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...

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...

Is Calisthenics the Best Form of Fitness?

Absolutely, without a doubt.

And I can explain.

The origin of the word calisthenics traces back to ancient greek and literally means “Beautiful Strength”. 

During that era, mastering bodyweight movements was synonymous with achieving true physical power, and even gladiators honed their prowess through these techniques.

I view calisthenics as a central discipline encompassing all movements that solely rely on the body's intrinsic abilities.

Sprinting, running, dancing, swimming, boxing, martial arts, animal movement, and so much more are part of “Beautiful Strength”.

It’s the most complete and free form of training: you train resistance and cardio during 70-80% of your training sessions. 

The exception occurs when you train skills. 

Calisthenics can be defined as bodyweight training and street gymnastics system with it’s own practice code, form and tricks. 

You do not need any equipment...

I Haven't Trained in 6 Months.

Ok, let's address the clickbait title – yes, I have been training, but my focus has shifted to what I call the "small work" for the last 6 months. 

This involves paying attention to the small details, joint mobility, movement patterns, and precision in my workouts.

One of the key elements of my routine has been mixing 3 days of bodyweight and light band specific work sessions, with 3 days of hard weighted calisthenics sessions where I strictly focus on compound movements.

I put a lot of emphasize on leg work during the weighted sessions (2 leg sessions + 1 full body session).

The bands, on the other hand, have been great in addressing the health of my shoulder blades and the transversal plane of my back.

They have allowed for fuller and more controlled scapular movements/shrugs, and I've varied the set-ups to target different angles. 

I've also mixed in exercises like scapula movements, planks and shrugs variations. 

Here is a...

Don't let anything stop you.

You have to build your own mindset, and you can not wait for it to just happen.

Calisthenics training is a great metaphor for life. Use it or loose it. 

When I had to deal with an injury on my right hand for close to 3 months, I wasn’t able to train any real calisthenics pulling or hanging during that time.

So i focused on everything else (pushing, core, legs). 

I was seeking feedback from my body when pain lowered down. Working out promotes overall healing.

I was focusing on how my movements were affected by my limitation and how I could work around it. 

Whatever movement you can not perform because of an injury, here are some tips to keep going:

• Work what's around the injury
• Work on the side or part that is not injured
• Focus on overall compound movement training
• Substitute full body movements with light band exercises alternative

In this muscle up video, my right injured pinky finger is healing and almost not squeezed at...

Use Explosive Calisthenics to Break Plateaus!

Explosive training is one of the calisthenics secrets.

It will take your skills and strength to the next level.

The regular "workouts" that most people follow, often lacks fast and athletic training.

You can apply speed training to all calisthenics movements.

But push ups are the best way to start working on explosive strength. 

Incorporating fast and controlled movements to your workouts is great to build overall athleticism. Speed and explosive power are important components of success in many sports. The ability to move at multiple levels of speed, at just the right time is critical to success within any game.

Speed and precision are essential features to develop functional strength and muscle endurance. This allows our bodies to learn how to repeat an intense and quick effort over a longer period of time than what we are used to. It is also a great tool to increase and fine tune mental calibration.

You will build very responsive...

Become An Expert at Pull Ups!

Do pull ups. All day, everyday. For the rest of your life.

It doesn't mean you have to do the same workout everyday. But the back is very often over looked and under trained!

So practice pulling in all forms and shapes as much as you can. 

Lifting your body off the ground and the ease at which you do it, is one of the best fitness and strength test out there.

I have seen many great pro athletes struggling with pull ups. 

My point is that this is a hard skill for just EVERYBODY. 

That doesn't mean dont' do it. This means train more and get good at it!

Become a Pull up expert!

Here is how:

• If you are starting your calisthenics journey, use easier variations such as Australian row, pull ups with band assistance or high bar shrug pull ups.
• If you are progressing into more advanced variations, add more reps, use harder moves such as typewriter pull ups. Use pyramid and ladder training to apply progressive overload.
• If you are...

Train Your Abs Like Bruce Lee!

The dragon flag is the first cool looking calisthenics movement I practiced. 

It was made popular by Bruce Lee, and builds amazing core strength.

It’s the best movement to train for the front lever. 

You need to use your full body including core, lats, arms and legs to keep your feet off the ground. Also engage your lower back!

Here are some detailed pointers:

• The goal is to lay on your shoulders and hold your legs in front of you. Avoid the common mistake of putting to much pressure on your neck. There should no pressure at all there. The weight is on the shoulder blades
• From there lift your feet up at a 45 degree angle and hold your legs straight in the air. 
• If you can’t hold your legs straight yet, start with the tuck version of the movement where you bring your knees to your chest. From there focus on extending your knees little by little.
• If you are more advanced, then lower your feet as much as you can and hold it...

Why You Should Flex Your Serratus Muscles!

Strong functional muscles play a major role in your overall progress, mobility and health.

A strong serratus muscle group is a key to thoracic mobility which turns into the ability to hold a proper hollow body position.

This will translate into good form in most calisthenics moves such as handstands, muscle ups, pull ups, push ups, dips, levers and more.

The muscle is divided into three named parts depending on their points of insertions: 

-the serratus anterior superior is inserted near the superior angle

-the serratus anterior intermediate is inserted along the medial border

-the serratus anterior inferior is inserted near the inferior angle.

All three parts described above pull the scapula forward around the thorax.  The muscle is an antagonist to the rhomboids. The inferior part can pull the lower end of the scapula laterally and forward and thus rotates the scapula to make...

Prioritize Your Back Muscles!

The most important things are often the ones you can't see.

A common illusion was set by the over marketed fitness industry, letting most people wanting big chests, big biceps and square abs. All of these are fine, besides the fact that this needs to start with a shredded back.

Back muscles are usually underrated and underworked. However they are the most important muscle chain in the upper body.

Besides all the functional benefits from having a solid back (this would require an entire bio-mechanic blog post), this muscle chain is also in charge of keeping your spine happy, which holds your skull, which contains your brain. 

Needless to explain further why a strong back matters.

Here is how to make pull ups and pulling variations a staple component of your workout routines!