 Bar Dips
• 3 Partial Pull Flies
• 5 Second Deadhang

You can also mix this superset with other supersets. This method applies to any movement or set.

Here ...

Survival of The Fittest? Really?

It’s bullsh*t.

In the real world, it’s the most adaptable that survive.

T-Rex are extinct while small rat-looking mammals that lived underground for thousands of years now dominate the world.

Insects and octopuses are adaptation masters which have been around for hundreds of millions of years.

The biggest guy does not always win when endurance come in play.

David beat Goliath.

Even Thanos loses at the end!

You get the point.

You have to be “agile” in the way you approach things in order to finish on top.

It’s great to be the fittest too, to have the perfect plan, with the perfect timing and nutrition intake that goes along with it. Last but not least perfect sleep.

However, it just does not really happen in real life, thus the need to adapt to the conditions we are facing at that exact moment.

We all have unexpected changes of situations that occur from time to time.

The key is to know how to handle those changes.

So while you should alway...

The Back Bridge Benefits

This might be the least sexy move with the most benefits you’ll see today.

The back bridge and its dynamic variations are an essential tool for overall back mobility and good posture.

It is something I have neglected for a good part of my life. I started to change that when I realized my mid/lower back was my missing link.

I’m still far from the acrobat level but at 43 it’s night and day compared to what I was able to do in my 20’s.

I like doing dynamic knee raises paired with the bridge to work on my motor control when up-side down.

It is surprisingly hard to lift your legs when the body is engaged into an arched position. This requires to re-calibrate how we use our hip muscles in order to lift our legs.

Go for 4-6 reps and repeat for 3 sets. 

You can ideally mix those reps sets with 3 sets of maximum static holds.

If you can't do the full bridge yet, simply start with an elevated version of the bridge, with parallel bars or yoga blocks for example. Your han...

You Don’t Need To Be 8% Body Fat

Getting big, diced and shredded is the most common goal for most people, wether when they are getting started with fitness or already on the workout train.

But it’s a very far off, sub-optimal and inefficient way to approach training.

My goals are multi-dimensional:

1 - Lean mass and muscle density improvement

If you are 10-15% body fat (for men) or 15-20% (for women), you are a healthy individual. And more likely to perform better at ANY sport than someone under the 8-10% mark. Make sure to focus on muscle density and a fast metabolism. Yes you want to be lean, no you don’t want to be malnourished. 

2- Performance based results

Your real-life capabilities – from sprinting to pull-ups, dips, and handstands – are an authentic reflection of your overall well-being. Mastering essential strength, athleticism, and skill-based activities showcases your true potential.

3 - Form and Mobility Enhancement

Aiming for better form and greater mobility is a ...

The Most Controversial Pull Ups!

In case you are wondering, I am talking about the “Behind the Neck Pull ups”.

I have had many people ask me if they were safe to do.

The answer is yes! But it’s only good If you are strong enough to back it up.

It's actually recommended to work towards it. Indeed, this will imply you work towards getting bullet proof shoulders.

So how to perform the Behind the neck properly?

Make sure to keep your shoulders externally rotated at the top of the pull up. That's a key point. Don’t let your elbows go too high or far behind you. Keep them as close to you as possible.

Otherwise you will most likely feel a pinch in your shoulder and could end up impinging it.

You also need to keep a tight core and hollow body position as you perform the move. 

Go for 5 reps x 5 sets. Add isometric holds and adapt rep count depending on your level.

What if you can’t do it yet?

I could not do those either when I started, so I worked on it.

Here are some things to wor...

How to Start Calisthenics Alone?

Well first of all, you might not be as alone as you think!

There are LOTS of people doing calisthenics all year round.

All you need is to get a good beginner calisthenics workout program and go to the park near you regularly. You can also just do it at home! 

Or maybe there is a free-form workout area at the gym you go to, if you live somewhere that gets cold and rainy, or too hot to workout outside. You can also bring on any relative you’d like to initiate to your practice as well.

With all those options, you will start meeting and being surrounded by people that do calisthenics too!

When it comes to training, start with a focus on the main calisthenics foundation movements: pull ups, push ups, dips, squats and hinges.

Build all your workouts around these foundations and get good at it.

Make sure you workout your full body at least 3 times a week. Ideally up to 5-6 times a week when you become intermediate!

Here is my FREE Calisthenics Worko...