Say Goodbye to Mid-Back Pain: Solution For Better Posture.

Good posture is essential for overall health and well-being.

And Calisthenics is one of the best discipline to work on it!

However, many people tend to overlook the importance of mid-back posture alignment. The mid-back, also known as the thoracic spine, plays a critical role in supporting the upper body and protecting vital organs. 

One of the most common causes of mid-back pain is poor posture.

When we slouch or hunch forward, we put undue stress on our mid-back muscles and ligaments. Over time, this can lead to muscle fatigue, strain, and pain. Improper posture can also affect our breathing, causing shallow breathing, chest tightness, and other respiratory problems.

A weak mid-back area will also lead to poor training results in the long run.

So here are some tips for improving mid-back posture alignment:

1. Sit up straight: When sitting, make sure to keep your back straight, with your shoulders relaxed, slightly ret...

My Favorite Cardio Workout. Boost Speed And Burn Fat.

Most people don’t like to train cardio.

It’s usually viewed as an endless running session, on a treadmill that leads to nowhere, getting little to no results at all in the process.

So today I will share my favorite workout, to make sure you burn fat, and build solid strength and speed!

The goal is to get your heart rate up, sweat bullets and exhale a lot of CO2. Hint: combining these 3 things is the ONLY way to burn fat.

So click on each title below to watch the videos!

1/ Let’s start with some agility work with the skaters runs - back pedal combo.

Go for 8-10 steps, and pause for a split second every time you land, then come back to your initial position running backwards at a moderate pace.

Repeat the process for 10 sets.

Rest 30-60 sec between sets.

2/ We’ll continue with some broad precision jumps, for explosive cardio strength and agility.

The goal is to go as far as possible with a clean landing on each jump. This m...

The Best Cardio Workout To Burn Calories and Get in Shape!

Cardio training is one of those things that everybody has to do, while hating it!

So today I wanted to share the cardio exercise that gets your the best bang for your buck.

If you haven't guessed yet, I am talking about the famous jump rope double-unders.

This is a jump where you get to skip the rope twice under your feet before touching the ground again. Not only you will burn calories while doing this, but your abs will also get a good workout!

I like to finish my sessions with the jump rope. That allows me to finish strong and get the last calories out for the day.

Aim for anywhere between 10 and 30 reps and go for 10 sets.

It's much faster than it sounds.

If you are not able to do those yet, then practice, and substitute with fast single jumps instead. Do twice as many of those!

Click here to watch my last set from yesterday!

Let's go!

Nicolas

Join Online Calisthenics here if you are new!

The Workout You Need To Start 2023! 

This 400 reps workout is the perfect way to start the year:

• 100 pull ups (50 wide pullups/50 wide chin ups) 
• 100 push ups (5 pike push ups + hold/5 clean pushups x 10)
• 100 High Knee raises (20 x 3 on pbars + 20 x 2 hanging)
• 100+ “Shaolin” shoulder extensions 

I completed it in less than 60 min.

Use a wide grip for chin ups if you are advanced otherwise, substitute with classic chin ups grip width.

You can break down and mix (pull ups/chin ups) the pull ups amount per set as you go. Same goes with the knee raises and shoulder extensions. Start with the longer sets you can and reduce as you get fatigued. Make sure to keep a good pace.

You can take as long as you want, but try to make it 60 minutes. Use any variation needed (example: using a resistance band for pull ups or substituting with Australian rows).

Make sure to warm up properly, as usual! And put a special focus on your shoulders and wrists!

Let's go!

Nicolas

Join OnlineCalis...

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 your ba...

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 use any assisted variations...

My Favorite Push ups!

Push ups are one of my favorite movements. 

You can do them anywhere. They can become infinitely hard.

My favorite ones are the superman push ups!

They are really fun, and give you a good bang for your buck.

I like to end some sessions with a few sets to finish strong.

Here are some of my favorite explosive push ups!

• Set 1
• Set 2
• Set 3
• Bonus set

While I have fun performing those sets, I also put a lot of focus on practicing foundation push ups such as the classic version, the pike push up and decline push ups (various angles), and more!

Foundation work is key!

Nicolas

If you are new, join OnlineCalisthenics here.

Calisthenics Training With Online Clients In Real Life!

I was thrilled to get the opportunity to meet my online client Antal from Toronto, in real life! 

He was a beginner and signed up for the Online Personal Coaching Program back in 2020-2021.

He made tremendous progress during that time.

He went from calisthenics beginner to training for the muscle up in 1 year!

Watch his full 2 year calisthenics transformation here!

So training with him in person last week was a really great time. It was an opportunity to exchange more tips and tricks, answers questions, and workout together. 

We did about 300 reps total in 1 hour, and completed a full body workout as follow:

 • Hanging shrugs and Chin ups

 • Incline push ups and box dips

 • Squats and long lunges

 • T-pose holds

 • Hanging knee raises

 • Hollow body holds

We then got a great sushi lunch by the Marina.

Really cool times.

It’s always great to train in person, it's what I love, and hope to workout with you when you ar...

I’m excited to be part of the Invert, Bend and Balance symposium with Andrea Plancarte!

There are more than 20 experts involved in this great online event.

It's for all for aerialists, hand-balancers and pole dancers.

I can’t wait to share with you How Calisthenics Will Boost Your Upper Body Strength and Your Aerial / Pole Skills.

During the interview, we’ll talk about:

* What’s calisthenics, the importance of push ups and pull ups movements

* Their massive benefits to pole dancers and aerialists

* What’s proper technique for both pushing and pulling

* How to implement calisthenics in your workout and scale it to your level, to get the best results

The interview goes live tomorrow Monday November 14th.

Get your FREE spot at the link below!

https://symposium.invertbendbalance.com/nicolas

Let's go!

My 30 Second Calisthenics Challenge To You!

Practicing a skill requires setting clear goals that you can visualize.

This is what the goal was for me when I started practicing handstands: holding a simple straight line for 30 seconds.

So here is my challenge to you: hold whatever handstand variation you want for 30 seconds!

It can be assisted on the wall or even a simple elevated pike hold (hint: this is how you start building shoulder strength and muscle endurance).

Make sure to keep your scapula retracted, "squeezed" together enough, so that your shoulders don't round and "fall forward".

Click to watch the 30 second handstand video!

Nicolas

PS: Tag me @onlinecalisthenics in your videos so I can check it out!

PS 2: Join the movement here if you are new!