all posts post new thread

Bodyweight Best pairing for BW skills

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Benjamin Renaud

Benjamin Renaud

Level 8 Valued Member
I was planning on working on the 4 main BW skills from the SFB bodyweight course, the OAPU, the pull-up, the pistol and the HLR. I would like to work only 2 skills per session, doing something like an A/B split then one day off and repeat.

I will be mostly using regressions and drills as I am nowhere near doing these skills in their standard form for reps, besides the pull-up. I plan on varying what regression and accessory drills I use from time to time, from as frequently as each session to every few weeks.

I would like to know what are your favorite pairings or what you would think would be the best pairings and why? And how often would varying the pairings be useful?
 
Last edited:
s f said:
Pistol -Pull-up,HLR and OAPU or Pullup -OAPU and pistol-HLR.I would avoid the HLR with pull-ups.Both use pulling muscles--I would want to give them more rest without doing them both in the same session.The pull-up and OAPU is classic push-pull.
Click to expand...
Thanks, that's about what I had in mind. I'll probably start with push-ups and HLR (+squat and pull) and switch over to push-pull (+squat and HLR) after 4-8 weeks depending on how it all goes.
 
You may like doing a pushup and squat, then pullup and single leg deadlift, and make one of your “end of session” regression exercises a core & movement trainer.

Example Day 1
One arm push-ups (or regressions)
Pistols (or regressions)
One arm planks (as core and OAP assistance)

Example Day 2
Pull-ups (or regressions)
Single leg deadlifts (or variations)
HLR (as core and pullup assistance)

But as far as just two movements go, you can’t do much better with what you have already written, and taking into account @s f advice. The fun and tricky part about calisthenics regressions and progressions is which ones work for you, but you’re pretty experienced with trying things out….
 
Neuro-Bob said:
you’re pretty experienced with trying things out….
Click to expand...
Yes, but not necessarily finding what works...

Neuro-Bob said:
make one of your “end of session” regression exercises a core & movement trainer.
Click to expand...
I was thinking about using the regressions as warm-up, but using them as core and finishers is also a great option.

I'll have to stay away from the SLDL for a while though. My hamstring tendon issue not being fully resolved I have to stay very basic with my squat progressions.
 
@Benjamin Renaud its also possible you could squat both days, if you want to get wild. It’s hard to load a bodyweight squat as much as we can load upper body calisthenics. So the solution there could be extra volume. For example pistols on A day, split squats on B day.

All within your limitations of course….just spitballing.
 
Reading through this and following your log had me wondering: do you do much isometric work ever? Besides for the PT stuff?

Simply holding planks and learning to engage everything while breathing can be really good. Also doing iso holds in pullup/chinup positions (top and at ~90-degree mark). I second @Neuro-Bob 's idea for one-arm planks. Maybe even "just" hardstyle planks.
 
bluejeff said:
Reading through this and following your log had me wondering: do you do much isometric work ever? Besides for the PT stuff?

Simply holding planks and learning to engage everything while breathing can be really good. Also doing iso holds in pullup/chinup positions (top and at ~90-degree mark). I second @Neuro-Bob 's idea for one-arm planks. Maybe even "just" hardstyle planks.
Click to expand...
I actually did tons of isometrics in the past. I used to do McGill's Big3 3-4 times per week but also a lot of hollow body drills. I also did L-sit practice and compression drills for a while when I had a shoulder injury preventing overhead work. I actually did so much iso during that time that I got fed up with them. I was doing iso holds and lower body only for quite a while. I did some flexed arm hangs for a while too, never at the 90° mark though.

I am looking forward to doing more of them lately though, because for the past 8-9 months (already that long!) I haven't done any because of the tension it brought to my hamstring tendons. Before I started the GTN patches most of the planks or hollow drills would irritate my tendons too much. Now that I've healed up to a certain point I can consider slowly adding them back in. It's still a lot of trial and error to find what I can and can not do. Lately hollow body seemed okay as well as the Big3 side planks and bird dogs. I still haven't tried HS planks or push-ups for that matter.

Neuro-Bob said:
@Benjamin Renaud its also possible you could squat both days, if you want to get wild. It’s hard to load a bodyweight squat as much as we can load upper body calisthenics. So the solution there could be extra volume. For example pistols on A day, split squats on B day.

All within your limitations of course….just spitballing.
Click to expand...
For now I'm just trying to find what kind of squat pattern exercise I can do within my limitations. I thought the front foot elevated split squat that my PT prescribed would be a good substitute to the usual pistol regressions, but to my dismay it still seems to be too much. I'll probably just settle for regular BW squats and maybe feet together BW squats until I can manage to integrate the one my PT prescribed.

It seems like I'll have to fill in the gap between the 2 plans my PT prescribed. With all 3 PTs I've seen, the jump from their plan A to their plan B was too much. Sometimes so much so that I even backtracked a few weeks when trying the plan B.

EDIT: Thank you both for your suggestions though, I'm taking notes and trying to build myself a suitable plan for the coming weeks. Everything you have suggested will be taken into consideration to build something sustainable with my actual limitations.
 
I'm a lil out of my element. But I love dips (I do them every week), pullups (or chinups), squats (goblet to work the pattern and Bulgarian split squats to work the legs [or lunges]), and sprinting (100% effort to engage the posterior, like 40 yard dash [only 1 or 2 days per week, dont overdue it]). Less is more attitude with the sprinting. The sprinting also ties everything together and adds athleticism.

If I was designing a BW workout for myself, a bigger guy who is well over 200 lb, it would probably look something like this (with McGill Big 3 and planks and such for core work and lots of walking)...

Eric
 
william bad butt said:
But I love dips
Click to expand...
I like them too, but I can't do many of them. I have long arms, some of my coworkers actually started teasing me about that earlier this year, which makes them quite challenging. I do plan on using them now and then instead of push-ups.

Sprinting will come in time when I've resolved my tendinopathy to the medial knee tendons. Might take a while before I do explosive work like that though.

Thanks for your input.
 
I thought and used a plan like this that was similar to what you’re looking for. 2 movements daily done 3 times a week. Pull ups and burpees explosively is one option. The other option is a 3 move trainer. Pull ups, push ups, jump squats. The explosive part of the jump squats and burpee works the hinge or PC. Not in the same way as a DL or swing, but IMO, enough. A 3 move circuit doesn’t follow the typical mentality from SF but it’s an option for general strength. You can sub push ups for dips some days etc. and different BW squat versions. The hardest thing about BW is an effective hinge. But I’ve done fine with the classic pull ups, push ups and squats for general strength/health/longevity/mobility.
 
So I've decided on three different pairings that I'll cycle through and I'll add a fourth session of weights. To those I'll add drills related to the skills and correctives, mainly lower body work.

For now the pairings will be:

Chin-ups and dips
Push-ups and HLR
Squats and pull-ups

DB C&P or TGUs

Thanks everyone for the input and tips.
 
Benjamin Renaud said:
I like them too, but I can't do many of them. I have long arms, some of my coworkers actually started teasing me about that earlier this year, which makes them quite challenging. I do plan on using them now and then instead of push-ups.

Sprinting will come in time when I've resolved my tendinopathy to the medial knee tendons. Might take a while before I do explosive work like that though.

Thanks for your input.
Click to expand...
I also have long arms. Do you know what they're good for? Swimming fast, and great coverage of a ping pong table without moving your feet, LOL I've been doing bwt. squats and regular 2-arm pushups every day for almost two months now. I just noticed recently that my right knee has improved dramatically. Would love to do hill sprints again. I hope your knee tendons get sorted out.
 
I like squat walk, with variation height. Some people call it duck walk. And sumo stance walk. Or goalkeeper walk (this one is hard). It's much more fun and easier for the lower body.
 
Whosonfirst said:
I also have long arms. Do you know what they're good for? Swimming fast, and great coverage of a ping pong table without moving your feet, LOL I've been doing bwt. squats and regular 2-arm pushups every day for almost two months now. I just noticed recently that my right knee has improved dramatically. Would love to do hill sprints again. I hope your knee tendons get sorted out.
Click to expand...
Benjamin Renaud said:
I have long arms, some of my coworkers actually started teasing me about that earlier this year, which makes them quite challenging.
Click to expand...

In many culture, long arms is a good sign. That is one of the beautiful aspects of Rama in the first few pages of Ramayana. Seems like it's good for archery and javaline
 
q.Hung said:
In many culture, long arms is a good sign. That is one of the beautiful aspects of Rama in the first few pages of Ramayana. Seems like it's good for archery and javaline
Click to expand...
Haha, two things I've practiced. Just got rid of my last javelin about five years ago, but hadn't thrown it in years, after two shoulder surgeries. I also shot in a competitive archery league and hunted with recurves and a longbow. I never succumbed to the compounds.
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom